Do High Ranked Universities Have Better Graduate Employment Outcomes?

Author(s):  
Mahsood Shah ◽  
Hai Yen Vu ◽  
Winnie Eley

University rankings are increasingly used as a measure of quality and reputation. Institutional leaders are increasingly using the outcomes of ranking in marketing of university courses. Both the critics of ranking and those who support have different viewpoints. Institutions that are ranked high celebrate their achievement however limited research is known on how outcomes of ranking are used to reward academic staff. Likewise some institutions that are not ranked enjoy ongoing student demand with increased diversity of student population, and comparable graduate outcomes. Some research suggests that students consider ranking to determine their choice, however others have ruled out. This chapter reviews the literature on both sides of the argument about ranking and it then presents the graduate employment data related to Australian universities to find out if elite universities have better graduate employment outcomes compared other universities.

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Melchert ◽  
Marion Gray ◽  
Adrian Miller

Health professionals must understand Indigenous perspectives to deliver effective health services. This study set out to determine the amount, type and effectiveness of current Indigenous content in an occupational therapy curriculum at an Australian regional university and the progress in meeting the National Aboriginal Health Strategy (NAHS) minimum standards for Indigenous content for Australian Universities. Twenty-one academic staff teaching at an Australian University were surveyed with five follow-up interviews. Findings suggest that while educators saw the importance of Indigenous cultural content, they lacked confidence in delivering this content. The need for a strategic and planned approach to embedding Indigenous content throughout the curriculum was identified. Future research evaluating the effectiveness of cultural competency initiatives is suggested.


Author(s):  
Anna Christine Jones

This paper examines the changing landscape of higher education from the perspective of teaching academics. Critical thinking has been seen as one of the central facets of the academic identity and so this paper uses the notion of critical thinking as a lens through which to explore this changing identity. It argues that the professional identity of the academic is in a state of flux, which has caused uncertainty regarding the academic role, its freedoms and responsibilities. The particular focus here is on teaching and the changes occurring in this arena. The paper reports the findings of a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with academic staff across five disciplines from two Australian universities. In the modern university, the pressures of accountability to a range of stakeholders, both internal and external, are changing the face of university teaching.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-213
Author(s):  
Paul J. Moore ◽  
Adriana Díaz

Abstract Languages curricula are an important, yet underutilized, site for students’ development of intercultural knowledge, awareness and skills in higher education, though there has been little related empirical research. Given the key role teachers play in student learning, in the context of two Australian universities, this study explores language teaching academics’ perspectives on language, culture and intercultural communication, and how these are reflected in their teaching approaches. As part of a larger needs analysis project into the teaching of languages and intercultural communication, this article reports on semi-structured interviews with ten academic staff engaged in teaching and/or researching languages, and one study abroad coordinator with a language teaching background. Interpretations of the key concepts varied, as did participants’ reported approaches to teaching, from critical to instrumental. Teachers’ interpretations and approaches were influenced by their teaching and learning histories, and while there were a range of approaches to the incorporation of the (inter)cultural in the teaching of languages, this was approached more critically than reported in previous studies. Contextual features which may limit such integration of language and culture are discussed, as is the contribution of languages teachers to students’ development of intercultural competence.


2022 ◽  
pp. 155-178
Author(s):  
İpek Akpınar ◽  
Işın Can-Traunmüller ◽  
Zeynep Özçam ◽  
Sıla Özkavaf Şenalp

Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH), a university campus located in a rural area, establishes a different social and spatial relationship with the city and its immediate surroundings. This chapter focuses on assessing the socio-spatial sustainability of the campus before and during the pandemic, together with the evaluation of UI GreenMetric World University Rankings (GreenMetric). The study has the basis of the content analysis of IZTECH GreenMetric evaluations and a critical review of sustainability issues through questionnaire technique applied to campus users, including administrative, academic staff, and students at IZTECH. The multidimensional survey has been designed to grasp the perspectives of the campus users on the sustainability performance of the campus, and to gather some intangible data on the COVID-19 period and its impacts on the use of campus spaces. In conclusion, this chapter is going to suggest a road map to guide sustainability measures of campuses for more adaptable and resilient solutions under unexpected circumstances.


Author(s):  
Gemma Webster ◽  
Sally Smith ◽  
Colin Smith

Moves towards the marketisation of higher education together with concerns over the challenges of graduate employment have led to an increased prioritisation of students undertaking relevant work experience while they study. Recognising a strong student demand for placements, universities are establishing employability initiatives including those designed to increase the availability of quality paid placements for students. To complement this activity, industry, sector-specific, regional placement projects such as e-Placement Scotland, take an employer-led approach to maximise opportunities for students across a number of universities. In spite of these initiatives, not every student will successfully obtain a placement, and so e-Placement Scotland aims to ‘add value’ for students in various other ways. Interventions such as industry tech talks and speed networking sessions have been deployed to develop awareness of the employment landscape and encourage students to start thinking about their self-identification, easing their transition into the workplace. Adopting the lens of identity theory, this study explores student and professional identity in order to recognise the transition from student to graduate, and to consider the role of placement and other value-adding activities in that transition. The study found that, while the incidence of students self-identifying as professionals increases in later years of their courses, placement preparation interventions did not themselves have an observable effect. These findings challenge the project assumption that placement preparation activities can offer students valuable insights that can help them identify with their profession. Keywords: Student identity, placement, professional identity


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