B2. STAFF

The ability of universities to fulfil their contribution to national development relies in no small part on the skills, expertise, dedication and commitment of their high calibre staff.

Staffing issues are central to the quality, productivity and adaptability of the higher education sector. Universities act as a principal source of highly skilled and trained experts in most fields of intellectual endeavour. They contribute to the innovation process by raising the value of human capital, through the creation, preservation and dissemination of knowledge.

Australia should aim to be a favoured destination for the world's best teachers and researchers. There should be increased levels of international collaboration on research projects through staff exchanges, not only with universities elsewhere in the world, but also with industry both nationally and internationally.

Recent global and national change, however, is impacting on staff and staffing policies in universities. The pressures arising from the change include:

• . the need to deliver a more complex array of teaching, research and support services required by an increasingly diverse student population;
  
• . the need to do more with less. The deterioration in the student:staff ratio from 11.2 in 1982 to 15.5 in 1996 represents, in effect, a productivity improvement of almost 40 per cent. The recent staff redundancies in the system brought about by the cuts to university operating grants and the need to provide salary increases (about 12 per cent over two years) from reduced budgets, will see student:staff ratios worsen;
  
• . the fact that Australian academic salaries are now well below those in equivalent jobs in many other countries;
  
• . the fierce competition between and within universities for status and resources;
  
• . the amount of time taken to develop detailed, often complex applications for external funding from both public and private (eg applications to the ARC/NHMRC and for Cooperative Research Centres funding) and the detailed reporting requirements;
  
• . the need to adopt new technology and communications for teaching and research;
  
• . changes in the industrial climate and moves towards "casualisation" of the university workforce; and
  
• . increased administrative responsibilities including detailed reporting and accountability.
  

These pressures have the potential to create an unstable climate for universities and their staff. The maintenance and improvement in the quality of teaching, research and administration will depend to a large extent on the ability of staff to adapt to this changing environment.

In order to cope with the range of current and evolving pressures over the next twenty years, universities will need to:

• . build up their teams of the best and brightest individuals who are capable of imparting the skills required for managing a future, shaped increasingly by the application of new knowledge;
  
• . tap the source of intellectual skills and expertise residing in their senior women. Despite an increasing proportion of women being appointed to senior academic positions in recent years, women are still under-represented amongst tenured staff in universities;
  
• . seek additional funding to provide development opportunities in multi-skilling, change management, and the adoption of advanced information technologies and telecommunications for teaching and research;
  
• . find better ways to recognise and evaluate teaching excellence and to include teaching as a measurable activity in formal processes of appointment, appraisal and promotion. Some universities are already doing this but research performance and publication still tends to hold precedence;
  
• . recognise career paths for non-academic staff (professional administrators and others);
  
• . be able to put in place flexible staffing structures. The notion of life-long tenure does not sit comfortably with management decisions about employment being made on the basis of institutional need, the availability of resources and the performance of staff. In 1996, there were 72,703 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) university staff, about 47 per cent of whom were involved in teaching and/or research functions. Nearly 60 per cent of academic staff were on tenure and of these, 80 per cent of senior lecturers and above were on tenure; and
  
• . manage security in employment through the awarding of continuous or fixed term appointments and contracts coupled with widespread performance appraisal.
  

Teaching

With regard to enhancing teaching in universities, the AVCC believes a system of incentive funding can be a most effective mechanism to advance innovative, cost effective and educationally sound teaching and learning activities across the higher education system.

The Committee for University Teaching and Staff Development (CUTSD) was established in 1996 to identify and promote good teaching, learning and staff development practice, and to encourage and foster innovation in these areas. The task for CUTSD is large but the funding is not commensurate with its mission and responsibility. Current funding for the program is $20m over three years (1997-1999) and is seen as insufficient to achieve the Committee's goals. There is a danger that the funds will be spread too thinly in trying to meet its many objectives.

Funding for the CUTSD Program should be boosted to emphasise multi-skilling; the adoption and use of advanced technologies and telecommunications for teaching and research; management skills for academic staff; and the recognition of career paths for non-academic staff (professional administrators) as well as recognising and promoting teaching excellence.

Additional incentive funding for teaching excellence in particular would help to advance new and creative teaching and learning activities across the system. Such funding is available for research activities in universities and there is no logical reason why a similar mechanism could not be used to recognise and reward excellence in teaching.

The status of, and competence in, university teaching could also be raised if "teaching" experience was introduced at the advanced levels of university education. Attitudes to, and experience in, both teaching and research should be shaped at this point in a student's life. Some PhD students and Postdoctoral Fellows are required to undertake a short teacher internship as part of their course to prepare them to become academic teachers. The enhanced communication skills are not wasted should the student chose a different career path - such skills are keenly sought by employers of university graduates. But the pressure on students to complete their courses as quickly as possible often mitigates against such an initiative. The time restriction of 3.5 years for scholarship holders to complete a PhD restricts the ability of the student to gain teaching experience as well as research experience. A graduating PhD who receives an academic appointment is, however, expected to teach and thereby assumes responsibilities for which he or she may not be properly equipped.

An alternative would be to provide selected students, who express an interest in strengthening their teaching skills in preparation for an academic career, with the opportunity to participate in teaching activities for a period after completing their postgraduate courses.

There would be much to be gained if the Government were to offer teaching internship grants (minimum of one per university in the first instance), of a prestigious nature, for completing PhD or Postdoctoral Fellows to work in universities for up to six months, full-time, to gain first hand experience of university level teaching away from the pressure of completing their theses. The value of the grant should be no less than for an APA. Such a scheme should be reviewed after two years of operation to determine if more internships should be provided.

Recommendation 4:

The AVCC recommends that:

(i) funding for the CUTSD Program be enhanced to cover multi-skilling opportunities; the adoption and use of advanced technologies and telecommunications for teaching and research; management skills for academic staff; the recognition of career paths for non-academic staff (professional administrators) and the need to promote teaching excellence;

(ii) the Commonwealth introduce a number (say 36 in the first instance) of prestigious teaching internship grants for completing PhD or Postdoctoral fellows to undertake full-time teaching activities in universities for up to 6 months; and

(iii) universities seek to offer larger numbers of flexible appointments with remuneration packages consistent with their enterprise bargaining principles and processes.

B3. INFRASTRUCTURE FOR TEACHING AND RESEARCH

Use of New Information Technology and Telecommunications

Investment, adoption and management of new information technology and telecommunications, and training in its use, will clearly be major issues for universities in the 21st Century.

Only two years ago the Internet was largely unknown to the general public but its adoption into many spheres of society has been extraordinarily rapid. New technology can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of universities and the quality of the educational experience for students.

The ability to mix video and sound with text, data and still images can greatly enhance the learning experience. High capacity, broad-band telecommunications (eg cable TV) coupled with new low-cost technologies (eg 3D audio visual capability) will provide the greatest opportunities, and threats, to Australian universities.

Australia needs to ensure that its broad-band communication (data/voice/video) networks for the delivery of educational services are of world class. Universities are well placed to capitalise on the new technology to allow the employment of more flexible and open teaching methods to reach wider sections of the community and to provide a much broader spectrum of their programs nationally and internationally. Between 1991 and 1996, the number of students studying by distance education in Australia grew almost three times faster than the number studying full-time on campus. Within this broad pattern, distance education is the preferred mode of the mature-aged students with 82 per cent of all distance education students aged over 25 years. The largest group of distance education students is in the 30-39 cohort, with 36 per cent of all distance education enrolments. Distance education is also the preferred study mode for women. Between 1993 and 1996, the fastest growth in university enrolments was for females studying by the distance education mode, growing by 34% as compared with a growth in all enrolments for the same period of only 10.2%.

A major growth area in educating overseas students will be through the provision of courses by distance education. Australia has a significant competitive advantage in the distance education area, however, this is not likely to extend beyond two to three years, unless there is a major investment in technological infrastructure and electronic learning resources to support on-line delivery of these programs.

The development of information technology and telecommunications opportunities is well under way in Australia. Australia has a good lead in this area with suitable technology and infrastructure already in place in the form of the Australian Academic Research Network (AARNet), which is currently being substantially upgraded. To assimilate the new communications technologies and capitalise on the benefits of the "digital revolution" for the advancement of teaching, learning, research and communications generally, universities will need continuing high levels of investment in their infrastructure. The introduction of new technology and communications is labour intensive and high in capital and recurrent costs. The technological infrastructure is subject to rapid obsolescence and universities have not been funded adequately to remain continuously up-to-date. Investment in technological infrastructure will be critical to Australia's ability to keep pace with international trends in the use of new technology and broad-band communications.

For example, President Clinton in the US has committed his administration to supporting a "second generation of the Internet (Internet 2) so that our leading universities and national laboratories can communicate in speeds 1,000 times faster than today". Internet 2's goals and objectives are seen as essential to support the basic research, distance eduction and life-long learning activities of higher education in America.

As well as the need for a substantial investment in technological infrastructure in Australia, there is scope for the development of a national program to provide expert advice on emerging technologies and international best practice in the use of information technology to enhance the teaching and learning process in all universities. A national program could assist universities in generic application areas, for example building up content of on-line electronic information and multimedia courseware and in information dissemination. A national program would reduce the cost and duplication which would result if each university were to develop its applications separately.

Recommendation 5:

The AVCC recommends that:

(i) the Government make a substantial investment in upgrading the information technology and telecommunications infrastructure in universities to ensure that communication networks for the delivery of educational services are at least comparable with the best in the world; and

(ii) the Government and universities jointly establish a national program to undertake research and development on the use of information technology to enhance the teaching and learning process in universities and to provide information and advice on international best practice.

Research infrastructure

The Australian research system operates in, and must be seen as part of, a global research system. Australia must have the breadth of research expertise to ensure a "place at the table" in that world meeting of research and technological discourse which is an important part of any university's existence, and is fundamental to any modern industrial and technological nation. Excellence in basic research opens the door to the international exchange of information, facilities and personnel. Such research is also a vital ingredient in creating skilled scientists and creating a scientific culture. It is also a determinant of national prestige. Most basic research is performed in universities. Universities are also responsible for a substantial amount of strategic and applied research which greatly enhances the competitiveness and efficiency of Australian industry. In 1994, universities performed approximately 25% of total R&D comprising 86% of Australia's pure-basic research, 40% of strategic basic research, 25% applied research and 5% experimental development. The differing emphases on research (pure basic, strategic basic, applied and experimental development) in different universities adds to the depth, richness and variety of the research undertaken in universities. It also adds to the interdisciplinary strength of the nation's total research effort.

While the need to continually upgrade the technological base of universities to keep pace with world trends has been identified, the renewal of other kinds of infrastructure (such as equipment, laboratories, and technical support) for world class research is also a significant problem facing universities as they gear up to meet the challenges of the next century. Effective research and research training must be underpinned by a research base of genuinely international quality.

The nation's research base is like other large infrastructure (roads, bridges, ports and airports) in that once eroded, it is extremely difficult to repair. Substantial national investment will be needed to ensure that the research base in Australian universities is of leading international standard in the 21st Century.

A number of reports have been produced in the last few years, including the independent review commissioned by the National Board of Employment, Education and Training (NBEET) and undertaken by the Boston Consulting Group, which have all highlighted research infrastructure as a matter of immediate concern for Government. These reports argue that Commonwealth funding for research infrastructure should be increased by a minimum of $120m per annum. The Government has recognised this funding deficit in part by boosting funding through the ARC mechanism in the 1995 and 1996 Federal Budgets. A substantial shortfall, however, still exists.

Government funding for research infrastructure in universities is provided through two mechanisms: the Research Quantum and through the Research Infrastructure Block Grant (RIBG)). In addition, the ARC allocates funding for Research Infrastructure (Equipment and Facilities) Program.

The majority of funds for core infrastructure support are currently provided through the Research Quantum which was originally set at about 6.0 per cent of university operating grants. Its purpose is to provide support for the general "fabric" required for quality teaching, research and research training. It functions as a source of "social overhead" capital that project funding can never provide. Its actual share of the operating grant has fallen since its inception as a funding mechanism for research infrastructure in 1990 (from 6.2 per cent of the operating grant in 1990 to 4.9 per cent in 1997 at current price levels - excluding funding for capital).

Additional funding should be provided by the Government to at least restore the Research Quantum to its original amount and consideration should be given in the longer term, to the provision of additional funds to lift the Research Quantum towards a level which is a truer reflection of the funds required to sustain a research base which is of international quality. Increasing the level of funds to enable a larger share of the operating grants to be allocated for research is preferable for allowing diversity in research funding to emerge rather than designating some universities as special in this respect. Excellence must continue to be funded wherever it is found.

RIBG funding provided by the Commonwealth is currently $85.172m per annum but there is no legislation in place to cover additional RIBG funding beyond 1999. The purpose of the RIBG is to provide focussed infrastructure support aimed at assisting in the provision of institutional overheads for high quality research projects in particular fields, which have been marginally funded by a range of competitive research granting schemes (there are 42 Commonwealth competitive research granting schemes and a small number of non-Commonwealth schemes). The cessation of funding provided through this program would exacerbate existing infrastructure problems in universities and would have very serious consequences for Australia's research effort.

Recommendation 6:

The AVCC recommends that consistent with the Government's stated goals of restoring Australia's research infrastructure to an internationally competitive level and promoting quality and excellence in research:

(i) the Government provide immediate additional funding together with a continuing commitment to higher levels of funding needed to restore, enhance and develop university capital and research infrastructure;

(ii) in particular, additional funding should be provided by the Government to restore the Research Quantum to at least 6 per cent of the operating grant;

(iii) in the longer term, further additional funding should be provided to raise the Research Quantum to a level which is a truer reflection of the funds required to sustain a research base of international quality; and

(iv) RIBG funding should be continued in its present form with at least its current level of funding beyond 1999.

B4. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

There has been much debate in Australia about the merits or otherwise of universities offering undergraduates, enrolled in specific vocational skills courses such as economics, engineering, law and medicine, an initial broad preparation in the humanities, perhaps in the form of a foundation year. There does not appear, however, to be wide support for the introduction of a compulsory foundation year because of the additional expense involved for universities and the strain on their infrastructure in the form of overcrowded lectures. This could in turn have a negative impact on the quality of the experience for students.

A prescriptive approach should not be taken to restructure the undergraduate curriculum to combine general or liberal studies with vocational ones. Universities have a range of existing mechanisms which influence the content of university curricula including advice from academic boards, professional bodies and industry.

School-leavers are not the only clientele of universities. Growth is also occurring in the numbers of mature-aged students seeking to upgrade their knowledge and skills. Universities will need to adapt their curriculum, access, modes of learning and methods of delivery to meet the differing needs of the major cohorts of students.

Therefore, there should be a diversity of approaches within and between universities to the undergraduate curricula, with some faculties possibly moving in the direction of offering a more general education and others choosing to specialise. Some current responses in the system include:

• delaying entry to some courses by requiring an undergraduate degree in arts, science or social science as a prerequisite for entry into medicine and other professional degrees;
  
• offering four compulsory foundation units as part of an undergraduate degree;
  
• offering traditional non-vocational arts, social science and science degrees which also include opportunities for specialisation; and
  
• strengthening the vocational orientation of some programs by seeking industry involvement in curriculum design, teaching and assessment.
  

There is also a role for secondary schools to strengthen communication and other generic skills of students in preparation for tertiary study as well as for improving literacy and mathematics skills.

Recommendation 7:

The AVCC recommends the Review Committee note that, as is appropriate, there is a diversity of responses between and within universities to restructuring the undergraduate curricula.

B5. OTHER RESEARCH ISSUES

While the provision of research infrastructure is of major concern to universities because it is a critical underpinning to the research effort, there are a number of other issues relating to research which impact on Australia's ability to conduct world class research.

Research Training

Postgraduates specifically trained in thinking and research represent the next generation of intellectual leaders in universities, industry and government. In 1996, there were 118,348 Australian postgraduate students (research, coursework and "other"). This represented 20 per cent of the total university student population. Of the total number of students, 29,510 or 5.1 per cent were enrolled in Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) and 38,149 or 6.6 per cent were enrolled in postgraduate degrees by coursework and the remainder were enrolled in the "other" category. For Australia to remain competitive, its "cadre" of postgraduates will have to increase.

Postgraduate research awards are a major source of support for the development of high level skills. Although the level of the award is relatively meagre by community standards, they continue to represent a crucial underpinning to university research and, by extension, the research, development and commercialisation in other organisations. In 1996, there were 1,700 new Australian postgraduate awards with a stipend (1,550 Australian Postgraduate Awards (APA)s with Stipend and 150 APAs (Industry)).

Support for postgraduate training is a critical investment in the nation's future. Data collected by the AVCC on the demand for postgraduate awards indicate that the number of these Commonwealth awards continues to fall considerably short of demand. Based on these data, more than 4,100 research applicants (62 per cent of the total eligible applicants) did not receive an award in 1996. The AVCC argues that there should be annual monitoring of HDR enrolments to ensure that APAs are provided for about 40 per cent of full-time HDR enrolments.

Recommendation 8:

The AVCC recommends that the Government monitor annually the number of HDR enrolments to ensure that APAs are provided for about 40 per cent of full-time HDR enrolments.

Links with Industry

While there is no simplistic solution to fostering the involvement of industry, universities have risen to the challenge of developing closer links with industry. This is evidenced by the unheralded success of the ARC's Strategic Partnerships with Industry - Research and Training Scheme and the Cooperative Research Centres Program. The report Knowledge-based Cooperation: University-Industry Linkages in Australia (EIP Report 96/17) provides an up-to-date review of university-industry interaction. Further investment in existing mechanisms specifically designed to bridge the gap between universities and industry would be in the national interest. It is also in the national interest to abandon the current proposal to tax postgraduate scholarships including industry-funded scholarships. Such scholarships provide a constructive mechanism to promote linkages in a cost effective manner and help train the nation's future researchers.

In this regard, the R&D tax concession, the Government's cornerstone program to support and encourage the growth of new R&D in Australian industry, should be reinstated to its original level of 150%. Most Australian companies making use of the tax concession have integrated the program into their long term strategic plans and are increasingly making use of the tactical opportunities provided by the program.

University-industry links demand a strong research base to teach and train the best people for work in industry, Government and the professions and to provide the best information access. As argued above, enhancement of the Research Quantum using additional funding and maintenance of the RIBG program beyond 1999 are critical to maintaining the research base.

Recommendation 9:

The AVCC recommends that:

(i) the Government should boost funding for university-industry linkages using the existing funding mechanisms, which have been demonstrated to be successful. These mechanisms include both the ARC's Strategic Partnerships with Industry - Research and Training Scheme, and the Cooperative Research Centres Program; and

(ii) the R&D tax concession, the Government's cornerstone program to support and encourage the growth of new R&D in Australian industry, should be reinstated to its original level of 150%.

Intellectual Property

The generation of intellectual property in universities has the capacity to increase national wealth dramatically and to foster export industries. There is a national need for this to be enhanced, and funding to maintain and develop university research infrastructure and research programs is crucial in this respect. Under the Copyright Act, the ownership of intellectual property is vested in the employer, and universities recognise their responsibility to manage and develop this asset effectively.

Other reasons for supporting the development of intellectual property include the following spin-offs to universities and the nation:

• . the promotion of the fundamental objectives and purpose of the institution in teaching, research and furthering knowledge for its own sake;
• . the protection of the integrity and welfare of the institution;
• . the expansion of the potential for increasing regional and international links;
• . the ability to obtain an appropriate return for the use of facilities, resources and services provided by the institution outside the mainstream activities of teaching and research;
• . the encouragement and development of institutional growth, progress and success through ventures and industry and commerce in mainstream and peripheral activities for full commercial return;
• . the provision of fair and reasonable remuneration for staff and students in return for profitable and sound performance;
• . the provision of incentives for staff and students in developing and applying intellectual activity in the fields of industry, commerce, science, literature and the arts; and
• . the attraction of the highest quality staff.
  

To this end it is believed that all interested parties (Government, universities and business groups) should work together to identify and, where possible, eliminate obstacles to the patenting, development and commercialisation of intellectual property in universities.

Recommendation 10:

The AVCC recommends:

(i) that the Review Committee note the crucial importance of a strong research base and associated research activity in universities to the generation of intellectual property; and

(ii) that Government, universities and the Business Council of Australia jointly review the processes leading to the patenting and commercialisation of intellectual property developed within universities with a view to improving these, and assessing the effectiveness of current mechanisms.