This qualitative study explored a targeted recruitment initiative that was designed to attract and recruit female academic staff in STEM disciplines at an Australian University. Semi-structured, one-on-one interviews were conducted with female and male key informants: 16 Panel Members and six Applicants. Codebook Thematic Analysis was applied…

The under-representation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines has been well documented. We discuss an affirmative action recruitment strategy from the University of Melbourne's STEM disciplines where only female applicants were eligible to apply for academic positions. This strategy has been very…

The casualisation of academic labour is increasing worldwide. Whereas continuing academics have been subject to longstanding investigation, there are now growing concerns about the work experiences of casual academics. Drawing on a qualitative study comprising 30 in-depth interviews with casual academics, full-time continuing academics and Human…

With the rise of Higher Education institutions seeking increased Indigenous representation within staffing, publications, and student numbers, this article considers key methodological processes, issues, and challenges associated with utilizing and embodying Indigenous and Storytelling research practises within colonial contexts. The value of new…

"We have too many first-year statistics students but too few who choose to major in statistics" is a common complaint among academics in the discipline of statistics, and our department is no exception. Many non-statistics academics appreciate the value of statistics to their discipline and include at least one statistics unit in their…

There is a growing divide between ongoing and precarious academics in Australia. Precarious academics are often exploited, underpaid, and have little hope of gaining permanency. In this article we offer suggestions to ongoing academics on how to improve the working lives and conditions of precarious colleagues. Our suggestions range from easy and…

While satisfaction, engagement and retention of academics has been widely discussed, there is less acknowledgement that a university must first convince high-quality academic talent of the benefits of joining their institution. This paper sought to identify the key factors that influence early-career and aspiring academics to choose employment…

The University Australia (UA) 2017-2020 Indigenous Strategy has offered Australian universities a focus that would work to increase Indigenous participation in the higher education sector in Australia. Despite the high-level involvement and detailed monitoring by Universities Australia as the sector's peak body, Australia's universities have not…

The low Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranks (ATARs) of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) students are routinely highlighted in the media and in reviews of ITE, with the perception that such students will be unable to become effective teachers. As part of the NSW Government's "Great Teaching, Inspired Learning" (GTIL) Framework, minimum…

University campuses are increasingly diverse, reflecting substantial growth in student enrolments, but this has not translated to equitable outcomes for all students. While much attention has been focused on student retention and success, particularly for those from non-traditional backgrounds, dominant theoretical models rest on a limited notion…

Studies show teaching assistants (TAs) can positively influence the learning environment by increasing student comprehension and retention and impacting students' choices of academic and career paths. However, use of TAs in higher education is not universal. Following a fruitful panel discussion at the 2017 HAPS Conference, we conducted a survey…

Casual academics form the backbone of learning and teaching practice in higher education in many developed countries and in many respects can be considered the norm around which academic policy and practice might be formed. Yet a narrative inquiry into the lived experience of women casual academics within Australian universities reveals that…

This paper examined domestic educator and Chinese international student (CIS) perspectives on their experience of the commoditisation of international higher education in Australia. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews with academic and student participants. A Trans-disciplinary Framework derived from grounded theory and the Auditable…

The article reports on a study that explored the personal narratives of two female travelling academics at a Swedish University who had moved from Australia. To complement previous accounts of difficult migration and enculturation within the research literature, this article focuses mainly on the successful experiences of the academics and how…

What is it that teacher-educators "do"? This paper draws on interview data with Deans/Heads of Schools of Education in the Australian context to explore this question by asking: How is the teacher-educator produced as a category of academic worker? Using critical approaches to discourse analysis, the paper presents two interlocked…