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The circumstances associated with high levels of achievement in undergraduate studies has not been thoroughly explored in the Australian context. This study investigated factors predicting high academic achievement, defined as maintaining a Distinction average, at undergraduate level. Findings revealed several factors that predicted achievement after two semesters of study. These factors included essay writing skills, with students having satisfactory writing 5.16 times more likely to maintain a Distinction average compared to those with below satisfactory writing; faculty, with students enrolled in Health Sciences 4.63 times more likely compared to students from other faculties; language background, with English-speaking background students 1.67 times more likely compared to English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) students; gender, with females 1.45 more likely compared to males; and age, with older students 1.03 times more likely to achieve high performance compared to younger students. Creating a profile of students likely to excel academically assists decision makers in allocating resources to students less likely to achieve. This research opens the door to further studies investigating whether these factors play a role in predicting student achievement at university.

This study aims to assess and examine secondary school teachers' perceptions of school climate and job satisfaction in five diverse countries: Japan, Korea, Finland, the United States of America (USA), and Australia. It explores the impact of school climate on teachers' job satisfaction, a pivotal factor influencing teacher retention, mobility, and professional development. In order to improve teachers' skills and abilities in the classroom, improving teachers' job satisfaction and understanding the factors that influence it is highly critical. Utilizing secondary data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018, this study provides valuable insights. The findings reveal that teachers in all five countries generally hold positive perceptions of school climates and report high job satisfaction. However, teachers in Japan and Korea express comparatively lower job satisfaction levels when contrasted with their counterparts in Finland, the USA, and Australia. Furthermore, their perceptions of school climate also rank lower. Consequently, this study concludes that a positive correlation exists between favorable perceptions of school climate and elevated job satisfaction. This assertion is supported by regression analyses, individual country data, and aggregate data from all five countries.

In 2019 the Budj Bim cultural landscape in south western Victoria was listed on the World Heritage Register. It is significant firstly for the Gunditjmara people as a culmination of regaining control over their traditional lands and international recognition of their unbroken connection with the land extending back tens of thousands of years. It undermines a longstanding distinction made in heritage assessment between tangible (material) and intangible (immaterial) categories by instead seeing these as interdependent and 'constitutive entanglements' of everyday life. The corresponding distinction too often made between the built and the natural environment has resulted in a disproportionate acceptance that associates built environment heritage with European or Western societies and identities natural environmental heritage with Indigenous landscapes. Introducing a socio-material perspective where these formerly separate categories are seen as interdependent enables a new mode of understanding cultural connection to the land that is potentially transforming. Finally, it is significant as an exemplar of Indigenous led heritage work that brings together political struggle and advocacy, history work, and in the process creates new knowledge.

Many years of lived experience supervising PhDs and other research-based higher degrees provides the contextual background to reflections on practice and conceptual underpinnings to a specialised branch of adult continuing education for professional managers within industry contexts. Special Attention is focused on the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) as a research education experience for adults occupying senior management roles. Their seniority and underlying motivation combined with extensive knowledge and practical experience required a different approach from supervising mainstream PhD students. Much that was learned advising them was readily transferred to younger PhD students, to confirm the validity of approach. The research education process was dedicated to extending the boundaries of knowledge in the long tradition of the PhD. One important difference, however, was more emphasis on practical application of research outcomes. This key difference will be explored further. Attention is focused on the key features of a practical approach to advising such adult learners with strong industry backgrounds. It was very much a learner-centred, customised approach focused on what they wanted to know and their explanatory rationale. In addition to being academic scholarship it was also about how new knowledge was to be applied in workplace and industry settings. The antecedents of my approach to advising senior-level adult learners are also explained as conceptual background. My approach was informed by ideas about the adult learning process rather than as a subject discipline specialist. A background in liberal adult education shaped my practices advising doctoral researchers. The agreeable metaphor was to approach the PhD research process like going on a mutual and shared learning journey.

Vocational education practitioners must participate in professional development (PD) activities so they may implement contemporary teaching practices to support their students. Long-term, social types of activity are best because they benefit individuals and groups of practitioners and the training organisations for which they work. However, training provider managers often favour short and individual activities which are cheaper to resource. Not much has been previously known about the financial and time costs incurred by individual practitioners which may act as a deterrent for practitioners to continue in the sector. Our research addressed that gap for Western Australian VET practitioners by examining data collected from an online survey. The survey collected quantitative information from 30 volunteer WA VET practitioners about their activities in a twelve-month period. Using human capital theory underpinning data analysis, we show that at no stage of a VET practitioner's career was there a positive return on investment for the personally incurred cost of PD. We argue that acts as a deterrent to working as a VET practitioner which has ramifications for training provider operational efficiency, and the wider VET sector. There appears to be a misappropriation of pay scales based on applicable employment conditions which indicates sectoral underpayment.

Students who are parents are largely invisible within the Australian higher education sector. We know little about the particular views and experiences of this group at university. This article explores the Potivations perceived challenges to success and self-identified strengths of students who are parents. Our analysis is based on eighteen semi-structured interviews conducted with students who are parents at one multi-campus Australian university. The article contributes new insights to identify university strategies to better support under-represented groups to succeed at university.

ICAP is a framework that classifies learning processes based on students' explicit behaviors. The framework is developed for testing the hypothesis that interactive exercises are better than constructive exercises, and active exercises are better than the passive exercises for higher cognitive engagement and better learning outcomes. The ICAP Framework is intended to assist researchers, instruction designers and instructors in determining the activities appropriate for the aimed research and teaching. This study aims to evaluate articles based on or supported by the ICAP Framework from various aspects. In the study, employing the descriptive survey method, data collection was conducted through document analysis, while content analysis was utilized to analyze the data. The 71 articles reviewed within the study's scope were examined through the "data collection form" developed by the authors. In this context, the articles' general and methodological characteristics and themes and the findings related to ICAP contexts are presented. As a result of the research, no study regarding the ICAP Framework was conducted in Turkey. It was revealed that most of the studies, which have increased in number since 2017 in various countries, utilize the ICAP framework at the analytical level or create models-modules and develop toolsscales based on the ICAP Framework. Additionally, it was observed that mostly undergraduate and K12 students were studied in face-to-face education, with social sciences as the leading disciplinary field and teaching-learning approaches and design-development-evaluation as the most frequently studied topics, while in studies in which mixed and qualitative methods were the leading methods, exploratory and experimental approaches were more preferred. In line with these results, recommendations are presented to contribute to the field.

Research supervisors and their higher degree research (HDR) candidates -- including Master, Professional Doctorate, and PhD candidates -- make critical contributions to research and innovation. In addition to providing research training, research supervisors have traditionally also acted as the graduate employability practitioner for their HDR candidates through preparation for work in academia. However, the effectivness of traditional HDR training models (such as the knowledge transmission, master-apprentice model for PhD training) are being reviewed in Australia and elsewhere due to changes in the contemporary employment environment. These changes include: fewer available academic jobs; increased desire of HDR candidates for non-academic careers; and implementation of government policies aimed at increasing the return on research investment, including by increasing alignment of graduate attributes with contemporary employer needs. Consequently, work-integrated learning (WIL) activities are being incorporated into HDR degrees to broaden HDR training beyond acquisition of research-focussed skills. For effective incorporation of WIL into HDR degrees, recognition is needed of the different types and roles of graduate employability practitioners required by HDR candidates, as well as improvements to training support structures, and evolved metrics for assessment of supervisor and HDR candidate success.

Higher education plays a key role in cultivating graduate employability, which is essential to meeting multiple individual, community, social and labour market needs. Universities prioritise employability through strategic goals and initiatives designed to foster work-ready graduates equipped with the skills, aptitudes, and knowledge needed to navigate self-determined career pathways. One core approach to delivering on the employability agenda is through workintegrated learning (WIL). Despite institution's efforts to set targets to increase access to WIL for all students, there is little evidence on how these strategies are implemented, reported, and revised, particularly in resource-depleted environments. This paper illuminates how institutional directives can be enacted when transformative learning is centralised through relational, collegial conversations. It builds on Dean et al.'s (2020) paper to unpack how the WIL Curriculum Classification (WILCC) Framework has been executed through employability champions across the institution, who advocate for meaningful, contextually appropriate change that is co-designed with colleagues. These 'significant conversations' are the impetus for transforming students' learning experiences and career readiness. The paper offers four vignettes to showcase how the WILCC Framework has been implemented and disseminated across local, institutional, cross-campus and international contexts through transformative engagement in relational dialogue. It outlines key recommendations for holding significant conversations to influence change and champion the employability movement.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) focuses on education and seeks to promote inclusive, equitable, and quality education, providing opportunities for all. In this context, it seeks to promote intersectionality (gender and ethnicity) as a fundamental factor in education, and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers in particular. Similarly, it aims to support programs that include the gender gap in their studies to mitigate the lack of Indigenous women and/or students from native peoples in STEM careers. The objective of this work was to carry out a categorization of programs aimed at Indigenous students in their processes of access, retention, and follow-up in STEM careers, with the purpose of making visible the variety of approaches and programs that have been created in different regions of the world. A systematic review was conducted to analyze the programs, and the classical content analysis method of scientific production was employed. The main results of the analysis are classified into three main categories: the characteristics of the studies, the programs, and their results. In relation to the study's contribution, the aim is to generate knowledge and understanding of the programs identified to promote the inclusion of this underrepresented population in STEM education.

International students are aspirational and expectant of their learning improving the quality of their life. The stress from academic pressure and acculturative challenges exasperates them from fully experiencing a quality higher educational experience. Despite this, they continuously strive to learn and adjust as they construct their academic identities. While research studies provide several independent perspectives on identity using social, psychological, historical, and political orientations, the current small-scale explorative study focuses on a socio-psychological perspective, discussing the evolution of academic identities of early-career international graduate research (ECIGR) students. This study emerged from the lack of a comprehensive definition of students' academic identity and may contribute to this evolving definition. It adopts a case-study approach with semi-structured interviews and applies the situated learning theory. It finds that adopting a learner-centric pedagogy that considers student's intellectual abilities and academic knowledge, offering opportunities to explore available resources to develop a critical lens, is a sustainable approach towards construction of purposive academic identities. The findings from this explorative small-scale study provides a strong basis for future studies as it identifies an urgent need for more work to be done in this space.

This article contributes a novel perspective on the common vulnerabilities of the Indigenous and international student experiences at higher education institutions in Australia. Through a review of 88 publications in the leading journals we show that the majority of these articles focus on international students rather than Indigenous students. This literature treats Indigenous and international students as separate categories, although they share the campus and common vulnerabilities that have intensified in the post-COVID and post-AI university. While the vulnerabilities of each group in isolation may be considered minor, that serious challenges effect more than one group of students underscores the urgent changes required in the higher education system. We argue that understanding the commonalities of Indigenous and international student experiences could help universities develop more effective support strategies and programs. This research provides valuable insights about the assumptions of Western higher education that must be communicated to students to minimize the culture shock as they navigate the higher education space.

International Students (IS) generate significant revenue in Australia, bringing diversity, but also distinctive needs and values. IS experience unique mental health challenges and their unmet support needs have recently received public and academic attention, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, framing IS as homogeneous misses important variations within this population. A nuanced understanding of diverse IS subgroups with regard to mental health and help seeking is missing from current research. This study therefore explores the experiences of Queer International Students (QIS) in Victoria, and the barriers and facilitators that influence how they seek and gain mental health support. Results show that the persistent impacts of broader socio-cultural factors and systemic gaps in addressing QIS' intersectional needs act as barriers to accessing support, while awareness of intersectionality is critical in providing appropriate professional assistance to QIS. Findings suggest the need to build cultural competence and service collaborations to better support IS.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed additional challenges for international students in Australia, affecting their academic, social, and personal well-being. In this article, we examine how international students in North Queensland (NQ) responded to these challenges and their resilience coping mechanisms. Using a mixed methods approach, we collected and analysed data from students who reported significant social, cultural, financial, and mental health challenges. Our findings showed that international students utilise different resilience strategies to adapt, cope and survive during times of crisis. In light of the challenges and opportunities that international students face in their academic journey, we argue that higher education institutions have a responsibility to develop and implement effective strategies to foster the resilience of this diverse group of learners. Such a commitment can also contribute to the internationalisation of higher education and international students' retention, which are important goals for many higher education institutions in the globalised world.

Building on Milkman, Akinola, and Chugh (2015), this article presents data from an experiment conducted in Australia that included fictional emails from prospective students seeking a meeting with faculty members. The results show significantly different responses from faculty depending on the student's name and association with a racialized group. While the study reveals evidence of racial bias, there is, contrary to previous studies, little evidence of gender bias. Additionally, the study concludes that gender or racial diversity at the university or discipline level is not associated with lower rates of bias. Additional exploratory analysis further examines the data for evidence of change processes, including the interaction of gender and racial diversity, and lower rates of bias among more junior academics.

It has long been recognised that a key element in improving student transition, retention and success in higher education is cross-institutional consistency and unity of action among disparate academic, policy and support units. However, transferring this principle into practice often requires overcoming departmental silos, negotiating shared understandings of key concepts, and establishing patterns of cross-institutional collaboration in spaces where this may have been lacking. This study examines the effect of a program of supported communities of practice among teaching academics that sought to improve the culture of learning and teaching in a large science, health and engineering faculty in an Australian university. We found indications that these communities of practice promoted collaboration by functioning as loci of cross-institutional consultation and coordination, providing the basis for an enhanced student experience. We interpret this finding through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's ecological model of development, and propose an approach based on academic communities of practice as a way of building cross-institutional unity of action and making the student experience everybody's business.

Australia's much-vaunted reputation as a successful egalitarian, multicultural country has substantial merit, but it also has a chequered history, and the official narrative of egalitarianism and multiculturalism is experienced differentially by vulnerable, marginalised people and communities who bear the brunt of residual and new forms of racism and linguicism. One of the most vulnerable groups in Australian society is the cohort of Chinese international students, who face barriers of racism, linguicism, and exploitation. This paper presents the results of a study which consulted Chinese international students about their experiences in Australia. It found that while their experiences varied, a disturbing common thread of discrimination - from overt to more clandestine modes of aggression -- occurred. Implications for Australian decision-makers are enormous, particularly for educational and governmental institutions, for whom Chinese international students seem to represent a commodity rather than real, often vulnerable, young people.

This study aimed to examine and compare the lifestyles of Australian and Thai undergraduates. There were 213 students who participated in the study; 112 were Thai and 101 were Australian. The instrument included a questionnaire containing six lifestyle categories. Cronbach's alpha coefficient revealed that the questionnaire's reliability ranged from 0.71 to 0.92. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and t-test. The result indicated that the overall lifestyle score of students from both countries was moderate. However, there were differences between the two groups' lifestyles. The Australian participants favored the healthy lifestyle, whereas the Thai participants favored the conservative and homey lifestyles. Interestingly, the Australian participants' trendy lifestyle score was the lowest, while the Thai participants' night going lifestyle score was the highest. Comparing the two groups revealed a statistically significant difference of 0.05. This indicated that the Thai participants' lifestyles were more apparent than those of their counterparts. Only the night going lifestyle and the healthy lifestyle were rated higher by Australians than by Thais. The findings illustrate the differences in lifestyles between two countries, reflecting the complexity of lifestyle development in various dimensions. Understanding this complexity is therefore crucial.

The aim was to explore the literature for instruments that assess school well-being, identifying their design features and construct appropriateness. A systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020, and the PICO strategy to formulate the research questions. Fifty-two articles on instruments to assess pupils' school well-being were analysed using an interpretive approach. The results showed that school well-being is a topic of global interest, with China standing out, with non-uniform growth since 2007, being most notable in 2018 and 2019. Longitudinal and qualitative studies have appeared more frequently in recent years. The presence of multidimensional instruments stood out, with no consensus on the identification of the items to be assessed from a holistic perspective. This study paves the way for the design of a questionnaire that operationalise school well-being, considering not only the literature, but also the direct perceptions of pupils.

Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential to prepare healthcare students to work collaboratively once they enter the mental health workforce. However, there is limited research exploring IPE for students in a mental health service context. This study aimed to explore stakeholder experiences of a work-integrated learning (WIL) placement model with embedded IPE opportunities for clinical psychology and occupational therapy students in a youth mental health service in Australia. Students (n=9), staff (n=12) and clients (n=10) involved in the model participated in semi-structured interviews. A template thematic analysis derived five themes from the data: placement model valuable for all stakeholders, students' interprofessional learning, the role of the clinical educators, contrasting expectations of students' workload, and challenges of piloting new models of care. The findings from this research highlight the value and challenges of WIL placements featuring IPE in mental health settings, providing useful future directions to organizations hoping to implement similar models.

The landscape of work continues to evolve post-pandemic, leading to a shift in focus within higher education from discipline-specific knowledge and skills to capabilities that are transferable and reflect real-world complexities. A review of higher education to meet future economic and social trends and skill sets is a feature of many countries including Australia, where work-integrated learning (WIL) has been identified as a priority. This research identifies how to successfully involve online students in interdisciplinary WIL to develop complex problem-solving skills, resilience, and adaptability -- all imperative for competing in a constantly changing and digitally reliant economy. Adaptable and scalable, online teaching provides an alternative to traditional student placements while supporting student collaboration on authentic real-world projects. This study reflects on student and industry feedback of an online, interdisciplinary WIL course over four years. The key learnings and, challenges of online interdisciplinary WIL are identified along with recommendations for further research.

The notion of what constitutes a high-quality work-integrated learning experience has received increasing attention in the literature, particularly over the past decade. To date, the definitions of high-quality work-integrated learning have been broad and there remains a need to understand how elements of quality can be operationalized, particularly in niche settings. This paper describes an approach to developing a high-quality work-integrated learning program drawn from the experiences of a team of tertiary academics in the field of rural health. The design approach and quality assurance methods of a rural work-integrated learning program are discussed, including some of the preliminary outcomes. This paper demonstrates the complicated and complex nature of designing work-integrated learning programs in rural health environments. It is intended that this work will provide guidance to others seeking to create similar programs in rural contexts.