Canberra, Friday 15 March 2002

New study on changes to academic work

Academic work roles are being surveyed as part of a project for The Department of Education Science and Technology. During March academic staff from 12 universities* will receive an email inviting them to complete a questionnaire for this study. As the findings will feed directly into policy the researchers are hoping for a high participation rate to ensure the reliability of their conclusions. Both the Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee and the National Tertiary Educators Union have given their support to the project.

Over the next few months, Professors Don Anderson and Richard Johnson, who are Visiting Fellows at The Centre for Education Development and Academic Methods at ANU, and Dr Larry Saha, from Sociology at ANU will be studying the implications for universities of changes in academic work. This is the second stage of a project which recently explored the implications of changing age structure in academe.

Professor Anderson said that “because the context of academic life has changed so much over the last 20 years – for example in the funding per EFTSU, the advent of new electronic technologies, and application of industrial work place agreements – the work environment will have changed considerably. On top of that universities are more entrepreneurial and academics are expected to be active in seeking grants and in encouraging enrolments.

“Students have also changed and this has affected academics’ work. There is now mass participation, whereas in the past getting in to university was much more selective, intellectually and socially. Today the student body is diverse, there are more overseas students, HECS has come and full-fee students are on the rise. There are reports that students are more demanding and that standards have changed.”

Interviews with academics, retirees and managers in universities around the country are providing rich accounts of academic work and the way universities are responding. These interviews have define questions for the web-based survey that will provide a quantitative dimension to the account of change. Among other things academics in all areas are reporting a surge in emails from students and administration.

Prof. Anderson said he is embarrassed at adding to this load but pleads that the questions are important.

“When academics know that the results will contribute to policy, I hope they will not begrudge the 10 minutes or so needed for a reply.”

Universities in the survey are: University of Queensland, University of Southern Queensland, Southern Cross University, University of Technology Sydney, University of Canberra, Australian National University, Charles Sturt University, University of Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Flinders University, University of South Australia, and Murdoch University.

Further information is available from the researchers:
Professor Don Anderson, ANU Centre for Continuing Education, don.anderson@anu.edu.au or 02 6125 4623; Professor Dick Johnson, ANU Centre for Continuing Education, richard.johnson@anu.edu.au or 02 6125 3256; Dr Larry Saha, ANU Research School of Social Sciences, lawrence.saha@anu.edu.au or 02 6125 2132; Genevieve Turville, ANU Public Affairs, 02 6125 6125 or 0416 249 245

35/2002

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The Australian National University.
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Last Modified Tue, July 16, 2002