Getting stuck in together : improving work integrated learning from an Australian institution and faculty perspective

According to a recent report Australian higher education is not in crisis. However, we could be doing it better. The report Mapping Australian Higher Education (Norton, 2012) highlights comparative weaknesses such as levels f student engagement; interactions between students and academic staff; and academic staff preferences for research over teaching. The report points out that despite these concerns most graduates continue to get good, well-paid jobs, student satisfaction is improving, and levels of public confidence in Australian higher education are high. It also stresses that ‘the promise of higher education is that it provides adaptable cognitive skills, not that it always provides the job specific skills graduates will need in their future employment’ (Norton, 2012, p.58). This is worth keeping in mind as we contribute to the significant growth in curriculum initiatives aimed at preparing graduates for the world of work. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is not a new concept but there is increased pressure on higher education globally to address graduate employability skills. The sector is under pressure in an increasingly competitive environment to demonstrate the relevance of courses, accountability and effective use of public funds (Peach & Gamble, 2011). In the Australian context this also means responding to the skills shortage in areas such as engineering, health, construction and business (DEEWR, 2010). This paper provides a brief overview of collaborative efforts over several years to improve the activity of WIL at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). These efforts have resulted in changes to curriculum, pedagogy, systems and processes, and the initiation of local, regional, national, and international networks. The willingness of students, staff, and industry partners to ‘get stuck in’ and try new approaches in these different contexts can be understood as a form of boundary spanning. That is, the development of the capability to mediate between different forms of expertise and the demands of different contexts in order to nurture student learning and improve the outcomes of higher education through WIL (Peach, Cates, Ilg, Jones, Lechleiter, 2011).

Enhancing student success and retention : an institution-wide strategy for peer programs

Higher Education's widening participation agenda prioritises improving access to university for low-SES students. Parallel with these ambitious national participation targets, is the challenge for universities to significantly improve student retention rates; hence, the need to implement strategies aimed to improve the quality of the student learning experience and build a 'sense of belonging'. Within the framework of the First Year Experience Program, Queensland University of Technology has embarked on establishing a whole-of-institution model for peer programs that aims to: 1) improve the student learning experience and outcomes; and, 2) establish quality assured and sustainable programs. This paper reports on the maturation university-wide peer program strategy and considers the challenges of implementing, evaluating and resourcing a sustainable and inclusive approach to peer programs.

Importing Wikipedia principles into the cultural institution of a public service broadcaster : the case of ABC Pool

Web 2.0 technologies have mobilised collaborative peer production and participatory cultures for online content creation. However, not all online communities engaging in these activities are independently facilitated and often operate within the auspices of the cultural institutions that develop and resource them. Borrowing from the principles of Wikipedia that supports collaborative online content creation and online community, ABC Pool (abc.net.au/pool) is one such institutional online community operating with the support of the Australian Public Service Broadcaster (PSB), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). This paper explores the collaborative, creative, and governance activities of an institutional online community and how the role of the community manager is an intermediary within these arrangements.

Tag-based interaction in online and mobile banking : a preliminary study of the effect on usability

In this paper we describe tag-based interaction afforded by a tag-based interface in online and mobile banking, and present our preliminary usability evaluation findings. We conducted a pilot usability study with a group of banking users by comparing the present 'conventional' interface and tag-based interface. The results show that participants perceive the tag-based interface as more usable in both online and mobile contexts. Participants also rated the tag-based interface better despite their unfamiliarity and perceived it as more user-friendly. Additionally, the results highlight that tag-based interaction is more effective in the mobile context especially to inexperienced mobile banking users. This in turn could have a positive effect on the adoption and acceptance of mobile banking in general and also specifically in Australia. We discuss our findings in more detail in the later sections of this paper and conclude with a discussion on future work.

A comparative usability study of a tag-based interface in the mobile banking context

This paper presents a comparative study to evaluate the usability of a tag-based interface alongside the present 'conventional' interface in the Australian mobile banking context. The tag-based interface is based on user-assigned tags to banking resources with support for different types of customization. And the conventional interface is based on standard HTML objects such as select boxes, lists, tables and etc, with limited customization. A total of 20 banking users evaluated both interfaces based on a set of tasks and completed a post-test usability questionnaire. Efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction were considered to evaluate the usability of the interfaces. Results of the evaluation show improved usability in terms of user satisfaction with the tag-based interface compared to the conventional interface. This outcome is more apparent among participants without prior mobile banking experience. Therefore, there is a potential for the tag-based interface to improve user satisfaction of mobile banking and also positively affect the adoption and acceptance of mobile banking, particularly in Australia.

Improving usability of e-commerce websites via tag-based customisation : a study on online and mobile banking

This thesis is an exploration of customisation in online and mobile banking. It investigates the application of user-tags to facilitate customised interactions in desktop and mobile devices, and its impact on usability. The thesis through a comparative study explains that customisation can positively affect usability especially for younger users, leading to higher levels of satisfaction.

A single institution experience of streptozocin/fluorouracil combination chemotherapy : a case series

Background The combination chemotherapy regimen of streptozocin and 5-fluorouracil (FU/STZ) has been used for the treatment of metastatic neuroendocrine tumours. Aim The aim of this study was to analyse the use of this regimen in a tertiary oncology referral centre over a 10-year period. Method We retrospectively analysed nine cases from February 2000 to May 2010. Patient demographics, chemotherapy schedule, toxicities, progression-free and overall survival were tabulated for each patient. Result The median progression-free survival was 17 months (range 3-48+ months), and overall survival 31 months (range 12-53+ months) with no toxicity related deaths. Conclusion FU/STZ was a well-tolerated regimen that produced significant benefit in the setting of metastatic and progressive disease. Our case series demonstrated comparable progression-free survival and overall survival in relation to randomized controlled studies and previous case series. © Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland 2011.

Embedded digital creative workers and creative services in banking

This chapter explores the roles and functions of both digital creative workers and creative services firms in an industry beyond the core creative industries: banking. The chapter focuses on the design and development of apps and mobile websites for smartphones and tablet computers, with examples drawn principally from the Australian banking sector. While it might be assumed that utility and practicality are more critical and more highly valued in apps development for financial services institutions than innovation and aesthetic design, this chapter illustrates the growing importance placed on creative work in this sector.

Property : an instrumental institution for environmental governance

Property in an elusive concept. In many respects it has been regarded as a source of authority to use, develop and make decisions about whatever is the subject matter of this right of ownership. This is true whether the holder of this right of ownership is a private entity or a public entity. Increasingly a right of ownership of this kind has been recognised not only as a source of authority but also as a mechanism for restricting or limiting and perhaps even prohibiting existing or proposed activities that impact upon the environment. It is increasingly therefore an instrument of control as much as an instrument of authorisation. The protection and conservation of the environment are ultimately a matter of the public interest. This is not to suggest that the individual holders of rights of ownership are not interested in protecting the environment. It is open to them to do so in the exercise of a right of ownership as a source of authorisation. However a right of ownership – whether private or public – has become increasingly the instrument according to which the environment is protected and conserved. This article addresses these issues from a doctrinal as well as a practical perspective about how the environment is managed. It does so in five ways: ●considering briefly property as a concept ●reviewing property in its historical context ●analysing property as a human right ●examining property in natural resources ●reviewing judicial approaches to property in natural resources.

Using a smartphone application for customer-centric banking

The banking industry is under pressure. In order to compete, banks should adapt to concentrating on the specific customer needs, following an outside-in perspective. This paper presents the design of a business model for banks that considers this development by providing flexible and comprehensive support for retail banking clients. It is demonstrated that the identification of customer processes and the consequent alignment of banking services to those processes implies great potential to increase customer retention in banking. It will be shown that information technology – especially smartphones – can serve as an interface between customer and suppliers to enable an alignment of offerings to customer processes. This approach enables the integration of banks into their customers’ lifestyle, creating emotional value added, improving the personal relationship and the customers’ affiliation with the bank. The paper presents the design of such a customer-process-centric smartphone application and derives success factors for implementation.

Banking sector contingent liabilities and sovereign risk

The global financial crisis has underscored the need to pay attention to contingent government liabilities that could arise from bank failures for sovereign risk management. This paper proposes a simple method to construct a contingent liability index (CLI) for a banking sector that takes into account the size and concentration of the banking system, market expectations of bank defaults, and perceptions of government support to each bank. This method allows us to track potential government liabilities related to bank failures for 32 advanced and emerging economies on a monthly basis from 2006 to 2013. Furthermore, we find that the CLI is a significant determinant of sovereign CDS spreads. Our results suggest that a 1 percentage point increase in the CLI is associated with an increase in sovereign CDS spreads by 24 basis points for advanced economies and 75 basis points for emerging markets on average.

Factors influencing Saudi Arabian optometry candidates' career choices and institution of learning. Why do Saudi students choose to study optometry?

Optometry is a primary health-care profession (PHCP) and this study aimed to elucidate the factors influencing the choice of optometry as a career for Saudi students, the students' perceptions of optometry and the effect of gender. METHODS Two hundred and forty-seven students whose average age was 21.7 ± 1.5 (SD) years and who are currently enrolled in two colleges of optometry in Saudi Arabia--King Saud University (KSU) and Qassim University (QU)--completed self-administered questionnaires. The survey included questions concerning demography, career first choice, career perception and factors influencing career choices. RESULTS The response rate was 87.6 per cent and there were 161 male (64.9 per cent) students. Seventy-nine per cent of the participants were from KSU (males and females) and 20.6 per cent were from QU (only males). Seventy-three per cent come from Riyadh and 19 per cent are from Qassim province. Regarding the first choice for their careers, the females (92 per cent) were 0.4 times more likely (p = 0.012) to choose optometry than males (78.3 per cent). The males were significantly more likely to be influenced by the following factors: the Doctor of Optometry (OD) programs run at both universities, good salary and prospects (p < 0.05, for all). The women were significantly less likely to be influenced by another individual (p = 0.0004). Generally, more than two-thirds of the respondents viewed the desire to help others, professional prestige and the new OD programs as the three most influential factors in opting for a career in optometry. CONCLUSION Females were more likely to opt for a career in optometry and males were more likely to be influenced by the new OD programs, good salary and job prospects. Service provision to others in the community was a primary motivation to opt for a career in optometry among young Saudis.

Investigating the factors influencing the adoption of m-banking: A cross cultural study

Purpose Little is known about the adoption of mobile banking technologies in emerging Asian economies. This paper aims to empirically examine the motivators that influence a consumer’s intentions to use mobile banking. Design/methodology/approach A web-based survey was employed to collect data from 348 respondents, split across Thailand and Australia. Data were analyzed by employing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, path and invariance analyses. Findings The findings indicate that for Australian consumers, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and perceived risk were the primary determinants of mobile banking adoption. For Thai consumers, the main factors were perceived usefulness, perceived risk and social influence. National culture was found to impact key antecedents that lead to adoption of m-banking. Research limitations/implications The actual variance explained by our study’s model was higher in Australia (59.3%) than for Thailand (23.8%), suggesting future research of m-banking adoption in emerging Asian cultures. Practical implications We identify the important factors consumers consider when adopting m-banking. The findings of this research give banking organisations a foundational model that can be used to support m-banking implementation. Originality/value Our study is perhaps the first to examine and compare the intention to adopt m-banking across Thai and Australian consumers, and responds to calls for additional research that generalises m-banking and m-services acceptance across cultures. This study has proposed and validated additional constructs that are not present in the original SST Intention to Use model.

Revisiting the Australian code of banking practice: Is self-regulation still relevant for improving consumer protection standards?

The Code of Banking Practice is one of the oldest examples of consumer protection provided through self-regulation in the Australian financial services sector. However, since the Banking Code was first released in 1993, the volume of consumer protection legislation applying to banks has increased exponentially and parts of the Banking Code that once provided new consumer rights have now been largely superseded by legislation. In light of the increasingly complex set of laws and regulations that govern the relationship between banks and their consumer and small business customers it could be argued that the Banking Code has a limited future role. However, an analysis of the Banking Code shows that it adds to the consumer protection standards provided by legislation and can continue to facilitate improvements in the standards of subscribing banks and of other institutions in the financial services sector. Self-regulation and industry codes should continue to be part of the regulatory mix. Any regulatory changes that flow from the recent Financial System Inquiry should also facilitate and support the self-regulation role, but the government should also consider further changes to encourage improvements in industry codes and ensure that the implicit regulatory benefits that are provided, in part, because of the existence of industry codes, are made explicit and made available only to code subscribers.