Measurement of academic work has become more significant than the intellectual, pedagogical, cultural, political and social practices in which academics and students engage. This shifting emphasis creates paradoxes for academics. They experience a growing sense of disconnection between their desires to develop students into engaged, disciplined…

Many Australian universities have prioritised improving discipline performance on the national research assessment--Excellence for Research in Australia. However, a "culture of secrecy" pervades "Excellence in Research for Australia" (ERA). There are no specified criteria for the assignment of ratings on a 5-point scale ranging…

There has been significant interest in developing academics through Teaching Scholar Development Programs across the USA, Canada, the UK, and more recently in Australia. At their core, such programs develop academics across teaching scholarship, leadership, promotion, and award opportunities, where universities reap the benefits of developing such…

A PAL (Peer-Assisted Learning) project supported research that focused on e-learning and Web 2.0 technologies as part of a pedagogical approach in the context of a tertiary institution. This project responded to a call for a rejuvenation of conventional approaches to pedagogy while teaching an early childhood unit in a large Australian university.…

This call for action addresses the high-level benefits of adopting a university-wide policy regarding research data management. It identifies the various university stakeholders and suggests that the library initiate a conversation among them in order to get buy-in for a proactive, rather than reactive, high-level policy for responsible data…

Moves are afoot at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) to acknowledge disability within the overall experience of student life. Scheduled to launch in time for UTS Orientation 2010, "UTS AccessAbility" is a student-generated web presence addressing the significant additional layer that experiences of disability add to study…

Discusses the efforts of Australian regional universities to develop viable research agendas. Notes effects of changes in government policies which inherently disadvantage these institutions in a competitive research environment. Evaluates the feasibility and sustainability of these institutions' research efforts, the range of their research…

An empirically based international business research project as a component in the capstone course in undergraduate business program can serve as an effective and integrative learning and teaching tool. Initiated and supervised by the instructor, conducted and completed by the students, the research project enables students working collaboratively…

A discussion of the legal and social implications of collaboration between Australia industry and higher education institutions for the development of new technologies focuses on the forms of collaboration and the disposition of intellectual property rights between employer and employee or customer and contractor. (MSE)

A University of Canberra (Australia) program pairs new researchers with experienced researchers as mentors. Mentoring is supplemented with a workshop on research skills and on researchers' issues, questions, and projects. Participants benefitted from support of mentors and other peers. Mentors assisted participants with specific aspects of their…

Litigation resulting from intellectual property disputes involving university research is discussed from an Australian viewpoint. Although the level of litigation has not been high, institutions are cautioned not to ignore the possibility. They are also advised to give advance thought to issues such as legal protection and the ability and will to…