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There’s more in the Mail
This week’s teaching feature is Trevor Cullen (Edith Cowan U) on preparing graduates for life-long learning and work.
Plus David Myton looks at how technological change is putting new demands on the workplace and the challenges facing educators.
La Trobe U markets what it’s got
La Trobe U is promoting its place in the new Times Higher “golden age” university rankings, as 2nd in Victoria, 7th in Australia and 52nd in the world.
All true, although LT U and Monash U are the only two Victorian unis in contention. There are only seven Aus institutions overall on the list of universities founded between 1945 and 1967. LT U has not pointed out it is global number one among universities named for lieutenant governors of Victoria.
Lobbies to feds: no contract on parents and friends who help students cheat
The Innovative Research Universities lobby backs legislation against contract cheating but wants it selectively applied
And that means not making helping your kids/mates with assignments an offence. As it stands, the draft “may create considerable uncertainty amongst students and create fear that all forms of peer support (including student-to-student, or support from family and friends) should be avoided to avoid incriminating themselves or their support group,” IRU warns in comments on the bill.
Or as contract cheating researcher Phillip Dawson (Deakin U) puts it, completing somebody else’s assignment may be wrong, “but it is not a crime.” Aspro Dawson has a petition calling on the feds not to “criminalise parents, friends and peers who help students cheat,” here.
The IRU addresses three issues;
* legislating against contract cheating commercial providers: Universities have “limited ability to disrupt the supply of these services” and they should be the focus of interdiction
* more precise definition of one activity covered by the bill: three cited activities, completing an other’s assignment, providing exam answers and sitting an exam “are unequivocally cheating”. However, a fourth providing “any part” of required work is too broad if applied to friends and family; “minor editing, proof reading or suggestions of references or quotes could easily become parts of assignments.”
* clear guidelines for universities to assist with investigation: the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency will investigate breaches and institutions need to know what to record about cases of cheating and when to tell TEQSA.
Students agree
“Students are wary that the broad scope of the legislation may target individuals who could breach academic integrity by providing assistance to their friends,” the National Union of Students, the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association and the Union of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students said last night.
They call on the government “to amend the proposed legislation so that it only targets organised, commercial cheating providers.”
TEQSA is on the case
The Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency is tendering for somebody to advise higher education providers, “on promoting a culture of academic integrity prevention” and to advise them on strategies, “to prevent, detect and respond to potential breaches of academic integrity, such as contract cheating”.
Sydney stand-out among many masters
Oh good, another ranking
The Economist magazine lists its pick of the world’s top 40 masters in management. The University of Sydney business school’s “flagship” PG programme is 35th of 40 programmes.
Fitting people into new Western Sydney U structure
Western Sydney U is restructuring schools – they like a restructure at WSU
Back in March, VC Barney Glover announced three schools are going *science and health, * social sciences and psychology, as well as * computing, engineering and maths (CMM March 13).
Observers of IR at WSU say management is working as required by the change process bits of the enterprise bargaining manual. However, some people are puzzled by where the plan assumes existing positions are based, not always where they actually are and what this means under the replacement structure which takes staff from the existing schools and moves them into new ones, * health sciences, * science, * social sciences, * psychology, * built environment, architecture and industrial design, *computing, maths, stats and data science, and *engineering.
There are also said to be issues with proposed roles for student-focused professional staff in the new structure and where some academics will fit.
WSUers have to Thursday to respond to the proposed staff changes.
Schools that continue unchanged are, * education, * medicine, * law, * humanities-communication arts, * nursing- midwifery and * business.
New VC starts at Deakin U
What will it mean for Warrnambool
Iain Martin starts today as Deakin U VC, replacing Jane den Hollander. Professor Martin returns to Australia from serving as VC of Anglia Ruskin U in the UK. He was previously DVC A at UNSW, from 2012-16.
Professor Martin will meet with Burwood campus staff Wednesday and Waterfront and Waurn Ponds people, Thursday.
On July 11 Professor Martin will visit the Warrnambool campus . Under Professor den Hollander the university hoped to offload Warrnambool, but when there were no takers Professor den Hollander committed to keeping it open. The feds helped before the 2016 election by kicking in $7m for 2017 and the same again for ‘18 (then backbencher Dan Tehan is the local member).
Now there is a new VC and Mr Tehan, who is very keen on HE opportunities for regional students is minister.
Working out what comes next in export education
UniMelb education experts are looking at opportunities and pathways
How will Australian universities cope when the China boom ends? Having read-up on research about to start at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for the Study of Higher Education will help. An MCSHE team has won a Department of Education tender, to identify international markets for off-shore and on-line HE.
A second centre team also has funding from the feds “to examine and compare” the academic performance in first-year of direct entry international university students and pathway students in higher education institutions.
Dewar from La Trobe and Vann from CSU lead appointments, achievements
John Dewar (VC La Trobe U) and Andrew Vann (VC Charles Sturt U) have two-year terms as deputy chairs of Universities Australia. Deborah Terry (VC Curtin U) recently commenced as chair. This is Professor Vann’s second term and the first for Professor Dewar. The posts are filled by consensus.
Benjamin Kile become executive dean of the University of Adelaide’s health and medical sciences faculty. He moves from Monash U where he is head of the school of anatomy and development biology. Andrew Zannettino is incoming ED for research strategy at the Central Adelaide Local Area Health Network, which is a joint appointment with Uni Adelaide. He is now interim executive dean of health and medical sciences.
Francine Marques from Monash U is awarded the American Heart Association’s hypertension meeting’s Harry Goldblatt Award for New Investigators.
The South Australian science award shortlists are announced
Scientist of the year: Andre Luiten, physics and precision management, Uni Adelaide. Emily Hilder, analytic chemistry, Uni SA. Jozef Gecz, genetics, Uni Adelaide. Sharad Kumar, biomedicine, Uni SA.
Research collaboration: ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production (Uni Adelaide and a bunch of partners). (The former) Data to Decision CRC, succeeded by spin-out company Fivecast.
PhD research: Jenna Crowe-Riddell, marine snakes, Uni Adelaide. Dorothea Dumuid, stats models of lifestyle and heath, Uni SA. Tahnee Dening, water-soluble drug molecules, Uni SA.
STEM educator (tertiary): Tom Raimondo, geology and geochemistry, Uni SA. Beth Loveys, plant science. Uni Adelaide. Karen Lower, human genetics, Flinders U.
STEM educator (schools): Sonya Arnold, Seymour College. Anthea Ponte, Hawthornedene Primary. Sarah Finney, Stirling East Primary.
STEM professional: James Tickner, x-ray and photon-assay technology, Chyros Corporation. Gresley Wakelin-King, spatial relationships in geo-science, Wakelin Associates. Mark Skanes, STEM-related engineering, Dommar Pty Ltd
Murdoch U announces its 2018 staff awards
Senate Medal: Frances Brigg (technical officer WA Agricultural Biotechnology Centre).
Professional Services: Elizabeth Oliver, Joanne Hally, Julie Robinson, Clare Walters and Jackie Brown (Clinical placement team)
Learning and Teaching: Mike van Keulen (plant sciences, marine biology)
Learning and Teaching (early career): Dr Melissa Merchant (School of Arts)
Australian Awards for University Teaching, citation: Mary Anne Kenny (law)
Australian Awards for University Teaching, enhancing learning: Caroline Nilson, Martin Hopkins, Prue Andrus, Helen Dugmore, Cormac Norton (Bachelor of Nursing ePortfolio Learning Program)
Early Career Development and Achievement: Belinda Brown (Science, health, engineering and education)
Excellence in Research – development: Jeremiah Peiffer (graduate studies) and Dr Rachel Standish (ecology)
Excellence in Research – community impact: Meat Science Group
Distinguished and Sustained Research Achievement: Treena Burgess, (Science, Health, Engineering and Education) Helena Grehan (Arts, Business Law and Social Sciences), John Howieson (Crops and Plant Sciences)
20 years service: Sugeesh Ariyaratna, (data analyst) Regina Carr (research technician), Sue Hele, (librarian), Diane Lee (tourism), Chris Smyth, (Arts, Business, law and Social Sciences) Neisha Sullivan (Student records)
30 years service: Helen Martin (IT services)
40 years service: Ross O’Neil. Rosie Price (academic support)