Tim Pitman - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Tim Pitman

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Missing the Target’ – A Critical Examination of Policy Frameworks for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Inclusion into the Allied Health Professions

Research paper thumbnail of A classroom like no other: Teaching and Learning in Australian Educational Tourism

Research paper thumbnail of Australia should start planning for universal tertiary education

Research paper thumbnail of Australian Universities’ RPL Policies and Practices: Strategic 'Morphing' of Quality and Equity Discourses

Research paper thumbnail of Higher education policy in 2018: culture wars reignite, but in the end it’s all about the money

Research paper thumbnail of Is there a gender difference in STEM students' perceived employability?

Journal of Education and Training, Sep 9, 2022

PurposeThe study sought to determine whether there are gender differences in self-perceived emplo... more PurposeThe study sought to determine whether there are gender differences in self-perceived employability of students enrolled in Australian higher education science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.Design/methodology/approachUsing an online measure comprised of Likert style and open text items, STEM students (n = 3,134) reported their perceived employability in relation to nine dimensions of employability identified from the literature as having relevance to careers in STEM. Analysis determined whether student confidence differed according to gender, field of study, study mode, age, and engagement with work.FindingsFemale students in STEM reported higher mean factor scores in relation to their self- and program-awareness, self-regulated learning, and academic self-efficacy. Male students were more confident in relation to digital literacy skills; these findings were consistent both overall and across several fields of study within STEM. Gender differences were observed across study mode, age, and engagement with work.Originality/valueThe analyses of students' perceived employability provide important insights into the formation of a STEM “identity” among female students. The study has implications for policy, higher education, the engagement of girls in early STEM education, and future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Australian Government Demand Driven System Review

Research paper thumbnail of Disability and Australian higher education: The case for an Accessible model of disability support

Australian Journal of Education

This article explores a century and a half of supporting students with disabilities in Australian... more This article explores a century and a half of supporting students with disabilities in Australian higher education, spanning the introduction of mass public education legislation in 1872 through to 2022. The article documents the transition from a paradigm in which disability was not integral to universal public instruction to systemic approaches to provision of reasonable adjustments. This transition has opened opportunities for persons with disabilities in some regards yet impedes full inclusion in others. Theoretically, we draw upon multiple paradigms of disability to explore how disability support has evolved in the Australian higher education sector, including ‘charitable’, ‘inspiration porn’, ‘medical’, ‘social’, ‘prosthetic’ and ‘ecological’ models. We offer qualitative and quantitative examples across time to illustrate these evolving paradigms. We then explore an alternative model of disability, which we define as an ‘Accessible’ model of disability support.

Research paper thumbnail of Mainstreaming accessible digital technologies in higher education: a human rights approach to disability inclusion

Activating Cultural and Social Change, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Articulating lifelong learning in tourism : dialogue between humanities scholars and travel providers : final report

This project investigated: • the learning outcomes identified by the educational tourism industry... more This project investigated: • the learning outcomes identified by the educational tourism industry for its clientele in comparison to the pedagogical concerns of humanities academics about the material they produce for travel companies; • the wide variety of teaching competencies required for designing, writing handbooks for and teaching on tour; • how scholars may be using their interactions in this domain as an opportunity for reflecting on their teaching practices; and • ways to increase communication between humanities academics and the educational tourism sector

Research paper thumbnail of Positioning Pathways Provision Within Global and National Contexts

This chapter positions the increase in the provision of pathway programs, including foundation an... more This chapter positions the increase in the provision of pathway programs, including foundation and enabling programs, as a function of global trends shaping higher education and localised responses to social, economic, political and cultural factors. These localised responses play out against a broader global context, in which the increasing mobility of students looms large. Demography, politics, history and economics all contribute to considerable diversity in the structure, financing and market composition of higher education systems. In turn, these factors shape the purpose, design and delivery of pathway programs. This chapter draws upon UNESCO, OECD and World Bank data sets to contextualise relevant examples of African, Australasian, European, Middle East, and North American higher education systems, against each other and other international benchmarks. The trajectory of these education systems across time demonstrates convergence towards higher levels of school participation ...

Research paper thumbnail of Australian Higher Education Equity Ranking Project: Final Report

Research paper thumbnail of The Pandemic Preferred User

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of Enabling Programs on Indigenous Participation, Success and Retention in Australian Higher Education

Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Constructing a ranking of higher education institutions based on equity: is it possible or desirable?

Higher Education, 2020

This paper presents findings from a research project which aimed to rank Australian higher educat... more This paper presents findings from a research project which aimed to rank Australian higher education institutions on their 'equity performance'; that is, the extent to which they were accessible for, supportive of, and benefiting students traditionally under-represented in higher education. The study comprised a conceptual consideration of how higher education equity might be defined and empirically measured, drawing on extant scholarly research as well as observations from key stakeholders, including equity practitioners, researchers, policymakers and higher education executives and institutional planners. Based on these findings, a theoretical framework for higher education equity performance was constructed, and performance indicators identified and subjected to systematic assessment for real-world application. The ensuing ranking system was populated with institutional data from the 37 public universities in Australia. The findings from this analysis indicate that a ranking system may not be the optimal method for assessing higher education equity performance and highlights the subjective nature of both higher education equity and higher education ranking systems. 2012: A cohort analysis. Canberra: Department of Education.

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding ‘fairness’ in student selection: are there differences and does it make a difference anyway?

Studies in Higher Education, 2014

Universities are required to adopt ‘fair’ student admission practices, yet understandings of fair... more Universities are required to adopt ‘fair’ student admission practices, yet understandings of fairness in student selection are contested. This paper uses an analysis of the admission policies of Australia's public universities to critically examine the use and application of notions of fairness. A further analysis of enrolment data is used to contextualise policy rhetoric against admission practice. Three broad themes of fairness emerge: merit based, procedural and normative. Discursively, merit-based fairness is the preferred understanding of fairness. The enrolment data, however, indicate no relationship between how fairness is explicated and whether or not a university is more accessible to disadvantaged students. In practice, therefore, normative conceptualisations of fairness are the most influential, when normative fairness is understood as a reproduction of wider social inequities.

Research paper thumbnail of Reinterpreting higher education quality in response to policies of mass education: the Australian experience

Quality in Higher Education, 2014

This paper explores the relationship between mass education, higher education quality and policy ... more This paper explores the relationship between mass education, higher education quality and policy development in Australia in the period 2008-2014, during which access to higher education was significantly increased. Over this time, which included a change of national government, the discursive relationship between mass higher education and higher education quality shifted from conceptualising quality as a function of economic productivity, through educational transformation and academic standards, to market competition and efficiency. Throughout, the student was more often positioned as a servant towards higher education quality, rather than its benefactor.

Research paper thumbnail of Unlocking the gates to the peasants: are policies of ‘fairness’ or ‘inclusion’ more important for equity in higher education?

Cambridge Journal of Education, 2014

Unlocking the gates to the peasants: Will policies of 'fairness' or 'inclusion' do more for equit... more Unlocking the gates to the peasants: Will policies of 'fairness' or 'inclusion' do more for equity in higher education? Attempts to make higher education more equitable more readily succeed at the aggregate (sector) level than at the institutional, with students from disadvantaged groups being overrepresented in low-status institutions. It is suggested that this is because policies of 'fairness' (i.e. proportional representation) dominate the contemporary policy framework and are strongly resisted by elite universities. However, using the Australian higher education sector as an example, this paper argues that equity policy is actually a mix of 'proportional fairness' and 'inclusion' and elite institutions resist not because the policy is deficient but because it might actually work. An alternative approach to higher education equity policy is proposed; one which requires elite institutions to engage meaningfully with disadvantaged students but allows them to retain their status advantage.

Research paper thumbnail of Does accelerating access to higher education lower its quality? The Australian experience

Higher Education Research & Development, 2014

ABSTRACT In the pursuit of mass higher education, fears are often expressed that the quality of h... more ABSTRACT In the pursuit of mass higher education, fears are often expressed that the quality of higher education suffers as access is increased. This quantitative study considers three proxies of educational quality: (1) prior academic achievement of the student, (2) attrition and retention rates and (3) progression rates, to establish whether educational quality suffers when supply is significantly increased. The period of analysis (2009–2011) saw just such an increase in higher education places in Australia, as universities prepared for the removal of all caps on undergraduate domestic student places in 2012. Our analysis reveals that, whilst widening access results in more students with lower levels of academic achievement entering higher education, this does not necessarily equate to a lowering of educational quality. Furthermore, although on average student progression rates dropped slightly, retention rates actually increased in the majority of universities, suggesting high levels of student perseverance. In addition, there were already wide variations in attrition and progression rates between universities, and the changes observed between 2009 and 2011 did not lead to substantial alterations.

Research paper thumbnail of Converting RPL into academic capital: lessons from Australian universities

International Journal of Lifelong Education, 2013

ABSTRACT Recognition of prior learning (RPL) requires an assessment of the equivalence and transf... more ABSTRACT Recognition of prior learning (RPL) requires an assessment of the equivalence and transferability of learning acquired in one context to another. However, this study’s examination of the institutional policies and practices of three Australian universities reveals that RPL can also be understood as a Bourdieuian process of ‘capital conversion’, where an individual’s economic, social and cultural capital are assessed as being equivalent to ‘academic experience’. This approach reveals that, far from being an epistemological assessment of prior learning, universities also consider their organisational identity and status when considering what informal or non-formal learning will be accepted. Ultimately, what counts as prior learning depends as much upon which university is doing the assessment, its motive for doing so and the extent to which it views RPL as a normative threat.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Missing the Target’ – A Critical Examination of Policy Frameworks for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Inclusion into the Allied Health Professions

Research paper thumbnail of A classroom like no other: Teaching and Learning in Australian Educational Tourism

Research paper thumbnail of Australia should start planning for universal tertiary education

Research paper thumbnail of Australian Universities’ RPL Policies and Practices: Strategic 'Morphing' of Quality and Equity Discourses

Research paper thumbnail of Higher education policy in 2018: culture wars reignite, but in the end it’s all about the money

Research paper thumbnail of Is there a gender difference in STEM students' perceived employability?

Journal of Education and Training, Sep 9, 2022

PurposeThe study sought to determine whether there are gender differences in self-perceived emplo... more PurposeThe study sought to determine whether there are gender differences in self-perceived employability of students enrolled in Australian higher education science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.Design/methodology/approachUsing an online measure comprised of Likert style and open text items, STEM students (n = 3,134) reported their perceived employability in relation to nine dimensions of employability identified from the literature as having relevance to careers in STEM. Analysis determined whether student confidence differed according to gender, field of study, study mode, age, and engagement with work.FindingsFemale students in STEM reported higher mean factor scores in relation to their self- and program-awareness, self-regulated learning, and academic self-efficacy. Male students were more confident in relation to digital literacy skills; these findings were consistent both overall and across several fields of study within STEM. Gender differences were observed across study mode, age, and engagement with work.Originality/valueThe analyses of students' perceived employability provide important insights into the formation of a STEM “identity” among female students. The study has implications for policy, higher education, the engagement of girls in early STEM education, and future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Australian Government Demand Driven System Review

Research paper thumbnail of Disability and Australian higher education: The case for an Accessible model of disability support

Australian Journal of Education

This article explores a century and a half of supporting students with disabilities in Australian... more This article explores a century and a half of supporting students with disabilities in Australian higher education, spanning the introduction of mass public education legislation in 1872 through to 2022. The article documents the transition from a paradigm in which disability was not integral to universal public instruction to systemic approaches to provision of reasonable adjustments. This transition has opened opportunities for persons with disabilities in some regards yet impedes full inclusion in others. Theoretically, we draw upon multiple paradigms of disability to explore how disability support has evolved in the Australian higher education sector, including ‘charitable’, ‘inspiration porn’, ‘medical’, ‘social’, ‘prosthetic’ and ‘ecological’ models. We offer qualitative and quantitative examples across time to illustrate these evolving paradigms. We then explore an alternative model of disability, which we define as an ‘Accessible’ model of disability support.

Research paper thumbnail of Mainstreaming accessible digital technologies in higher education: a human rights approach to disability inclusion

Activating Cultural and Social Change, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Articulating lifelong learning in tourism : dialogue between humanities scholars and travel providers : final report

This project investigated: • the learning outcomes identified by the educational tourism industry... more This project investigated: • the learning outcomes identified by the educational tourism industry for its clientele in comparison to the pedagogical concerns of humanities academics about the material they produce for travel companies; • the wide variety of teaching competencies required for designing, writing handbooks for and teaching on tour; • how scholars may be using their interactions in this domain as an opportunity for reflecting on their teaching practices; and • ways to increase communication between humanities academics and the educational tourism sector

Research paper thumbnail of Positioning Pathways Provision Within Global and National Contexts

This chapter positions the increase in the provision of pathway programs, including foundation an... more This chapter positions the increase in the provision of pathway programs, including foundation and enabling programs, as a function of global trends shaping higher education and localised responses to social, economic, political and cultural factors. These localised responses play out against a broader global context, in which the increasing mobility of students looms large. Demography, politics, history and economics all contribute to considerable diversity in the structure, financing and market composition of higher education systems. In turn, these factors shape the purpose, design and delivery of pathway programs. This chapter draws upon UNESCO, OECD and World Bank data sets to contextualise relevant examples of African, Australasian, European, Middle East, and North American higher education systems, against each other and other international benchmarks. The trajectory of these education systems across time demonstrates convergence towards higher levels of school participation ...

Research paper thumbnail of Australian Higher Education Equity Ranking Project: Final Report

Research paper thumbnail of The Pandemic Preferred User

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of Enabling Programs on Indigenous Participation, Success and Retention in Australian Higher Education

Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of Constructing a ranking of higher education institutions based on equity: is it possible or desirable?

Higher Education, 2020

This paper presents findings from a research project which aimed to rank Australian higher educat... more This paper presents findings from a research project which aimed to rank Australian higher education institutions on their 'equity performance'; that is, the extent to which they were accessible for, supportive of, and benefiting students traditionally under-represented in higher education. The study comprised a conceptual consideration of how higher education equity might be defined and empirically measured, drawing on extant scholarly research as well as observations from key stakeholders, including equity practitioners, researchers, policymakers and higher education executives and institutional planners. Based on these findings, a theoretical framework for higher education equity performance was constructed, and performance indicators identified and subjected to systematic assessment for real-world application. The ensuing ranking system was populated with institutional data from the 37 public universities in Australia. The findings from this analysis indicate that a ranking system may not be the optimal method for assessing higher education equity performance and highlights the subjective nature of both higher education equity and higher education ranking systems. 2012: A cohort analysis. Canberra: Department of Education.

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding ‘fairness’ in student selection: are there differences and does it make a difference anyway?

Studies in Higher Education, 2014

Universities are required to adopt ‘fair’ student admission practices, yet understandings of fair... more Universities are required to adopt ‘fair’ student admission practices, yet understandings of fairness in student selection are contested. This paper uses an analysis of the admission policies of Australia's public universities to critically examine the use and application of notions of fairness. A further analysis of enrolment data is used to contextualise policy rhetoric against admission practice. Three broad themes of fairness emerge: merit based, procedural and normative. Discursively, merit-based fairness is the preferred understanding of fairness. The enrolment data, however, indicate no relationship between how fairness is explicated and whether or not a university is more accessible to disadvantaged students. In practice, therefore, normative conceptualisations of fairness are the most influential, when normative fairness is understood as a reproduction of wider social inequities.

Research paper thumbnail of Reinterpreting higher education quality in response to policies of mass education: the Australian experience

Quality in Higher Education, 2014

This paper explores the relationship between mass education, higher education quality and policy ... more This paper explores the relationship between mass education, higher education quality and policy development in Australia in the period 2008-2014, during which access to higher education was significantly increased. Over this time, which included a change of national government, the discursive relationship between mass higher education and higher education quality shifted from conceptualising quality as a function of economic productivity, through educational transformation and academic standards, to market competition and efficiency. Throughout, the student was more often positioned as a servant towards higher education quality, rather than its benefactor.

Research paper thumbnail of Unlocking the gates to the peasants: are policies of ‘fairness’ or ‘inclusion’ more important for equity in higher education?

Cambridge Journal of Education, 2014

Unlocking the gates to the peasants: Will policies of 'fairness' or 'inclusion' do more for equit... more Unlocking the gates to the peasants: Will policies of 'fairness' or 'inclusion' do more for equity in higher education? Attempts to make higher education more equitable more readily succeed at the aggregate (sector) level than at the institutional, with students from disadvantaged groups being overrepresented in low-status institutions. It is suggested that this is because policies of 'fairness' (i.e. proportional representation) dominate the contemporary policy framework and are strongly resisted by elite universities. However, using the Australian higher education sector as an example, this paper argues that equity policy is actually a mix of 'proportional fairness' and 'inclusion' and elite institutions resist not because the policy is deficient but because it might actually work. An alternative approach to higher education equity policy is proposed; one which requires elite institutions to engage meaningfully with disadvantaged students but allows them to retain their status advantage.

Research paper thumbnail of Does accelerating access to higher education lower its quality? The Australian experience

Higher Education Research & Development, 2014

ABSTRACT In the pursuit of mass higher education, fears are often expressed that the quality of h... more ABSTRACT In the pursuit of mass higher education, fears are often expressed that the quality of higher education suffers as access is increased. This quantitative study considers three proxies of educational quality: (1) prior academic achievement of the student, (2) attrition and retention rates and (3) progression rates, to establish whether educational quality suffers when supply is significantly increased. The period of analysis (2009–2011) saw just such an increase in higher education places in Australia, as universities prepared for the removal of all caps on undergraduate domestic student places in 2012. Our analysis reveals that, whilst widening access results in more students with lower levels of academic achievement entering higher education, this does not necessarily equate to a lowering of educational quality. Furthermore, although on average student progression rates dropped slightly, retention rates actually increased in the majority of universities, suggesting high levels of student perseverance. In addition, there were already wide variations in attrition and progression rates between universities, and the changes observed between 2009 and 2011 did not lead to substantial alterations.

Research paper thumbnail of Converting RPL into academic capital: lessons from Australian universities

International Journal of Lifelong Education, 2013

ABSTRACT Recognition of prior learning (RPL) requires an assessment of the equivalence and transf... more ABSTRACT Recognition of prior learning (RPL) requires an assessment of the equivalence and transferability of learning acquired in one context to another. However, this study’s examination of the institutional policies and practices of three Australian universities reveals that RPL can also be understood as a Bourdieuian process of ‘capital conversion’, where an individual’s economic, social and cultural capital are assessed as being equivalent to ‘academic experience’. This approach reveals that, far from being an epistemological assessment of prior learning, universities also consider their organisational identity and status when considering what informal or non-formal learning will be accepted. Ultimately, what counts as prior learning depends as much upon which university is doing the assessment, its motive for doing so and the extent to which it views RPL as a normative threat.