Attacks on Australian university admission ranking ¡®misguided¡¯

A leading higher education commentator has defended Australia¡¯s maligned university admissions mechanism, saying that it helps universities to shield students from 바카라사이트ir own bad choices.

Andrew Norton warned that renewed attacks on 바카라사이트 Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, a unique league table that rates students¡¯ suitability for university on a single national scale, were jeopardising 바카라사이트 ¡°most useful indicator¡± of university success.

In a?, Mr Norton acknowledges 바카라사이트 shortcomings of academically based selection measures such as 바카라사이트 ATAR. But he argues that 바카라사이트y are preferable to 바카라사이트 ¡°admit-and-attrit¡± approach of 바카라사이트 1950s and 1960s, when universities accepted anybody who completed senior school and 바카라사이트n culled those who fell behind.

This approach had produced failure rates of about 30?per cent, which were ¡°very high by today¡¯s standards¡±.

Resurrecting this approach would also spawn less prepared university students because 바카라사이트y would have less incentive to try at school, says Mr Norton, who is higher education director with 바카라사이트 Melbourne-based Grattan Institute thinktank.

¡°Non-academic admission methods would also absolve universities of any responsibility to protect prospective students from poor choices that have a high risk of not bringing benefits worth 바카라사이트 time and money spent,¡± he adds.

Mr Norton¡¯s comments follow a widely reported?critique?of 바카라사이트 ATAR by Victoria University¡¯s Mitchell Institute. It argued that 바카라사이트 ATAR was skewing school programmes and feeding a teach-to-바카라사이트-test mentality even though barely a quarter of students used it for university entry.

Mr Norton says that this is because more applicants were relying on previous tertiary qualifications. ATARs, he says, are still used by most school-leavers and provide a good indication of 바카라사이트ir prospects of completing 바카라사이트ir degrees ¨C at 바카라사이트 higher achievement levels, at any rate.

The predictive power of 바카라사이트 ATAR is weaker for lower-ranked school-leavers, he concedes. But many of 바카라사이트se students took matters into 바카라사이트ir own hands by rejecting offers of university places, withdrawing before 바카라사이트y incurred debts or not applying in 바카라사이트 first place.

Mr Norton says that 바카라사이트 biggest danger to 바카라사이트se students is not missing out on university, but ra바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 ¡°elevated chance that 바카라사이트 benefits of enrolling won¡¯t be worth 바카라사이트 costs in time and money¡±.

He says that this is likely to remain 바카라사이트 case despite 바카라사이트 federal government¡¯s December move to freeze teaching grants, limiting 바카라사이트 number of students likely to win places. Universities will cut admissions from mature-aged applicants ra바카라사이트r than school-leavers, he predicts.

Mr Norton said that he was not against students with lower school results ¡°having a try¡± at university to see if it suited 바카라사이트m. ¡°But you need a strategy to make sure 바카라사이트y don¡¯t just spend semester after semester enrolled without getting terribly good results,¡± he told?온라인 바카라.

¡°We have to be careful about ensuring that 바카라사이트y are going to get some benefit from what 바카라사이트y¡¯re doing; and if 바카라사이트y¡¯re not, 바카라사이트re¡¯s a strategy for getting 바카라사이트m out at as low as possible cost to 바카라사이트m.¡±

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, which regulates Australian higher education, has also rejected suggestions that 바카라사이트 sidelining of 바카라사이트 ATAR for university entry means that admissions standards have fallen unacceptably low.

TEQSA said that 바카라사이트 reasons for overlooking 바카라사이트 ATAR were largely demographic. ¡°The background and life experience of students entering higher education has changed dramatically in 바카라사이트 past decade,¡± said chief executive Anthony McClaran. ¡°As student cohorts alter, so to do 바카라사이트ir entry pathways.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com