Successes and stresses : A case study on relations between international higher degree students in Australia and their universities.

The paper examines the situation of postgraduate international students studying in Australia, mostly at doctoral level; a group widely seen as sought-after by Australian universities and employers, though also exposed to difficulties in aspects like learning culture, language and temporary employment. The investigation follows a novel path, as an exercise in practice-led research on issues involved in Higher Degree supervision. It is in fact an exercise within an advanced program of professional development for HD research supervisors. It begins by deploying a journalistic method, to obtain and present information. This has entailed the publishing of two feature articles about the lives of scholars for Subtropic, a campus based online magazine in Brisbane, www.subtropic.com.au. The next step is a review of a set of supervisions, citing issues raised in individual cases. Parallels can be seen between the two information-getting and analytical processes, with scope for contradictions. An exegetical statement deals with supervisory issues that have been exposed, and implications for learning, with recommendations for developing the quality of the experience of these students.

Assessment policy change in relation to English language teaching and learning in China : a study of perspectives from two universities

In response to concerns about the quality of English Language Learning (ELL) education at tertiary level, the Chinese Ministry of Education (CMoE) launched the College English Reform Program (CERP) in 2004. By means of a press release (CMoE, 2005) and a guideline document titled College English Curriculum Requirements (CECR) (CMoE, 2007), the CERP proposed two major changes to the College English assessment policy, which were: (1) the shift to optional status for the compulsory external test, the College English Test Band 4 (CET4); and (2) the incorporation of formative assessment into the existing summative assessment framework. This study investigated the interactions between the College English assessment policy change, the theoretical underpinnings, and the assessment practices within two Chinese universities (one Key University and one Non-Key University). It adopted a sociocultural theoretical perspective to examine the implementation process as experienced by local actors of institutional and classroom levels. Systematic data analysis using a constant comparative method (Merriam, 1998) revealed that contextual factors and implementation issues did not lead to significant differences in the two cases. Lack of training in assessment and the sociocultural factors such as the traditional emphasis on the product of learning and hierarchical teacher/students relationship are decisive and responsible for the limited effect of the reform.

The role of universities in building prosperous knowledge cities : the Malaysian experience

This paper explores the role and importance of universities, particularly in the Malaysian context, for building prosperous knowledge cities of the rising knowledge economy. It aims to shed light on how universities contribute to the knowledge-based development of Malaysian cities by undertaking a case study investigation. In the case of Bandar Seri Iskandar, the paper scrutinises the creation – from scratch – of a knowledge city, including the establishment of new public and private universities and hence providing a unique opportunity to understand how the idea of the knowledge economy has permeated economic development policy within a developing country context. The research findings reveal that in Malaysia, much like many of the developed countries, universities are being positioned to play a major role in supporting knowledge city (trans)formation. While there has been a tangible success on the spatial development based on a rapid land use change towards accommodating knowledge-intensive land use and activities, the research reports that a more concerted and coordinated effort from academia, public and private sectors are needed to further foster the growth and development of economical, environmental, institutional and social aspects of Bandar Seri Iskandar to become a fully functioning prosperous knowledge city.

Contributions of knowledge-based foundations of universities in knowledge city formation : a Malaysian case study

Purpose – In the 21st Century, as knowledge, technology and education are widely accepted to play key roles in the local economic development, the importance of making space and place for knowledge production is, therefore, on the rise resulting many city administrations and urban policy-makers worldwide restructuring their cities to become highly competitive and creative. Consequently, this has led to a new type of city form, knowledge city, and a new approach in their development, knowledge-based urban development. In this context, knowledge-based foundations of universities are regarded as one of the key elements for knowledge-based urban development and knowledge city formation due to their ability to provide a strong platform for knowledge generation, marketing and transfer. This paper aims to investigate the role and importance of universities and their knowledge-based foundations in the context of developing countries, particularly in Malaysia, in building prosperous knowledge cities of the era of the knowledge economy. Design/Methodology/Approach – The main methodological techniques employed in this research includes: a thorough review of the literature on the role of universities in spatial and socio-economic development of cities; a best practice analysis and policy review of urban and regional development policies targeting to use of university clusters in leveraging knowledge-based development, and; a case study in Malaysia with a review of various policy documents and strategic plans of the local universities and local and state authorities, interviews with key actors, and a trend analysis of local socio-economic and spatial changes. Originality/Value – This paper reports the findings of a pioneering research on examining the role and impact of universities and their knowledge-based foundations, in the context of Malaysia, in building knowledge cities of the era of the knowledge economy. By undertaking a case study investigation in Bandar Seri Iskandar, which is a newly emerging Malaysian knowledge city, located in Perak, Malaysia, the paper sheds light on an important issue of the 21st Century of how universities contribute to the knowledge-based development of cities. Practical Implications – Universities with their rich knowledge-based foundations are increasingly being recognised as knowledge hubs, exercising a strong influence in the intellectual vitality of the city where they are embedded. This paper reveals that universities, in joint action with business and society at large, are necessary prerequisites for constructing and maintaining knowledge societies and, therefore, building prosperous knowledge cities. In light of the literature and case findings, the paper sheds light on the contribution of knowledge-based foundations of universities in knowledge city formation and provides generic recommendations for cities and regions seeking knowledge city transformation.

Efficiency of research performance of Australian universities : a reappraisal using a bootstrap truncated regression approach

The motivation of the study stems from the results reported in the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2010 report. The report showed that only 12 universities performed research at or above international standards, of which, the Group of Eight (G8) universities filled the top eight spots. While performance of universities was based on number of research outputs, total amount of research income and other quantitative indicators, the measure of efficiency or productivity was not considered. The objectives of this paper are twofold. First, to provide a review of the research performance of 37 Australian universities using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) bootstrap approach of Simar and Wilson (2007). Second, to determine sources of productivity drivers by regressing the efficiency scores against a set of environmental variables.

Australian universities and the challenges of internationalization

In a little over twenty years, Australia has succeeded in developing an industry in international education worth $15.5 billion Australian dollars. Most universities engaged in this industry see themselves as integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into teaching, research and service. We examine the internationalization challenges faced by Australia's universities, and explore how curriculum and mobility are understood by academics interviewed at two case study universities.

Program your city : designing an urban integrated open data API

Cities accumulate and distribute vast sets of digital information. Many decision-making and planning processes in councils, local governments and organisations are based on both real-time and historical data. Until recently, only a small, carefully selected subset of this information has been released to the public – usually for specific purposes (e.g. train timetables, release of planning application through websites to name just a few). This situation is however changing rapidly. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Freedom of Information Legislation in the US, the UK, the European Union and many other countries guarantee public access to data held by the state. One of the results of this legislation and changing attitudes towards open data has been the widespread release of public information as part of recent Government 2.0 initiatives. This includes the creation of public data catalogues such as data.gov.au (U.S.), data.gov.uk (U.K.), data.gov.au (Australia) at federal government levels, and datasf.org (San Francisco) and data.london.gov.uk (London) at municipal levels. The release of this data has opened up the possibility of a wide range of future applications and services which are now the subject of intensified research efforts. Previous research endeavours have explored the creation of specialised tools to aid decision-making by urban citizens, councils and other stakeholders (Calabrese, Kloeckl & Ratti, 2008; Paulos, Honicky & Hooker, 2009). While these initiatives represent an important step towards open data, they too often result in mere collections of data repositories. Proprietary database formats and the lack of an open application programming interface (API) limit the full potential achievable by allowing these data sets to be cross-queried. Our research, presented in this paper, looks beyond the pure release of data. It is concerned with three essential questions: First, how can data from different sources be integrated into a consistent framework and made accessible? Second, how can ordinary citizens be supported in easily composing data from different sources in order to address their specific problems? Third, what are interfaces that make it easy for citizens to interact with data in an urban environment? How can data be accessed and collected?

Investigating the future of project management : a co-word analysis approach

If Project Management (PM) is a well-accepted mode of managing organizations, more and more organizations are adopting PM in order to satisfy the diversified needs of application areas within a variety of industries and organizations. Concurrently, the number of PM practitioners and people involved at various level of qualification is vigorously rising. Thus the importance to characterize, define and understand this field and its underlying strength, basis and development is paramount. For this purpose we will referee to sociology of actor-networks and qualitative scientometrics leading to the choice of the co-word analysis method in enabling us to capture the project management field and its dynamics. Results of a study based on the analysis of EBSCO Business Source Premier Database will be presented and some future trends and scenarios proposed. The main following trends are confirmed, in alignment with previous studies: continuous interest for the “cost engineering” aspects, on going interest for Economic aspects and contracts, how to deal with various project types (categorizations), the integration with Supply Chain Management and Learning and Knowledge Management. Furthermore besides these continuous trends, we can note new areas of interest: the link between strategy and project, Governance, the importance of maturity (organizational performance and metrics, control) and Change Management. We see the actors (Professional Bodies, Governmental Bodies, Agencies, Universities, Industries, Researchers, and Practitioners) reinforcing their competing/cooperative strategies in the development of standards and certifications and moving to more “business oriented” relationships with their members and main stakeholders (Governments, Institutions like European Community, Industries, Agencies, NGOs…), at least at central level.

Design and rationale of a Prospective, Observational European Multicenter study on the efficacy of acute surgical decompression after traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: the SCI-POEM study

Objectives:Despite many years of research, there is currently no treatment available that results in major neurological or functional recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). In particular, no conclusive data related to the role of the timing of decompressive surgery, and the impact of injury severity on its benefit, have been published to date. This paper presents a protocol that was designed to examine the hypothesized association between the timing of surgical decompression and the extent of neurological recovery in tSCI patients.Study design: The SCI-POEM study is a Prospective, Observational European Multicenter comparative cohort study. This study compares acute (<12 h) versus non-acute (>12 h, <2 weeks) decompressive surgery in patients with a traumatic spinal column injury and concomitant spinal cord injury. The sample size calculation was based on a representative European patient cohort of 492 tSCI patients. During a 4-year period, 300 patients will need to be enrolled from 10 trauma centers across Europe. The primary endpoint is lower-extremity motor score as assessed according to the 'International standards for neurological classification of SCI' at 12 months after injury. Secondary endpoints include motor, sensory, imaging and functional outcomes at 3, 6 and 12 months after injury.Conclusion:In order to minimize bias and reduce the impact of confounders, special attention is paid to key methodological principles in this study protocol. A significant difference in safety and/or efficacy endpoints will provide meaningful information to clinicians, as this would confirm the hypothesis that rapid referral to and treatment in specialized centers result in important improvements in tSCI patients.Spinal Cord advance online publication, 17 April 2012; doi:10.1038/sc.2012.34.

Democratization and Violence: European and International Perspectives

It is a startling fact that when in the mid-80s a ‘third wave’ of democracy took hold in Latin America and Eastern Europe, both democracy and violence were simultaneously on the rise worldwide. Almost by definition democracies represent an institutionalized framework and a way of life that ensures non-violent means to share power between communities of people with widely differing values and beliefs. As Keane (2004) points out, ‘violence is anathema to [democracy’s] spirit and substance’ (p. 1). Accordingly, the process of democratization was accompanied by expectations that violence would generally decrease, and that these countries would embark on a process of reducing levels of violence as Western European countries had done earlier in the 19th and 20th century.