Transcript Slide 1

Higher Education:
the landscape of reform
Colin Walters
Group Manager, Higher Education Group, DEST
The Crossroads review - 2002
From the Minister's Media release 2 April 2002:
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Minister's initial discussions had highlighted a range of
issues meriting close scrutiny:
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Governance and university management & workplace relations
Financing, attracting and retaining quality staff
Efficiency and responsiveness
Student access and equity of opportunity
Despite the significant strides that have been made there
remained significant challenges
The Crossroads review - 2002
Therefore Crossroads review was
created to
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Identify the scope for improvements
Seek suggestions about how
Government might facilitate those
improvements
Include wide-ranging consultations
The Crossroads review 2002:
the outcomes
The Review acknowledged these themes:
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Growth of Australian higher education sector
required additional resources and investment
Need to maintain quality
Need to be competitive in a rapidly changing
global higher education market
Review findings led to Backing Australia’s
Future
Backing Australia’s Future:
a major reform & funding package in 2003
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Provided $2.6 billion over five years
Based on four key principles:
sustainability, diversity, equity and
quality
Significant additional investment $11 billion in new support over 10
years (2005-2014)
$2.6 Billion additional
funding(2004-08)
Includes
• Commonwealth Grant Scheme $838 million
• Conversion of marginal places $543million
• Commonwealth Learning Scholarships $327million
• Learning & teaching Performance Fund $251 million
• HELP Programmes $259 million
• National Priorities (Teaching & Nursing) $160 million
• Regional loading $146 million
• Growth places $74 million
• Workplace productivity Programme $83 million
• National Institute for learning & teaching $67 million
• New medical places $58 million
Our Universities:
Backing Australia’s Future
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In 2005, the Australian Government is making
available more Commonwealth funded places
than ever before, with 409,393 places
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Student demand is being addressed by funding
over 39,000 new Commonwealth supported
student places in the next 5 years (2005 to 2009)
The research landscape: Backing
Australia’s ability: packages 1 and 2
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Additional investment to boost Australia’s science
and innovation performance, $8.3 billion from
2001–02 to 2010–11
Three key research themes:
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Strengthening Australia’s ability to generate
ideas and undertake research
Accelerating the commercialisation of ideas
Developing and retaining skills
Total Government investment in science and
innovation over this period will be around
$52 billion
Collaboration and Structural
Reform Fund (CASR)
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$37m in funds (2005-07) to foster
collaboration between higher education
providers & business & other groups
First round projects are expected to be
announced shortly
There will be another round soon for funding
in 2006
$13 million allocated for 2006
Workplace Productivity
Programme
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Commencing 2006
Encourage higher education institutions to
further progress reform to increase workplace
productivity
$83 million available between 2006 & 2008
Discussion paper released July 2005 for
comment by 9 August 2005
Learning and Teaching
Performance Fund – 2006 onwards
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Established to reward those institutions
that best demonstrate excellence in
teaching and learning
The Fund comprises two stages:
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Stage 1 – appropriate policies and processes in place
and publicly available on their websites. Completed
& results to be announced shortly
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Stage 2 – assessment of institutional performance
using quantitative indicators and qualitative input.
Performance Allocation Model to be announced in
the next few weeks
Higher Education workplace
requirements
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Introduced in 2005
Designed to encourage choice in agreement
making
Direct relationships between employers &
employees
Workplace flexibility
Productivity and Performance
Freedom of Association
AWAs
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The HEP must provide employees with
genuine choice and flexibility in agreement
making by offering AWAs to all new
employees employed after 29 April 2005 and
to all other employees by 31 August 2006.
Until 30 June 2006, HEPs are exempt from
offering AWAs to casual employees engaged
for a period of less than one month.
Higher Education workplace
requirements
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Universities that comply with the workplace
reforms and the National Governance
Protocols will be eligible for the increase in
assistance funding under the Commonwealth
Grant Scheme (5% in 2006 and 7.5% in later
years)
Must comply by 30 November 2005 to receive
the 5% increase
Must comply by 31 August 2006 to receive
the 7.5% increase
Voluntary Student Unionism
HESA Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Up-front Student
Union Fees) Bill 2005
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Referred to Senate Inquiry in June, due to report 9 August
Debate in the Spring Sitting
Expected start date of 1 January 2006
The Bill ensures that providers do not require a student to
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Be a member of an organisation of students (or students and other
persons)
Pay a fee in respect of an organisation of students
Pay a fee for an amenity, facility or service that is not of an academic
nature, unless the student chooses to do so
Packaging the fee for non-academic services and amenities
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Critical issue is that students must have a choice
Bill does not prevent providers from offering students “packages” of
services
Voluntary Student Unionism
Non-discretionary penalty for a breach of the VSU
provisions:
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Reduction in amount a provider receives under CGS
equivalent to $100 for each CGS student place
Applies in all cases of requiring membership of an
organisation of students
If breach involves payment of a fee, provider is given
an opportunity to correct breach
Non-discretionary penalty not applied if money repaid
to the student
The HELP schemes
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HECS-HELP – to assist eligible Commonwealth
supported students pay their student
contribution. There are two types of HECS-HELP
assistance: the HECS-HELP discount and the
HECS-HELP loan
FEE-HELP – to assist eligible fee-paying students
pay their tuition fees
OS-HELP – to assist eligible Commonwealth
supported students who wish to study overseas.
Distribution of loans to Universities finalised end
of September 2005
The next round of new places
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Next round of new places will be for 2,800
new growth places commencing in 2007
The Minister has yet to determine how these
places will be allocated. The Department will
consult with the sector on the application
process towards the end of 2005/early 2006
In 2008, there will be a further 1,800 new
growth places
Capital Development Pool (CDP)
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CDP Guidelines are being reviewed to ensure
the programme continues to meet the capital
development needs of the higher education
sector
Sector was invited to provide feed back on the
draft Guidelines by 26 July 2005
Guidelines will be finalised, following the
Minister’s approval, in the coming weeks
Bids for the 2008 round will be called for end of
August/early September. Over $44 million
available for allocation
HEIMS & Reporting Student
Learning Entitlements
Reporting period Reporting period HEP data
start date
end date
submission date
1 January 2005
30 June 2005
31 August 2005
1 July 2005
31 August 2005
31 October 2005
1 September
2005
31 December
2005
31 March 2006
1 January 2006
31 March 2006
31 May 2006
Course Information System
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There will be a national searchable database of all higher
education courses, accessed from in GoingtoUni,
scheduled for release in September 2005
The database will include information about indicative
course fees, cut-off and minimum entrance
requirements, eligibility scores
Course data for the Course Information System will be
required from all HEPs by 15 August 2005
The Student Private Portal is scheduled for release at the
end of November 2005
Accountability and quality
The Institution Assessment Framework,
introduced in 2004, involves assessment by
DEST of universities':
• sustainability - planning processes and financial
viability
• achievements in higher education provision
• quality of outcomes
• compliance with legislation and guidelines
• Universities visited every 2 years for bilateral
discussions about the assessment
Accountability and quality
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The 2005 schedule of visits includes:
Newcastle, New England, Charles Sturt,
Western Sydney and Macquarie
universities
Accountability and quality
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DEST will monitor the filling of new places
through the Funding Agreement process and
the Student Statistics Data
Since new places for 2005 were allocated in
late 2004, DEST appreciates that some
providers had difficulties filling these places in
2005. This should not affect their ability to fill
the places in 2006 and beyond
However, unfilled places from institutions that
consistently under enrol may be redistributed
to other universities
Australian Higher Education
Quality Assurance Framework
State
accreditation
(based on National
Protocols)
AUQA
Commonwealth
(Australian Universities
Quality Agency)
Funding support (institutions/students)
national reporting
performance data, tools
audits
Universities
Responsible for
academic standards
AQF
(Australian Qualifications Framework)
national register and award
descriptions
AUQA Quality Audit Process
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AUQA bases each audit on an auditee’s
critical self-review (performance portfolio)
Audit visit programs based on auditee’s
self-review and a preparatory visit
Audit visit tests the statements and
descriptions in the performance portfolio
AUQA audit report is publicly released
FURTHER DIRECTIONS OF REFORM
Discussion papers
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Building university diversity released 27 May 2005
www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher_education/policy_issues
_reviews/reviews/building_diversity/building_university_
diversity.htm
Building Better Foundations for higher education
released March 2005
www.dest.gov.au/highered/pubs/papers/responsibility/d
efault.htm
Enhancing offshore delivery released July 2005
www.dest.gov.au/sectors/international_education/policy
_issues_reviews/reviews/quality_auditing_of_offshore_d
elivery
Building University Diversity
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Issues paper released to debate the
desirability of greater diversity in the
university sector
National Workshop on 17 August 2005 under
auspices of Australian Education Ministers to
further discuss these issues
Any changes to the Protocols would need to
be agreed to by the Commonwealth & State
and Territory Governments in November 2005
Commonwealth-State
Relationships
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Building better Foundations for Higher
Education in Australia released March 2005
Suggests a greater role for Australian
Government in 3 key areas
Commercial activities, governance and
management, recognition and accreditation
Consultation process underway & seeking
Australian Education Ministers consideration
in November 2005
Credit Transfer and Articulation
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Australian Education Ministers have
endorsed a set of “Good Practice
Principles for Credit Transfer and
Articulation”
The Australian Government has
enhanced its GoingtoUni website to
include more detailed information
on credit transfer from VET to
university
Enhancing Offshore Quality
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$590,000 in 2005 to improve higher
education offshore quality assurance
Discussion paper, A National Quality
Strategy for Australian Transnational
Education and Training
Model and strategic directions to be
presented to Australian Education
Ministers – November 2005
National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)
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Backing Australia’s Ability initiative (A$542 million)
- the main part of funding will start to flow from 2006-07 (~$100m pa)
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Strategic focus for the Government’s investment in
major research infrastructure
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NCRIS will seek to:
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Develop world-class capacity in key areas of research
Encourage collaboration
Encourage greater international engagement
Strategic Roadmap’ to guide the Government’s
investments over the next ten years:
- Advisory Committee recommendations considered by end of 2005.
Research Quality Framework
(RQF): Strategic Objectives
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Announced in May 2004 Budget, the RQF will measure the
quality of research in universities and Publicly Funded
Research Agencies
Among the drivers is the need:
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for greater accountability for public investment in research
to demonstrate the quality and impact of publicly funded
research
Existing quality indicators (eg number of publications) are
not brought together in any readily accessible and
consistent way
RQF will inform future distribution of research effort,
although the details of this will need to be worked through
once models are developed
RQF: Progress to Date
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Framework development guided by an Expert
Advisory Group
Principles underpinning an RQF are:
transparency, acceptability and effectiveness
RQF Issues Paper released in March 2005
RQF Advanced Approaches Paper released in May
2005
RQF Preferred Models Paper for release in early
September 2005
Advice to Minister by end of year
Updates available on the RQF website
– http://www.dest.gov.au/resqual
The dreaded red tape issue
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Data and information collection driven
by DEST’s accountability responsibilities
for implementing and managing
Government policies and programmes
Funding Agreements. Universities are
not required to contact DEST for each
and every variation to student
enrolments made throughout the year
IAF is a consolidated instrument to
streamline reporting
Unmet demand
Future of our market?
and the competition
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Founded 1981 by 3 partners
Government support – free science land, freeing up
of inward investment and a long tax holiday
Now $1bn US revenue, >40,000 employees, 1 in
130 selected
Includes 600 foreign nationals in 33 countries
Concern about future supply of suitable graduates
in India – already takes 10% of Indian production
of suitably qualified engineers
419 clients, 99% repeat business
Main Bangalore campus has 40 buildings
Residential training campus at Mysore for 5000
staff
•IMEC's revenues up 12% to €159m
•IMEC generates 78% of budget, 22%
from the Flemish community
•International industry: 62%
•Staff: 898 members
•Guest researchers & industrial
residents: 430
•Average age = 34 years
•15 % PhD students
Economic activity across the planet
27 November 2000 (NASA)
Higher Education:
the landscape of reform
Colin Walters
Group Manager, Higher Education Group, DEST