http://www.chass.org.au/inthemedia/ "In the media" delivers items on news and policy in the arts, humanities and social sciences. They are drawn from newspapers, journals or other web sites. Some will be international, others sourced from within Australia. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:44:53 -0600 en-au http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/research-achievements-underrated/story-e6frgcjx-1226169987870 http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#107 Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00:01 EDT THE need to have an understanding of how our universities perform is not in question. But the way in which we measure that performance remains unfinished business. The main flaw in the Excellence in Research for Australia framework is that it does not attempt to measure the impact of research. The impact of research, or innovation, was planned to be included in the former Research Quality Framework but, despite three years of planning and discussion, no consensus was reached on how to measure it. That ERA does not measure impact and innovation has the potential to skew government funding of research in directions that were unintended. After all, the main value of ERA is that it provides an evaluation to assure government, industry, business and the community that investment in research is worthwhile. For comparisons within fields (that is, across universities) and across fields of research, it cannot be assumed that research that scores well in ERA will represent the best in terms of innovation and impact. Therein lies the problem. There are fields of research where the primary aim is impact and the traditional academic measures of performance are secondary. There are many such fields; two key examples are chemical engineering and public health. Last year's ERA national report determined the average for chemical engineering to be 2.9 on the rating scale, yet our chemical engineers have an indelible impact on industries that at the moment are determining the success of the Australian economy. Take the Jameson cell and the reflux classifier, for example. Invented and developed by Graeme Jameson and Kevin Galvin respectively, these innovations add more than $4 billion in value to the mining industry each year, yet are virtually anonymous within the ERA system. In the public health and health services fields of research the Australian average was 2.3, yet in terms of impact Australia is a clear leader. Research and advocacy by Australian of the Year for 2003 Fiona Stanley led to recognition that folate in the diet reduced the incidence of spina bifida in newborn babies. The Kids Safe Sleeping Campaign, developed by an international group of public health researchers, has reduced the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome by 85 per cent since its inception in the 1990s. Investigations into the health effects of smoking have had an impact on the number of people suffering smoking-related disease. These examples scratch the surface in demonstrating the impact of public health innovation. In many areas we are recognised as world leaders supported by excellent cohort studies, but ERA couldn't measure this as the outputs are innovation in practice and changes to policy. It is timely to consider what metrics could be assembled to rate innovation and impact. Such measures should not overlap with those included in ERA and any attempt to add to ERA is unlikely to be worthwhile. While the metrics may appear difficult to determine, any researcher in an applied field, when asked, can readily identify the groups leading their fields. Mike Calford is deputy vice-chancellor (research) at the University of Newcastle The Australian http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/plan-revived-to-catch-drop-outs/story-e6frgcjx-1226136067869 http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#106 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:00:01 EDT LA Trobe University is on a journey back to the future in a bid to prevent students dropping out, reviving a mentoring scheme for first-year students it first set up in the 1960s. Under the plan, to be piloted next year in the faculty of humanities and social sciences, academics will each mentor eight to 10 students, meeting twice a semester to provide general advice on their studies. Kay Souter, faculty associate dean (academic), said the scheme would formalise the amount of time for consultation that staff were meant to provide students but that had been squeezed out by rising class sizes and the workloads of students. In recent years it has been typical that academic-student consultations have concerned only academic and discipline matters. Dr Souter said academics would be expected to allocate the time required, which she estimated at about five hours a semester. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. Related Coverage.Foreign students trump locals The Australian, 5 days agoQS Ratings reveal not much The Australian, 12 Sep 2011Malaysia to encourage boys to go to university The Australian, 12 Sep 2011UK: Universities scramble to cut fees The Australian, 12 Sep 2011A sober view of higher education The Australian, 29 Aug 2011..End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. The academic adviser scheme will apply right up the management tree, with senior deputy vice-chancellor John Rosenberg also expected to take on students for mentoring. Dr Souter said academic advisers were common in British and US universities but the lack of a formal system in Australia had seen mentoring decline during the past 30 years. Research reveals that many students had almost no contact with academic staff. "First-year classes in urban areas are enormous in many disciplines," Dr Souter said. "Students are frequently part of lecture groups of several hundred and more, and seminars of 25-plus, meaning that few will catch the attention of an academic." Dr Souter said the scheme was seen as a vital way to improve retention at a time the Gillard government's expansion and participation agenda was driving universities to enrol more students. In particular, universities are being encouraged to enrol more students from disadvantaged or non-traditional backgrounds who may be at greater risk of dropping out. "The more diversity we have, the more such a scheme will be needed," she said. Drop-out rates tend to peak between weeks five and 11 of the academic year. The attrition rates at universities for commencing bachelor degree students is running at 18.11 per cent based on 2009 figures, with La Trobe right on average at 18.2 per cent. Dr Souter said attrition was a substantial cost to the university and represented a personal and financial cost to students who might be bruised and discouraged by their experience while also ending up with a HECS debt. "The churn factor is just ridiculous. It costs a lot money and it breaks a lot of hearts," she said. Dr Souter said US students were required to attend adviser sessions, while in Britain academic staff members were assigned a group of students but participation was voluntary. "In both systems, students are assured of one-to-one academic advice and contact throughout their studies, and are generally required to consult [academic staff] if they intend to withdraw from a course," she said. . The Australian http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/adelaide-backs-down-on-tutorial-cuts/story-e6frgcjx-1226134466071 http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#105 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:01 EDT THE University of Adelaide has bowed to student pressure and agreed to immediately restore cut tutorials in the humanities and social sciences. The about face also follows embarrassing revelations that senior staff saw the move as being driven by cost cutting, rather than enhancing student learning as claimed by the university. The decision to restore the lost tutorials came as students were planning to ramp up the pressure on management by protesting at the "soft" opening of the university's new student "Learning Hub" building today. A Facebook page for the protest group had attracted more than 200 members. Deputy vice-chancellor Pascale Quester made the decision late on Friday after being told that students were adamant in demanding the tutorials be reinstated. "There was a very strong feeling of discontent and I couldn't be genuine in my philosophy of learning co-creation with students if I wasn't going to listen to students," Professor Questor told The HES. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. Recommended CoverageRelated Coverage Tutorial cut angers students STUDENTS at the University of Adelaide have banded together to question why humanities tutorials have been dropped. Quester appointed deputy VC at Adelaide PASCALE Quester has been appointed deputy vice-chancellor and vice-president (academic) at the University of Adelaide. ..End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. However she defended the cuts, in which two tutorials per semester would be replaced with more time for one-on-one meetings with tutors, as being motivated by a desire to enhance learning. She blamed some miss-communication between management and the heads of school and other staff for the changes being linked to cost savings. "Messages went at cross purposes," she said. But Professor Quester also claimed that opposition had been "manipulated" by some tutors defending their own interests. She said the university would continue to explore new approaches to learning, including online and experiential learning, but that any changes would only be made after consultation with students and with their consent. She said she had invited students who had opposed the cuts to be on some reference groups. Tutorials in the social sciences and in some history and politics subjects had been cut back from 12 per semester to 10, sparking opposition among both staff and students. While the university defended the cuts as driven by pedagogical concerns, staff believed the changes were driven by cost cutting. An email written by the head of social sciences, and leaked to THe HES via Unileaks, clearly attributed the change to higher marking costs that the university wasn't prepared to pay for. Students welcomed the backdown. But there is still bitterness that they weren't consulted in the first place and that the cuts this semester led some lecturers to cut course content. Student union president Raffaele Piccolo said the decision was a "great outcome". "This is a great opportunity for us to direct the future curriculum development and I implore all students to participate to ensure that your views, ideas and opinions are included," he said. National Union of Students president Jesse Marshall said "it is promising to see a recognition from the university that tutorials are an important component of the teaching and learning process, and that students want to see them retained". "Credit to the University of Adelaide for understanding the depth of feeling about this issue amongst students and being willing to listen to the concerns that were presented," he said. . The Australian http://www.campusreview.com.au/pages/section/article.php?s=News&idArticle=17134 http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#94 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:01 EDT No one doubts the need to increase the number research students, but the crunch is: who’s going to teach them? Campus Review http://issuu.com/nteu/docs/advocate_17_01 http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#95 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:01 EDT The 'HASS on the Hill' initiative by the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) is a great idea, supported by well-intentioned and enthusiastic people. As an academic under the HASS umbrella, it is reassuring to know that efforts are being made on our behalf to lobby MPs and senators; as a political scientist, it was of course energising to be back in the 'House on the Hill' in Canberra; but my primary role, as a delegate sponsored by the NTEU, presented an opportunity to reflect on ways in which different groups engage in the political process and to consider what works and what doesn't. NTEU Advocate http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/cultures-challenge/story-e6frg8n6-1225791870373 http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#97 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 EDT HE described himself as a "passionate audience member", promising to buy an Australian book, watch a local film and visit a gallery over the next month. For the Arts Minister, that might be considered all in a day's work. But Peter Garrett's pledge formed part of his address yesterday to the National Press Club in Canberra, where he attempted to articulate the broad cultural policy of the Rudd government in his first major policy speech. The Australian http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/meeting-raises-hopes-of-better-policy/story-e6frgcjx-1225791901865 http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#98 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 EDT RESEARCHERS and politicians meet in Canberra today to try to parlay the revived language debate into better policy. "The tangible outcome would be improved policy, better grounded in the research," said the University of Melbourne's Joe Lo Bianco, who will chair the round table as part of an annual event, the HASS on the Hill, that brings together MPs and scholars. It is hosted by the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. The Australian http://www.campusreview.com.au/pages/section/article.php?s=Comment&idArticle=13287 http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#96 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:01 EDT Social policy aimed at early intervention is the key to educational success for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, writes Ross Homel. The educational journey to university study begins early. Children learn first from their parents and siblings to lay the foundations of their cognitive, language, social and emotional development, as well as their attitudes towards education in general and higher education in particular. Campus Review http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/arc-for-less-stress-on-track-record/story-e6frgcjx-1225774166055 http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#100 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:01 EDT THE Australian Research Council wants to ditch its over-reliance on track record in the peer review process and instead take a broader view of a researcher's capabilities in a bid to make teaching and early-career academics more competitive. The Australian http://apo.org.au/commentary/bullish-creative-industries-and-bear-market http://www.chass.org.au/articles/index.php?id=dat#73 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:01 EDT The creative industries idea is better than even its original perpetrators might have imagined, judging from the original mapping documents. By throwing the heavy duty copyright industries into the same basket as public service broadcasting, the arts and a lot of not-for-profit activity (public goods) and commercial but non-copyright-based sectors (architecture, design, increasingly software), it really messed with the minds of economic and cultural traditionalists. And, perhaps unwittingly, it prepared the way for understanding the dynamics of contemporary cultural 'prosumption' or 'playbour' in an increasingly networked social and economic space. Australian Policy Online