http://hdl.handle.net/10453/19744 Fri, 24 May 2013 06:24:47 GMT 2013-05-24T06:24:47Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/19745 Reforming Australian Higher Education: From Crisis to Excellence? Pratt, Jonathan Reforms in Australian higher education in the 1980s and 1990s have led to declining levels of real government funding to universities, particularly in the late 1990s, requiring universities to develop alternative revenue sources. In 2001, the Senate released a report “Universities in Crisis” which found government funding to be inadequate. Despite the consistent denials by the Australian Government, this was perceived by many others as a sector in crisis. The Australian Government responded to claims of deteriorating standards with the “Crossroads” Ministerial papers and has reasserted its aim of achieving ‘world class’ universities in Australia. Are the recent responses of the Government likely to enhance excellence in higher education? What does ‘excellent’ mean to various higher education stakeholders and how do they perceive the current response of Australia’s higher education system to these challenges? These issues will be analysed in the context of the Government’s reforms as detailed in the “Crossroads” papers. The authors conclude that the Australian Government’s decisions in relation to the levels and sources of funding for Australia’s universities will have future implications for the nation’s social capital. Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10453/19745 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/19746 The Non-Rational Adoption Of Online Learning Technologies In Australian Higher Education Pratt, Jonathan Why did so many Australian universities embrace online learning technologies during the 1990s when there was little research or evaluation evidence to support their adoption? This paper will examine this research, drawing on four popular higher education discourses within a meta-framework of decision making theory. It is proposed that this paper will be helpful in directing further empirical research in the field, in the spirit of Allison’s (1971) multiple explanations for the Cuban Missile Crisis. Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10453/19746 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z