The Australian National University

Introduction

The Australian National University has two major parts: the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) which concentrates on research and research training; and The Faculties which, like other universities, is engaged also in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students. The presence of the IAS contributes to a uniquely rich academic environment for both students and staff.

The ANU has an outstanding reputation for quality. All three quality reviews conducted by the Australian Government in 1993–1995 ranked the ANU in the top bracket of Australian universities. In its 1998 report on Asia’s best universities, Asiaweek ranked ANU in the top four of 65 universities in research output, academic reputation, ratio of teachers to students and Internet access points per student. The ANU has the highest proportion of academic staff with a doctoral degree. The proportion of ANU researchers who are members of learned academies is also the highest of any university in Australia. The recipients of three Nobel prizes have been associated with this University. A major review of the IAS undertaken in 1995 found that no other Australian institution, and few institutions in the world, can match the high standards of performance attained by the schools and centres of the IAS.

Mission statement and objectives in relation to quality

The University’s mission is:

to be one of the world’s great research institutions, distinguished by outstanding teaching, guiding students to the frontiers of knowledge and the best standards of scholarship.

ANU’s comprehensive Strategic Plan 1995-2004 (see endnote 1) sets out the University’s objectives, the improvement and assurance strategies for achieving the objectives, and the performance indicators used to measure progress against the objectives. These are summarised below under research management; teaching and learning; management; and community service.

Research management

Objectives

The objectives for research as set out in its Strategic Plan are to:

• engage in scholarship, research and research training, at the highest international standards;
• foster critical enquiry and undertake research of national and international importance; and
• maintain an independent role in research and education related to public policy and national issues.

Strategies

The Research Management Plan (see endnote 2) of the University emphasises that excellence in research depends on recruitment of talented and creative academic staff, providing high quality facilities to assist staff to realise their potential, and flexibility in staffing policy for retention of those staff who are innovative and productive. Rigorous promotion practices and regular staff reviews play an important role. In a competitive world market-place, attracting and retaining the highest quality teaching and research staff is dependent on fostering the right research environment. This environment should have the scale, synergy, resources and freedom to permit staff to follow their creative instincts within the constraints of the ANU’s mission, budget and accountability requirements.

Performance indicators

Table 1 provides five indicators that allow comparison of research performance of the ANU as a whole against other major research universities. It is important to note that only The Faculties' component of the ANU is eligible to participate in the full range of ARC programs along with the rest of the higher education system.

Table 1: Major research universities compared on the basis of five indicators of research performance

1 The 1995 research expenditure information is based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of R&D expenditure by higher education institutions for 1995. These data have inconsistencies due to differences in reporting by universities in relation to what is included as expenditure.

2 Paul Bourke and Linda Butler, "The Concentration of Research in Australian Universities: Six Measures of Activity And Impact", DETYA Higher Education Series, Report No. 32, July 1998.

Research expenditure

The ANU, with 12.4 per cent, has the largest share of R&D expenditure by Australian universities. Melbourne, NSW, Sydney and Queensland have shares, by comparison, in the eight to 11 per cent range.

Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) publications and citations

The ANU has the largest proportion of citations for the period 1991-1995. Publications and citations are useful measures of university research output. It is important to note, however, that publications and citations as measures differ in their significance from one field of research to another.

Membership of Australian academies

The four Australian Academies are the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Members of these academies, called Fellows, are elected following nomination by other Fellows and assessment based on national and international peer review. The number of memberships of the four academies offers another measure of the quality of research activity within each Australian university. It is noteworthy that the ANU’s share of the total membership is over 25 per cent compared with 12.4 per cent of research expenditure.

New ARC fellowships

The ANU consistently performs well in attracting research fellows in all categories, even though the IAS (which comprises about two-thirds of the institution) is not eligible to be a host institution for Australian Research Fellows and Senior Research Fellows. The ANU attracted a greater proportion of recipients of ARC fellowships in 1998 than any other university.

Table 2 provides three indicators to compare the research performance of the ANU excluding the IAS (see Endnote 3) with other research intensive universities. These are per capita indicators and are therefore influenced by the intensity rather than the scale of research activity at a university.

Table 2: Per capita research performance of ANU excluding the IAS compared with other research intensive universities

2. The relatively low ranking of these universities is due to the presence of significant former advanced education sector components.
3. Measures per FTE of Academic Researchers: Table 5 of DETYA publication "1997 Selected Higher Education Staff Statistics" is misleading because the 'research only' function column mostly, but not consistently, reports numbers of both academic and non-academic research only staff. These indicators are based on data obtained from DETYA corresponding to Table 5 but excluding non-academic staff.

Brennan index

The so called 'Brennan Index' is the ratio of the research quantum (RQ) to the operating grant net of the RQ and capital funds. The ANU (excluding the IAS) is ranked sixth in 1998 by this measure, ahead of Flinders, Sydney and Monash. This is clearly a measure of the research intensity of a university. The relatively low rankings of Sydney and Monash are partly explained by the presence within them of significant former advanced education sector components.

Research quantum per FTE of academic researchers

The ANU (excluding the IAS) is ranked sixth, the same rank as for the Brennan Index. There are only small changes in the rankings of other institutions.

1998 new large grants per FTE of academic researchers

The ANU (excluding the IAS) is the strongest performing institution by this indicator and received the seventh highest new large grants funding in 1998 ahead of The University of Western Australia. The strong research culture in The Faculties and its synergy with the IAS are contributing factors to this achievement.

Objectives

The University's objectives for teaching and learning (see Endnote 4) are to:

• provide teaching and research training at undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral levels at the highest standards;
• enhance the quality and diversity of the University’s student intake and encourage commitment to lifelong learning; and
• provide higher education fostering excellence and creativity and responsive to professional and community needs.

Graduate attributes expected by the University

The ANU seeks to develop graduates who:

• have an in-depth knowledge base and comprehensive understanding of the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of their disciplines;
• are well acquainted with the broader contexts of higher learning;
• trained in computer based technology, and relevant discipline-based technical and methodological skills;
• are independent, critical and creative thinkers with analytical and problem solving skills;
• are competent in literary and oral communication;
• value intellectual rigour, creativity, curiosity, integrity and lifelong learning; and
• understand major issues facing Australia and the wider world.

Strategies

The ANU seeks to develop graduates with these attributes through the provision of a challenging and supportive learning environment. The University's Careers Centre also seeks feedback from employers, through such programs as the On-campus Employer Visits, regarding the characteristics they are looking for in graduates and how well ANU graduates meet these criteria.

A major strategy linked to the teaching and learning objectives is the University’s intensive rolling program of academic reviews. The system of reviews, which has been in operation for more than 20 years, involves external experts and a wide range of performance information. Progress with implementation of review recommendations is reported to the University Council. All schools and centres in the IAS were the subject of comprehensive reviews as part of the major review of the IAS in 1995. Table 3 lists current reviews:

Table 3: Reviews of academic areas being undertaken in 1998

Performance indicators

Five indicators of performance in teaching and learning used by the University are as follows:

Quality of undergraduates

At the undergraduate level the emphasis is on quality rather than on growth in student numbers: currently about 60 per cent of the University’s school leaver intake come from the top 20 per cent of their high school classes. ANU has maintained its minimum intake standards (as measured by TER) over the past three years, despite lower demand for university places generally.

Proportion of postgraduate enrolment

The University plans to become increasingly oriented towards postgraduate training. The University’s Strategic Plan has a target that postgraduate students will be 30 per cent of the student population by 2004. The University also has an expanded scholarships program for higher degree research students including "feeder programs" for prospective honours students from other institutions. Trends shown in Table 4 suggest that achievement of the 30 per cent target will be difficult. If the Government were to enhance student choice and mobility, as suggested by the West Report, it would assist achievement of this target.

Table 4: Postgraduate enrolments as a proportion of total enrolment 1994-1998

* Profile submission 1998

Employer satisfaction/positive outcomes of graduates

According to the annual Graduate Destination Survey (GDS) report from the Graduate Careers Council of Australia (GCCA), ANU graduates achieve higher than average median starting salaries. For example, Law and Social Sciences graduates achieve salaries approximately 15 per cent and 10 per cent above the national averages respectively. Fewer ANU graduates seek full-time employment on completion of their studies, reflecting the University’s position as a pre-eminent research institution - over 40 per cent of graduates (Table 5) continue in full-time study compared with the national average of less than 25 percent.

In most fields of study ANU graduates achieve higher rates of full-time employment than the national average. There was a significant increase in 1997 in the proportion of graduates still seeking employment four months after graduation (Table 5) as a consequence of the difficult labour market in Canberra and major staffing reductions in the Commonwealth Public Service.

Table 5: Graduate destination survey

Student satisfaction

The University's Centre for Educational Development and Academic Methods (CEDAM) facilitates teaching quality improvement by the use of instruments such as:

• Overall satisfaction rating of ANU graduands in respect of the GCCA Course Experience Questionnaire;
• ANUSET - a standardised student evaluation of teaching used throughout undergraduate programs.

The Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) measures student assessment of courses taken over a period of three or four years. Information on the proportion of broad agreement (responses 3, 4, 5) for the ANU as a whole in respect of good teaching, generic skills and overall satisfaction measured by the CEQ is provided in Table 6. However, the ANU has reservations about the use of the CEQ (which is a purely quantitative instrument with no contextual setting) as an appropriate means for reflecting system-wide student satisfaction with teaching and courses. The University is in the process of further developing student satisfaction measurement tools for internal use for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Table 6: Proportion (percentage) of broad agreement on CEQ scales for total ANU

Expenditure on student services

The University has very strong teaching and learning support services for students with disabilities, international students, students entering under special schemes, a study skills centre, and very good access to computers and general counselling. The university devotes a much higher proportion of its expenditure to student support services than the average for Australian universities (Table 7).

Table 7: Expenditure on student services as a proportion of total expenditure

Objectives

The University Strategic Plan (see Endnote 5) includes detailed area-specific plans for campus-wide integrated development of key resources in support of the University’s mission, goals and objectives. The plans reflect recognition that the highest standards of management, administrative and service support are vital in order for the University to meet its fundamental objectives. In 1998 a major review of the Strategic Plan was carried out.

Strategies

The University has implemented a rolling triennial budget mechanism. Its focus is to maintain the core research and teaching activities of the University by minimising the expenditure on administration, developing greater diversity in the sources of income of the university and adjusting the staffing profile to ensure that it remains academically and financially sustainable.

Performance indicators

Two indicators of management performance used by the University are as follows:

Administrative expenditure as a proportion of total expenditure

Comparisons with other universities indicate that the ANU has a very low rate of expenditure on administration reflecting the University's emphasis on maintaining support for its research and teaching activities.

Table 8: Administrative and other general institutional services expenditure as a proportion of total expenditure

Percentage of funds from outside sources

The target in the University Strategic Plan is for non-government funding to be 25 per cent of the government operating grant by 2004. This target has already been met.

Objectives

The University promotes community service in broad areas set out in the Outreach Plan (page 231) of the University Strategic Plan. The University seeks to make its resources and expertise accessible to other universities, research institutions, governments, industry and the wider community.

Strategies

The activities generated by the University's outreach strategy are devolved to both academic and non-academic organisational units.

Performance indicators

The ANU Public Affairs Division maintains a comprehensive set of performance indicators relating to the University’s community service and outreach which are published in the annual report of the Public Affairs Division.

Media references

The ANU was mentioned in 3144 separate articles, radio or television broadcasts in a group of media including The Canberra Times, The Age, The Australian, The Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, some regional newspapers and capital city radio and television in 1997. The monthly average in 1997 was 262 stories compared to 285 in 1995 and 251 in 1994. Research stories accounted for 54 per cent of the media coverage in 1997.

Web citations

The Web citation count (see Endnote 6) of a university is indicative of the quality of the information available on its web sites in relation to its research, knowledge generation, teaching and learning, and community outreach activities. The total Web citations for all of Australia nearly trebled in the 12 months from 1997 to 1998 from 151 000 to 436 000. ANU’s share in 1997 was 26 per cent of the national total. Although it declined to 20 per cent in 1998, Web citations experienced strong growth in absolute terms.

Table 9: Web citations

The Outreach Plan identifies a range of additional indicators, for example: number of research partnerships with other Australian and international universities, number of co-operative partnerships with industry, courses run by the Centre for Continuing Education and attendance.

Admission details:

Admissions Officer, Student Administration and Support Services
Tel: (02) 6249 3046
Fax: (02) 6249 0751
Email: admiss.enq@anu.edu.au

Other details:

Ms Rae Wells, Acting Head, Planning Services Office
Tel: (02) 6249 4579

Fax: (02) 6249 4907 Email: rae.wells@anu.edu.au

Endnotes

3. The ANU excluding the IAS consists of The Faculties and a number of Centres engaged in teaching and research.

5. The Outreach Plan is available at: http://www.anu.edu.au/planning/stratpln/vol2/osp.html

6. A reference in a Web site to another site is a Web citation. A Web citation count for a given Web site is the sum of number of Web sites in the world that cite that particular site. A Web citation count for a given organisation is the sum of the number of Web citations for all Web sites within that organisation.