Higher degree research candidates experience higher rates of anxiety and depression than the general population. This study explored the wellbeing and experiences of two independent groups of HDR candidates. One participating prior to the pandemic, and the second group during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed methods study comprising of a survey and…

Crisis makes bold policy actions possible. In responding to socioeconomic and technological ruptures, policymakers create new imaginaries or revitalise existing ones. With the Australian Government's Job-Ready Graduates (JRG) reform during the COVID-19 pandemic as an empirical case, this paper shows how crisis instrumentalism and policy…

Following the 1989 unified higher education reforms, the Australian academic research system was built upon the notion of depoliticisation (i.e., keeping the political character of decision at one remove from governance) to govern the contradiction between research credibility and governmental economic priorities. The article argues that the…

The COVID pandemic has had dramatic effects on higher education worldwide, but the impact has been very uneven. The gap between rich and poor has widened further, aid to education has been cut, and abrupt changes introduced to pedagogy, international student and staff mobility, research laboratories, and institutional bottom lines. Anglophone…

In this article we examine the changing nature of the higher education workforce with specific reference to the increasing influence and importance of third space workers (e.g., blended learning designers, e-learning developers, partnerships managers, associate tutors, learning technology specialists and communication and engagement officers).…

Presenting research findings outside of the form of a traditional research report requires different modes of making and communicating. This paper offers an account of how "The #FEAS Report," a satirical news video, was made to communicate the findings from interviews and a survey as part of the mixed-methods study, "Sexism, Higher…

Research is urgently required to understand COVID-19's impact on international students and satisfaction with support interventions. This study investigated these dimensions for international business students studying in Australia to inform international HE policy and marketing. Qualitative research identified the main impacts: financial hardship…

Worldwide, COVID-19 affected higher education, including finance, and international mobility. But some systems have been more affected than others; notably Anglophone systems that have been a preferred destination for a high proportion of international students. Australia presents a particularly interesting case. Particularly vulnerable to any…

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education is being widely studied. However, research on its effect on tutoring is relatively sparse. Furthermore, no study places existing studies in dialogue with each other. This study synthesizes ten international articles on higher education tutoring during the pandemic. This review found changes…

In higher education the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a shift to online learning. Despite its uncommon practice in universities, designing courses with both flexible delivery and assessments has demonstrated enhanced understanding and improved application to professional contexts, particularly benefiting older students working full-time and…

Widening participation has been a vehicle to facilitate access and support towards the successful completion of university studies for underrepresented groups who are less likely to pursue higher education. Yet, despite its widely accepted importance and adoption across countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom, studies to date remain…

COVID-19 forced the digitalisation of teaching and learning in a response often described as emergency remote teaching (ERT). This rapid response changed the social, spatial, and temporal arrangements of higher education and required important adaptations from educators and students alike. However, while the literature has examined the constraints…

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted every aspect of life, forcing educational institutions to pivot rapidly to emergency remote learning. Within higher education, learning designers stepped forward and shouldered much of the responsibility of supporting institutional change on an unprecedented scale to ensure continuity of student learning. Although…

This paper reports on research conducted with staff employed in the Australian higher education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sector has been significantly impacted, particularly those institutions heavily reliant on revenue from international student enrolments. Universities moved swiftly to introduce cost-savings measures such as,…

The Dawkins white paper of 1988 was introduced by the Australian government to reshape the Higher Education (HE) landscape. Dawkins' discussion paper of 1990, Nelson's policy document of 2003, the Bradley Review of 2008 and the Lomax-Smith Review of 2011 built on and extended Dawkins' white paper. Such policy reforms have transformed the culture…