Reflections by Ian Chubb Reflections By:Ian Chubb I Vice Chancellor, Flinders University and President of the AVCC from the Editor 2
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ISSN 0157-1826 VOLUME 22 NO. I APRIL 2000 Contents Reflections by Ian Chubb Reflections by:Ian Chubb I Vice Chancellor, Flinders University and President of the AVCC From the Editor 2 Recently Professor Chubb kindly performance. IL seems to me that we do Assisting Learnin'g in the agreed to respond to a number of need to provide the best possible Disciplines by Highlighting questions relating to the current research training environment for the How and What is Taught. 5 higher degree research students we enrol, situation facing universities in both in order for them to reach their HERDSA Visiting Australia put to him by Jan Orrell potential, but also for us to be able to on behalf of HERDSA News. Here provide the basic, or more than the basic, Scholar 2000 7 are his reflections on the support for lhem. Making a Difference through questions. There has also been a shift in the Department-Based, JAN:What do you think is the likely way in which performance will be viewed. Higher degree load could drop Collaborative Academic impact 011 universities of some of the because your university performed very recent new directions for higher Develoement 8 well for its size and does not have the education that have come from capacity to improve its performance Get Disciplined: Geographic DETYA? quantitatively at quite the same rate Perseectives 11 IAN: For t he short term, the most some others, and yet the performance significant issue that the federal might be very good qualitatively. The The Mechanic's Car: Do government has produced is the White A VCC argued that there had to be a Paper on research and the second one is qualitative measure, not just the pure Academic Development the quality agency. quantitative one that was in the Green Unit's Web Sites Reflect The White Paper on research lacks Paper. The government took note and the HowWe Support minister has the publication index back detail so what I say is necessarily Academic Staff? 14 speculative. Until we know what they in as an indicator of the quality of research performed in an institution. I intend by some of the comments that are Working to Become a Truly made, it's a bit hard to assess what the think thal change was important. Reflective Practitioner impact will be on the university sector as We have to recognise that a 16 a whole - or on any individual proportion of the operating grant that university. A disappointing feature of the currently comes to us with some EIDOS Idea Dossier No. 11 17 White Paper is that it has less detail in it discretion will probably have less than the Green Paper, so there is that discretion attached to it in the future. Electronic Course Portfolio uncertainty. But overall I think that what This mighl well mean that research, in a new on-line Graduate they've done is to head in the right research training, and management plans Certificate in Flexible direction. In principle I think that the will result in higher degree research load Learning 19 White Paper is something that we should allocated to us in the future in ways over get behind and try to make work, but of which we have some control though not Research in Higher course how vigorously we do that would total. The end result will be a depend on the detail which is only now redistribution of the research student Education 20 beginning to emerge. profile between fields and between universities. I suspect we will end up Work in Progress 22 JAN: Are there any particular aspects with some fields of study that are biased of the White Paper that you would like heavily towards teaching and some that Book Reviews 23 to see us get behind and get working? are much more heavily oriented towards IAN: It's crystal clear that our research. That has significant News of HERDSA Branches 33 universities have different levels of implications for the way we regard and research performance. So, I don't think indeed evaluate academic performance Seecial Interest Groues 34 it's at all unreasonable for a government because some staff will clearly have to say that it will somehow try to match more opportunities for research, research Notes from HERDSA higher degree research load with that activities and supervisory activities. Executive 35 continued page 2 HNlD SA Executive From the Pres~ ent Angela,81:ew N&W 't Seoretacy Simon Barrrle NSW Editor Treasurer Barbara Black WA- ~ Publication Editors SusanHayes, /\llan Geody& Peter Hodder 'You don't know anything about Kathleen Quinlan reports on a Journal Co-Editor~ teaching biology,' a Professor at USP departmental based model of staff once told me, 'so don't talk to me about development which could be a useful one Peter~ing,, ElaineMartin, Mike, Prosser VI€ teaching.' This is a problem that staff to follow, Newslett er Editor Reiger Liandbeek Q4G? developers have faced as they have We are pleased to include an article organised workshops for staff based on Gilllan;,B0uh:on-Lewls QLO from one of the 1999 National Teaching research into teaching and learning Award winners, Jeff Giddings, who Car~l'8owfo QLD generally . However recent research into writes inspiringly about teaching and VI.C teaching and learning has begun to bi Challis offers some useful practical advice to c.s explore the nature of specific disciplines John otai:n .A;CT colleagues. and how the general results from research Reyriblafflacphe 'rson NZ can be applied, This issue contains no less than ten reviews of books, which cover a range of Macy·'Melrose NZ At the same time Alan Jenkins, who topics from several aspects of teaching to Janice-Orrell SA came to staff development from teaching policy making to guides for students, Al.ex Radloff- s WA geography, has started to encc,urage his The HERDSA News editorial lia:bel NSW colleagues to develop activities for staff 6' S.dliman .3;:;;: . that recognise the particular features of committee is planning three issues HEgJJSA .,Offece academic di sc iplines and how these devoted to the theme, Academic Life 0 ., = .... features should affect the teaching of that Today, starting with the August 2000 o; Adm inistration Officer Coria!Watson discipline. edition and further details can be found ';"° 3;' , ~ . '.« M .~ Mer:rib~rship & Publkati ons 0ffi cer- It is therefore timely to present on the back cover. Heai1ef~oc;h , articles in this issue that explore Finally we are privileged to publish PO,Bll,x 5To.Jamison, ACT 2614, Australia teaching and learning in the an interview with Professor Ian Chubb, 4 disciplines. Mike Prosser and Elaine current chair of the A VCC , conducted by Pho&e -i: ,:+:6J 2 "6253 4242 Fa_x,'.,;,F:-- ~6 l 2 62534'246 Martin offer a discussion paper to a member of the HERDSA executive , Jan :v ~-,. stimulate debate on differences in OrrelL We gratefully acknowledge the Email ;,;&hendsa,offi~e@effeai\ne~:aa knowing and teaching in the different time given to us by Professor Chubb and We bsi~ ,~~_tp://www2h~rdsa.or-g.au disciplines, Alan Jenkins, aided by his thank him for his analysis of the current ·s- ~ colleague in geography, Mick Healey, situation facing universities in Australia. extend their ideas on staff development ffEIIDSA News activities with particular reference to ~ ¼ . ~ . geography, They use their experience in -i \·f\t1 :~ ; Australia to provide local application. Roger Landbeck ,/ ~di~ ': 9ier ~andbet:\ ;!: .S· }2 M~J].;tsh-Rbad, T~m;,a8lndi,Qld "4-l 21 Phoi't'e . +61 7 3848 OS89 is not done then the university will M Fax., j<i)\," -t61 T::2:$<9.2 sso2 Reflections . _ ~ Ethail· landb&k@'ozemail :<:om,au , ultimately suffer - and lose operating • ._ i'~ V • grant. My guess would be that a Edlt or.lal"Commi ttee by Ian Chubb } -,.!-\i'':i:,,~ university, or any Pro-Vice Chancellor Ci'irls,~lne,S-ruce& Un:daCenra~ i of research that's on the ball and alert to m,_:::," co11ti11uedfr om page 1 ,, lfsue:Bates: Apdl, Augu-st, _ what will happen , will be taking certain ·« .Nbvem bet steps right now to ensure that the higher ~:.\ ' ·; : \j&,X,. ..'66 JAN: With that redistribution, do you Co"titt:it:iutiensfor th~ nexti ssue·-mtrst degree research students go into areas see a risk of some fields, because they .rea,Ch'.t'R~~dicerby Frid~y :2:rJuly iooo. that meet the stipulated criteria: the right . -• Z·0,:::::{t§.;:~'.;:::; .. are less apparently useful in the here environment , the capacity, the basic .}&t11het ~,:·o?ld'be; ,ehnp Roger l&andb.ecik,,at and now, struggling more so than areas infrastructure and the supervisors, tht:!;ab,ov._e}a~dr;ess. _ 1. ,~ :s Jtfc.l,;, .. ... " -., -, where it's much more apparent about think that the new approach doesn't ,<> ~'dv.er<tffingiF:n~ / fall p.age $BOO; ~al pag~ I the salience of its research? really get down to, "what is research?" ,;,zJ -,·se. 'q'fofr.terpa:g;i$i75 '.' lnseirts$ 80, ., <· r-:.. In a sense the new policy leaves that to \lf,ev.is.iii.pre~ied ,in HER:@?'A<N~Ws:are IAN: It is something that we have to be 0'!"'., us, Where government does have some vtheSi •1 'the ,ap~Ol'S an~ do not Aecessa~\Jy alert to. The drivers will send us towards J eflecr,pJe\views o{ HERDSA Wl"itter,\ areas where we can be certain that the control relates to the fact that it is not ~: . • ~·;:;,,· . .·--·-~-<-...~~-- . ·;:. ,,_· mater,ialttr:omHERDSA. News •rriaybe students can be well supervised, that is just student completion, not just the r'eproclfrned,pro¥iding •il:S'SOU~C;eis obviously acceptable and should be scholarship the student has, but also the atkh'ot tedg~d, current practice, and where there are EFTSU equivalent of that student and its ..: resources including financial for support funding that is moveable.