What do students learn?
Written by Steven Schwartz on February 25th, 2008
The Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University, Professor Ian Chubb, has recently called for the skills of graduates to be assessed in order to demonstrate what they have learned.
He is not alone. Last year’s Top of the Class report produced by the Australian Senate recommends that universities assess graduating teachers to “guarantee that all […]
A helping hand
Written by Steven Schwartz on February 21st, 2008
Writing in the Australian Higher Education supplement this week, I described how mental illness has become a taboo topic. As I think this is an important issue, I’d like to repeat for you here some of what I said.
In my 11 years as a vice-chancellor I have attended three memorial services for students who took […]
What it takes for innovation to flourish
Written by Steven Schwartz on February 18th, 2008
In the 1400s, when most Europeans were subsistence farmers, China was on the verge of industrialising. Chinese farmers used hydraulics, Chinese veterinarians treated farm animals and Chinese crops were enhanced with artificial fertilisers. The Chinese invented paper, explosives, clocks, moveable type, compasses and they were masters of ship design while Europeans were still living in […]
Green universities: bring on the comp
Written by Steven Schwartz on February 14th, 2008
Blogging in The Australian this week, higher education analyst Gavin Moodie points out that two recent publications from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) highlight how far Australian universities are lagging in making their operations more environmentally sustainable.
Moodie looks at the HEFCE strategic review of sustainable development in higher education in England, […]
Time to improve teacher salaries
Written by Steven Schwartz on February 12th, 2008
It’s been an interesting week so far in the world of education.
First up was a paper by two researchers from the Australian National University, Chris Ryan and Andrew Leigh (who by the way has a very interesting blog about “New ideas on economics, politics and current events”.)
In ‘How Has School Productivity Changed in Australia?’, Leigh […]
Just for you: U@MQ
Written by Steven Schwartz on February 6th, 2008
A new website you should check out is that of our very own U@MQ, the new Macquarie University student services organisation committed to creating a vibrant and healthy university campus environment.
It’s an excellent guide to U@MQ’s services, which range from sport and recreation through to childcare: in other words, all the non-academic services and facilities […]