This article uses a meta-metrics approach to research the research in Religion and Religious Studies (Field of Research (FoR) Code 2204) in Australia. Comparing and contrasting various results from the data provided by the Australian Research Council (ARC) on its Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) process, as well as global rankings data,…

While there has been considerable research on doctoral examination there is little that examines the various roles of the oral component and what issues one might consider if introducing or revising that aspect of the thesis examination process. This matter is of particular importance in Australia where it is not usual to have an oral component as…

In 2015, the Australian Government's Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment of research quality declined to rate 1.5 per cent of submissions from universities. The public debate focused on practices of gaming or "coding errors" within university submissions as the reason for this outcome. The issue was about the…

Universities live in interesting times. For instance, government policies in Australia are allowing for more deregulation of the student market while overseas universities are entering the Australian domestic market. In an environment of increasing uncertainty, sound strategic planning is important. Processes including benchmarking, environmental…

Government policies designed to redress social inequality are often evaluated by qualitative methods, which prevents the establishment of a causal relationship between policy objectives and outcomes. Social programmes to broaden participation in higher education have been a feature of government policy in Europe, the US and Australia during the…

This paper suggests rethinking the doctoral examination process in Australia to enable a closer alignment with the aims of the learning programme. The doctoral examination processes generally aim to assess the candidate's research capability, the quality and originality of the candidate's contribution to knowledge, and to authenticate that the…

Issues in the introduction of performance appraisal of individual academic staff members are examined from the viewpoint of general management theory and practice. Benefits to the faculty and institution and the potential for abuse of the procedures and results are discussed. (MSE)

The place of peer review in the process by which the Australian Research Council allocates funds under the Large Grants Scheme, the primary funding source for basic research, is examined. Validity and reliability of peer review, the decision-making process, and cost effectiveness of the procedures are considered. (MSE)