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Unis must court public: Thomson
Go8 chief says institutions need to do a better job of making their case for reform to the people.
A recent federal government higher education policy revamp under the leadership of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has injected optimism into the national debate, but university leaders must bring the public with them in the push for reform, the head of the Go8 has said.
Go8 chief executive Vicki Thomson made the remarks at the recent Australian Financial Review Higher Education Summit in Sydney. Addressing delegates, Thomson said recent public statements from the prime minister highlighting the value of research and innovation had invigorated the sector.
“ It feels as if overnight our raison d’ etre is finally in sharp political focus, and in a positive rather than an acrimonious way,” she said.“ There is a different dynamic at play now – we, as a sector, must harness it.”
However, Thomson then warned that the kind of policy reforms needed to secure the long-term future and growth of the national higher education sector could be achieved only with the support of the Australian public. On this front, she lamented, universities had largely failed in“ community positioning”.
“ The Australian community has been blindsided and confused by the polarised higher education funding debate,” she said.“ We have not spelt out as well as we could why we are essential to every Australian or even how much we deliver into the economy. The international education sector alone brought in $ 17.6 billion last year and is estimated to be expanding by $ 1 billion a year.
“ We must have the community onside, and it can’ t be until it truly understands our value … It’ s our job to express the value proposition in clear, simple, positive [ terms ].” Thomson said that rather than seeing universities as taxpayer-funded ivory towers perpetually asking for more money to further their own ends, Australians needed to understand the myriad benefits reaped from the work of university researchers for the community.
Thomson also reiterated the Go8’ s recent push to tie research funding more closely to excellence. She said despite some“ febrile castigation from a few in the sector” her member universities remained committed to their“ sensible and logical stance”. ■
Time to remake everything
MIT chancellor says universities need an online and offline overhaul to serve today’ s students.
The increasingly global, connected and mobile environment students expect requires that modern universities overhaul traditional education models while better leveraging technology, a US expert has told Australian university leaders.
Addressing delegates at the recent Australian Financial Review Higher Education Summit, MIT chancellor for academic advancement, professor Eric Grimson, said universities must revamp pedagogies and learning modalities in ways that empower students.
One key change MIT staff are already using is the use of video-recorded lecture material in place of traditional mass lectures. More important than high production values, Grimson said, was the breaking down of such videos into 8 – 10 minute chunks that were more digestible for students. The shorter videos are closer to the length of time most people can remain focused and engaged with new and complex information.
Interspersed between these clips were interactive elements such as quizzes designed to allow students to cement their understanding of the content and apply new concepts. Through processes such as this, students were able to learn at their own pace, replay sections as desired and seek further clarification of course content, through the discussion forums or by following up with teachers.
Despite the university experience moving increasingly online, Grimson said physical university campuses remained a vital element in higher education but needed a rethink in how they were designed and used. The world’ s leading universities, he said, were already moving toward using their campuses to facilitate opportunities not only for greater collaboration and communication between students, but also for creating, experimenting and exploring. Even campus residential dormitories, Grimson argued, could be better designed to allow“ maker spaces”, which students could use to build or explore their ideas. ■
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