Invited summary - John Dearn, University
of Canberra
John suggested we consider 12 issues:
- Who
owns the “at risk” agenda in universities?
Is it the senior managers or the coal face teachers? Where are all the really interested academics
in this system? Do they sit on the
key committees; are they the decision makers; do they decide on important
changes like resources needed to support commencing students, etc?
Are they senior people who are heard?
- Is
there an international professional community that owns the “at risk” agenda?
What is it? Are there international journals devoted
to this topic? Do we publish in them?
- Does
this international professional community engage in appropriate research?
Do we know enough about the “at risk” agenda?
Is the research rigorous, comprehensive?
What research should we be doing collaboratively across Australia?
- Does
the professional community do a good enough job of communicating our issues
to decision makers/higher management? Are the issues dealt with appropriately
in general debate?
- Do
we link university-wide initiatives with issue of student support?
- There
is a tension between university strategic directions and the duty of care
for students. This needs to have public
debate?
- There
is a moral dimension about what our work is. Are we there because we believe we can
help?
- The
rhetoric of the “at risk” agenda seems negative. At risk of what? Of meeting our agenda which is to pass;
what about the students’ agenda?
- We
lack a strong developmental process with respect to students – their development
during their university experience. We
need to use a developmental framework for transition, eg the cognitive apprenticeship
model.
- Learning
to learn should be the basis of all university experience. We need to introduce a professional development
planning model so that all students are aware of what is needed to be developed
during the degree program.
- Does
“at risk” only exist when the institution is dysfunctional?; when students fall through the cracks?
- Are
universities really listening to students? Brendan Nelson doesn’t believe
we are – that we do not put student first.
