Student and Teaching Staff Trends in Selected Australian Universities Part 2
26 April 2012, by Professor Emeritus Frank Larkins
Australian Universities with coursework enrolments between 25,000 and 40,000 students in 2010 have been examined for their staffing responses. There are eleven universities in this group and their average student number growth over the period since 2000 was 55 per cent and the average EFTSL growth 41%. These universities responded with an average FTE staff growth (TO+T&R+casuals) of only 24%. Wollongong, Newcastle and Macquarie, all NSW universities, had the largest increases in student numbers.
Student and Teaching Staff Trends in Selected Australian Universities
28 March 2012, by Professor Emeritus Frank Larkins
Nine Australian Universities had more than 40,000 enrolled coursework students in 2010, an increase in numbers of over 57 percent since 2000. The responses of these universities in term of changes in their teaching staff profiles are examined. UNSW and QUT have been the most responsive, with UNSW as well as RMIT and Griffith relying heavily on casual teachers to service student growth. Sydney and Curtin universities proportionally have been the least responsive in meeting the increased student demand. Sydney does nevertheless retain one of the lowest student-to-staff ratios in Australian universities.
How should academic staffing trends be analysed?
27 February 2012, by Professor Emeritus Frank Larkins
In an article published on the Group of Eight (Go8) Universities website concerning academic staffing trends, it is claimed that an analysis by this author was ‘wrong in fact and in interpretation’. This assertion is categorically rejected. The approach adopted was appropriate because it is the number of full and fractional academic staff in departments and faculties (excluding casuals), rather than FTE staff data with casuals, that more accurately represents the professional workload responsibilities that need to be discharged by staff for quality assurance, curriculum development, academic course co-ordination and assessment, bidding for research funding, research supervision and student mentoring. The use of various academic staff data sets are examined in this paper to demonstrate that the major findings reported in the earlier paper are correct.
Overseas students help boost Australian universities research profile
30 November 2011, by Professor Emeritus Frank Larkins
Higher degree research student numbers in Australian universities have grown very strongly over the period 2000 to 2010 enhancing university research profiles. The contribution from overseas higher degree research students has increased very significantly. In 2010 one in 3.5 of the enrolled doctoral research students and one in four of the doctoral completing students were from overseas. By comparison in 2000 the numbers were one in eight and one in six respectively. The situation for Masters by Research students shows a similar trend. More domestic students are now part time compared with overseas students, such that on a full time equivalent student basis the dependence by universities on the research output of overseas students is even greater than reported above. Any downturn in overseas student demand for research places in Australia could have serious consequences for university research performance and the national benefits that follow. Australian higher education research will come under increased competitive pressure when the financial situation in Europe and the US improves. New policy initiatives are required to secure an innovative future involving talented research students.
Academic Staffing Trends: At what cost to teaching and learning excellence?
26 October 2011, by Professor Emeritus Frank Larkins
In the period 2000-2010 research only (RO) staff numbers in universities increased by 78 percent, while teaching and research (T&R) and teaching only (TO) staff numbers increased by only 26 percent. More new RO staff were employed during the period than T&R and TO staff combined, such that by 2010 one in three academic staff was a RO staff member. The trend has been to reclassify some T&R staff as TO staff and to increase the proportion in both categories having fractional time appointments. While in that same period research student numbers increased by 49 percent, and coursework student numbers increased by 73 percent. Consequently, the coursework student to T&R and TO staff ratio was concerningly high at 34 to 1 by 2010, an increase of some 38 percent compared with 2000. The research student to T&R and RO staff ratio has remained relatively constant throughout the period with one T&R or RO staff member for every 1.2 research students. These are average system-wide figures so the disparities will be even greater in some universities. The impact of these trends on staff workloads and the quality of coursework teaching and learning programs warrants further examination.