Campus Review

Guy Littlefair, PVC International at Auckland University of Technology, joins HEDx to share insights into transitions between university and business environments and the importance of partnerships. He gives great pointers to how universities and businesses can best work together in addressing local and global issues.

In the week that Mark Scott takes over at the University of Sydney, and foreshadows a focus on partnerships, forging them is emerging as a priority for all in the sector.

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This episode has Margaret Sheil join the HEDx team to outline where QUT is up to in refreshing its blueprint strategy. As the university with the most well-known brand position in Australia, promoting that in a post-COVID era is a priority for Margaret as VC.

She outlines where a significant organisational change is up to and how the focus now is on rebuilding the culture at QUT to allow the strategy to be delivered, and her concern for staff in adapting to change.

The episode illustrates the importance of alignment of brand and strategy. And it demonstrates clearly the critically important place of culture shaping, alongside leadership development in allowing a brand and strategy to be delivered and experienced.

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Amid a precarious world where old jobs are disappearing and new ones are emerging, the idea of lifelong learning has morphed into something more of a must rather than an intellectual hobby or pursuit.

But how will lifelong learning advantage Australians and which industries will most benefit from it? To discuss these issues and other topical points, I spoke to Australia and NZ regional director of D2L, Tony Maguire.

According to Maguire, young Australians will embark on five to six careers throughout their lives, making lifelong learning critical. Linked to that is the rise of microcredentials, which have taken off in recent times, especially with government support. But while the A/NZ regional director of D2L thinks they are a great concept, he also believes that more of a framework to support them needs to be developed, so that employers and institutions can classify their true value.

To conclude the interview, Maguire explained the block model Victoria University rolled out, and the successes that resulted from that decision. The concept of teaching-only universities was also explored, with Maguire stating that "the elephant in the room" is still the fact that research impact still heavily drives institutional reputation. In saying that, he emphasised that student experience will be key in encouraging more domestic students to enrol in universities and training centres across the country.

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This interview with the new chair of our peak body Universities Australia, sees vice-chancellor of La Trobe John Dewar assess how we are doing as a sector and interpret the gauntlet thrown at us by Minister Tudge in his recent speech.

John gives a rich picture of the complexity of the commercialisation and campus return issues. He outlines how moves to differentiate on function and by discipline will continue to provide an opportunity for place-based strategies and major forays into the very competitive global online markets.

But his message to the sector, in one of his first public statements as UA chair, is to pay tribute to the culture change and skills development that has taken place sector-wide whilst recognising how much further there is still to travel.

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This episode has Karl and Martin joined by Professor Lynn Bosetti of UBC in Canada who gives insights into how Australian leaders in universities encounter academic workforces using incivility as behaviour to resist change and attempts at strategic direction. She draws on experience in both countries as an academic leader and her research of VCs and Deans around the world, to outline how the emotional labour of leading universities is exposed to smart bullying upwards by independent academics that has accentuated during the pandemic.

A topic of great interest in many Australian universities as change programs, returns to work, and continued financial pressures make these the most difficult times to lead. They contrast with different experiences in Australian business which offer lessons university leaders might need to learn from, and quickly.

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Professional placements are in many, if not most, university courses these days, with the goal being to strengthen the students’ industry knowledge and links. But what is the price of these placements, particularly when students have to forgo their usual paid work to complete them? Could another solution be found? To discuss this I’m talking to Olivia Armitage, whose petition to end unpaid placements has now garnered nearly 10,000.


In this podcast, Armitage talks about how the idea for the petition was formed and how her fellow students thought that unpaid placements for up to 500 hours "were pretty messed up".

She added that, for Victorians students in particular, "to expect us to just give up paid work after we've spent nearly a year ro regain it, is absolutely ridiculous." Not having to worry about unpaid placements would also allow students to "focus on their studies".

To solve this issue, Armitage is proposing a government-led Jobkeeper-like scheme and perhaps the use of more online technology.

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Professor Marcia Devlin joins Martin and Karl to discuss her new book, Beating the Odds, on sexism in Australian universities in the week it is launched. Marcia outlines the inequity as well as the financial, cultural and performance disadvantages that arise from a lack of diversity in leadership teams and how this can be changed by women, men and all leaders following different strategies.

The episode gives a sharp, specific and timely insight into the importance of leaders building great culture in universities and how this is even more important in a post-COVID world.

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As the 2021 Australian university year is in full swing, new research commissioned by Studiosity revealed that 38 per cent of students were feeling stressed due to their studies at least once a day during 2020. More distressingly, a further 40 per cent of respondents said they were stressed about their studies every week, and only one per cent of students said they never felt anxious about studying. To discuss these findings and their deeper implications, I spoke to Professor Judyth Sachs, chief academic officer at Studiosity.

According to the annual Student Wellbeing Survey, key stressors included not having enough time to prepare for assessments and exams, subject workloads that were too high, and the inability for students to experience practicums in areas like medicine and teaching. The survey, which is now in its sixth year, is critical Sachs believes, "as any discussion about student success is really a conversation about student wellbeing."

Studiosity's chief academic officer added there was value in universities following up with their 2020 graduates to see how they are coping with their sense of confidence.

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Leading learning technology innovator Dr David Kellermann is a Senior Lecturer in Engineering at UNSW in Sydney. He joins Martin and Karl to share his thoughts on the journey he believes all universities must take towards a new hybrid learning model of teaching. As a pioneer of learning technology and innovation he was well prepared for the acceleration in this in 2020 and applied his commitment to equitable access for all students in doing this well. He fears many other academics were less well prepared for this change and remain so.

He believes there is more that universities can do to support staff in 2021 and beyond to transition to become skilled in engaging and communicating with students in learning with technology. He believes more investment is required to make this happen but that the biggest barrier is a lack of leadership and vision. He calls for more universities and leaders to see this as an opportunity rather than a challenge.

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Recently Education Review wrote an article on the importance of assessing students learning and progress accurately and in a way both parents and students can easily understand.

The story was based on an article by Professor Geoff Masters that drew attention to major US study. It found there were significant differences between how well parents thought their children were achieving and their children's actual achievement level.

In this podcast, A/NZ regional director of D2LTony Maguire discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic increased the disconnect between teachers' and parents' understanding of student learning and areas in which to improve,

Maguire also highlighted the importance of the "feedback loop" building up to major assessments, ensuring it's always student-centered and written in plain language both students and parents can easily understand. Student reflection after an assessment is also something Maguire strongly encourages.

In addition to discussing student assessment, Maguire outlines what he would like to see prioritised in this year's budget, particularly micro-credentials that could begin as early as high school.

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