Working students: reconceptualising the doctoral experience. Doctoral education is traditionally conceptualised in policies and practices as about young, full-time students with no work or related commitments. However, nowadays, doctoral candidates constitute a diverse population working in various institutional, community and industry sites. Government, universities and students' associations need to reconceptualise contemporary doctoral candidates' working relationships to enhance doctoral edu ....Working students: reconceptualising the doctoral experience. Doctoral education is traditionally conceptualised in policies and practices as about young, full-time students with no work or related commitments. However, nowadays, doctoral candidates constitute a diverse population working in various institutional, community and industry sites. Government, universities and students' associations need to reconceptualise contemporary doctoral candidates' working relationships to enhance doctoral education and to realise its full potential in society. Using quantitative and qualitative approaches, the project breaks new ground through two related comprehensive and systematic studies of the doctoral-working experiences of full-time and part-time students. It will generate new conceptual frameworks, and tools for data collection and analysis.Read moreRead less
Deciphering the tectonic history of the Musgrave Block to assist mineral explorers and regional synthesis programs. Effective mineral exploration strategies in complex basement terrains are increasingly reliant on integrated, data-rich, tectonic models. In this project we will focus a large multidisciplinary team to develop a tectonic model for the evolution of the Musgrave Block in central Australia. This large, poorly understood terrain occupies a critical structural location, separating the ....Deciphering the tectonic history of the Musgrave Block to assist mineral explorers and regional synthesis programs. Effective mineral exploration strategies in complex basement terrains are increasingly reliant on integrated, data-rich, tectonic models. In this project we will focus a large multidisciplinary team to develop a tectonic model for the evolution of the Musgrave Block in central Australia. This large, poorly understood terrain occupies a critical structural location, separating the northern and southern Australian cratons. By constraining models of crustal evolution and architecture, the project will underpin future mineral exploration programs in this highly prospective greenfields region and define the role of the Musgrave Block in the assembly of Proterozoic Australia.Read moreRead less
Developing a Tectonic Framework for the Gawler Craton: Paving the Way for Successful Mineral Exploration Programs. The late Archaean to Mesoproterozoic Gawler Craton is the major Precambrian province in southern Australia. However, despite containing one of the largest orebodies on Earth, exploration expenditure in the craton has been comparatively low, and hampered by insufficient knowledge of the craton's tectonic systems. This project uses an integrated package of geochemical, isotopic and ....Developing a Tectonic Framework for the Gawler Craton: Paving the Way for Successful Mineral Exploration Programs. The late Archaean to Mesoproterozoic Gawler Craton is the major Precambrian province in southern Australia. However, despite containing one of the largest orebodies on Earth, exploration expenditure in the craton has been comparatively low, and hampered by insufficient knowledge of the craton's tectonic systems. This project uses an integrated package of geochemical, isotopic and geophysical tools to develop a comprehensive model for the tectonic evolution of the Gawler Craton. The project will constrain the development of the Gawler Craton in the context of Precambrian Australian evolution, and offer insights into universal processes of lithosphere formation, growth and stabilisation.Read moreRead less
Investigating mismatches between Australian international graduate destinations and skill shortages. This project examines the extent to which Australias current skills shortage can be addressed by changes to the training and recruitment of international graduates from Australian universities. Australia does not employ its international graduates to the extent that other countries do (eg USA) despite the fact that these graduates have necessary professional skills, are familiar with Australian c ....Investigating mismatches between Australian international graduate destinations and skill shortages. This project examines the extent to which Australias current skills shortage can be addressed by changes to the training and recruitment of international graduates from Australian universities. Australia does not employ its international graduates to the extent that other countries do (eg USA) despite the fact that these graduates have necessary professional skills, are familiar with Australian culture and have studied in English. This project will inform the evidence base on the successful recruitment and employment of skilled international graduates into the professions. This study identifies the inhibiting factors and proposes solutions for universities, government, employers and graduates.Read moreRead less
Magmatism, Metamorphism and Mineralisation: The Development of an Isotopic and Geochemical Framework for the Curnamona Cu-Au Province. Recent advances have highlighted the potential significance of the Olary Domain in the Curnamona Province in southern Australia as an important Proterozoic copper-gold district. However, an outstanding problem yet to be solved is the interplay between mineralisation, granitic magmatism and the metamorphic history of the Province. This multi-disciplinary project ....Magmatism, Metamorphism and Mineralisation: The Development of an Isotopic and Geochemical Framework for the Curnamona Cu-Au Province. Recent advances have highlighted the potential significance of the Olary Domain in the Curnamona Province in southern Australia as an important Proterozoic copper-gold district. However, an outstanding problem yet to be solved is the interplay between mineralisation, granitic magmatism and the metamorphic history of the Province. This multi-disciplinary project will use isotopic and geochemical tools to develop an integrated geologic framework within which to view mineralisation. The outcomes will enhance the prospectivity of the region and make an important contribution to the globally relevant question of controls on Proterozoic copper-gold systems.Read moreRead less
Tectonostratigraphic controls on the localization of Archaean komatiite-hosted nickel-sulphide deposits and camps in the Yilgarn Craton. Nickel contributes $2 billion per year to Australia's export income. Currently 80% of that comes from nickel sulphide deposits in regional Australia that are expected to be exhausted within thirty years barring significant new discoveries. Although discovery rates have been declining, as the 'easy' targets have been found, there remains considerable potential f ....Tectonostratigraphic controls on the localization of Archaean komatiite-hosted nickel-sulphide deposits and camps in the Yilgarn Craton. Nickel contributes $2 billion per year to Australia's export income. Currently 80% of that comes from nickel sulphide deposits in regional Australia that are expected to be exhausted within thirty years barring significant new discoveries. Although discovery rates have been declining, as the 'easy' targets have been found, there remains considerable potential for future major discoveries. This project addresses the pressing need for new data and improved exploration techniques to enable industry to target new discoveries. As our nickel mines are located in remote communities such discoveries also have major benefits for regional Australia.Read moreRead less
Experimental constraints on Platinum-Group Element geochemistry: developing lithogeochemical exploration tools for nickel-sulfides in mafic and ultramafic systems. Nickel contributes approximately $2 billion per year to Australia's export income. Currently 80% of that is coming from sulfide deposits, which are expected to be exhausted within thirty years barring significant new discoveries. Discovery rates have been declining for two decades, as the 'easy' targets have been found, despite a broa ....Experimental constraints on Platinum-Group Element geochemistry: developing lithogeochemical exploration tools for nickel-sulfides in mafic and ultramafic systems. Nickel contributes approximately $2 billion per year to Australia's export income. Currently 80% of that is coming from sulfide deposits, which are expected to be exhausted within thirty years barring significant new discoveries. Discovery rates have been declining for two decades, as the 'easy' targets have been found, despite a broad increase in nickel exploration expenditure to current levels of around $50 million per year. There is a pressing need for new data sets and techniques to allow industry to target new discoveries based on limited drill sampling of potential host rocks. This project forms part of a broader program to harness the igneous geochemistry of the platinum group elements as a powerful pathfinder in nickel exploration.Read moreRead less
SOCIAL WORK IN THE ENTERPRISE UNIVERSITY: A COMPARATIVE SURVEY OF AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATORS 1982 TO 2004. In an era when the nature of welfare practice and higher education are being radically transformed in a globalizing marketplace, the socio-demographic characteristics, education, research productivity and international linkages of Australian social work academics are of critical importance. This research proposes a national survey of current Australian social work educators in 2004, t ....SOCIAL WORK IN THE ENTERPRISE UNIVERSITY: A COMPARATIVE SURVEY OF AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATORS 1982 TO 2004. In an era when the nature of welfare practice and higher education are being radically transformed in a globalizing marketplace, the socio-demographic characteristics, education, research productivity and international linkages of Australian social work academics are of critical importance. This research proposes a national survey of current Australian social work educators in 2004, the results of which will be compared with a baseline survey carried out in 1982, and with other contemporary studies of Australian academics. Fifty in-depth interviews with a stratified sample of respondents will then explore key themes in the changing political eocnomy of the professions in their adaptation to the shifting higher education and community service environment.Read moreRead less
Effective pedagogy for improving critical thinking. Many people reason poorly, by almost any measure of reasoning. Although there is evidence that people can be taught to think critically, educators don't really know how. They don't know what works, what doesn't, and why. This study will systematically examine the effectiveness of different techniques for teaching reasoning and will cross-validate an Australian test of reasoning - the GSA - with an international standard. The expected outcomes o ....Effective pedagogy for improving critical thinking. Many people reason poorly, by almost any measure of reasoning. Although there is evidence that people can be taught to think critically, educators don't really know how. They don't know what works, what doesn't, and why. This study will systematically examine the effectiveness of different techniques for teaching reasoning and will cross-validate an Australian test of reasoning - the GSA - with an international standard. The expected outcomes of the study are data about what improves reasoning and about the success of the GSA. The significance of the study lies in the potential benefits these data will have to students and employers.Read moreRead less
Girls and Information Communication Technology (ICT) Career Pathways: Tackling the Upper Middle School 'Turn Off'. This project aims to develop strategic responses to factors associated with girls forming such negative perceptions of Information Communication Technology during their upper middle school years that they overwhelmingly reject Information Communication Technology as an option for advanced study and future careers. This project will contribute towards Australia's National Research Pr ....Girls and Information Communication Technology (ICT) Career Pathways: Tackling the Upper Middle School 'Turn Off'. This project aims to develop strategic responses to factors associated with girls forming such negative perceptions of Information Communication Technology during their upper middle school years that they overwhelmingly reject Information Communication Technology as an option for advanced study and future careers. This project will contribute towards Australia's National Research Priority 3 of building and transforming frontier technologies to maximize creative, technological capability by collaboratively developing a strategic model for responding to factors identified as 'turning girls off Information Communication Technology'.Read moreRead less