Strategies used by Griffith University (Australia) to control quality, in response to increasing external pressure for accountability, are outlined. The central strategy involves devolving responsibility to faculties and schools, who must develop plans for quality control within their own academic cultures. Barriers to implementation, including…

A survey investigated the Australian federal research grant process from the perspectives of unsuccessful 1991 applicants (n=222) from four universities. Findings include a number of limitations in the peer review process and information dissemination by the funding agency and raise questions about external evaluator selection. (Author/MSE)

Funding trends in Australian higher education are examined over a 12-year period, with analyses for the system as a whole and for 2 sectors: the old, established universities and the newer, emerging institutions. The effects of funding shifts on program emphases and student populations (undergraduate vs. graduate) are discussed. (MSE)

Budgeting and resource allocation systems that work for one institution may not work well for another. Each institution's procedures should meet its specific requirements and characteristics, even when that means adapting or drawing on other systems. (MSE)

Implications of two trends in Australian higher education are considered. These trends are shift to a fee-for-services system in which the government pays less of the cost of higher education; and move toward deregulation, with elimination of centralized planning and emphasis placed on institutional response to student demand. (MSE)

This report enlarges upon the tables and figures in the National Report on Schooling in Australia 1991 and provides a basis for the continuing cooperative development of educational statistics in Australia and better quality statistical information about Australian schooling. The following categories organize the series of figures and tables: (1)…

New methods of financing higher education used in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom are summarized and compared. The paper concludes that while these approaches are designed to improve efficiency, realize specific outcomes, and leverage additional funds from other sources, they may have unanticipated, unintended, and, in some…

Australia's recent experience with performance indicators for evaluation and funding of higher education institutions suggests principles concerning: selecting appropriate, relevant, and reliable indicators; providing expert judgment in interpretation of indicators; considering institutional context and priorities; providing incentives for good…

Four forms of funding universities (capitation, categorical, initiative, inventive) in Australia are examined for their characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. The option of using these funding mechanisms for allocating resources within individual universities, based on performance, is explored. Finally, use of the four kinds of funding…

Origins of Australia's university quality improvement program are outlined, and its design is examined. Issues discussed include implications of the program for individual institutions, its proposed method of redistributing research funds, and potential problems associated with performance appraisal. (MSE)

A secondary school librarian uses her experience to compare Canadian and Australian secondary school libraries in terms of educational philosophy, library role, staffing, budgets, resources, and library organization. (CLB)

The formal regulatory frameworks for higher education in four nations (Australia, Great Britain, Holland, and Sweden) who have recently enacted similar policies are described. Focus is on five areas: (1) higher education system design; (2) planning approaches; (3) funding; (4) outcomes assessment; and (5) government regulation of degrees,…

This book contains papers presented at a conference focused on the subject of funding for higher education and providing comparative perspectives on, and case studies of, educational financing from around the world. After an introduction by Ernest L. Boyer, the papers and their authors are as follows: "The Costs of Higher Education: Worldwide…

Equity, quality, and cost in higher education is examined as it exists in Australia. The first chapter provides a broad overview, both current and historical, of the complex structure of higher education in Australia and identifies issues and concerns. Chapter 2 examines enrollment trends in different fields of study. The third chapter looks at…

This monograph, part of a series that critically challenges conventional definitions of school management and school resources, takes the view that the major resources in schools are culture and knowledge. What counts as culture and knowledge in the school is the subject of continuing debate by individuals and groups who articulate different…