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INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
The study also identified some deterrents to studying in Australia. What are they? For students who had considered Australia but hadn’ t made it their first preference, we saw that their view of the affordability of Australia and its graduate employment opportunities wasn’ t as high as for people who placed Australia first.
The prospective students that are sort of viewing Australia as slightly less affordable and having slightly less attractive graduate employment opportunities, they’ re still willing to [ invest in their education ] but perhaps what they’ re looking for is a greater sense of return on that investment.
One of the points the research uncovered was that institutions should consider how they’ re positioning their courses and their course information to help ensure that students have a strong and accurate view of their opportunities in Australia. [ They also need to show ] what it’ s like to live here and what sort of support services are available to them to make it more affordable and more feasible to come to Australia.
So what can universities do to give more relevant information to these students? Well, I guess it’ s about trying to provide information at all stages of the journey. In some ways, because Australia does have such a high base of quality in terms of their institutions, it can be a bit hard [ for individual universities ] to find distinctive factors to help students make that choice between courses as well.
A significant portion of these students cite perceived high fees and cost of living as deterrents to studying in Australia. What can universities and policymakers do to address this? [ Obviously it’ s hard ]. Some of these factors are simply going to be, to a certain extent, out of the hands of institutions.
What they can do is make sure the information they’ re giving out to students is accurate and is providing a clear view of the actual cost of living in Australia. Also, they need to give them a sense that there are support services. [ Also, they must explain ] that although there is a certain level of cost associated with studying in any country, the return on their investment in studying in Australia is high.
Will falls in the Aussie dollar bring more international students? It’ s entirely possible. We know word of mouth is incredibly important in the international education industry. I guess the issue there is that perceptions are slow to change. We don’ t see the falls in currency [ causing an immediate shift in ] the perceptions of international students who might be thinking of coming to Australia to study in the next two years. ■
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong. It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate, Master’ s and Bachelor’ s degrees. It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1,200. The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK $ 5.5 billion( US $ 705 million) per year.
DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND REAL ESTATE
The Department of Building and Real Estate is one of the constituent departments of the Faculty of Construction and Environment. The Department offers a full range of programmes leading to the awards of Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Philosophy, Master of Science and Bachelor of Science. It has an undergraduate student body of over 680 full-time students, over 350 part-time students and a postgraduate student body of over 400. The Department has a staff establishment of 40 full-time academic staff and 23 technical and administrative staff. The Department is committed to excellence in teaching, research and service to the community. Please visit the website at http:// www. bre. polyu. edu. hk / for more information about the Department.
The Department is looking for an enthusiastic, established and suitably qualified person to join the Department to take part in a number of teaching and research activities.
Associate Professor in Planning and Urban Studies
The appointee will be required to( a) undertake teaching duties at various levels;( b) supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and theses;( c) conduct research in the areas related to policy for urban sustainability, urban land use, institutional analysis, law and policy issues in the urban development industry, and contribute to the development of the Department’ s research strengths;( d) initiate, lead and participate in research pertaining to sustainable urban land development / green building, urban studies, institutional analysis of urban problems / regulations, and be active in research leading to quality journal publications and in bidding for external research grants and applied research projects;( e) engage in programme / curriculum planning, development and administration; and( f) undertake relevant administrative duties.
Applicants should( a) have a PhD degree in a related discipline, preferably with a first degree in Urban Planning or Architecture / Surveying;( b) have a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and research;( c) have a proven record in research and scholarship; and( d) be able to demonstrate effective classroom teaching skills and have good interpersonal skills. Preference will be given to those with a demonstrated track record and expertise in research on urban sustainability, land use and institutional analysis, law and policy issues in the urban development industry, etc. Applicants with less experience may be considered for appointment at the level of Assistant Professor.
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered. Initial appointment for Assistant Professor will be on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contract. Re-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement. An appropriate term will be provided for appointment at the Associate Professor level. Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application.
Application Please submit application form via email to hrstaff @ polyu. edu. hk; by fax at( 852) 2764 3374; or by mail to Human Resources Office, 13 / F, Li Ka Shing Tower, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. If you would like to provide separate curriculum vitae, please still complete the application form which will help speed up the recruitment process. Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded from http:// www. polyu. edu. hk / hro / job / en / guide _ forms / forms. php. Recruitment will continue until the position is filled. Initial consideration of applications will commence on 1 December 2015. Details of the University’ s Personal Information Collection Statement for recruitment can be found at http:// www. polyu. edu. hk / hro / job / en / guide _ forms / pics. php.
www. polyu. edu. hk
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