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University degrees are usually delivered in defined sessions--by term, semester, or in week-based blocks--whereby students are required to complete their studies by the due date. Term or session-based schedules that require students to complete the study within set timeframes are, however, potentially restrictive. Temporal challenges associated with work and life can impede progress and add to the specific problem of student attrition in online learning. As universities seek to deliver innovative options for their students, increased attention is being paid to alternate models of delivery. This paper reports on the development of a hyperflexible online Master of Business Administration (MBA) course by a regional university in Australia, which has grown to more than 1,000 students since its launch in 2017. Delivered entirely online, the degree was specifically designed to address an inequity; MBA programs are traditionally expensive, and in Australia, the requirement for students to travel to attend residential schools and examinations adds significant cost to already expensive tuition fees. This paper analyzed enrollment data, course analytics over a two-year period, and student surveys conducted at the end of the second year of delivery (n = 98) to evaluate the development and implementation of the course as a hyperflexible course whereby students have almost complete control over their study at the postgraduate tertiary level. Results highlight the potential for the model to enable student success through flexibility.

Existing studies on language learner emotions mainly focus on Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE). They are primarily conducted in offline learning settings. This paper reports the empirical findings of an exploratory investigation conducted in a fully synchronous online learning environment for "ab initio" Korean. Through an Achievement Emotions Questionnaire administered to 117 students in an Australian university, this study measures learners' pride as well as their enjoyment and anxiety during four teaching weeks. In addition, this paper examines how learner emotions correlate with academic achievement as well as crucial learner and teacher variables. The study confirms many patterns of learner emotions in offline teaching environments, such as the association of positive emotions with positive outcomes and with some teacher characteristics, and the association of anxiety with negative outcomes. However, it also reveals patterns that appear to be new, warranting further empirical studies. The pedagogical implications of results for L2 teaching and learning are also discussed.

Driven by the focus on standardised assessment and performance-driven accountability, a considerable body of literature has documented differences in students' academic achievement across school sectors, both internationally and in Australia. However, few studies have to date explored the potential mechanisms underlying such differences, particularly through the lens of school climate and student engagement. And despite extensive literature on school climate and student engagement, including their relationships with achievement, the differences in these patterns across school sectors remain under-studied. In this paper, we leverage nationally representative data from a large-scale longitudinal survey in Australia with linked administrative data on student achievement to reveal different patterns of school climate and student engagement across government, Catholic and independent sectors. Employing multivariable regression analyses, we identify unique school climate and student engagement facets that are associated with improved achievement in each of these sectors, offering important pointers for educational policies.

Asian migrant students are typically considered as educational paragons in the West. They have been shown to surpass other students in standard indicators of educational success. However, viewing this success with a purely ethnic framework is inadequate and essentialising. It conflates the experiences of various groups into a homogenised 'Asian' category and ignores the crucial role played by other properties and processes, such as social class and engagement with hierarchical education systems. This paper incorporates these multiple dimensions to provide a fuller account of 'Asian' success. Using large scale longitudinal survey data from Australia, we demonstrate the internal differences in the educational outcomes of Asian groups, and outline the stratifying role played by parental cultural capital. Most importantly, we show how unequal engagement with schools and the curriculum produces unequal outcomes. This intersectional approach enables a more theoretically integrated understanding of the factors that produce educational inequality in diverse societies.

In this journal, Sciffer et al. (Large-scale Assessments in Education 10:1–22, 2022), hereafter SP&M, conclude that school socioeconomic compositional (SEC) or school socioeconomic status (school-SES) effects in Australia are substantial and substantively important for research and policy. This paper demonstrates that these claims are unwarranted. Their SEC estimates are much larger than estimates from comparable studies and a metastudy. Despite plausible theoretical reasons and empirical evidence, SP&M do not consider that school academic composition is a significant predictor of student achievement independent of SEC. SEC effects are confounded by academic composition and are typically trivial when considering academic composition. The second part of this paper compares SP&M's estimates with analysis of the same data, from the Australian National Assessments in Performance—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). In a model corresponding to SP&M analyses comprising demographics, SES, school-SES, and student-level prior achievement, the effects of school-SES are small, with standardized effects mostly less than 0.10. With the addition of academic composition measured by school-level prior achievement, school-SES effects are effectively zero. In contrast, academic composition has significant, albeit small, impacts on student achievement. Therefore, contrary to SP&M's (2022) conclusion, school-SES effects on student achievement in NAPLAN are negligible, whereas school-level prior achievement has small effects. That is not to say that school-SES is always irrelevant, but any assessment of its importance must consider both student- and school-level prior achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In Australia, there is little evidence exploring why higher degrees by research (HDRs) are undertaken by surgeons. This study aims to describe the attitudes and experiences of surgical trainees and surgeons towards HDRs. Methods: A 23-question cross-sectional survey of surgical trainees and consultant surgeons from three Australian public hospitals was undertaken between August and December 2022. Data were analysed according to stage of career and HDR status and assessed using chi-squared test, with P < 0.05 considered significant. Results: Out of 270 participants, 72 (27%) completed the survey including 30 (42%) trainees and 42 (58%) consultants. Overall, 43 (60%) participants had completed or were undertaking a HDR, which was similar between trainees (n = 18) and consultants (N = 25; P = 0.968). A HDR was associated with more publications (P < 0.5). Respondents with a HDR were more likely to have a salaried academic position (50%) than those without (15%). There was no significant difference in academic appointments based on HDR attainment (P = 0.192). For surgical trainees, 93% rated the strengthening of resumes as the primary driver, compared with only 60% of consultants. For consultants, academic career aspirations and research interests were ranked the highest at 64% equally. Lack of time and competing nature of surgical training were equally ranked among all as the key barriers to completing a HDR. Conclusions: These results provide insight into the academic pursuits of surgeons with an understanding of the role HDRs play, including the different drivers for Masters and Doctorates. This is important for supporting future surgeons who seek to pursue research. What is known about the topic? The value of research is well-recognised as a crucial part of the surgical training pathway. Despite this, minimal contemporary evidence exists which explores the impact of higher degrees by research (HDR) on academic career pathways in the Australian context. What does this paper add? Contemporary evidence was obtained to understand why Australian surgeons undertake HDRs and how their completion impacts the surgical career pathway. What are the implications for practitioners? By understanding the role of HDRs in the surgical landscape, practitioners can ensure beneficial support for future academic surgeons is in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by the focus on standardised assessment and performance-driven accountability, a considerable body of literature has documented differences in students' academic achievement across school sectors, both internationally and in Australia. However, few studies have to date explored the potential mechanisms underlying such differences, particularly through the lens of school climate and student engagement. And despite extensive literature on school climate and student engagement, including their relationships with achievement, the differences in these patterns across school sectors remain under-studied. In this paper, we leverage nationally representative data from a large-scale longitudinal survey in Australia with linked administrative data on student achievement to reveal different patterns of school climate and student engagement across government, Catholic and independent sectors. Employing multivariable regression analyses, we identify unique school climate and student engagement facets that are associated with improved achievement in each of these sectors, offering important pointers for educational policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schooling in Australia has become subject to increased processes of data-based governance. This article draws upon the insights of an experienced teacher, 'Meriam', who, having taught more than 34-years over almost a 50-year span, reflected upon the nature of such changes. Utilising theorising in relation to datafication processes and accountability logics, the article elaborates Meriam's efforts to engage productively with increased attention to measuring and monitoring students' performance via various modes of data. This is in the context of increased pressure in the state of Queensland to justify teachers' practices, and to show how their students' learning had shown improvement on these data over short periods of time. In this sense, the article challenges a more post-performative conception of professionalism as Meriam struggled to comprehend how the increased attention to a plethora of data could serve as a useful vehicle to inform teachers' work and learning; this was the case even as she found some benefits in increased attention to her own practice and learning. The article delineates the constraints associated with increased attention to data, and how current managerial and neoliberal policy conditions in schools may contribute to potentially significant and harmful effects for both teacher and student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim is to present outcome and engagement data from the initial years of the implementation of a new teaching approach in entry to practice nursing and midwifery education. The Block Model (TBM) is a teaching approach that involves studying one unit of study at a time over a four-week period, as opposed to the traditional semester model. This paper presents data revealing the impact of TBM on student engagement and overall experience in entry to practice Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery programs. The evaluation retrospectively compared key indicators pre- Block Model implementation with outcomes for nursing and midwifery students using TBM approach using standard data sets and external comparators such as the Student Experience Survey and National Employability Survey. The study presents a comparative analysis of key indicators and graduate outcomes for students. We use reportable data and two external comparators, the Student Experience Survey and the National Employability Survey, to gauge student learning and graduate employability. The evaluation was conducted in a tertiary institution in Australia with for nursing and midwifery students who completed their studies using TBM approach at the university. The implementation of TBM in nursing and midwifery programs resulted in improvements in learner engagement, retention rates and pass rates. Improvements were also noted graduate outcomes, with an increase in full-time graduate employment. The results suggest the Block Model is a promising new teaching approach in nursing and midwifery education, with potential benefits for learner engagement, retention and pass rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]