NEWS
campusreview.com.au
Its 5486 participants indicated that
passion, real-world experience and clear
assessment instructions are the standout
teacher characteristics.
Davorin Vrdoljak, vice-president of
operations at QS Enrolment Solutions,
says that given this, and the fact that only
9 per cent of participants were aware of
the Quality Indicators for Learning and
Teaching (the best, objective measure
of teacher quality), universities could do
more to promote them.
Students value
teacher quality
Prospective uni students list teacher
quality as most important attribute.
P
rospective domestic Australian
university students value teacher
quality the most. That’s the upshot of
the 2018 QS Enrolment Solutions Domestic
Student Survey.
Tune in to China
Popular UTS podcast continues
for a second season.
U
niversity of Technology Sydney
professors Peter Fray and Wanning
Sun have committed to a second
season of their ground-breaking radio
program and podcast about relations
between Australia and China.
The brainchild of Fray, The Middle aims to
shed more light than heat on the vital and
often misunderstood relationship.
6
LOCATION, LOCATION
Anecdotally, Australian students tend to stay
at home while they’re studying.
This was borne out by the survey results,
with two-thirds of participants stating that
they would only attend a local university.
ONLINE ON THE LINE
After teacher quality, graduate outcomes
(77 per cent) and campus facilities (70 per
cent) were the participants’ most valued
university attributes.
As with prospective international
students, when it comes to assessing a
university, domestic students noted that
they value word of mouth referrals most.
Whether in person or via social media,
they have to be first-hand to be believable,
Vrdoljak said. He also suggested that
universities include lecturers’ qualifications
in their marketing materials. With a “significant proportion” of survey
participants saying that they wouldn’t
consider studying fully online, coupled
with the higher attrition rates for this mode
of study, Vrdoljak thinks “some students
need to consider whether it’s for them, at
least initially”.
“They’re concerned about the quality
of teaching and their ability to self-manage,”
he added.
Overall, however, with QILT data
confirming that, on average, 80 per cent
of students are satisfied with the quality of
teaching, he believes Australian universities
are doing pretty well.
“At least universities seem to be aligned
between prospective student expectations
and what they’re actually delivering,”
Vrdoljak said. ■
“The Middle aims to steer a middle path,
without pulling its punches,” Fray says.
“There is no more important or
developing international relationship for
our country.
“Obviously, the US relationship is vital,
as is, say, Indonesia. But the Chinese
relationship will be an ongoing matter of
debate and understanding.”
Each week, the show examines an aspect
of the relationship with two subject area
expert guests.
“We have 26 minutes on the radio show
and about 40 minutes on the podcast about
one aspect of the relationship,” Fray says.
Co-host Sun says The Middle is a
completely unique program on Australia
and China.
“It does what most mainstream media
can’t do, won’t do, or fail to do. [It brings]
in experts with fresh perspectives; it
cuts through the noise to deliver depth
and nuance.”
Being an international university, with
several thousand Chinese students
enrolled, UTS has an obligation to discuss
the issues of the day, Fray says.
In 2018, The Middle pioneered bilingual,
multi-platform program delivery, with the show being made available as both
a podcast in English and a vodcast with
Mandarin subtitles at themiddleau.com.
Season 2 includes topics such as Chinese
humour, transnational security, Australian
studies in China, and the importance of tea
in Australia-China relations.
Edited versions in Mandarin have been
published by Chinese language news
websites in Australia, including the largest
site, Sydney Today.
The first season gained a regular listening
audience of about 70,000 people and was
downloaded in China and the US as well
as Australia.
“The Middle’s second season comes at a
time of growing mistrust between Australia
and China.
“We don’t shy away from the issues
behind that, but at the same time it's
important to explore the many other
aspects of the relationship that don’t get
as much attention," Fray says.
"I get quite a buzz out of seeing the
translated version of the transcript shared
on Chinese language websites."
The Middle started its second season
in early April on 2SER 107.3 FM. For more
information, go to www.2ser.com. ■
WHAT NEXT?