In a recent study, the issue of transnational academic mobility of academic staff, considering moves to higher education institutions in Australia, was examined using a web-based portal that attracted interested parties from around the world with information about Australian academic career opportunities. Web analytics were used as the research…

The authors want to figure out what happened in Australian post-secondary education over the last 50 or so years and to predict what sort of arrangement their great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, will encounter 50 years hence. To put this modest project another way: what in 2060 might a historian (assuming there are, then,…

The use of casual staff, including casual teaching staff, is a common practice in Australian universities and the numbers of casual staff in the sector has increased significantly in the last decade. The traditional profile for casual teachers was that of industry expert and students. Recent research has shown that the casual teacher is now more…

With particular regard to gender, this paper considers the rise and fall of EEO in Australian universities over the last 30 years. The paper argues that EEO, a product of social liberalism, had barely been introduced before it became a casualty of the Dawkins reforms and the transformation of the university. Corporatisation resulted in top-down…

Introduces six articles that form this issue's feature section on international higher education. Uses the articles to explore issues of globalization in higher education, including the danger of a global convergence in models of higher education that may poorly serve the needs of different institutions. (EV)

Explores how extensions to the General Agreements on Trade in Services (GATS) designed to increase market access of private service providers to industries now in the public sector could affect public higher education. Asserts that these agreements have an alarming potential to limit the role of government in the delivery of public services such…

Examines the evolution of the concept of tuition-charged higher education in Russia from a quasi-tuition model in the form of contract training, to self-financed students in public institutions and full-fee private education. Discusses the pros and cons of the student stipend system and its deterioration. Considers recent tuition-related…

Assesses two recent Australian studies of diversity in higher education institutions, both financed by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Training, and Youth Affairs. Study results suggest significant diversity among universities in a number of areas, most of them closely associated with the history of the system. At the same time, state…

The context for learning, education, and arts has altered dramatically, as has the cultural environment for educators and those involved in artistic and creative activities. Several crucial developments have transformed the terrain of technology, education, art, and culture, profoundly affecting not only the social and political structure of…

A discussion of the philosophy of open learning in higher education, particularly in the Australian context, looks at a variety of issues, including societal pressures to redirect higher education, the teaching role of faculty, student-centered curricula, lifelong learning, need for new student assessment strategies, and student attitudes toward…

Examines models of academic work in terms of the concepts of "residual, dominant, and emergent" discourses and practices, and in light of changing roles of universities, particularly in Australia. Models discussed include those viewing the academic as bureaucratic professional, market professional who defines his own work but produces for the…

The origins and current use of H-Net, an online humanities network on the World Wide Web, are examined. H-Net currently sponsors 73 electronic discussion lists that reach subscribers in 68 countries. Discussion groups have not met expectations for scholarly exchange, possibly because of plagiarism and copyright concerns. New ventures include book…

The costs and benefits of investing in new, multimedia technology for teaching languages are examined, looking at one recent grant-based Australian project for instructional development in German on CD-ROM. Limitations are discussed, including limited expertise, labor and equipment costs, need for flexible delivery, and cost-effectiveness of…

Practical and policy questions concerning intellectual property are considered in the context of advancing information technology and expanding international exchange of ideas, and specifically as they are or need to be addressed by Australian copyright and patent law. A 1995 discussion paper by the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee is…

Evolution of the relationship between Australian government and universities is traced from 1957, particularly concerning employment practices, union formation, and workplace regulation. The state has taken an increasingly assertive role in shaping universities' internal staffing, within an environment of growing commonwealth budget difficulties…