Obligatory educational training of Swedish university teachers rarely involves senior teaching staff from research-dominated environments, despite the positive effects of junior staff training. Senior science academics were surveyed to gauge their views on the principles of teaching and learning and of teaching rewards. These views were compared…

The college teacher's job is to organize the teaching/learning context so all students use the higher-order learning processes that "academic" students always use. This is achieved when objectives express the kind of understanding targeted, teaching context encourages students to achieve it, and assessment tells students what is required of them…

In an instructional exercise at the University of Newcastle (Australia), social work students, staff, and organizations role-play in a simulated city to solve complex problems in a realistic but safe learning context. Experience suggests the extended simulation technique is effective. (MSE)

It is argued that ethics should be taught in general and subject-specific curricula in Australian universities and that recent developments in Australia give ethics-enhanced priority. Current initiatives and specific administrative and instructional issues are discussed. An interdisciplinary approach to applied ethics instruction is advocated over…

A 13-week developmental studies course offered at an Australian college and designed to help disadvantaged women make the transition to higher education, focused on both academic and nonacademic requirements for successful college study. Participants experienced significant changes in styles of learning and decision making. (MSE)

A discussion of the restructuring of the Australian higher education system, with amalgamation of colleges and universities to form comprehensive universities, examines the new government policies, their underlying conceptualizations, and responses to the proposed changes. Challenges confronting the new institutions are also noted. (Author/MSE)

In response to changing government philosophy concerning higher education, including increased institutional autonomy alongside greater pressure for accountability and internal renewal, Dutch universities have developed a system for external quality assessment under the aegis of the Association of Dutch Universities. Its evolution and results to…

Faculty self-appraisal workshops instituted at MacQuarie University (Australia) in response to a call for increased faculty self-evaluation is seen as a useful format for faculty development. The workshops occur at the departmental level, where it is easiest to integrate curriculum design, assessment policies, academic content, and teaching…

A study of 55 University of Sydney (Australia) faculty investigated relationships between willingness to seek evaluations from students, perceived competence on teaching tasks, and 7 demographic, educational, and professional background variables. Perceived competence was a direct but negative influence on willingness. Gender, doctorate, and…

A study of the effects of team roles on the success of teams in business simulations found, contrary to expectation, that teams analyzing data on the basis of beliefs and values rather than logic were more successful. Implications for use of simulation in management education are discussed. (Author/MSE)

A survey of 251 postsecondary students enrolled in management education revealed that the students preferred a student-centered and problem-based curriculum and felt their current curricula did not correspond to that model. Results are detailed and the questionnaires used are appended. (Author/MSE)

Programs designed to enable Australian aborigines who had not successfully completed high school to qualify for science- and mathematics-related courses in higher education emphasize diagnostic testing, individualized instruction, short-term goals, and learner independence. Tutors have instructional, management, and support roles. Some early…

A longitudinal study followed the careers of the 1973 entry cohort of architecture students (n=84) at the Western Australian Institute of Technology. Characteristics of two subgroups at the time of the 1989 followup are described, with anecdotal accounts of varied career paths and lifestyles. (Author/MSE)

Surveys of students at two Australian colleges (n=342 and 208) investigated their perceived stresses during the college experience. Respondents were more concerned with academic matters than a range of personal, interpersonal, and practical factors. Additional surveys of faculty indicate they are biased in their perceptions of student concerns.…

Discussion of the trend for higher education institutions and staff members to provide services for profit examines potential and existing conflicts and tensions. Topics addressed include the different purposes of education and business, concerns about quality, conflicts in priorities, competition for resources, need for organizational change,…