Compares how academic department chairs at colleges and universities in Australia and the U.S. define their tasks. Major differences noted include the propensity of U.S. chairs to think of soliciting ideas for departmental improvement as a long-term endeavor, whereas Australian chairs perceive of idea solicitation as an administrative task, and…

The framework of a study of organizational effectiveness in Australian higher education institutions was applied to a similar study in the United Kingdom. The approach was found useful for classifying U.K. institutions as classical universities, former polytechnics and colleges of advanced technology, and greenfield universities. (Author/MSE)

The institutionalization of faculty development policy and activities is compared for Australia, Great Britain, the United States, West Germany, and Sweden. The factors that precipitated the trend in each country are examined, and it is concluded that the reward systems in each country favor faculty research performance over teaching. (Author/MSE)

An approach to organizational effectiveness in higher education developed in the United States was applied to institutions in the United Kingdom and Australia to establish a basis for policy and organizational analysis. Higher reliability was found for the United Kingdom than for Australia, apparently related to cultural differences regarding…

Examines the research-teaching relationship in faculty work in Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Israel, Japan, and South Korea, drawing on an international survey of college and university faculty. Results indicate research and teaching are not mutually exclusive activities, but the two activities have differing effects…

Organizational features (physical characteristics, academic organization, involvement, organization, and staff attitudes to distance education) are compared in six Australian and New Zealand universities. The variation among institutions argues for the use of an international agency to validate courses for transfer of credit. (MSE)

Examines gender-related nature of academic work, based on an international survey of college and university faculty. Describes commonalities for areas of discrimination among men and women faculty in Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States. Focuses on working conditions, professional activities…

A survey of 20,000 college and university faculty in 14 countries, particularly in large teaching and research institutions, investigated the extent of international mobility within this group. Issues examined in relation to mobility include gender differences, distribution among disciplines, patterns of employment (full- vs. part-time,…

Using a five-level system of classifying conceptions of teaching, conceptions held by science and social science teachers in a British distance university and a traditional Australian university are compared. The same system is then used to define the concepts of student-centered and teacher-centered instructional approaches. (Author/MSE)

A survey of 1,720 students in 71 university science laboratory classes in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Israel, and Nigeria investigated student and teacher perceptions of dimensions of classroom environment (student cohesiveness, open-endedness, integration, rule clarity, material environment). Results and the utility of the…