The first students arrived at Monash U 65 years ago today, but there is no celebratory flyover by the Chancellor’s squadron announced, nor a parade by the University Halbadiers. Instead, VC Sharon Pickering announces Google Gemini is now available to the university community. “The inclusion of AI will enable us to augment what is fundamental to the Monash educational experience … we remain deeply committed to the human dimensions of teaching and learning,” she said. Sober stuff for serious (maybe terrifying) teaching times.
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When government agencies get in each other’s way, what one needs is a new “mechanism.” The Bruniges review of Jobs and Skills Australia finds stakeholders want its role to be defined with regard to other agencies , including ATEC, Jobs and Skills Councils, the Productivity Commission and the estimable NCVER. There may be, “the need for a future mechanism to minimise overlap or duplication.” Perhaps Barney Glover, now JSA Commissioner and Interim ATEC Acting Chief Commissioner could manage that as well.
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Jason Lodge (Uni Queensland) and Leslie Loble (UTS) nail the AI risk – it is way worse than students cheating. “AI may fundamentally interfere with the cognitive processes of knowledge construction and verification, the very processes that build the long-term memory stores and subsequent skills upon which the majority of critical thinking depends … By providing the answer, the solution, or the essay, it robs the learner of the very cognitive struggle that is necessary to build lasting knowledge.”
But because large language models are not going away they also set out three ways to use them; * teach students how to offload the routine and dull stuff onto AI so they can free the brainspace for intrinsic learning (FC’s words not theirs) * design AI interactions that “help students become self-regulating and motivated learners” * make AI “a socratic partner” teaching by asking questions not answering them. Among the hype and hysteria, their paper is calm and cogent. It is HERE.
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WA Chief Scientist Sharath Sriram reports the first meeting of “key government science, research, and innovation agencies across WA … marking the start of a coordinated effort to strengthen cross‑government scientific collaboration and visibility.” They will meet again mid-year. In contrast, the National Science Council met at the beginning of December and discussed, among other matters, its future work plan, “projects on misinformation and trust in science and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems.”
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There is an allocation of 50 new medical school places, starting 2028. No, not the ones that were awarded in November with ten universities getting equal share in 100. They were Stream A, training for primary care and rural/regional doctors. These are Stream B, open to all public universities, “including those looking to establish new medical schools.” Such as? Maybe like Federation U, which is in partnership with private provider NewMed to create a full-fee med school, with a regional focus. The Australian Medical Council is considering accreditation.
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Industry and Science Minister Tim Ayres addresses the National Press Club in a couple of weeks, where he is expected to talk about the government’s plan for R&D. Data master Frank Larkins (Uni Melbourne) is crunching the numbers on Australian spending, which might generate questions the Minister will not welcome. Like why are we way under OECD averages. Professor Larkins’ recently reported (FC last week) that Australia’s ratio of gross expenditure on R&D to GDP is “well below” major trading partners and the OECD average. In a new paper he analyses the spend by category, notably government, HE and business and reports that only Australian higher education (base of 100 in 2014 and 114 in 2023) has come close to keeping up with the OECD sector average (120 in 23) in real terms. In contrast Australian government was 94 in 2023 compared to the OECD 112. The gap was way wider for business (102-Aus, 149-OECD).
Professor Larkins acknowledges Australia has a minex exporting economy, but warns that the “performance gap continues to increase is cause for a major review as the nation increasingly becomes dependent on a technologically-driven world with the challenges that artificial intelligence developments present to all sectors.”
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The medical research establishment has campaigned for months for the Government to release $1bn a year from the Medical Research Future Fund, instead of the annual $650m, scheduled annually through to 2033-34. The argument is that $1bn is a manageable outlay, what with there being nearly $25bn socked away.
And now 32 “patient advocacy groups” join the push, signing a letter from the Australian Society for Medical Research to Health Minister Mark Butler, ”to release the medical research funding already sitting idle.” They should also have a word with Finance Minister Katy Gallagher who actually authorises outlays.
It appears the various lobbies have a point – the Future Fund Board of Guardians set a $1.55bn ceiling on distribution from the MRFF for 2025-26 which rather makes the government look mean about the money, that, and churlish for not responding to complaints. But, while the feds are keeping quiet, there could be a reason for the caution. In 2020-21 MRFF investments earned $2.15bn but just $18m the next year. Treasury had to kick in $280m over two Budgets from Consolidated Revenue to fund projects.
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“Is your RTO’s use of Artificial Intelligence compliant with the 2025 Standards? Come to our Sector Workshops to find out? The Australian Skills Quality Authority suggests. And it will only slug you $30 for a seat to hear about its rules. ASQAnauts have certainly got the hang of cost recovery.
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TEQSA is pleased indeed that it’s ReStreg process wins the initiative category in the Commonwealth Public Service Risk Management Awards. Apparently it helped the Agency deal with a “surge” in re-registration applications so that there was a 228 % increase in decisions finalised in 2024. “A tiered assessment model that introduced mandatory self-assurance reporting and complexity categorisation,” is how it was done. Good-oh, at least for those who know what that means. And, as governance commentator Sonia Whitely points out, “the issue is not simply whether requirements were met, but whether the institution can recognise emerging problems early, test the strength of its own assurance and act before weaknesses become failures.”
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Jason Clare is keen on targeted support programs to engineer policy outcomes, and this year is the start of demand driven funding, now known as “needs based” for low SES undergraduates, those at regional campuses, students with disabilities and all First Nations students. But sometimes people do not follow the funding. The learned Andrew Norton points to findings of the report on the HELP Debt Reduction Program for teachers and doctors in very remote areas. Some 1740 teachers were expected to apply in 2023, but only 335 did. “Requiring teachers to stay four years to be eligible … may be too long, report author Rachel Hunter suggested.
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They are admirably understated on social-licence achievements in the great state of Texas. Announcing a $55m grant for Rice U’s Urban Research Institute, director Ruth López Turley says, “working together, I know we can make prosperity for all a reality for Houston.”
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University of Sydney philosopher Alexandre Lefebvre reports enrolments there are “popping off.” Phil 101 has 718 (presumably for the class just starting) and Logic 431. “Who knows why, but I would like to think that in an age of distraction and AI, philosophy is back,” he suggests at LinkedIn. It never left, although national degree level enrolments were and are modest. According to national DoE stats for first year UGs enrolled in 0917, “philosophy and religious studies”, there were 3015 in 2015 and 3124 in 2024.