The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia

SPECIAL NEW ZEALAND ISSUE I.S.S.N.0157-1826.

FEATURES EVALUATION IN TEACHERS COLLEGES IN NEW ZEALAND EVALUATION OF TEACHER EDUCATION -WHAT IS AND WHAT MIGHT BE John Clift Page 4

A REVIEW OF SECONDARY TEACHERS COLLEGE, AUCKLAND Dennis McGrath Page 6

REVIEW OF TEACHER TRAINING AT NORTH SHORE TEACHERS COLLEGE James Marshall Page 8

"PROGRAM EVALUATION PRIMARY" AT CHRISTCHURCH - A REPORT Roger Murdoch Page 9

SECONDARY DIVISION CHRISTCHURCH TEACHERS COLLEGE - "AN INSTITUTION IN CHANGE" Barry Brailsford Page 11

HERDSA'S HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS 2. Kol Starr Page 12

HERDSA WORKSHOP ON EVALUATIVE SKILLS

"UNIVERSITIES INTO THE 21ST CENTURY" -AN AUTNZ WORKSHOP Rob Crozier

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR NEW ZEALAND UNIVERSITY Mike Waghorne STUDENTS IN THE 1980s and Ian Powell

HERDSA's SUBMISSION TO THE COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT ON THE E.R.D.C.

REGULAR ITEMS OVERSEAS REPORTS REVIEW HERDSA ABSTRACTS

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT REPORT OF THE 1981 A.G.M. OF HERDSA

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VOL. 3. No.2

c.. c::: C2

Editorial-A New Zealand Issue of HERDSA NEWS

At the time of writing this introduction, it is just a year since I returned to New Zealand from nine months' leave spent at the Tertiary Education Institute (TEDI) University of Queensland. Thanks to Ernest Roe and ' other TEDI staff, it was a valuable professional development experience. I mention this since leave as professional development, is considered elsewhere in this issue.

Leave in Australia also gave me my first experience of a HERDSA Conference and the enthusiasm to return in 1981 - this year to Monash University. Like Allen Miller in Canberra the year before, Rod Wellard (assisted by many others) did a fine job in organising a most. interesting Conference, which also included, for the fIrst time, two keynote speakers from New Zealand - Richard Sutton (Law, Otago University) and Wilf Malcolm (Mathematics, Victoria University of Wellington).

The Conference papers, including the keynote addresses, will be published later this year as Vol. 4 of Research and Development in Higher Education. As such, the annual HERDSA Conference and the Procee~ings are important elements for the continuing professwnal development of academic staff. . The C?nference was followed by a particularly m~erestm~ A~n,!al General Meeting. A full report of thIS meetmg IS mcluded as a supplement to this issue. One point of interest for HERDSA members was news of the success of the first presentation of the HERDSA­TEC Evaluative Skills Workshop, in Sydney, 4-6 May. The Workshop Was funded by the Tertiary Education Commission Evaluative Studies Steering Committee, and HERDSA had commissioned Ernest Roe (University of Qu~ensland) and Rod McDonald (Murdoch University) to desLgn and run the Workshop. A full report on this Workshop appears in this issue. This is the first of a series of Workshop topics planned by HERDSA as part of a strategy for implementation of the recommen~ations of the HERDSA statement of policy for professwnal development of academic staff. 1

Readers of HERDSA News will have read the HERDSA policy statement which was the major part of the HERDSA submission to the Australian Vice­Chancellors' Committee Working Party on Staff Development. From the New Zealand point of view, the A VCC Working Party's Report2 and the Recomn:endations represent very positive support for professwnal development for academic staff in universities. There is no doubt, too, that the guidelines for academic staff development would be applicable to, and acceptable by academic staff in other institutions of higher education. For example:

"1. (a) Each university should develop a declared staff development policy incorporating-

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(i) - (iv) (explicit arrangements for appointment, induction and probation) (v) a formal evaluation programme for all

staff involving systematic and regular review of performance in all roles. Such evaluation should be comprehensive both in terms of activities evaluated and sources of evaluative information used. Evaluation should be undertaken for both formative and summative purposes;

(vi) the introduction of an incentive programme or reward structure designed to encourage effective staff performance, particularly in the teaching role.

(b) Each university should review the terms of reference, activities and financing of its staff development unit in the light of the above statement to ensure that it is able to play an effective role."

There are other interesting recommendations involving consultation by the A VCC with the Federation of Australian University Staff Associations (FA USA). In New.Zealand, th.e Association of University Teachers is seekmg appropriate consultation with the NZVCC about the AUr,NZ Poli~y for Professional Development of AcademiC Staff In Universities.

Recommendation (vi) also has considerable signifi~anc~ for staff development units in higher ~ducatwn In. New Zealand. Such units are being mtroduced mto Technical Institutes while some Teachers Colleges have reached the point of delegating such responsibility to an individual andlor a committee. However, two (out of seven) universities do not have a staff development unit, viz., Waikato and Massey. This year, in !1ust:alia, a new unit came into being at Sydney Unwerslty wLth the arrival of its Director, Mick Dunkin, and the Vice-Chancellor of La Trobe indicated recently that It would be worth watching "that space" for similar developments.

While the A VCC uses the description "staff development': these units often fulfil a much wider role - that of higher education units or departments . In Australia and New Zealand, higher education units have the experience and expertise to catalyse the interactions of sta/f, students and subjects in higher education, req,!Lr.ed for. the fu~ure development of interdependent societies. It IS predictable that HERDSA will have an increasingly important and synergistic role in such endeavours.

But it is Recommendation (v) that catches the attention of an off-shore watcher from New Zealand. The phrase, '~ formal evaluation programme for all staff involving systematic and regular review of performance in all roles" has significance in the use of the word "all" - all staff in all roles! And what is the intention of such evaluation? The answer is in the title of the Working Party - evaluation of staff performance for staff development.

This New Zealand issue of HERDSA News is likewise concerned mainly with issues of evaluation and developmen.t. The p~incipal f~ature is a series of five articles whIch deSCribe experiences of "Evaluation in Teachers Colleges in New Zealand".

Other contributions in this issue have been selected to give son:e insilfht into the current aims and activities of two major natwnal bodies active in university education In N eU! Z~alalul. The Secretary of the AUTNZ describe the prm~/pal features of two important recent activities :- ~ na!L01Ial survey of academic staff and a nationaL tnvLtatwll~l conference. Finally, any national issue would be mexcusably incomplete if there were no space (or students. The t.wo Research Officers of the New Zealand Universit.y Students A ssociation share their

(continued on page 3)

HERDSA's Submission to the Commonwealth Government on the E.R.D.C.

This Society exists to bring together people working in tertiary education who are interested in improving teaching and learning. Its membership is drawn from across the three tertiary sectors, and the Society acts to foster research and development in the educational pro­cesses at tertiary level.

It is therefore with great urgency that we write to protest as strongly as possible at the actions of the Com­mittee of Review of Commonwealth Functions in this area. In particular, we strongly deplore the abolition of the Educational Research and Development Committee. It seems inconceivable that the government can con­template a situation where research into and develop­ment of educational processes in general and the train­ing of education research is to cease to exist.

We have already argued that higher education was granted an inadequate slice of the formerly available research funds through the Educational Research and Development Committee (see attachment)". However, the development of appropriate and effective teaching strategies in the tertiary sector must depend on an on­going research program, as development and application in any discipline or profession relies on research into that discipline. Thus we fear that research and develop­ment in tertiary teaching will be even more seriously impeded by the current cut back and we request the government with the utmost urgency to reconsider this action in light of these arguments.

Yours faithfully, J. Lublin, President.

(* The Funding of Research into Higher Education, HERDSA NEWS Vol. 2 No.3 Nov. 1980. - Ed.)

The Minister's Response

Dear Ms Lublin, Thank you for your letter of 9 June 1981 concerning

the Education Research and Development Committee.

monwealth will still maintain a curriculum development capacity within the education portfolio, but it will only undertake curriculum development in concert with the States - that is when the States share in the costs of the development work - or when the Commonwealth declares that a particular development ought to be undertaken in the national interest.

In relation to the future of the Curriculum Develop­ment Centre, the Government has said that, if the States are willing to co-operate with the Common­wealth, then the Centre will be maintained as a co­operative project. The Commonwealth is prepared to continue to provide 50 percent of the Centre's operating costs provided the States are prepared to share the re­maining 50 percent. If the States are not prepared to enter into this co-operative arrangement, the Com-

(Editorial continued) views and concerns for the future of university students in New Zealand, without whoni our universities might become "centres of excellence" but certainly not centres of education.

My thanks to Dave Boud (and thank goodness he will be doing the next issue and the next . .. ) for giving me this opportunity ·to contribute to HERDSA relationships between Australia and New Zealand. (Australasia, of course, includes other Pacific Rim countries about which there is a note elsewhere in this issue.) Any editor is, of course, very grateful that there is something to edit; I

I have offered to arrange discussions with the States on the funding and management of th~ Curriculum De­velopment Centre if the Centre is to continue as a joint responsibility. No decisions on the programs of the Cen­tre can be made until after agreement has been reached with the States.

Your comments have been noted and I appreciate your interest in this matter.

Yours sincerely, (Signed) Wal. Fife.

am happy to acknowledge the contributors who have managed to represent such a wide range of research and development in higher education in New Zealand.

Brad Imrie, Victoria University of Wellington.

References 1. HERDSA. (1980) Statement on the Professional

Development of Academic Staff. Supplement to HERDSA News, Vol. 2, No.3.

2. A VCC. (1981) Report of the Australian Vice­Chancellors' Committee Working Party on Academic Staff Development. AVCC Occasional Paper, No.4.

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Evaluation in Teachers Colleges in New Zealand

This set of articles brings together national and college experiences of evaluation during the last decade.

"What is past is best remembered" is the theme explored by John Clift in the first of these, as he considers evaluation activities in the context of a growing national interest in evaluation of education in general, and of teacher education in particular.

The remaining four articles deal with specific case studies. From four Teachers colleges, often with the acknowledged benefit of hindsight, participants in the various evaluative reviews share their personal insights and appraisals of the outcomes.

Evaluation of Teacher Education­What is and what might be

In New Zealand national reviews of education and teacher education, over the last decade, have provided recommendations for the evaluation of teacher education. More recently, special seminars and workshops on evaluation have increased the general understanding of evaluation. What has occurred at the national level and how this activity has influenced the direction of evaluative studies is outlined by John Clift.

Development of Teacher Education In 1974, the New Zealand Educational Development

Conference (EDC) was part of an initiative by the then Government to establish guidelines for the future devel­opment of education in New Zealand. As a result of the Conference, three specialist working parties were estab­lished. The Report! of the Working Party on Improving Learning and Teaching, saw evaluation as an important component of any educational endeavour.

''Evaluation is an essential and integral part of the whole process of skilled teaching, effective adminis­tration, programme or curriculum development, and educational reform." (p. 223)

The Report then went on to recommend that Teachers Colleges should be provided with sufficient resources for research to enable them to evaluate their programmes effectively and to explore new learning and teaching ap­proaches.

These recommendations, made back in 1974, reflected a national view of evaluation as a proper professional activity of teachers to enable them to judge and monitor the standards of their programmes. The course evalua-

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tions which followed the EDC proposals were, unfor­tunately, rather spasmodic, and there was a lack of any unified guidelines; hence, the outcomes of these evalua­tions lacked acceptability.

This earlier activity was recognised by the 1977-78 Review of Teacher Training2

''Through end-of-<:ourse evaluations, colleges have tried to gain a realistic basis for improving and refin­ing course prescriptions and teaching approaches." (p. 48)

However, the Review did identify evaluation pro. cedures as one area of concern:

"Evaluation is being stressed as an important feature of on-going progr~mes and new developments, but the pattern emergmg can only be described as haphazard." (p. 9)

The Review then went on to suggest three directions for any future evaluation: 1. Any future schemes of evaluation should take into

account the comprehensive and co-ordinated nature of teacher education.

2. An important aim of evaluation is to involve those

concerned in providing teacher education courses, as fully as possible, with objective analysis of their ef­fects as a basis for making improvements.

3. Instruments of research and evaluative procedures for the monitoring of teacher education programmes against criteria of success in the classroom, should continue to be developed and used.

Finally, the Teacher Review Report recommended that more positive action should be taken by College Councils to evaluate the programmes offered by their colleges.

At the instigation of the Teachers College Principals Association and the Department of Education, a special seminar was held in 1979 to consider: (a) what the purpose of evaluation should be and whom

it would serve; (b) what data would be required and how these would

be obtained; (c) who should perform such evaluation.

The Report3 which emerged from this seminar has since served as a focus for discussion at seminars and workshops.

" ... the need for a model LU guide an evaluation study so that it remaiIlB 8 controlled and pro­grammed activity .•• "

Teachers Colleges and Evaluation During the last ten years, various Teachers Colleges

have conducted evaluations or reviews of their ac­tivities, and these are discussed briefly in the articles which follow.

Recently there have been attempts to appraise these projects. In late 1980, a special interest seminar on evaluation of teacher education was conducted· on behalf of the N.Z. Association for Research in Education. This seminar, at Christchurch Teachers College, was attended by representatives from all New Zealand Teachers Col­leges. In a lead paper, Clift4 drew attention to vagueness as to the goal of these evaluations and, in particular, as to the nature of the audience for whom they were being prepared. Also discussed at the seminar was the need for a model to guide an evaluation study so that it re­mains a controlled and programmed activity rather than being allowed to expand and risk defeating its own ends.

" ... the Review became, essentially, an over-long and exhausting case study."5

This year, 1981, saw the visit of Stufflebeam for a Workshop on the topic of ''Meta Evaluation". While this Workshop was far removed from the needs of many of the participants, it did enable those who were "into evaluation", to quote Denys Abbott's description,6 to reflect on their own skills and to begin a more reliable evaluation of what was occurring.

Three weeks after the Stufflebeam Workshop, the Department of Education organised a week's workshop for Teachers College staff, the topic being "Evaluation of Teacher Education". This highly successful in-service programme, at Christchurch, was conducted in two parts. The first two days saw those who had attended the Stufflebeam Workshop leading discussion groups on the outcome of that Workshop. The course members then divided into two groups. Each group was tasked with planning an evaluation programme to meet the needs of a fictional teachers college.

For a person who could be described as being "into evaluation", there were two important outcomes from this programme. First, there was a general consensus that, if the evaluation climate was to be optimistic rather than threatening, then there was a need to plan the study in advance, particularly in regard to the pur­pose of evaluation, the audience for whom it was being undertaken, the timing of the evaluation activities, the nature of the evaluation activities themselves, and the nature and distribution of any reports. Second, it was apparent that the experience of colleges of large-scale in­stitutional evaluation was leading them to consider other alternatives. The very size of the operation had raised many problems, of which an important one was increase of staff cynicism as to the value of the out­comes as reviews dragged on.

''The time involved in the Review was almost too much for a part-time group. The teachers could ob­tain day release, but others spent time away from their institution without relief and, in one case, at considerable expense."7

"Perhaps most important, the health and well-being of staff must be carefully taken into account. In P.E.P., all the work involved has been additional to normal teaching, tutoring, administrative and other duties the staff already have .. There is no separate budget of money or personnel. This is one of the most important problems being faced at the moment and the real pressures of this time-<:onsuming review are being felt."s

While many, if not most Teachers College staff agree with the need for evaluation, the rationale is usually ill­defined. Hence, focussing staff interest (and maintaining that interest) over the often lengthy period of a review is a major hurdle if, at the end, the climate within the institutions is to be in any way receptive to the recom­mendations arising from the final report. The situation is well summed up by George Geis9

"Most of us feel ambivalent about the evaluation of instruction. Notwithstanding some hesitancy because of our lack of sophistication about mathematics and measurement, we may generally endorse evaluation as a 'good thing', along with concern for the environ­ment and a desire for world peace. Yet we recognise that evaluation in education has been half-hearted and poorly planned, and has resulted in the produc­tion of a threatening rather than an optimistic climate." (p. 11)

" ... the one thing we were unable to do was to provide a concise statement which we believed would satisfy staff if they were to ask the ques­tion, 'Why should I evaluate?'"

McGrath, in his description of the Auckland Secon­dary Teachers College Review, interestingly draws at­tention to this lack of a clearly defined rationale for evaluation:

''There was an acceptance that there should be a review, but the reasons why needed more debate and clarification. "7

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Such a feeling was present at the Christchurch In­service Programme, where the one thing we were unable to do was to provide a concise statement which we believed would satisfy staff if they were to ask the ques­tion, ''Why should I evaluate?".

Another theme running through most of the reports on current evaluation studies is the need to limit their complexity.

''The size of P.E.P. could still be a stumbling-block. Its scope is so wide and its structure so complex that to monitor it effectively and to keep it on course has been most challenging."B

Learning from a collective experience In this regard, it is interesting to note that, while

each group at the Christchurch In-service Programme was asked to plan evaluation for a college with a dif­ferent organisational structure, both groups concluded that, initially, the evaluation would be at the course level as the responsibility of the respective college departments, and should lead into an evaluation of col­lege programmes. This in turn would provide the basis for any institutional evaluation. In a plenary session considering the question of external evaluation or visita­tion, it was suggested that an appropriate procedure would be some form of meta evaluation of institutional self-evaluation rather than a primary or new evaluation.

Evaluation in New Zealand Teachers Colleges is alive and well. Mistakes have been made and will continue to be made but, most importantly, the colleges have been prepared to learn from what has been attempted. Their efforts are now visible, and they have shown a prepared-

ness to submit their evaluation for appraisal and to in­novate in their attempts to develop procedures which are appropriate to their college needs. I believe that, col­lectively, they have come a long way since that initial pioneering North Shore Teachers College Review.

Heferences

John Clift. University Teaching and Research Centre,

Victoria University of Wellington.

1. EDC. (1974) Improving Learning and Teaching: Report of the Working Party on Improving Learning and Teaching. Educational Development Conference, Well­ington.

2. Department of Education. (1979) Steering Committee Report. Review of Teacher Training.

3. Teachers College Principals Association. (1980) Sub­committee Report.

4. Clift, J.C. (1980) Institutional Evaluation - Questions for Consideration.

5_ Marshall, J. (1981) Review of Teacher Training at North Shore Teachers College. (This issue)

6. Abbott, D.S. (1981) Comment on a National Workshop on Evaluation in Higher Education. (This issue)

7. McGrath, D.M. (1981) A Review of Secondary Teachers Col­lege, Auckland. (This issue)

8. Murdoch, R.T. (1981) "Programme Evaluation Primary" at Christchurch - A Report. (This issue)

9. Geis, G.l. (1977) Evaluation: Definition, Problems and Strategies, in Knapper, et al. (eds), If Teaching is Impor­tant. CAUT Monograph.

A Review of Secondary Teachers College, Auckland

The Secondary Teachers College in Auckland is one of two New Zealand teacher training institutions responsible for preparing teachers for secondary schools. In a typical year there is a roll of about 750-800 trainees. Courses range from three-year courses for home economics and commercial trainees to one-year courses for university graduates. About half the trainees are in the one-year post-graduate course.

An evaluative review of the college has recently been completed. In the following Dennis McGrath outlines the origins of this review and provides some insights into its effects and outcomes.

Origins of the Review The origins of the review! completed in November

1980, appear to lie in a paper presented by the College principal to a staff in-service course in late 1978. Evaluation of courses has long been a feature of the col­lege. Individual staff members evaluate courses in a variety of ways using, for example. informal end-of­course evaluations or formative evaluations at regular intervals. Complete courses, such as the Home Econ­omics course or the Division C Course (the one-Year graduate course) have also been evaluated by teams of College staff, Secondary Teachers, Department of Education, officers and trainees. It was clear from the Principal's comments in 1978 that a more comprehen­sive review should be considered.

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A staff working party to look at "Courses, Timetables and Climate of the College 1980" met on a voluntary basis in early 1979 and formed several groups. One group considered the feasibility of a 1980 evaluation of what was being done in the College. This evaluation group recommended the setting up of a review and pro­vided a number of guidelines-• The evaluation should be carried out over a period of

say, one year, to try to chart changes in trainees. Changes were assessed by-(a) self-report and questionnaire (August 1980) (b) opinions of principals, school staff, etc. (July 1980) (c) interviews with random sample (August 1980).

• The review should include a description of the work­ing of the college, identify "areas of concern" and

develop principles for guidance and decision-making. • The use of resources, management of personnel,

quality of teaching practice, the corporate life (or the climate) of the College, the courses offered and the results of courses as perceived by teachers, principals and departmental officers, were to be considered.

• Members of the Review Committee were to be familiar with, or briefed by consultants with specialist knowledge of, methods of evaluating in­stitutions and knowledgeable about teachers college work as well as being "objective and fairminded".

A staff meeting accepted the recommendation and guidelines and the Executive Committee of the College set up a Review Committee in Term 2, 1979. The Review Committee, which was chaired by a retired senior departmental officer, was a "representative" group - a secondary principal, a departmental officer, a teacher, a university lecturer with experience in evalua­. tion and a person from "outside education". It is note­worthy that there was initially neither a staff member nor a trainee on the Committee.

The committee met on a number of occasions in Term 3, 1979. Staff were invited to "feel free to approach members at any time and on any matter". Trainees were informed of the workings of the Committee and also asked to express any"matter of concern or praise, sug­gestion or comment" to the Committee.

By late 1979 the Committee had interviewed some staff and some trainees and had conducted a survey of trainee opinion about aspects of college courses. There were some misgivings amongst the college staff because they were unsure of the use being made of material be­ing collected by the Committee. In early 1980 a Prin­cipal's nominee from the college staff was added to the committee and an outline month-by-month programme formulated. This programme was circulated to staff for comment.

Methodology A variety of methods were used to collect data. These

included-• a questionnaire on expectations of entering trainees, • individual interviews with academic and senior ad­

ministrative staff, • interviews with secondary school principals, year 1-3

teachers, and heads of department in secondary schools,

• interviews with a sample of trainees, • a questionnaire completed by final year trainees, • observations of the college-in-action; these included

visiting classrooms to observe teaching, viewing facilities and resources, discussions with staff, trainees and the principal, attending meetings, and such like.

The Climate of Evaluation In describing the requirements of a "suitable climate"

for evaluations Clift2 suggested that "evaluation pro­cedures be seen as appropriate by all those involved in the programme ... including the students, and that the generated data and information are as reliable as the constraints of the study will allow".

The climate of this review changed markedly during the year. From acceptance by all Staff in mid-1979 the mood became one of apprehension in late 1979 when staff were not fully aware of procedures or data­collection methods. The appointment of a staff represen­tative and better communication in early 1980 appeared to restore some confidence in the review, and staff co-

operated with interviews and observations. The trainees seemed little affected by the review but did fully co­operate with the interviews and the completion of ques­tionnaires.

Staff Reactions It seems fair to say that the majority of staff regarded

the review report as "bland". There were feelings that it "appeared the College was doing a good job". Certainly a number of the forty-four recommendations were approv­ed by the staff at an in-service course some three months after the completion of the review, and ways of implementing these were discussed. Only a few recom­mendations caused concern and, at the time of writing, were to be considered at a later date, e.g. a checklist of experiences for students .

Hindsights It is relatively easy to look back with wisdom. The

following are my personal reflections. I comment as one who was involved from the working party stage through to becoming the Principal's nominee on the Review Committee.

Firstly, I believe the objectives of the review were never made explicit enough. There was an acceptance that there should be a review but the reasons why need­ed more debate and clarification. A problem arose about the confidentiality of material and the reporting of in­formation. The committee eventually decided that find­ings and observations that could closely identify in­dividuals would not be reported. There would seem to me to be an argument for reporting such findings, on a confidential basis, to the individuals or departments concerned. I think this issue, more than any other, gave rise to the ''blandness'' the staff perceived in the final report. The results of questionnaires and analyses of in­dividual interviews were not reported in full and the in­itial lack of a staff representative on the review also seemed to create problems. Obviously there needed to be staff confidence in the committee and I believe this was more evident once a staff member joined the committee in early 1980. In addition, a person with close knowledge of the workings of an institution could ad­vise, for example, on the timing of interviews of staff and trainees. The time involved in the review was almost too much for a part-time group. The teachers could obtain day release but others spent time away from their institutions without relief and, in one case, at considerable expense. At one stage in the writing-up phase -the committee voluntarily spent a "three-day weekend" discussing, analysing and formulating a first draft. A full-time commitment for a smaller group might have been preferable.

"There were some misgivings amongst the college staff because they were unsure of the use being made of material collected by the Committee."

It is interesting that the trainees did not have a representative on the committee. The apparent lack of effect on the trainees may be a reflection of this hl(~k of

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representation. Certainly this issue would need careful consideration if a future review were to be carried out. The argument that trainees do not have the skills need­ed could probably be overcome by briefing and training.

Finally, there is the issue of whether a whole institu­tion can be effectively evaluated in this way. The review has provided a description of the college at a particular time but, as can be noted from staff comments, this description was seen as "too general". If the review were to be directed at the staff as the target audience it would seem more useful if separate courses and faculties were evaluated internally in a systematic way. These evaluations could be available for a more comprehensive review if required. The internal reviews would possibly be more relevant to the individual staff and trainees

than the global institutional review. On the other hand the global review maybe of more interest to the College Council and the educational community at large. This really relates to the issue of establishing the goals of the review.

References

Dennis M. McGrath, Secondary Teachers College, Auckland.

1. Report of the Review Conunittee, Secondary Teachers Col­lege, 1980.

2. Clift, J .C. (1980), "Institutional Evaluation - Questions for Consideration".

Review of Teacher Training at North Shore Teachers College

Between September 1973 and September 1974 a review of teacher training was undertaken at North Shore Teachers ·College. It was the first review of its kind in New Zealand. The report of the review was generally favourable. It lead to considerable discussion within the college and, in 1976177, a considerable restructuring of the total College program. On 19 September 1980, the Minister of Education announced that North Shore Teachers College would close. There was no prior consultation of any kind with the staff of the college. James Marshall from the University of Auckland gives some brief insights into the review and its outcomes:

The Review Committee The composition of the Review Committee was an In­

spector of Schools, the Principal of an Intermediate School and a University Lecturer in Education (who had had considerable recent experience of teacher training in the U.K.). Also the Committee consulted several experts from a wide variety of academic and other professional areas. The Committee members had all recently moved to the Auckland area.

The Review Committee's Report1was submitted to the College in September 1974 (page numbers in the follow­ing refer to the Report).

The Review The demand for a review of the College Programme

had arisen within the College as part of their continuing assessment and reassessment of activities and functions (see p. 57). The terms of reference ("A Design for Evaluation") were provided by the College and the Com­mittee accepted these as initial guidelines.

In general, these guidelines were followed, although some amendment and suppl~mentation by the Commit­tee did occur. The College accepted the presence of the Review Committee, with few problems arising, and the

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committee was able to comment as follows: " . .. the Committee has been impressed by the com­mitment and enthusiasm of staff and students and the relationships between all members 'of the College . . . it is convinced that students are well prepared for entering the teaching profession." (p. 3)

After the submission of the Report the following (at least) occurred: 1. Within the College considerable departmental and

inter-departmental discussion ensued. 2. A general curriculum review committee was set up -

this included members from outside the college. 3. There was a considerable restructuring of the total

College programme in 1976177. 4. The review principle was adopted by other colleges.

Given the generally favourable report no major changes in the college curriculum could have been ex­pected. Nevertheless, and in spite of the founding of a curriculum committee. the College did not seem to have been able to resolve two problems identified by the Committee - these were the relationship between per­sonal and professional education, and the professional role of the education department wi thin , essentially, a primary orientated college. However, substantial changes occurred in college teaching and in practice teaching, and the Review must have acted as a Con·

siderable catalyst towards this restructuring.

The Benefit of Hindsight The writer would make the following general com­

ments on the review, with the benefit of hindsight and especially in view of the College's impending fate:

(i) The non-appointment of a member of the Commit­tee with a strong research background in the social sciences meant that the Review became, essentially, an over-long and exhausting case study; and that

(ii) The College's terms of reference might have been expanded to consider a number of external factors e.g. the needs of the North Shore Community, the needs of Northland, the needs of Maori and other ethnic groups and the relationship of the college to tertiary education and to the continuing education of teachers. Such research and information would have been very germane to the long term planning of teacher training in general and the role of the College in particular. This is not a criticism of the terms of reference as such but of the committee's failure or inability to see past the terms of reference.

(iii) The committee did not explore the long term rela­tionships of the college with either the Auckland Teachers College Councilor with the Department of Education. At the time (as with point (ii) above) there was little apparent reason so to do. With the political hindsight of the Minister's decision of 1980 to close the College, it is clear that such reviews must not take place in a similar "vacuum". As an il-

"This is not a criticism of the terms of reference as such but of the committee's failure or inability to see past the terms of reference".

lustration of this point, section 4.3 of the Review (pp. 50-52) discusses the physical facilities and resources and notes the beginning of the disputed space figures argument which was to feature so prominently in the discussion of the Minister's reasons for his closure decision. The importance of these figures and the discussions completely eluded the committee even though they noted that "at na­tional and College level, discussion is taking place concerning the future of Teachers Colleges".

Reference

James Marshall, University of Auckland.

1. A Review of Teacher Training at North Shore Teachers Col­lege, 140 pp, 1974.

"Programme Evaluation Primary" at Christchurch­A Report

Introduction The beginning of 1980 saw "Programme Evalua­

tion Primary" (P .E.P.) launched in the Christchurch Teachers College Primary Division. Its aim was to evaluate and identify ways in which programmes, procedures, structure and courses might be altered to meet the needs of teachers and children in the 1980's and beyond; "to change what needs to be changed and confirm what is seen to be worth­while".

Three year training for primary teachers began at Christchurch Teachers College in 1967, and although courses and programmes had evolved to meet changing needs, the basic framework and philosophy had remain­ed substantially the same. Also, in 1975, the Kinder­garten Teachers Training College was absorbed into the Primary Division. For these reasons it was decided to re­examine the basic philosophy, administrative framework and the curriculum in a systematic way. The review was to be restricted to pre-service programmes, leaving aside the Division's work in continuing education courses for teachers. The initiative for the review came from the Director of Primary Programmes; a report to the Board

of Studies, the Division's course validating body, set out a proposed review structure in the form of a "Functions Model". After considerable debate, this was altered and a number of review committees set up: Role of the Col­lege, Curriculum, Teaching Practice, Administration and Assessment. Their chairpersons were appointed by the Director. A six-member Secretariat to the Board was set up to handle day-to-day P.E.P. matters.

As the decision-making body to which all committees were to report, the Board of Studies had its membership expanded to include a wide representation of interested groups from outside the college. Staff members were asked to serve on at least one review committee and a P.E.P. day was held on 9 May 1980 in an attempt to gain staff support and commitment to the review. Lec­tures were cancelled for the day and the staff formed into discussion groups.

The Work of the Review For the remainder of 1980, the review committees

went about their task of collecting submissions from within and beyond the College, deliberating on these and reporting to the Board. The Role of the College

9

Committee gained approval for a general policy state­ment in "Components of the Professional, Personal and Academic Training Roles" of the College, and some members of the Curriculum and Teaching Practice Com­mittees formed a working party in December to devise a new "programme structure".

This year has seen a series of staff forums reacting to the working party's report; further submissions, mainly from within the College; and in the light of these, a fur­ther report from the Curriculum Committee. Students have been brought fully into discussions, and at all stages they have been represented on the Board and all Committees. At the time of writing (May, 1981) Subject Committees are being set up to review individual courses in detail. The "grand plan" is to begin in­stituting changes in 1982.

Christchurch Teachers College is thus half-way through a major review of programmes, with much more detailed planning and implementing to be done.

What are some lessons we have learned to date?

Strengths of the exercise include the involvement of students at all levels right from the beginning, and the early change of direction which brought teacher, Depart­mental, university, polytechnic, kindergarten, school principal and other outside voices on to the Board of Studies. Certainly, with hindsight, these areas could have been even stronger had, for example, discussions among the total student body been fostered at an earlier date and had staff gone out into schools to discuss P.E.P.

Another possible strength has been the tacit under­standing that the baby should not go out with the bath­water. This has been important to staff morale. There is a consensus view among the staff that some things are well done at present and that these should be retained (and of course improved if possible). The idea of "in­cremental change" from the literature on innovation, is becoming fashionable perhaps!

What was important was the early decision to appoint a small "Secretariat" to the Board . of Studies to facilitate and expedite day-to-day functioning of P.E.P., rather than to set up a powerful Steering Committee to guide the review. The danger of the latter was the possibility of a small elite group steering the ship from a bridge remote from the, crew. A "we-they" syndrome was to be avoided. Institutional evaluation by "adver­sary proceeding"l was seen to be an inappropriate model. The vitality and constructive comments from the various staff forums were an important influence here.

Submissions were actively sought from outside as well as from within the College. One of the most successful surveys was a questionnaire which went out to all Associate Teachers (i.e. teachers· attached to the College to supervise students' school experiences) to which there was a 78 per cent response.

If we were to start again Finally what would we change if we were to start

P.E.P. again? • 1. Favourable staff climate is an important and

necessary prerequisite to effective institutional evaluation. In our case, the total staff were not party to early decisions (e.g. on the mod~l for evaluation, on the form the review would take, and on the ap-

10

pointment of key people), and were told of the necessity for review rather than coming to that posi­tion themselves. Because of this, it has taken some time to gain a reasonable degree of staff commitment to P.E.P.

2. The review was seen differently by different people. Some saw it as a "fine-tuning" exercise, others as a long-awaited chance for fundamental change. The very notion of "evaluation" had so many connota­tions, even though these were generally restricted to a "summative", end-result type of assessing pro­gramme outcomes. There is a need for a clear, agreed-to model of the review process itself, before any structure (committees, etc.) is looked at. Indeed, once the total membership of an institution has agreed to a review this should be the next task.

"A favourable staff climate is an important and necessary prerequisite to effective institutional evaluation" .

3. The size of P.E.P. could still be a stumbling block. Its scope is so wide and its structure so complex that to monitor it effectively and to keep it on course has been most challenging.

4. We have not yet used individuals and support agen­cies within the College (such as the Research and Publications Advisory Committees) nearly enough. In such an exercise the institution should call upon all available expertise.

5. It is vital to document all deliberations and decisions taken, together with the attendant debates. This is a time consuming task and warrants a special staff time allowance.

6. The Secondary Division of the College completed its review in 1979 with new programmes instituted last year. In the interests of a truly unified college, and for matters affecting the whole institution (e.g. ad­ministration and student assessment), it is a pity that there had not been one review rather than two.

7. Perhaps most important, the health and well-being of staff must be carefully taken into account. In P.E.P., all the work involved has been additional to the nor­mal teaching, tutoring, administrative and other duties the staff already have. There is no separate budget of money or personnel. This is one of the most important problems being faced at the moment and the real pressures of this time-consuming review are being felt.

Reference

Roger T. Murdoch, Christchurch Teachers College.

1. Owens, T.R., in E.R. House (Ed) "School Evaluation", Berkeley: McCutcham, 1973.

Secondary Division Christchurch Teachers College~ "An Institution in Change"

Between 1978 and 1980, Secondary Division pro­grammes at Christchurch Teachers College were radically redesigned in accordance with a model developed after discussion with trainees, teachers in schools and the staff of the College. This model shifted the emphasis of the training away from the production of specialist subject teachers to the development of teachers with a high level of general practitioner skills appropriate to any classroom and aimed at seeing them through the first few years of their careers.

A core Professional Studies course that aimed at the systematic development of general teaching skills became the basis for tutor group organisation and teaching practice sections in schools. This was the key departure for the new programmes.

Evaluation In 1979, a project team was formed to evaluate the

changes made within the Secondary Division. A research contract was signed with the Department of Education for the financing of the evaluation.1

This research study, in Stage One, set out to • describe the reasons for the changes (a look at the Division in the 1970s) • describe the model upon which the new programmes were based • describe the model chosen for the change process (a conflict model) • describe the change process through the period 1978-79 • make recommendations to other institutions envisag­ing institutional change.

Stage Two set out to examine the implementation of the new programmes. Six evaluations continuing through 1980 and 1981 have allowed staff and trainees to see how the new programmes have been working out. As yet, evaluations of teacher views of the programmes

Book Received

Imrie, B.W. (Ed.) Improving your performance as a science student. A Faculty of Science Handbook. Vic­toria University of Wellington. January 1981. 33 p. (NZ$1.50 from the Science Faculty Clerk, Victoria University of Wellington, Private Bag, Wellington, New Zealand.)

This Handbook was produced by the Science Faculty Sub-Committee on Student Performance at Victoria University, Wellington, and comprises eight articles written by staff members of the Science Faculty. The topics covered are: "Allocating your time", ''Learning

have not been attempted, but they are considered an essential part of the research.

Reports on the Research Although INTERIM REPORTS have been prepared on

all phases of STAGE ONE, none of these have been made available to staff or trainees at this time. Restruc­turing processes are often stressful, and the staff agreed to a delay in publication of the description of their reac­tions within the 1978-79 phase of the change process. It was understood that material fed in from STAGE ONE might adversely affect the IMPLEMENTATION phase of the programmes.

However, all the STAGE TWO material has been reported back to staff and trainees, and has played a vital role in the implementation and development of the new programmes at chalkface level.

It is clear that the new programmes began to reach a significant take-off point as soon as they were repeated in the Second Semester of 1980. This often reflected the efforts of staff to redesign approaches on the basis of trainee evaluations. In the 1981 survey, carried out after nine weeks of the course, the responses of trainees have been very encouraging.

The research to date has provided some fascinating data that is inappropriate to publish publicly at this time. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits has been in the engendering of a more open stance to trainee views on the part of the staff.

A full report on STAGES ONE and TWO should be available in 1983.

Reference

Barry Brailsford, Christchurch Teachers College.

1. An Institution in Change, a longitudinal research project into institutional change in secondary pre-service teacher education at Christchurch Teachers College, 1979-83.

from lectures - are you ready?", ''Laboratory work and laboratory reports", "Field trips - leaving the campus to learn", "Scientific illustration", ''Reading and essay writing", "Tutorials and assignments - doing it (for) yourself", "Assessment and examination - you do want to pass, don't you?".

The Handbook is used in conjunction with an academic orientation programme for first year Science students. While the articles are written specifically for V.U.W. Science students, the basic principles of improv­ing student performance apply to other disciplines and other universities.

II

HERDSA's Honorary Life Members:

Dr. K.H. Star Ph.D. (London)

Kol Star graduated from the University of Melbourne and was later awarded a Ph.D. from the University of London. His discipline was psychology and he held a number of teaching appointments in that field. After tutoring at the University of Melbourne he held lecture­ships at Newcastle University College, the University of Western Australia, and the University of Birmingham. In the early 1970s he returned to Australia and was ap­pointed as Research Information Officer to the Austra­lian Vice-Chancellors' Committee. That post led to his being in close touch with a wide range of people in higher education across the country. Two important in­itiatives arose from this experience. He edited the A VCC Education Newsletter which was, in effect, a forerunner of HERDSA News in that it disseminated in­formation concerned with all aspects of teaching and learning in tertiary education. More importantly, he saw the need for the creation of a society to bring together people concerned with research and development in ter­tiary education.

At the 1971 AARE Conference he convened "a

Overseas Reports

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

Faculty development in higher education is, at long last, attracting the attention it warrants. One fears that this attention will show itself to be no more than a catch phrase for the campus politician or the signal of yet another fad. One hopes, however, that it might be viewed and implemented as outlined in the submission made to the Australian Conference of Principals of Col­leges of Advanced Education entitled The Professional Development of Academic Staff in Colleges of Ad­vanced Education which was coordinated by A.J. Lonsdale (August, 1980).

Two articles - albeit American - that should perhaps be read along with the above mentioned state­ment, occur in the AAHE Bulletin. In the first, Jack Lindquist (1980, Vol. 33, (1», in an article entitled "The Challenge of Professional Development", pro­vides a concise historical view of professional develop­ment in the USA while attempting also to chart some of the challenges for professional development in the 1980s.

Lindquist's history sees professional development prior to the 1950s and 1960s as almost exclusively con­cerned with the teacher's individual subject specialty. The significant event in the 1960s was the introduction of higher education research and development centres, which provided a systematic dissemination of findings

12

meeting of interested persons to consider whether a society like Britain's SRHE should be established in Australia". At this meeting, which was attended by about 20 people, it was agreed to convene a further meeting in Sydney in 1972 during the ANZAAS Con­gress to "consider forming an Australian Society for Research into Higher Education".

At the ANZAAS meeting, which was attended by about 60 people, HERDSA was inaugurated and an In­terim Executive appointed. That Executive subsequently appointed Kol Star as the foundation Secretary of the Society.

He carried most of the administrative load during the early years of the Society and had completed the detail­ed arrangements for the first conference in Canberra in January 1975 when ill-health compelled him to resign from the Executive and from his post with the A VCC.

HERDSA owes a great debt to the energy, enthusiasm and farsightedness of Kol Star and this was formally acknowledged when he was elected as the first Honorary Life Member of the Society.

relating to the study of learning, teaching, and ad­ministra tion.

Lindquist discerns three foci as emerging during the 1970s: personal development, organisational develop­ment and educational networks. He acknowledges that these three foci have yet to be integrated into a unified approach.

Some of the particular challenges that are identified for the 1980s include: the development of the staff members' willingness to participate in the application of their expertise to a life-long learning model; the develop­ment of support systems to facilitate an individual's transition from one field to another or to accommodate early retirement; the development of a repertoire of pro­fessional skills and the development of institutional rewards for teaching excellence.

The article concludes with Lindquist's suggestions for a "wholistic" (sic) programme of professional develop­ment and they are worthwhile exploring further.

The second article is by John Bevan and has the title "Faculty Evaluation and Institutional Rewards" (1980, Vol. 33 (2». Bevan links faculty evaluation with faculty development through a common primary goal, ie, the improvement of student learning_ The pursuit of this common goal allows Bevan to assert 1/ •• • ongoing programmes of faculty development and faculty evalua­tion should be of highest priority in every institution of higher learning ... "

Bevan recognises the political nature of faculty evaluation and suggests that it should be seen atld used

(continued on page 18)

I

f

HERDSA Workshop on Evaluative Skills

Members will know by now that last year we applied to the Tertiary Education Commission for funding to develop and conduct a three day Workshop on Evaluative Skills for senior academic staff in tertiary education. The funding was granted, and in May this year the Workshop was successfully conducted in Sydney. A full account of this appears below, written by Ernest Roe on behalf of himself and Rod McDonald, the workshop leaders . ....

Following the Sydney Workshop we immediately applied again for further funding from the TEC's Evaluative Studies Program'to repeat the Workshop in four other capital cities. I am very pleased to be able to report that we have been granted this further funding, thus the Workshop will be offered in Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane during the coming 12 months. I am sure all HERDSA members will be pleased about this, as it is a positive and appropriate activity arising directly from our policy statement published last year concerning the professional development of academic staff - in other words, we are being seen to be doing something, not just talking about it.

Report from the Workshop Leaders

The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia sponsored a three-day Workshop on Evaluation Skills for senior staff in tertiary educa­tion at the University of Sydney, May 4-6, 1981. The Tertiary Education Commission provided funds for the workshop, and a T.E.C. representative participated. There were in all 21 participants who came in response to invitations directed to tertiary institutions in the Sydney area. Each invitation to an institution called for either two or three representatives, at least one of whom was to be a senior academic at dean, head-of­school, or head-of-department level.

Fundamental to the conception of the workshop was the conviction that, if evaluation of what happens in higher education is to be undertaken, such evaluation should be carefully, skilfully and responsibly done; and that therefore the more widely knowledge and skills relevant to evaluation can be disseminated the better. A great deal of evaluation has always occurred, but it has tended to be an unsystematic, spasmodic, and even an unconscious process. With increasing pressures for ac­countability, the process must continue to become more conscious and more systematic.

Behind the selection of participants was the notion that senior academics ought to acquire both evaluative skills and an understanding of the complex issues related to evaluation as a process; and that if they were too senior to carry out evaluations themselves, they should at least be equipped to encourage and supervise others. They might also be expected to promote the development of evaluative skills in their own institu­tions. Thus, in planning for the workshop, a great deal of emphasis was placed on helping participants to develop strategies and procedures which would be of ac­tual use to them on their return to their various univer­sities and colleges.

The approach was essentially pragmatic. As the original statement announcing the workshop stated: "The organisers are not only aware of the importance of evaluation; they are also fully conscious of the institu-

Jackie Lublin.

tional constraints, such as complex situations, psycno­logical resistance, time factors, differences between disciplines. They also appreciate the need to cut through the complexities of evaluation theories in order to achieve practical results ... The aims of the workshop might be summarised, not altogether facetiously, as ''how to do a reputable evaluation without devoting too much time to it" and "what to do with an evaluation once you've got it".

HERDSA invited Professor Ernest Roe, Director of the Tertiary Education Institute; University of Queens­land, and Dr. Rod McDonald, Director of the Educa­tional Services and Teaching Resources Unit, Murdoch University, to conduct the workshop. Both have had wide experience in evaluative studies, and Professor Roe is currently directing a study of student services in all sectors of tertiary education throughout Australia, fund­ed by the T.E.C.

The Workshop Programme The workshop leaders planned the three-day pro­

gramme in considerable detail over the period from late 1980 onwards. The planning was done mainly by letter and telephone, but they were able to spend a few days together in Perth in March for some concentrated ef­fort. A major focus was the creation of an extensive file of materials for the use of potential evaluators.

It contained basic material about approaches to evaluation and the different levels (course unit, degree course, teaching, individual performance overall, depart­ment, institution); also about dissemination of evaluative information and about the "politics" of evaluation. Much of this material was written by the leaders, and supported by illustrative examples drawn from a variety of sources. A substantial part of the file was devoted to ways of obtaining evaluative informa­tion, and many examples of instruments or techniques for doing so were appended. .

13

Participants used this file during the workshop. It also included a number of exercises, devised by the leaders, designed to raise significant issues concerning evaluation as well as to teach some of the basic skills.

On the first morning Professor Sir Bruce Williams, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, officially opened the workshop. Mter some introductory presenta­tion by the leaders, the 21 participants divided into groups for an exercise involving discussion of a collec­tion of evaluative information; there were two parallel exercises, the papers for one being about a staff member, for the other about a course unit. This was followed by a plenary session in which the leaders in­troduced, with examples, a wide range of methods of ob­taining evaluative information. A further exercise then required them to read and discuss a case study concern­ed with a particular department, and choose appropriate instruments for getting the required evaluative informa­tion. A brief introduction to "planning an evaluation" followed. Participants were asked to evaluate Day 1 of the workshop and, in particular, to consider what they felt was being neglected and whether any change of direction was needed.

The whole of Day 1 had been designed to prepare par­ticipants for a major exercise occupying most of Day 2. The day began with an introduction to the file of materials and its use. Participants then worked on an evaluation plan appropriate for putting into effect in their own institutions. They worked in groups of vary­ing size, some in pairs, some at times individually, as they chose. Early in the afternoon each was given a pro forma on which to enter a summary of histher plan, so that all participants could have some knowledge of all plans which had been generated. During this exercise, which lasted most of the day, the leaders moved from group to group, giving advice, answering questions, or simply listening, as approprIate. For the last hour of the day, Professor Roe introduced participants to the "com­prehensive plan for the evaluation of teaching" which Dr. Harry Murray of the University of Western Ontario

had produced for use by the University of Queensland while spending his sabbatical leave there in 1979-80.

Day 3 began with a post-mortem on the major exer­cise of Day 2, and participants raised major issues, con­cerns or difficulties they had encountered. The re­mainder of the morning was devoted to the dissemina­tion of evaluative information and the question of "au­diences"; it included an exercise requiring scrutiny of a number of different evaluative reports written about the same set of evaluative information. The leaders also presented some illustrative case study material, and did so again in the afternoon when the main topic was the politics of evaluation. This included discussion not only of problems of resistance to evaluation, but of a variety of moral and ethical issues. Finally, each participant was asked what action he/she hoped or expected to take in histher own institution as a consequence of the work­shop.

Conclusion The original invitation to the workshop stated: "It is

anticipated that there will be a series of these work­shops following this pioneer effort; the contribution of this first group of participants will be crucial to any future programme." HERDSA proposes to sponsor this workshop in a number of other centres and has applied to the T.E.C. for further funding;· the undoubted suc­cess of the Sydney workshop is encouraging. Meanwhile the workshop leaders, very appreciative of the feedback from their 20 guinea-pigs, are already revising the details of their operations and critically scrutinising the file of Illaterials. They see both the workshop procedures and the file of materials as infinitely perfectible, and propose to subject both to continuous formative evalua­tion. r· As has been reported in the introduction, this further funding has now been granted by the T.E.C. - Ed.]

A questionnaire evaluation· was carried out by the leaders at the conclusion of the workshop. Interested readers may obtain the summary of this evaluation by writing to the Editor.

The Pacific Rim Association for Higher Education

Members of HERDSA might like to consider the link between Australasia and the Pacific Rim, especially if they are contemplating a visit to North America.

Organised to improve understanding and. to increase inter-institutional co-operation, the Pacific Rim Associa­tion for Higher Education (PRAHE) brings together the concerns of administrators, faculty members, and students in institutions of higher learning bordering the Pacific Ocean. At present it maintains ties with people and programmes in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, The Philippines, and Japan.

In addition to its annual meeting, the Association engages in a number of activities. It endeavours to iden­tify opportunities for the exchange of administrators, faculty members, and students between Pacific Rim na­tions. Through its annual meeting and newsletter, the Association keeps members informed on the changing status of higher education in Pacific Rim nations, pro­vides the opportunity for the reading of faculty and stu-

14

dent research papers dealing with higher education in member nations, and serves as a communication vehicle for people with shared interests.

PRAHE's second annual conference is plaIlRed for Seattle in mid-October this year. People from overseas who anticipate being on the American West Coast at that time are encouraged to include the Conference in their itinerary. If you would like to participate in the conference in any way, contact

Stephen F. Foster, Co-ordina tor, Centre for Improving Teaching and Evaluation

(CITE), -The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6T lZ5.

If you would like to join PRAHE, individual member­ship for administrators or faculty members is $5.00. Student membership is $2.50. Institutional membership is $100. Persons wanting further information about the Association can obtain it by writing to the above ad­dress.

Brad Imrie, Victoria University of Wellington.

"Universities into the 21st Century"­An AUTNZ Workshop

Rob Crozier, Executive Secretary of the Association of University Teachers of New Zealand, rep arts on an invitational workshop attended by all of the Vice-Chancellors of New Zealand Universities.

As part of its "forward defence" of universities, the Association of University Teachers of New Zealand (AUTNZ) sponsored a two-day invitational workshop at the University of Waikato during May 1981. The Work­shop was concerned with examining the extent to which universities should respond to the ~hanges - demo­graphic, economic, technological, social and political -that will confront New Zealand during the next twenty years.

This was the third major conference to have been sponsored by the Association, the earlier conferences having been held in 1968 and 1970 - during the period of unprecedented growth in university education in New Zealand. The 1981 Workshop was, however, held at a time when expansion has virtually ceased and is being supplanted by a "steady state" system.

AUTNZ has taken a more active role in recent times in lobbying Members of Parliament and members of other bodies which have an influential role in shaping the policies of universities in New Zealand, either from within or without the university system. It was, there­fore, gratifying to the Association that the participants included all seven Vice-Chancellors and several Chancellors as well as senior members of such bodies as the University Grants Committee, the Planning Council, the State Services Commission, the Treasury, the De­partment of Education, the New Zealand University Students' Association and other teacher organisations, including the Federation of Australian University Staff Associations.

The University Grants Committee has set up its own Review Committee to look at a series of topics relating to the future of universities. AUTNZ is confident that the Workshop contributed in a positive way to the input process to this Review.

The Minister of Education, the Hon. M.L. Wellington, in opening the Workshop gave an assurance that univer­sities would remain autonomous, and that open-entry for students would be retained as would the quinquen­nial system of funding.

Mr. Wellington affirmed that the system of funding and administering universities was designed to reconcile legitimate claims with the need for balanced develop­ment and reasonable financial control. The system work­ed well and there was no suggestion that it would be changed.

The minister asked the Workshop to consider three things when planning for the next 20 years:

(i) a balance between university autonomy and a responsibility to the community which it served, in­cluding the need to help to provide complex job training;

(ii) to aim for closer co-operation with technical in­stitutes and other tertiary institutions through cross-crediting of qualifications and other measures;

(iii) to be prepared to consider long term -radical changes in the universitv system to gear education

to the reqUIrements of society. The President of AUTNZ, Dr. David Mitchell, in reply

expressed the hope that the Workshop would contribute to the planning that universities are, or should be, undertaking.

"With the dramatic changes that are currently tak­ing place in such areas as technology, the accessibility of cheap energy, the role of women, employment pat­terns and political groupings, however, our adap­tability is facing its severest test. Educational institu­tions will increasingly be scrutinised as to their ability and willingness to adapt as complex organisations and to assist their students to live in a world in which change i~ a constraint. Universities will not, and should not be immune to such scrutiny."l

In summing up, Dr. Mitchell suggested that, as New Zealand moves towards the 21st Century, universities will face planning decisions of a magnitude that has rarely been experienced in the past - decisions which would necessarily involve consideration of quantifiable factors but which would equally involve questions of values. Arriving at such decisions would involve close attention to the planning mechanisms and management structure of universities, for those which worked during the expansionary phases may not cope with the vicissitudes of the future.

"Educational institutions will increasingly be scrutinised as to their ability and willingness to adapt as complex organisations and to assist their students to live in a world in which change is a constraint. Universities will not, and should not be immune to such scrutiny."

The Workshop programme addressed the following major themes:

I Demography an.d the Universities - the effects of national demographic structure on university enrolments; the influence of changes in enrolment levels; the demographic structure of the university teaching body.

II The Economics of Universities - the costs of and returns from university education and research; the procedures for funding universities; and budgeting and management within universities.

III Universities and the Technological Revolution -the role of universities in advancing technological changes and in helping society cope with the social and economic changes brought about by technology; a review of the impact of technological change on teaching, research and administration.

(continued on page 17)

15

Research and Development for New Zealand University Students in the 1980s

Without students, institutions of higher education would have problems! Without research, student associations have problems in developing policies and providing information to improve student experiences of higher education. Mike Waghorne and Ian Powell, as Research Officers of the New Zealand University Students Association (NZUSA), describe some of their concerns about student-oriented research. The article should not be considered to be an NZUSA policy statement.

Introduction This article outlines research and policy campaigns

planned for the immediate future by the New Zealand University Students' Association (NZUSA). These are in the areas of student housing, access to higher education in New Zealand, the position of women, especially students, at universities, and assessment of student per­formance.

NZUSA is the national body for New Zealand's 41,000 university students. It comprises the seven constituent associations -'- the Students' Associations of Auckland University, Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Canterbury, and Otago University, and the Waikato Students Union. NZUSA maintains a national office in Wellington comprising a President, a General Vice·president, and an Education and Welfare Vice·president, two Research Officers and supportive secretarial and accounting staff.

NZUSA has also recently developed three standing committees dealing with specific areas of importance to NZUSA. These are the Women's Rights Action Commit­tee, the National Overseas Students' Action Committee and the National Education Action Committee. The first two of these have part-time co-ordinators who are deem­ed officers of NZUSA, while the latter is co-ordinated by the Education and Welfare Vice-president.

All funding for NZUSA activities comes from student levies. Not surprisingly, this means that resources for large scale research within NZUSA are virtually in­significant; developments in these areas often depend on outside funding and on our ability to persuade academics or other individuals/bodies to take up our concerns.

Student HOD,sing New Zealand universities traditionally have been "non­

residential" insofar as the majority of students over the last several decades have lived in private flats, at home (parental or own) or have boarded. Even in the centres with significant numbers of students in halls of residence (hostels/blocks of student flats), the facilities have been funded and/or administered largely by non­university bodies.

With the energy crisis now succeeding the devastation caused by "urban renewal" and motorway construction, the number of private flats used by university students has fallen rapidly. "Gentrification" of the inner city is accelerating this process and rents are beginning yet another round of increasing well ahead of inflation.

Conseque'htly, the last two or three years have seen an accommodation crisis at the beginning of each academic year. Students sleep in tents, caravans, campus cor­ridors or meeting rooms, hallways of friends' flats. etc.

16

After some discussion, the National Housing Commis­sion has agreed to fund a study into student housing, especially rental housing. Slowly, the Government is beginning to accept what housing experts have been say­ing for some time now: that there is an impending crisis in the rental housing market.

" ... yet what has been done suggests the same pattern displayed in most other capitalist na­tions: the people who do not get further educa­tion are women, non-whites, working class and rural people."

Access to Higher Education One of the basic problems of student housing is the

erosion and even cutting of Government grants for students. The basic grant was $24 per week in March 1976; five years later, in March 1981, it was $23. Move­ment in the Consumer Price Index has meant that, in real money terms, the 1976 $24 should now be $45.99. Students are therefore $22.99 (or 50%) behind inflation. Along with the cuts in the value of grants, the Govern­ment has increased tuition fees, cut spending on univer­sity welfare services, lowered the proportion of tuition fees paid for by the Government, and restricted the number of people who hold any bursary (as well as reducing the tenure for such bursaries).

Very little comprehensive research has been done on the differential access to further education by different groups in New Zealand, yet what has been done sug­gests the same pattern displayed in most other capitalist nations: the people who do not get further education are women, non-whites, working class and rural people. NZUSA has conducted one study in conjunction with the Department of Education (1978-1979) on the income and expenditure patterns of students during the academic year. Its limited scope meant that, of the ob­vious inequalities, only that confronting women was ad­dressed (and confirmed). Currently, NZUSA is busy try­ing to support and promote work being done at Auck­land University on access to further education.

Much of NZUSA policy recognises, however" that financial matters are only part of the problem, and that other considerations need attention much earlier in the school and family cycle.

The Position of Women As a case study of access to and experience within

university of disadvantaged/oppressed groups, the Women's Rights Action Committee (WRAC) of NZUSA is promoting a study into the position of women at university. This will involve a three-stage process.

Over the 1980-81 summer, data was collected on most campuses in almost all published areas of university life 'Ind processes. This will form the basis for one or a series of in-depth interviews with target groups of women, in an attempt to understand why women have never formed more than about 40% of university students, and why they hold far fewer positions of status, power or stability among the non-student univer­sity population. Depending on the results of the study, the third phase will be a concerted campaign (in a variety of appropriate formats) to address sex imbalance in the university system.

"Assessment procedures (and related to this is lecturer training as an important component of staff development) suggest that, even if educa­tion were not under attack, the situation would still be unacceptable and in need of reform."

Assessment Up until the late 19708, the issue of the assessment of

students was a priority concern for NZUSA. This con­cern d~veloped as the growth of internal or continuing assessment expanded. NZUSA's role was to produce and distribute booklets and to encourage constituent associa­tions to organise forums, debates and other activities. The success of NZUSA's work in this field was that it promoted an awareness among students and academic staff of the problems related to assessment procedures, that otherwise probably would not have emerged. Its weakness was that no significant reforms or changes were made to improve the situation.

Since about 1979, NZVSA has undergone a change in emphasis in its education work. It is now more concern­ed with preserving what we have and preventing the erosion of open entry and accessibility to university

(from page 15)

IV The Role of Humanities in Universities - a ques­tioning of the increasing attention given to the market value of higher education, and to weigh up the utility of a general education as against an ap­plied; educatio!1 for its own sake as against a voca­tional training; and to ask whether or not humanities are an "essential" component of a university.

V The Dividing Line Between Universities and Other Tertiary Sectors - a look at distinctive qualities of university education within the tertiary sector and relations between the different tertiary institutions.

VI Directions for the Future in New Zealand Univer­sities

Among the important issues raised by the Workshop were: 1. By international standards, New Zealand universities

have low participation rates.

education rather than with what ought to he; this is the dynamic of the Education Fightback campaign.

However, NZUSA has not abandoned its concern with assessment. Even in a time of a concerted attack on the right to education, NZUSA believes that it is important to stress what ought to be. Assessment procedures (and related to this is lecturer training as an important com­ponent of staff development) suggest that, even if education were not under attack, the situation would still be unacceptable and in need of reform.

Consequently, at a national level, NZUSA continues its endeavours to promote awareness among students and staff about assessment practices. A report prepared in 1979 on assessment-related difficulties faced by students has been circulated to all university depart­ments and has contributed in varying degrees to renew­ed debate and discussion among staff. Meanwhile, a pamphlet outlining the Association's concerns is current­ly being distributed to students.

Concluding Comments When faced with the much larger and powerful

resources and unilateral decision-making abilities of the authorities, students' associations are forced to rely on two factors: mass support from their membership and well-funded information. The latter is often costly and it is to the advantage of students' associations to be able to convince academics and others that student needs and problems are a valid and important area for research proposals (and subsequent funding).

References

Mike Waghorne, Ian Powell,

NZUSA.

The 1978-79 Survey of Tertiary Bursars' Income and Expen­diture Patterns. (1980) Conducted jointly by the Depart­ment of Education, the New Zealand University Students' Association and the New Zealand Technical Institute Students' Association.

Clarke, G. (1976) Assessment. NZUSA. Franks, P., Shaskey, M. (1972) Assessment, the Lell8t

Onerous Form. NZUSA. Powell, I. (1979) Report on Difficulties Experienced by

Students with Assessment. NZUSA. NZUSA. (1981) Are you being served? Try Self Help. Franks, P. (1979) lmplications of a national student assess­

ment policy. Assessment in Higher Education, Vol. 4 (No. 3), 159-170.

2. Despite an open-entry policy, too few students are drawn from low-income homes.

3. There is a need for balance between pure and applied research and between vocational education and a liberal education.

4. Technology and its impact on society and on university teaching will pose increasing challenges to univer­sities in the futliie .

5. Universities, technical institutes and teachers' col­leges form a complementary tertiary education system.

AUTNZ is presenting edited versions of the various papers in its "Bulletin" and plans to publish revised ver­sions of the papers and replies later in 1981.

Rob Crozier, Executive Secretary, Association of University Teachers of New Zealand

Reference 1. Mitchell, D.R. Perspectives on Universities Workshop

Paper, May 1981.

17

REVIEW

Colonial Cap and Gown, W.J. Gardner, Christ­church, New Zealand. University of Canterbury. 1979. pp. 124. Paperback. ISBN 0-900392-25-8.

Dr. Gardner's comparative study of the founding of five major Australasian universities is the published, revised and extended version of the three Macmillan Brown Lectures given at the University of Canterbury in 1975; a ritual commemorative act through which Pro­fessor J. Macmillan Brown ensured a modest immortality by financial provision from his own substantial fortune.

More than many of his predecessors, Dr. Gardner has chosen a topic which would have been dear to the founder's heart: the complex of colonial ideals (tempered by the practical drives of commerce and territorial ex­ploitation), of the qualities and idiosyncrasies of the founding fathers, and of sheer chance. The study covers Sydney (1850), Melbourne (1853), Otago (1869), Canter­bury (1873) and Adelaide (1874), although to describe Sydney and Melbourne as 'mid-Victorian' seems an un­necessary extension of a mere label. The point is well made, however, that, although colonial society on both sides of the Tasman was in many respects strongly con­servative in its choice of institutions, the universities were to the rank and file of migrants an apparent ir­relevance, even anachronism. As Dr. Gardner wryly remarks, "All five universities were founded premature­ly - if enrolments were the test - and all suffered from the indifference of the professions, the continuing attachment of the educated and wealthy to British universities, and the inadequate schooling of their en­trants." Founded, however, they were, and their for­tunes entrusted to those early polymath professors.

(from page 12) primarily in a formative way and that the Departmental Head - after workshops to train him/her in the process - should playa key role. A related point that is not em­phasized enough in the article is that money and resources are vital.

Bevan outlines a number of faculty developmental op­portunities that look interesting for institutions in the "steady state" condition. Among those listed are: "In­house visiting lecturers", where a faculty member serves as a resource person for colleagues, and receives a course load reduction; "Master Teachers", where out­standing teachers are given time to be available to help colleagues develop their teaching; "Mini-grants"; "Inter­nal Sabbaticals", where in addition to normal sabbaticals a faculty member would be freed from regular respon­sibilities for a designated semester.

University Education News, a publication of the Council of Ontario Universities, is an excellent source of thought provoking information. Each issue generally contains several articles on a particular topic or theme, two or three book reviews, and a list of coming events and the contact person.

The January issue (1981, Vol. 1 (2» is concerned with understanding teaching and learning styles. In the three major articles there is respectively: a brief overview of several approaches to teaching and learning styles and a discussion of three approaches to the matching of teaching styles with learning styles; an attempt to demonstrate that teaching styles can be developed from our understanding of student "modes of learning"; and a 18

Under the heading, ''The Encyclopaedic God-Professor and his Students", Dr. Gardner studies the careers of John Woolley of Sydney (1852-66), W.E. Hearn of Mel­bourne (1854-88) and J. Macmillan Brown of Canter­bury (1874-95), a narrowing of focus beneficial to his subjects. Of the three, the study of Macmillan Brown is the most immediate and entertaining, perhaps because his shade hovered so closely over the writer. The prod­uct of Glasgow and Oxford, Macmillan Brown, Professor of English Literature, History and Classics, adapted his teaching to the conditions as he found them, with a preference for English Literature rather than Classics, for "education" rather than "training". His own good sense counselled his retirement at an age early enough for him to become a Pacific scholar, and to enjoy the fortune, almost unique among academics, he succeeded in amassing through investments; by comparison, Woolley and Hearn are mere cardboard figures.

The remainder of Dr. Gardner's volume is devoted to the history of the earliest women graduates, again with primary reference to the University of Canterbury, a further tribute to Macmillan Brown as the first prac­tical promoter of higher education for women in Aus­tralasia; the most splendid consequence of which was his marriage, after lengthy probation, to the most for­midable of them all, Helen Connon.

Colonial Cap and Gown is very much the product of the occasion: conceived within a prescribed ambience, in­spired by the immediate research of the presenter, and given before an audience of colleagues and fellow citi­zens, at its best where the human situation overrides the merely comparative.

J.R. Tye, Victoria University of Wellington

discussion of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as it might be used in the teaching-learning process.

These articles provide a more than adequate introduc­tory survey of this growing field of interest. Readers are advised, however, that if they are expecting "tips" on how to prepare better lectures or overhead transparen­cies, they won't find them. Readers who are expecting to find the "one right way" of teaching will also be disappointed.

A word of caution. Before completely restructuring their teaching strategies, readers should remember that significant issues still abound in the area of matching teaching strategies and learning styles.

The February issue (1981, Vol. 1 (3» looks at several aspects of Curriculum in Higher Education. The articles present: an approach to curriculum in higher education that emphasises the planning process; an argument for a liberal education with a core component to prevent higher education institutions from simply providing a "training", an argument that the teacher in higher education should understand educational philosophy so that he may understand and participate in the processes of curriculum development and implementation; and a discussion of a particular Bachelor of Commerce pro­gramme against the yardstick of "is it an education?".

The questions of Curriculum Philosophy, Develop­ment, and Review are ones that need to be addressed by all teaching staff in higher education. There are a number of starting points for each of these questions in this issue; however, it would have been helpful to in­clude a Bibliography on Curriculum in Higher Educa­tion.

John Williamson.

ABSTRACTS

HERDSA Abstracts are based on a regular survey of relevant literature. They are intended for use by tertiary teachers, research workers, students, administrators and librarians. The abstracts are classified into the same groups used by the Society for Research into Higher Education in their quarterly publication Research into higher education abstracts.

The Abstracts attempt a coverage of current English language publications in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Publications describing re­search, teaching, administration, staff and students in higher education are abstracted.

Educational or other non-profit organisations may re­produce a limited number of these abstracts in their own publications provided that HERDSA receives suitable acknowledgment.

HERDSA is 'most grateful to its abstractors and the co-operation of the editors of a number of journals abstracted in this issue. The Abstracts are edited by Robert Cannon, Director, Advisory Centre for University Education, the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, S.A. 5000. Note: Authors or editors who would like abstracts of ar­ticles, books or monographs to be included are invited to send a copy of their work, together with an abstract, to the Abstracts editor.

A GENERAL

Bullivant, B.M. Policy research at the cross-national level: a cautionary tale. Education Research and Perspectives, 6, 2, December 1979: 12-22.

This article is concerntd with aspects of the research methodology adopted for a major, policy-research, cross­national project carried out during 1978-79 for the Education Research and Development Committee, Canberra, Australia. The theoretical model, research design and methodology, field­work techniques, and publication of the report are discussed in the light of the procedures advocated for policy research by a number of leading theorists. The discrepancies between the ideal way of conducting this kind of research, and what actually happened in the project's case, are discussed as possible unan­ticipated outcomes of policy research at the cross-national level. A number of solutions and ameliorative strategies to counter them are proposed.

(Journal abstract)

Davis, R. Anonymity - the cancer of academia. Education Research and Perspectives, 6, 2, December 1979: 3-11.

A cautionary tale, demonstrating academic victimisation through anonymity, opens the discussion. Arguments in favour of the current peer review system are then analysed and the conclusion reached that it is open to serious abuse. Not only is the academic world too competitive to ensure justice in all cases, but secret assessment can discourage innovation. Milton's views on censorship in the 17th century are still rele­vant. Moreover, there is a tendency for those unfairly treated to review others callously. Anonymity also encourages un­necessary delay in assessing writing or job applications.

The article then juxtaposes two fictitious reviews of the same article, one containing vague abuse, the other a reasoned statement of the issues. Reviews like the second may be en­couraged by the abandonment of anonymity.

Anonymity encourages authority to behave with a degree of stupidity and cruelty quite alien to human beings. (David Frost and Antony Jay, To England with Love, London, 1967, p. 1333.)

(Journal abstract)

B ECONOMICS AND MANPOWER

Craney, J. and O'Donnell, C. Tertiary fees in context: a consideration of proposals in the W\Hiams Report. The Australian Quarterly, 52, 3, Spring, 1980: 273-287.

This paper discusses the likelihood of the reintroduction of tertiary education fees in the light of recent reports commis­sioned by the federal government. Craney and O'Donnell look critically at the rationale in favour of the return of fees and argue that inequality in educational opportunity will only be exacerbated with their reintroduction.

(Journal abstract)

Mann, W.H.C. Universities, colleges and the graduate labour market. Journal of Tertiary Educa­tional Administration, 2, 1, May 1980: 19-25.

The author attempts to evaluate R.T. Lawson's analysis of the "Graduate Labour Market, January 1980" and the work that underlies it. He discusses its implications for tertiary ad­ministrators and academic training. Lawson suggests that the mismatch between the demand and supply of tertiary institu­tions and the cost-~nefit relationship may deter some prospec­tive students from taking tertiary education, i.e. the structures of education in question and the declining attractiveness of ter­tiary education represent a logical interpretation of the above data. Therefore, an awareness of the movements and trends in the graduate labour market could: (a) provide direction for a continuing adaptation of the patterns of occupational structure within the labour market; (b) guide the development of the education; (c) indicate areas in which vocational training and retraining courses could be provided. According to Mann, Lawson's document can be useful in making planning and cur­riculum decisions at the tertiary level, provided its inherent strengths and weaknesses are understood.

(NTAN)

C ADMINISTRATION

Dufty, N.F. Are universities rational organizations? Journal of Tertiary Educational Administration, 2, 1, May 1980: 27·35.

Administrators in the field of tertiary education frequently assume a type of rationality based on bureaucratic or political models of organizations or some combination of the two. This article questions this assumption by discussing two broad topics -loose coupling and mythology.

(Journal abstract)

Gleeson, J. Part-time tertiary education in Austra­lian CAEs - cheap or expensive? Journal of Educa· tional Administration, 18, 1, July 1980: 151~157.

This paper presents the results of an investigation into the relative costs of part·time and full-time education at Colleges of Advanced Education. Estimates of the relative net private, social, and institutional costs indicate that the private and social costs of part·time education may be significantly below those of full-time study, but that the institutional costs may be higher. However, differential rates of attrition may influence the estimates made, as would the value placed upon the leisure foregone by part-time students.

. (Journal abstract)

19

Joyce, G.M.W. The development of professional at­titudes among administrative staff in universities and colleges of advanced education in Australia. Journal of Tertiary Educational Administration, 2, 1, May 1980: 7-18.

This paper reviews the situation of administrative staff in universities and colleges of advanced education with a view to assessing the degree to which they have a professional attitude to their work or might be described in more common terms as professionals.

The numbers and functions of such staff in tertiary institu­tions are surveyed in the first section and some of the factors affecting the attitude of these staff are noted. The second sec­tion looks at the definition of a profession and at the alter· native terms professionalism and professionalisation in order to establish a basis of comparison. The establishment and subsequent history of the Australian Institute of Tertiary Educational Administrators is then examined to see what light it throws upon the changes of attitude which have taken place in the last few years. In the fourth section the various criteria by which professionalism is judged are reviewed to determine to what extent the attitudes of administrative staff may be regarded as professional. Finally, I give my views on the degree of professionalisation existing at present.

(Journal abstract)

Neal, W.D. Accountability in postsecondary educa­tion in Australia. ACEA Bulletin, (Australian Council for Educational Administration), 18, July 1980: 12-22.

The demand for accountability will not go away; Govern­ments and their agencies as well as institutions will have to pay increasing attention to questions that are being raised by the public in general. It must be recognised that this will mean the diversion of resources that may in the long run be better used in improving the system rather than focussing the spot light on it. Nevertheless perhaps benefits can be achieved in both directions. Certainly the system and the institutions will have to open windows rather more than has been the custom in the past.

A great deal has been achieved in postsecondary education in recent years during periods of extreme pressure generated by unusual expansion. Much is going on in the way of evaluation although it is true that a more systematic approach to the question and a better public information system may be need­ed. It would be a pity if increased controls emerging from unrealistic expectations of accountability stifled freedom' and initiative when there is so much more to be done in helping postsecondary education to cope with a rapidly changing world.

(Article abstract)

Parry, R.E. Freedom and control in higher educa­tion: institutional autonomy and state co-ordi­nation. Vestes, 23, 2, November 1980: 3-7.

This is a reprint of a paper delivered at the 1980 HERDSA Conference held in Canberra. In it, Parry examines his views of the relationships between universities and colleges of ad­vanced education, and in particular, he offers comment on the Tasmanian Government's decision to hand over a major part of the activities of the Hobart Branch of the Tasmanian CAE to the University of Tasmania. Among other things, Parry pre­dicts that the Tasmanian merger would soon be adopted in Australia.

(DB)

Waters, M. Social change and the Australian dual system of tertiary education. Education Research and Perspectives, 6, 2, December 1979: 37-45.

Tertiary education is located in a system of interdependent exchanges of resources with other institutions. Social change in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s created an imbalance in the exchanges which led to the emergence of CAEs. This modernisation process placed the new colleges in a situation of reduced autonomy relative to universities. Members of colleges sought to increase autonomy by appropriating some of the symbolic resources previously available to universities only.

20

Consequently the content of education offered by the CAEs deviated frpm the original intentions of their creators, increas­ing the probability of convergence between the university and college sectors.

(Journal abstract)

Watson, M.A. TAFE in the Williams Report. Journal of Tertiary Educational Administration, 2, 1, May 1980: 59-61.

M.A. Watson, Director of the NSW Department of Technical and Further Education, comments on the recommendations of the Williams Report concerning TAFE future. He is pleased with the Williams' recognition of an increasingly important role of TAFE, the suggestion for the development of a data bank of national TAFE statistics, and the proposal for a Na­tional Centre for Research and Development in TAFE. But the weakness of the Report is that it has not adequately cos ted the recommended initiatives for TAFE.

(NTAN)

D HIGHER EDUCATION IN SPECIFIC SUBJECTS INCLUDING CURRICULUM

Barnett, S.A. and Brown, V.A. Pull and push in educational innovation: study of an interfaculty programme. Studies in Higher Education, 6, 1, 1981: 13-22.

As specialists become more specialised, increasing demands are made for curricula in the universities which relate scien­tific evidence to the demands 'of decision-making. A multi­disciplinary or holistic course in human sciences has therefore been introduced in the Australian National University, and has been the subject of detailed research. The students study prob­lems each of which can be solved only by applying principles and methods of many disciplines: the moral and aesthetic im­plications of such problems are discussed, as well as the rele­vant concepts from the natural and social sciences. Hence the programme is not, as are some multidisciplinary courses, merely a collection of specialist units from different departments. Great difficulties were experienced in arranging that both the science and the arts faculties accepted the programme: before it became permanent, a stringent review was made of its academic level.

The students who take the course are from the full range of academic abilities, but differ from the rest of the student population in their attitudes toward current issues and the "two cultures". During their study of the programme they im­prove in independent judgment, and decline in dogmatism, more than members of "control" groups. They also enjoy human sciences more than controls enjoy their courses.

The authors conclude that it is both possible and desirable to introduce genuinely integrated, multidisciplinary courses into the curricula of a conventional university. Such courses could eventually become the modern equivalent of Literae Hurnaniores - a general education for citizenship.

(Journal abstract)

Boud, D.J., Dunn, J., Kennedy, T. and Thorley, R. The aims of science laboratory courses: a survey of students, graduates and practising scientists. Euro­pean Journal of Science Education, 2, 4, 1980: 415-428.

This paper describes the results of a survey of 151 un'dergraduate studen ts taking chemistry, physics or biology at the Western Austrulio.n institute of Technology, 115 past graduates of the same courses in the Insti tute, and 307 practis­ing scientists who were based in Western Australia but not necessarily graduates of the Institute. The two groups in employment were asked to rate in order of importance each of 22 aims in undergraduate laboratory courses in science.

Undergraduates were requested to rate these aims in terms of their observed importance in their course as well as their preferred importance. A high degree of agreement was found

between practising scientists and recent graduates, who stress­ed the importance of acquisition of practical skills, equipment familiarity, observational skillB, interpretation of data and a critical approach to experimentation. Undergraduate students, however, rated higbly those activities associated educational processes, for example, the links which they observed between theoretical material and laboratory work.

The implications of the findings are discussed. (SRHE)

Smith, I.D. Student asse!l8ment of their teachers. Vestes, 23, 1, April 1980:27-32.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the possible con­tributions that student assessment might make to teaching and learning in tertiary institutions. Here, the author is concerned with the assessment by students of the teaching they receive, and not with the assessment of students by their teachers. Among the issues addressed are the nature and uses of student assessment, utilisation of student assessment in Australian universities and the reliability and validity of student assess­ment.

E TEACHING METHODS AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

(DB)

Andresen, L.W. Academic conferences: a select an­notated bibliography. Sydney, Tertiary Education Research Centre, University of New South Wales, 1981 Occasional Publication No. 18. 22p.

The bibliography contains 78 references to the literature divided as follows: the nature and purposes of conferences; Planning and organization; Presentations; Participation; Work­shops; Publication; Information transfer.

(RAC)

Khan, A.G. Effects of audiotutorial and conven­tional instructional techniques on cognitive achieve­ments. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 17, 1, 1980: 47-53.

This work was aimed at ascertaining the effect of the audiotutorial (AT) system with respect to the cognitive achievements of Australian trainee primary teachers. The experimental work was based on a one-week period of instruc­tion with 16 students on a course on moulds, yeasts and mush­rooms. Data from pre-tests and post-tests showed that the AT approach can increase significantly the cognitive achievement of student teachers in introductory biology. Nevertheless,

''The implications are that the AT method seems effective in some cases, but it is obviously not appropriate for all cases and all situations. Teachers need to adapt their teaching method to individuals, taking into consideration noncognitive learner characteristics, learning styles, percep­tual capabilities, and conceptual complexity."

(SRHE)

Powell, J.P. Helping and hindering learning. Higher Education, 10, 1981: 103-117.

In order to identify factors which help or hinder learning, student evaluations of a course were analysed. The responses were classified in relation to learning in the areas of content, personal development and behavio.ural chan~e. The major fac­tors which emerged were expectatlOns, learrung style and per­sonality. It is suggested that learning is strongly influenced by the interaction between these student characteristics and the parallel features of courses and teachers.

(Journal abstract)

Stanton, H.E. Developing confidence in student teachers. The Forum of Education, 38, 1979: 9-14.

One of the fears most commonly expressed by student

teachers is that of facing a class for the first time. This fear is to a large extent self-induced through the way' in which the student chooses to think. The studies described in this article embody a particular mental conditioning approach designed to help students develop more confidence in themselves, and, by so doing, overcome their fears and self-doubts concerning their ability to cope successfully with a class of children. The three elements of this approach, relaxation, suggestion and imagery (RSI) are described and their efficiency evaluated.

, (Author abstract)

Stanton, H.E. How might the seminar be improved? Improving College and University Teaching, 28, 1980: 37-39.

After a brief outline of some of the ways in which seminar presentations might be made more effective, this article con­centrates upon the approach suggested by Nisbett. His key concept of "six statements worth making" is placed in a dif­ferent context, that of the nominal group. A detailed plan for conducting a seminar along these lines is given together with a modification involving sub-grouping.

(Author abstract)

Stanton, H.E. The "problem" student - or is it the problem lecturer? Impetus, 11, 1979: 26-31.

A comparison is drawn between two ways of viewing human behaviour, the external or behaviouristic and the internal or perceptual. The contribution of the latter view to an under­standing of lecturer-student interactions is considered. In this context, the application of Ellis' rational-emotive therapy ap­proach to the analysis of academic problem situations is described, and several examples of his paradigm provided.

(Author abstract)

F STAFF

Everett, J.E. and Entrekin, L.V. Work-related at­titudes of academic staff at Australian universities and colleges, Part 1. Journal of Educational Ad­ministration, 18, 2, October 1980: 271-282.

A survey of the work-related attitudes and demographic characteristics of academic staff is reported. Nine institutions were surveyed: two universities and two colleges of advanced education in each of Western Australia and New South Wales, plus the largest university in New Zealand. The attitudinal items related to publication, research, teaching methods, relevance of local needs, the reward structure, the adminis­trative hierarchy, administrative duties, the work environ­ment, colleagues, mobility, geographical isolation and profes­sional association meetings. The demographic characteristics surveyed included faculty, sex, rank, age, level of qualifica­tions, publications and place of highest qualification. Dif­ferences between the demographic characteristics of univer­sities and colleges, and between the institutions of each group are reported. The attitudinal items used and the method of ex­tracting meaningful attitudinal variables from these items are discussed. The attitudinal analysis permits the role differentia­tion between the institutions to be examined, and this discus­sion is the subject of a companion paper.

(Journal abstract)

Gale, F. Academic staffing: the search for ex­cellence. Vestes, 23, 1, April 1980: 3-8.

The questions answered in this article are: why is there such a high proportion of overseas appointments and relatively few female staff in Australian universities; and, why does the pat­tern vary so much between universities. In attempting to analyse these questions, the author surveyed the 1977 ·academic calendars of Australian universities. Gale concludes that women are clearly disadvantaged and that men trained in Australia may also be disadvantaged in comparison with those in the United Kingdom and North America.

(DB)

21

Jones, J.M. and Lovejoy, F.H. The perceived role of Australian female academics. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, 16,2, 1980: 96-102.

The data presented in this report are part of a larger survey of Australian academics. Responses to fifteen attitude state­ments about the perceived role of Australian female academics are analysed. Differences in responses are compared between (i) men and women academics; (ii) older and younger academics; and (iii) high and low status positions. Overall women were found to hold more positive attitudes to all the statements compared to men. Older, married male academics hold negative attitudes towards women academics and as the writers point out these are those most likely to be in positions of authority in relation to hiring and promotion. The writers conclude that academics believe in 'sex role stereotypes which "run counter to the self-interest of ambitious female academics". They also suggest that academic men may not be supportive spouses for career women.

(EMB)

Saha, L.J. The social position of academics in Australian society: some objective and subjective perspectives. Vestes, 23, 2, November 1980: 25-31.

Beginning with the premise that the study of the social posi­tion of academics in Australian society has largely been ig­nored, Saha provides a brief theoretical discussion and over­view to this topic. In the major part of the paper, the author presents data from a survey of Sydney University academics to illustrate patterns in subjective aspects of academic prestige and status. While Saha acknowledges that his data may be limited, he does conclude that there appears to be clear disparities in the perceptions by academics of their social standing both between societies such as the U.K., the U.S. and Australia, and within Australian society.

(DB)

Watkins, D. and Morstain, B. The educational orienta­tions of lecturers and their students: a case study of an Australian university. The Australian Journal of Education, 24, 2, June 1980: 155-163.

See abstract under "Students - General".

West, L.H.T., Hore, T. and Boon, P.K. Publication rates and research productivity. Vestes, 23, 2, November 1980: 32-37.

This article focusses on an imaginary brief which the authors set themselves, namely, that they had been asked to develop a quantitative measure that could be used in their institution to evaluate the research activity of individuals, of departments and of faculties. In particular, their intention was not to con­duct an evaluation of research per se, but to examine the validity of such evaluations. Their initial conclusion is that quantitative measures for evaluating research are very ques­tionable.

(DB)

G STUDENTS - GENERAL

Hore, T. and West, L.H.T. Mature age students in Australian higher education. Melbourne, Monash University Higher Education Advisory and Research Unit, 1980. 167p. tables, diagrs.

The first half of this research-based book discusses and reports on the recent large" increase in the numbers of mature students in Australian higher education, while the second half deals in detail with the situation at Monash University. There are over fifty tables and figures. Section 3 is a four-page sum­ming up of research, plus a sketch of the circumtances which have led to the surge: a conjuncture of falling numbers of school leavers, constricting finance, qualificatiollB inflation in -business and the professions, and changing values in society.

22

Among the findings: very few of the mature students study science or engineering; academically they are just as successful as (if not more so than) ordinary students; they contribute more to group work and course ethos; senior administrators tend to view them favourably; because of their success some universities now have special quotas for mature students regardless of the number of ordinary applicants; those higher education institutions that make specific arrangements to cope with mature students' particular problems benefit from so do­ing; there is still a large untapped potential of able students who missed higher education earlier in life.

"The current crop of mature age students entering higher education are bright, motivated people who, because of their high success, are an asset to themselves, to society, and to the institutions that accept them."

(CFP)

Ibrahim, E.Z., McEwen, E.M. and Pitblado, R. Doctoral supervision at Sydney University. Vestes, 23, 1, April 1980: 18-22.

This paper sets out to examine some of the reasons for the long time taken to finish PhDs at the University of Sydney. The findings of the three authors, themselves former PhD students, are based on a questionnaire sent to all PhD students at the University of Sydney in 1977. The article concludes with a series of five recommendations for improvement to the PhD programme at the University of Sydney.

(DB)

Lovas, S. Higher degree examination procedures in Australian universities. Vestes, 23, 1, April 1980: 9-13.

This article details a personal submission made by the author to a number of Australian universities concerning "Proposed Alterations to University By Laws Governing Higher Degrees'. The submission covers various aspects of supervising and ex­amining procedures. The content of the article was partly in­spired by the author's own experiences as a PhD candidate.

(DB)

McConnell, D. Helping students with a disability achieve their academic aims. Studies in Higher Education, 6, 1, 1981: 35-45.

This paper considers the situation of students with a disability studying in institutions of higher education, and how they can be helped to achieve their academic aims with the minimum of personal discomfort. Three main groups of students are iden­tified - ambulant disabled and wheelchair-bound students, students with partial or complete loss of sight, and students with hearing impairments - and their particular problems and needs are discussed. Strategies for helping them achieve their academic aims are offered, including the suggestion that each institution should formulate a statement of policy in relation to admitting such students so as to ensure their welfare while they are studying.

(Journal abstract)

Watkins, D. Changes in the religious practices and beliefs of students at an Austrlian university: 1965·1977. Australian Journal of Social Issues. 14, 3, 1979: 211-217.

This paper compares the attitudes towards religious practice and belief of internal students at the University of New England in 1977 with those reported in the literature for their 1965 counterparts. A major shift away from religious practice but only a minor decrease in religious belief was found over the period. These results are compared with those of a British study and sex and denominational differences are discussed. A possible interpretation of the findings is also presented.

(Journal abstract)

Watkins, D. and Hattie, J. An investigation of the in· ternal structure of the Biggs study process ques· tionnaire. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 40, 1980: 1125-11 ::l0.

Analysis of the responses of 562 Australian university students to the Biggs Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) show· ed the scales to reflect only moderate internal consistency reliability and to lack uni-dimensionality. However, factor analysis of the scales revealed a similar structure to that reported by Biggs (1978) and lent support to Biggs' proposed model of the study process complex.

(Journal abstract)

Watkins, D. and Morstain, B. The educational orienta· tions of lecturers and their students: a case study of an Australian university. The Australian Journal of Education, 24, 2, June 1980: 155-163.

The educational orientations of 1,331 internal and external students and 154 staff at the University of New England were investigated using two recently developed US measuring in­struments. Significant differences between the views of staff and students were found in the areas of assessment, the role of students in decision-making, and (in the case of the internals) the vocational relevance of courses and the importance of learning for its own sake. The views of the teaching staff more closely corresponded to those of the external rather than inter· nal students. The importance of these findings is discussed in the context of the desirability for our tertiary institutions to adapt to the possibly changing needs of their student bodies.

(Journal abstract)

Weineke, C. The first lecture: implications for students who are new to the university. Studies in Higher Education, 6, I, 1981: 85-89.

The first formal contact between students and teschers in the university normally occurs at the first lecture. It is at this time that lasting impressions can be formed by students about the department in which they will be studying. The manner in which staff deliver the first lecture, together with what they say can have a real impact on students in terms of their ap· proach to the subject and the staff.

A study of a number of first lectures was undertaken in order to observe the way in which staff approached this impor­tant occasion. An analysis of the data suggested that because of th~ potential effects of this first formal meeting, staff need to think carefully about the content, organisation and delivery of the lecture. To assist lecturers in preparing for this first meeting a checklist, consisting of a se.ries of questions, was constructed.

(Journal abstract)

H STUDENTS-SELECTION AND PERFORMANCE

deRome, E.A. and Wieneke, C. Students' choice of course and use of information and advisory servi~s. Sydney, Tertiary Education Research Centre, University of New South Wales, 1981. Research and Development Paper, No. 57. 43p. + appendices. TI~ is .the preliminary re~rt of a study investigating the

relationships between factors mfluencing students' course choice and subsequent decisions to withdraw.

The information was collected by questionnaire at the point of enrolment for first year students in the Arts, Architecture and Engineering Faculties at the University of New South Wales. The questions focussed on factors relating to the students' choice and sense of commitment to their course. Students were also reo quested to evaluate the information and advisory resources avail­able to them.

The results showed that a significant proportion of the students were not firmly committed to their course of enrolment MaI;ty students had IIlllde their decision to enrol under pressur~ o~ ~lme aI~d it was apparent that the existing system for the pro· VISIon of information and advice to prospective students is not

satisfactory. In particular, it was noted that students who were not recent school leavers were most likely to have had minin1al pre-€nrolment assistance.

It was recommended that tertiary institutions need to take a greater responsibility for the provision of information and advice to prospective students. This is partly in order to allow secondary schoola to concentrate on career education rather than on con­siderations of course selection, but is also in recognition of the need to cater for the increasing proportion of non-schoolleavers entering higher education.

(paper abstract)

Gabb, R. Playing the project game. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 6, I, March 1981: 26-48.

The effects of assessment on student attitudes to project work were explored by means of interviewing a class of final year students in a British university. The findings of the study sug­gest that, for these students, a hidden curriculum had marked ef­fects on. their approach to project work. They appeared to have a largely lnBtrumental orientation to project work in that much of their effort was directed towards obtaining a good grade for their project rather than. using the projects as a learning experience. Some of the strategIes used by the students to exploit the assess­~ent system are described and these strategies are summarised m the form of a set of rules for playing the "project game". On the basis of their interview responses to key questions students were classified in terms of their participation in th~ "project game" and "non-players", "players" or "aficionados". It was found th~t ther~ .wa~ no statistically significant relationship between this classlflcabon and the grade each student received for project work. The significance of this finding is discussed.

(Journal abstract)

Gough, J.E. and Monday, P.R. Student workloads: an entree to the literature. Open Campus, 3, Spring, 1979: 43-62. (Centre for Educational Services Deakin University, Geelong) ,

This is a survey of Australian and New Zealand studies on student workload. Some studies appear to be unreliable ~ause of methodological shortcomings or conceptual limits­b.0I;tB; but. others point consistently and reliably to wide in­diVIdual differences among students in both actual workload and criteria for assessing that workload. Differences between courses increase those individual differences.

The paper relates the main findings of the workload studies to teaching methods, assessment methods and learning styles.

(SRHE)

Isaacs, G. and Imrie, B.W. A case for professional judgment when combining marks. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 6, I, March 1981: 3·25.

This paper deso;ibes 8 st;rategy for c~mparing and combining marks on ~e b!J!llll ?f r~tionnl analyslll and professional judg­~ent COllSlderation 18 gwen to the interpretation and inlplica­tions of meau values, standard deviations, correlations and shapes of mark distributions.

The data p~esented in an earlier paper are analysed and pro­cedures are discussed which discriminate between nominal and effective weightings, with reference to the effects of standard deviation and correlation. This approach may also be used for combining sets of marks which are not equally weighted and is potentially more useful to the teacher than standardising pro­cedures .. In 80me cire~s.tances combination may be judged in­approprIate and asSOC18tlon of marks (in a profile) might be the prefru;red procedure. All such procedures demand the pro­fessl.onal Jud~ent ~nd ru:'pertise of teschers, to utilise fully the informatIon avrulabJe m the raw marks of student perfor­mance.

(Modified Journal abstract)

23

Pitman, A.J. The counselling package and the mature age entry scheme. Open Campus, I, Autumn, 1979: 15·30. (Centre for Educational Services, Deakin University, Geelong)

This article outlines the mature age entry scheme to Deakin University, and the package of materials designed by mature age students for their peers. The materials include information on special suppor.t services; on matching available courses to personal interests and expectations; and on study methods.

The package was evaluated through interviews and question. naires at various poinb!. in the academic year. Toe results in· dicate that study difficulties are the most widespread form of problem faced by mature students: notably difficulty in abo sorbing and analysing matsrial, in reading sufficiently in the time available. in settling into a regular study routine and in meeting descllines. Students' comments on study problema and on the Counselling package have led to improvements in the help offered.

It is suggested thllt sample study materials be made avail­able to. mature age students before enrolment .to reduce the problem of those who enrol then give up immediately.

(SRHE)

I STUDENTS CHOICE OF SUBJECTS AND CAREERS

Dent, O. and Illy, A. Career prospects for sociology and related social behavioural science graduates. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, 16, 2, 1980: 82-90.

This report surveys advertisements for jobs considered suitable for sociology graduates and examines the distribution of these jobs by employer, type of work, substantive field. salary, location. and desired qualification. The writers conclude that there appears to be a "buoyant market" for people trained in the behl\vioural sciences despite the general level of unemployment and predict an incresJling demand for ~ocial research and policy workers. They suggest that there L8 an under·supply of applied social researchers and question whether or not new graduates are being equipped with the skills appropriate for such research. They conclude that fur­th.er research on both the actual employment and career history of sociology graduates and on likely employer demands should be undertaken as a pre·requisite for "effective profes· sional manpower and educational planning in the discipline".

(EMB)

Kratzing, M.I. and Nystul, M.S. Effects of three methods of career counselling on vocational maturity and vocational preference. British Journal of Guid­ance and Counselling, 7, 2, 1979: 220-224.

Three types of career counselling - individual sessions, group exploration of occupational information, and group exer· cises in self-awareness in relation to ~ decision making -are compared to a human relations placebo group and a no­treatment control group. The 90 volunteer undergraduates par· ticipating in the investigations were scored before and after their participation on the Crites' Career Maturity Inventory and the Kuder Preference Record. The self·awareness or "Future" group showed the greatest increases in attitudinal career maturity and congruence between expressed and voca­tional intereats, and the implicatiollll of this for career counselling and for additional research are discussed.

(SRHE)

J FURTHER AND ADULT EDUCATION

Duke, C. Universities in the community - the role of the CCEs and extension services. Journal of Ter­tiary Educational Administration, 2, I, May 1980: 51·59.

This paper describes the situation of the Centres for Conti· nuing Education (CCE) and extension services in Australian universities. The author points out some specific adminis· trative and organizational matters such as: integration and specializ~tion; role and identity; controls, answerability. f1exi· bility; financial options and constraints; community needs and perspectives. He believes that the tensions arisen from them will severely limit what CeEs can do and the ways that they can do it.

ABSTRACTORS Lee Andresen, University of New South Wales David Battersby, Massey University

(NTAN)

Alan Lindsay, Macquarie University Nguyen thi Anh-Nguyet, University of New England Eve Barrett, University of Ne~ South Wales Robert Cannon, University of Adelaide Colin Flood-Page, SRHE Society for Research into Higher Education Rod McDonald, Murdoch University

Deadline for copy for HERDSA NEWS

24

November issue: 1st October 1981

Guest Editor: Brad Imrie, University Teaching and Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, N.Z.

Editorial Assistance: Ian Dunn

Editor

Production Supervision and Layout:

Cover Design: Printed by:

Dr Dave Boud, Tertiary Education Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Kensington 2033 NSW

Ian Dunn Carole Griffin The Clarendon Press, Kensington, N.S.W.

I