Teaching and learning in the university: New directions for Australian higher education

The purpose of this paper is to outline recent changes to higher education in Australia and assess the implications of those changes for teaching and learning in universities. Three main changes have been identified: 1. The meta‐policy context that has transformed a binary system of higher education into a unified national system of universities. This has given rise to the concept of the comprehensive university accompanied by an economic rationalist approach to the funding of higher education. Issues identified are the relativities to be accorded to teaching and research in the new universities and the push for more efficient modes of teaching. 2. Institutional changes that have influenced the traditional character of universities. These changes include the politicisation of Vice‐Chancellors whose peak body is now recognised by the government as the single voice of the university sector, the changing student composition of universities as a result of government policies relating to overseas students and students who have been traditionally underpresented in universities and the introduction of academic staff appraisal. An assessment is made of this broad range of changes on teaching and learning. 3. Changing conceptions of teaching are discussed with a particular emphasis on the work of Shulman and its implications for teaching in the university. Copyright © 1995, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved.