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campusreview.com.au
Peter Coaldrake. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen
Over the coals
Coaldrake review could see providers lose
university status over research quality.
A
ustralian universities will have to tick new research boxes
to retain their status should proposed changes to category
standards be adopted.
The recommendations were made by former vice-chancellor
emeritus Professor Peter Coaldrake in his review of the ways
higher education providers are categorised.
Coaldrake recommended introducing minimum benchmarks for
the quantity and quality of research. They would see universities
required to conduct world-standard research in at least three or at
least 30 per cent of the broad fields of education in which courses
are delivered, whichever is greater.
T
Public trust in
experts high
ANUpoll reveals people’s opinion on
role of universities and free speech.
2
By 2030, that would jump to 50 per cent.
As quoted in The Sydney Morning Herald, Coaldrake said: “There
might be three or four universities which might struggle to meet
the 30 per cent requirement.”
Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson
said the peak body would work with the government on an
implementation plan “to ensure universities have time to meet
any new requirements”.
In his report, Coaldrake also recommended reducing the overall
number of higher education provider categories from six to four.
This would involve merging the university-related categories
from five to two, and increasing from one to two the number
of categories catering to higher education providers that are
not universities.
Jackson said Universities Australia would welcome a
simplification of the current Higher Education Provider category.
“We think it makes sense to split the current category in two –
given it is currently a large category that makes it difficult to
differentiate between providers,” she said.
The report also recommended creating a new category called
‘National Institute of Higher Education’, reserved for the highest-
performing higher education providers that are not universities.
Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia chief executive
Troy Williams called the proposal a win for independent higher
education providers.
“The additional category supports and acknowledges those
providers that are innovative and achieve additional requirements
in higher education,” Williams said. ■
he Australian public is more likely
to trust university researchers than
they are banks, the government
and the press.
That was one of the findings to come
from the 29th ANUpoll.
The research team pitted researchers
against a group of 11 occupations and
institutions, including the public service
and schools. Australians were less likely
to trust the universities in which such
experts were housed and the title of
‘university lecturer’.
They were also less sure about what
was being taught at university, with only
six in 10 agreeing or strongly agreeing that
universities were teaching students the
important things they need to know and
only half thinking those attending were
learning what is needed for the current
and future workforce.
Australians were also split down the
line on whether the current mix between
foreign and domestic students is about
right – one of two topics the ANU team
decided to delve into further.
The other was academic freedom,
and the ANUpoll revealed only four in 10
Australians strongly agreed that academics
should be able to express views that are
different from those of the government of
the day and that a similar number strongly
felt that Australian universities should
invite speakers with a variety of ideas and
opinions to campus.
These findings have come at a
time when the University of Sydney is
weighing up a report outlining how it
can respond to the federal government’s
Independent Review of Freedom of
Speech in Australian Higher Education
Providers.
It’s due to be considered by the
university’s academic board early
next month.
ANU vice-chancellor Professor Brian
Schmidt said it was vital that universities
understand how the public perceived their
role in society.
“Taxpayers, employers, students,
governments and businesses are our
ultimate end users. It is for their benefit that
we ultimately exist,” he said.
“If we are to design the best possible
universities for 21st century Australia,
we need to make sure we understand
and meet the needs of 21st century
Australians.” ■