Call for ARC to halt the churning

Call for ARC to halt the churning  | JULIE HARE | The Australian Higher Education | 29 January, 2014

OVER the Christmas break, the Centre for Positive Psychology and Education at the University of Western Sydney upped sticks and moved across town to Australian Catholic University\’s Strathfield campus. It totalled about 40 people: researchers, their support staff and PhD students. Yesterday, in a case of déjà vu, the University of South Australia confirmed it had acquired senior researchers and support staff from the University of Technology Sydney’s Centre for Choice. UniSA had even bought real estate in North Sydney to accommodate it’s new Institute for Choice. Two years ago, Central Queensland University, chequebook in hand, acquired UniSA\’s entire team of sleep researchers – and purchased real estate so they could stay in Adelaide.

Our audience awaits

This edition – Our audience awaits |Stephen Curry |  Times Higher Education | 24 November 2011

Impact gives science a way to keep the public onside. When, just over a year ago, Vince Cable misquoted the results of the 2008 research assessment exercise in making the erroneous claim that 45 per cent of UK science was not “excellent”, it did not go down well.

via Times Higher Education – .

Excellence in Research for Australia lays bare research myth

Excellence in Research for Australia lays bare research myths |  Julie Hare and Andrew Trounson |  The Australian Higher Education | 02 February, 2011

MISSION-BASED compacts can be used to drive a multi-layered higher education sector, but only if there is the political will to achieve true differentiation. Les Field, deputy vice-chancellor, research, at the University of NSW, said while compacts had the potential to drive differentiation including the creation of teaching-only universities among lower research performance institutions, he was “exceptionally sceptical about whether compacts would work”.

Top research departments fail to shine in impact pilot

Top research departments fail to shine in impact pilot | Paul Jump | Times Higher Education | 20 January 2011

Hefce warns against reading too much into results as departments ‘experiment’. A number of top research departments performed unexpectedly poorly in the first official attempt to measure the impact of academics’ research, new data reveal. Some lower-rated departments also did conspicuously well in the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s pilot impact assessment exercise.

REF postponed while Willetts waits for impact ‘consensus’

REF postponed while Willetts waits for impact ‘consensus’ | Simon Baker | Times Higher Education | 8 July 2010

Minister yet to be convinced by measure as Labour attacks coalition cuts. The government is to delay the research excellence framework by a year to see whether consensus emerges in the sector over plans to measure the social and economic “impact” of academics’ work.

Nervous Hefce ‘edging out’ of REF citations

Nervous Hefce ‘edging out’ of REF citations | Zoë Corbyn | Times Higher Education | 01 April 2010

Key departure from RAE may go as process is delayed to assess impact plans. The use of citations to judge research quality could be dropped entirely from the research excellence framework, potentially ditching one of the key differences with its predecessor, the research assessment exercise.

Tory government would postpone REF, Willetts reveals

Tory government would postpone REF, Willetts reveals |Melanie Newman | Times Higher Education | 14 January 2010

Delay of up to two years planned to get to grips with impact measure. Melanie Newman reportsThe research excellence framework will be delayed by up to two years if the Conservatives win the 2010 general election, Times Higher Education can reveal.

Submissions focus on the weighting of impact in REF

Submissions focus on the weighting of impact in REF | Zoë Corbyn | Times Higher Education | 17 December 2009

Concern that 25% is too high is a theme among many of some 300 responses. Two key university mission groups whose opinions commonly divide the sector have converged to recommend a 15 per cent weighting for impact in the forthcoming research excellence framework.

Dawkins reforms bear fruit at Curtin | The Australian

Dawkins reforms bear fruit at Curtin | Bernard Lane | The Australian | 4  November, 2009

CURTIN University of Technology has cracked the top 500 in the world’s most closely watched rankings for research universities, showing the progress made by new institutions lacking a long history of research funding. Higher education commentator Simon Marginson hailed Curtin’s performance as “the standout change” in the 2009 league table drawn up by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and released last week.

It’s evolution, not revolution for REF

It’s evolution, not revolution for REF | Zoë Corbyn | Times Higher Education | 24 September 2009

Continuities with RAE, but impact to equal one quarter of assessment scores. The impact of academics’ work on the wider world will determine one quarter of universities’ overall score in the forthcoming research excellence framework, with the number of assessment sub-panels to be cut by more than half.