Global Horizons - The Australian International Education Podcast

After a year of chaos, stress and lack of consultation... could it all be for nothing?

Earlier this week, the Opposition announced that it would not be supporting the Government's changes to the ESOS legislation.

In one way, it's a sigh of relief. But in another, it just creates more uncertainty.

In today's episode of the Koala International Education News, presented by Global Horizons, Dirk Mulder and Rob Malicki are joined by Phil Honeywood, the CEO of the International Education Association of Australia to dig into just what on earth happened.... and what it means for Australian international education going forward.

We'll also get into some of the other news, including some dramatic statistics following the re-election of Donald Trump to the US Presidency.

This episode is brought to you by ⁠The Koala News⁠, Australia's international education news site, and The ⁠Global Society⁠, Australia's learning abroad support company.

We're also grateful for the support from Insider Studios (⁠https://www.insiderstudios.com.au/⁠) on this episode - the world of content is shifting, so don't get left behind, the professionals at Insider are there to guide you. 

In this episode of Global Horizons, I'm trying something a little different.

Our industry is full of interesting nuances, unique programs, and innovative approaches. So why not dive into some of these for a little explore from time to time?

So here's our first little exploration.

Veronica Wong is the Manager of UTS' groundbreaking BUiLD program: the Beyond UTS International Leadership Development program.

BUiLD is a co-curricular program that focuses on developing students' global citizenship skills. Which leads to the question: what is global citizenship anyway?

As Veronica explains in this conversation with Rob Malicki, Global Citizenship is a natural extension of learning abroad experiences. For those working in learning abroad, it is the next logical step for passionate, engaged students to take on a path towards creating positive impact in the world.

As the AIEC buzz quietly fades away, international educators are now looking ahead to the future... and changes are looming.

Yes, there's the pending "caps" legislation, notionally due before Parliament on 18th November... but maybe not as the Government's legislative agenda is still quite full and sitting days are running short. 

But changes are looming in other areas too. The New Colombo Plan is currently consulting on its future direction, and on a global scale, the US Presidential Election has the potential to flip so many things upside down (at time of recording, the election result isn't yet known... how did we do on our predictions? You'll find out!)

There are also some good news stories out there and international education has proven nothing if not resilient over the past few decades - some of the stories out there reinforce our sector's enormous commitment to our communities. 

This episode is brought to you by The Koala News, Australia's international education news site, and The Global Society, Australia's learning abroad support company. We're also grateful for the support from Insider Studios (https://www.insiderstudios.com.au/) on this episode - the world of content is shifting, so don't get left behind, the professionals at Insider are there to guide you. 

Today’s guest on Global Horizons is one of the icons of Australian international education, and someone that I’ve learned an enormous amount from throughout my career, Melissa Banks.

But there’s a specific reason I was really keen to get this

Melissa and I sat down at the recent Australian International

As one of Australia’s leading international educators, and

And what she told me was both surprising, but also classic Melissa Banks: wise, pragmatic, and opportunity-focused. I don’t want to spoil it with my clumsy description, so you’re just going to have to listen in!

But amongst the wise reflections and priceless advice, there

I’ll be honest here… sometimes when I record podcasts I don’t have time to go back and listen to the whole episode again (thank you to the Global Society legends who do our editing and proofing). But this is a conversation that I can’t wait to go back and listen to again and again.

Whether you’re facing challenges in work or life, pondering

And with that, that’s enough from me – I hope you enjoy this wide-ranging, incredibly valuable conversation with Melissa Banks.

This episode has been supported by the awesome team at Insider Studios. As a content nut, I'm a huge fan of their work - any team that can make storytelling look effortless across such a wide range of media has my respect! You can find them at https://www.insiderstudios.com.au/

Today's episode comes to you direct from the conference floor at the AIEC conference - and what a conference it's been!

Holy smokes - I've had so many incredible conversations this week and I can't wait to share some of those wonderful stories over the weeks and months ahead on this podcast :)

So much of AIEC is about recognition. It's about recognising your colleagues and friends as you walk around the halls. It's about recognising trends and best practices throughout the sessions. And it's about recognising the success stories from across the industry.

Today I sit down with Dirk Mulder from The Koala News to unpack the latest international education news, but also to recognise his success as Australia's leading international ed media commentator (and winner of IEAA's award in that category). An incredible achievement having launched The Koala barely 365 days ago.

I also take my portable recorder out into the masses to recognise some of the best takeaways from the conference... as told by delegates themselves.

Thanks a million to AIEC and IDP for supporting Global Horizons to be here at the conference, the response has been wonderful.

The dreaded Senate report has landed. And as to be expected, the Government's report paints a rosy picture of legislation that just needs a few tweaks in order to be passed.

But the dissenting views in the report paint a very different picture. Given almost all of the feedback provided to the committee was negative about the legislation, the reports from the Coalition, Greens and Independent Senator, David Pocock, were fiercely critical.

What results will that dissent have on the passage of the bill?

Well, it's likely to still be a few weeks before we know, with the Government deferring debate on the bill until November.

But alongside this saga that keeps on giving, there's also some good news from around the industry. It's awards and recognition season and our LinkedIn feeds are lighting up with good news stories. Likewise, AIEC touches down in Melbourne next week and I'm sure many many listeners can't wait to reconnect with colleagues, and share a well earned glass of wine (or three), after what has really been a hell of a year.

We'll see you there - come by to say g'day at The Koala News/Global Horizons booth (86).

In this episode we're talking about student experiences and how best to design them.

Today's guest knows a thing or two about that! Linda Rust is the Manager of Global Learning at the University of Melbourne and has been designing international experiences for students from different backgrounds for a long time.

In this conversation we talk about designing experiences for students, mostly using learning abroad as the anchor for the examples. But as we go, almost all international educators will recognise the opportunities in Linda's techniques and how they can be applied not only to other types of students, but to our work in general!

We talk about everything from the philosophical approach to desigining experiences, right through to the practical tools we can all use in our work.

You can find Linda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-rust-16614910/

Global Horizons is a production of ⁠The Global Society⁠, Australia's Learning Abroad Support Company. 

We are incredibly proud to be the ⁠⁠⁠⁠OFFICIAL podcast of the AIEC Australian International Education Conference... registrations are open now⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And for all the breaking international education news, make sure you subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠The Koala News⁠⁠.⁠

We're backing up this week for another episode of The Koala News on the Global Horizons podcast. Why? Because the spectacle of the Senate hearing into the current international ed legislation before Parliament was gifted a surprise 4th day.

And what a gift it was!

Today, Dirk Mulder and Rob Malicki will take you through the highlights of the day, including stellar performances in the hot seat by a range of international education heavy weights.

But will those performances shift the dial towards more common-sense policy? I guess we won't have long to wait to find out... the committee is due to report on October 8th.

And so came down the Curtain on perhaps the strangest show that Australian international education has ever seen.

But to kick us off, we're joined by Shamielah Toefy, the Conference Manager for the upcoming AIEC conference. If someone in the industry would be justified to be feeling the heat right now, it would be Sham with just weeks until the most important AIEC conference ever to be held. Sham takes us behind the scenes of what these pivotal last weeks are like as every detail is put in place and cross checked.

In today's episode of Global Horizons, we're continuing to analyse examples from the deepening number of examples of "RoboCaps" - nonsensical, contradictory or just downright unexplainable examples of international student cap allocations to various providers.

I wish we could say that we're surprised, but there are now too many examples to count.

But at least, in happier news, the Australian International Education Conference is under a month away and joining us on the podcast is Louise Goold, the "Program Boss-Lady" for the conference committee, to talk about some of the key sessions coming up.

And you know what? We're thinking that this year's AIEC is maybe the most important conference ever to attend. Not only to get up to date with, and know how to respond to, the biggest changes to international education that Australia has ever ever had. But more importantly, to reconnect with colleagues, or meet new ones, and celebrate the real reason we're all in this industry together: for the impact we create. After all, this conference is all about The Human Element (did you like what we did there? 😉)

Global Horizons is a production of ⁠The Global Society⁠, Australia's Learning Abroad Support Company. 

We are incredibly proud to be the ⁠⁠⁠OFFICIAL podcast of the AIEC Australian International Education Conference... registrations are open now⁠⁠⁠!

And for all the breaking international education news, make sure you subscribe to ⁠⁠The Koala News⁠.⁠

"From out of the plane window, Sydney Harbour comes into view and it's one of those sparkling mornings that only Sydney seemed capable of turning on. Little do I know of the hurricane of destruction that I'm flying back into..."

In this episode of Global Horizons, I'm sharing something a little different... but powerful.

Last year I presented the closing keynote at the IEAA Learning Abroad Forum titled "It's the stories we tell... that count"

And that's maybe never been more true in Australian international education than now. There has never been a more important moment for us to lean into the incredible stories that our sector generates... and to leverage them to persuade.

This keynote is the result of more than 100 hours of preparation, and in it I'll share a story with you... one that sinks to profound depths, but also one that rises again and again. As we go, I'll reveal easy, actionable advice about how all of us can tell better stories in order to education, entertain, inspire and persuade.

Global Horizons is a production of ⁠The Global Society⁠, Australia's Learning Abroad Support Company. 

We are incredibly proud to be the ⁠⁠OFFICIAL podcast of the AIEC Australian International Education Conference... registrations are open now⁠⁠!

And for all the breaking international education news, make sure you subscribe to ⁠The Koala News.⁠