From policy borrowing to implementation : an illuminative evaluation of learning and teaching in higher education in Australia (2002 to 2008)

This study documents and theorises the consequences of the 2003 Australian Government Reform Package focussed on learning and teaching in Higher Education during the period 2002 to 2008. This is achieved through the perspective of program evaluation and the methodology of illuminative evaluation. The findings suggest that the three national initiatives of that time, Learning and Teaching Performance Fund (LTPF), Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), and Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA), were successful in repositioning learning and teaching as a core activity in universities. However, there were unintended consequences brought about by international policy borrowing, when the short-lived nature of LTPF suggests a legacy of quality compliance rather than one of quality enrichment.

LeaD-In : a cultural change model for peer review of teaching in higher education

Peer review of teaching is recognized increasingly as one strategy for academic development even though historically peer review of teaching is often unsupported by policy, action and culture in many Australian universities. Higher education leaders report that academics generally do not engage with peer review of teaching in a systematic or constructive manner, and this paper advances and analyses a conceptual model to highlight conditions and strategies necessary for the implementation of sustainable peer review in higher education institutions. The model highlights leadership, development and implementation, which are critical to the success and formation of a culture of peer review of teaching. The work arises from collaborative research funded by the Office for Learning and Teaching to foster and advance a culture of peer review of teaching across several universities in Australia.

Conference report : ‘For the Socially Responsible University’. Reflections on Universidad 2014, the 9th International Higher Education congress in Havana, Cuba, February 2014

This article describes salient aspects of 'Universidad', the 9th International Higher Education conference held in Havana, Cuba, in February 2014. Addressing the conference theme, 'For the Socially Responsible University', participants debated the university's capacity to lead societies in matters of knowledge creation and diffusion, and discussed how it could help governments in the quest for solutions to inequality and exclusion. A particularly interesting panel was one that discussed the social commitment of Hugo Chavez, the late president of Venezuela, and his work to support the expansion of education.

Illuminative evaluation as a method applied to Australian Government policy borrowing and implementation in higher education

Any government deciding to invoke widespread change in its higher education sector through implementation of new policies impacts on every institution and all staff and students, often in both the time taken up and the heightened emotions caused. The central phenomenon that this study addresses is the process and consequences of policy changes in higher education in Australia. The aim of this article is to record the research design through the perspective (evaluation research), theoretical framework (program evaluation) and methods (content analysis, descriptive statistical analysis and bibliometric analysis) applied to the investigation of the 2003 federal government higher education reform package. This approach allows both the intended and unintended consequences arising from the policy implementation of three national initiatives focused on learning and teaching in higher education in Australia to surface. As a result, this program evaluation, also known in some disciplines as policy implementation analysis, will demonstrate the applicability of illuminative evaluation as a methodology and reinforce how program evaluation will assist and advise future government reform and policy implementation, and will serve as a legacy for future evaluative research.Any government deciding to invoke widespread change in its higher education sector through implementation of new policies impacts on every institution and all staff and students, often in both the time taken up and the heightened emotions caused. The central phenomenon that this study addresses is the process and consequences of policy changes in higher education in Australia. The aim of this article is to record the research design through the perspective (evaluation research), theoretical framework (program evaluation) and methods (content analysis, descriptive statistical analysis and bibliometric analysis) applied to the investigation of the 2003 federal government higher education reform package. This approach allows both the intended and unintended consequences arising from the policy implementation of three national initiatives focused on learning and teaching in higher education in Australia to surface. As a result, this program evaluation, also known in some disciplines as policy implementation analysis, will demonstrate the applicability of illuminative evaluation as a methodology and reinforce how program evaluation will assist and advise future government reform and policy implementation, and will serve as a legacy for future evaluative research.

Leadership to support quality improvement in Vietnamese higher education

The impetus for the study reported in this paper is the Higher Education (HE) reform agenda outlined by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The paper reports on phase one of a mixed method research; a quantitative approach using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) to investigate the Vietnamese HE leaders’ leadership styles. The MLQ survey was administered to approximately 190 senior managers in State HE institutions in Mekong Delta region in Vietnam (nine of colleges). The psychometrics of the MLQ for the Vietnamese sample confirmed the reliability and validity of the instrument with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.779. A CFA was conducted and all factor structures were stable and consistent. The demographic variables were used to analyse patterns of leadership behaviours by the different sub-groups. The findings suggest that leaders who have different educational background and different gender in Mekong Delta region, Vietnam do not differ significantly in their perceptions about leadership factors.

Towards a potential model to enhance language learner autonomy in the Vietnamese higher education context

This constructivist theory-led case study explored how the term language learner autonomy (LLA) is interpreted and the appropriate pedagogy to foster LLA in the Vietnamese higher education context. Evidence through the exploration of the government policies and the cases of three EFL classes confirms the interpretation that learner autonomy and language acquisition are mutually supported. The study has proposed project work as a potential model while demonstrating the role of the teacher and the use of target language as mediators to enhance LLA in the local context. Findings of the study contribute a theoretical and pedagogical justification for encouraging LLA in Vietnam and other similar contexts.

Caught in the headlights: Designing for creative learning and teaching in higher education

This study was an exploration of the different ways that educators conceptualise and approach creative learning and teaching. The research revealed theoretical and practice-based insights, demonstrating that exemplary teachers adopt an ecological approach to designing for student creativity; this approach acknowledges and works with the complexity of the higher education environment and the dynamic relationships between students, peers and teachers. The inquiry confirmed the value of using learning design patterns to uncover hidden creative processes.

The history, content and evolution of The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education

The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education (Int J FYHE) began in 2010 with a specific FYHE focus and has published two issues per year with one issue linked to The International First Year in Higher Education Conference (FYHE Conference). This issue—Volume 6, Issue 1—is the last under this title. In 2015 the Journal will align to a new conference that has a broader focus on Students, Transitions, Achievement, Retention and Success (STARS). At this significant point and before we move on to the new journal, the journal team felt it was appropriate that the Feature in this final issue of the Int J FYHE should summarise the Journal’s activity over the years from 2010 to 2014.

Creative labour and graduate outcomes : Implications for higher education and cultural policy

One of the principal ways that cultural and higher education policy and practice intersect is over a shared concern with the supply of talent and its employability and career sustainability. This article considers the multidisciplinary contributions to these debates, and then engages with these debates by drawing upon research from analyses of national Census data, and via granular empirical survey research into Australian creative arts graduates’ initial career trajectories. In so doing, it seeks to paint a more nuanced picture of graduate outcomes, the significance of creative skills and by extension creative education and training, and the various kinds of value that creative graduates add through their work. This evidence should assist in a closer affinity between the differing approaches to creative labour and the creative economy, and has implications for cultural and higher education policy.

Success factors of engaging higher education students and staff with e-learning tools within Learning Management Systems

This thesis explored the state of the use of e-learning tools within Learning Management Systems in higher education and developed a distinct framework to explain the factors influencing users' engagement with these tools. The study revealed that the Learning Management System design, preferences for other tools, availability of time, lack of adequate knowledge about tools, pedagogical practices, and social influences affect the uptake of Learning Management System tools. Semi structured interviews with 74 students and lecturers of a major Australian university were used as a source of data. The applied thematic analysis method was used to analyse the collected data.

An investigation into students' motivation to learn English in higher education in Vietnam

This mixed-methods research explored students' motivation to learn English in an attempt to enhance the quality of teaching and learning English in Vietnamese higher education. An intricate picture of students' motivation was revealed: motivation to learn English to gain pragmatic benefits, to satisfy internal aspirations, and in response to external pressures. Students expressed that feeling connected with significant people (lecturers, peers and parents) enhanced their motivation to learn English. This research has significance at both practical and theoretical levels as it provides important insights into the teaching and learning English in Vietnamese higher education and the literature of second language learning motivation.

International students' perceptions of their experience of higher education in Australia: A focus on Saudi Arabian students in their first year of a business course in a major Australian university

This study examined perceptions of international students from Saudi Arabia living and studying in Australia. As a qualitative study that featured case study methodology, the thesis discusses the experiences of Saudi Arabian students in the light of two important factors: students' expectations prior to coming to Australia and the impact of intercultural competency on students' experiences. The study found that while study participants reported mostly positive experiences, there were challenges faced such as coping with English language and culture shock. The thesis culminates in a comprehensive list of implications for educators in the light of the study's findings.

A summary of the 'Engineering Education for Sustainable Development:Toolkit of Information & Teaching Material'

This paper reflects on the critical need for an urgent transformation of higher education curriculum globally, to equip society with professionals who can address our 21st Century sustainable living challenges. Specifically it discusses a toolkit called the ‘Engineering Sustainable Solutions Program’, which is a freely available, rigorously reviewed and robust content resource for higher education institutions to access content on innovations and opportunities in the process of evolving the curriculum...

Divest Harvard: Climate justice, higher education, and fossil fuel divestment

On the 19 November 2014, seven Harvard students — the Harvard Climate Justice Coalition — have brought a legal action against Harvard University to compel it to withdraw its investments from fossil fuel companies. The plaintiffs include the Harvard Climate Justice Coalition; Alice Cherry, a law student; Benjamin Franta, a physics student interested in renewable energy; Sidni Frederick, a student of history and literature; Joseph Hamilton, a law student; Olivia Kivel, a biologist interested in sustainable farming; Talia Rothstein, a student of history and literature; and Kelsey Skaggs, a law student from Alaska interested in climate justice. The Harvard Climate Justice Coalition also bringing the lawsuit as ‘next friend of Plaintiffs Future Generations, individuals not yet born or too young to assert their rights but whose future health, safety, and welfare depends on current efforts to slow the pace of climate change.’ The case of Harvard Climate Justice Coalition v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, is being heard in the Suffolk County Superior Court of Massachusetts. The dispute will be an important precedent on the ongoing policy and legal battles in respect of climate change, education, and fossil fuel divestment.