Much has been written about the potential of micro-credentials to revitalise and modernise Australian higher education offerings, and to create forms of educational credit linked more meaningfully with industry. Proponents of micro-credentials speak from a range of standpoints: public education institutions, private companies, industry…

This paper outlines the important role that Henry Carmichael played in the foundation of adult education in Australia. He was the driving force in the foundation and early success of the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts. He also played a very significant role in the establishment of public schooling. His wide interest in educational thought is…

There is a lack of distinction and definition around how the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia might effectively recruit and retain suitably qualified teachers, trainers and assessors. The logic is clear: in order to enable and develop an immediate pool of competent and qualified workers for new and developing industries,…

For over a decade, debate has raged about the nature and purpose of the PhD, including its role as preparation for working in academia. Academic work has changed a great deal in the last 60 years, yet our doctoral curriculum has remained relatively static. While there is increasing interest in matching PhD programmes to "real world"…

Research on volunteer mentor programs has demonstrated mostly positive outcomes for mentees. As a result, many schools seek to attract and retain volunteers to assist children in need of support. The researchers interviewed 26 adult volunteers (from Australian companies) who help children with reading difficulties and examined intervention effects…

Leadership programs have been extensively promoted in rural communities in Australia. However, few have been evaluated. The results of the evaluation of a rural leadership program provided in this paper highlight the need for adult learning theories to be more overtly identified and utilised as the basis of planning and implementing leadership…

Whatever the course, mode of delivery or type of institution, most characteristics of good teaching remain the same. The teacher's ability to convey personal enthusiasm for learning is crucial in arousing and sustaining students' interest and curiosity in their discipline and beyond. This love of learning can be liberating and empowering as the…

The Commission on International Adult Education (CIAE) of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) provides a forum for the discussion of international issues related to adult education in general, as well as adult education in various countries around the globe. The following purposes summarize the work of the…

"Transformative learning" is a term used by Mezirow (1991) and his followers to designate a specifically "adult" kind of learning that involves shifts in how learners view the world and themselves. New research into learning in VET suggests that in some subject areas transformative learning may play more than an incidental…

Can the current education programme of the Australian trade union movement contribute to reviving union growth and union culture, develop new activists and leaders, and encourage and facilitate the organisational change needed to re-orient unions to develop broader alliances? Twenty-five Australian trade union leaders were asked to describe the…

In this article, the author reflects on a "powerfully literate citizen" in Statement Four of the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) "Statements of Belief". He discusses the definition of "literacy" and the creation of the powerfully literate citizen. He stresses that a powerfully literate…

Since the 1980s there has been significant growth in the engagement of higher education with workforce development, with among other things the emergence of a distinct if varied area of provision commonly referred to as work-based learning. Recent examination of practice and literature indicates a growing sophistication in the way that work-based…

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "'A Huge Learning Curve': TAFE Practitioners' Ways of Working with Private Enterprises," and is an added resource of appendices for further information. Included are: (1) Literature review; (2) Interview schedules; (3) Six case studies; (4) Tables of…

Policy initiatives such as user choice and training packages have been significant contributors in the move towards a more industry-driven vocational education and training (VET) system. An important consequence of this shift has been greater pressure on industries to provide opportunities for training in the workplace, and a reclaiming of the…

In April 2002 Judith Halberstam, academic, cultural critic and author of "Female Masculinity", toured Australia giving public and academic lectures about her recent work on sub-cultures, the Brandon Teena archive, representations of the transgender body and her notion of female masculinity. The interview is introduced through a brief…