Industry upheaval

Moving from newspaper education supplements to front page media coverage, the international education industry in Australia has much to celebrate and, seemingly, much to fear. Alongside mainstream recognition of the industry as Australia's third largest export market, in-person and media-based protests have been launched against an alleged 'cash cow' industry exploiting heavily invested students. Specific and damning allegations have also been made... read on

Megacities: the rise of the Asia Pacific

How will Australian institutions accommodate fundamental societal changes in attracting international students? Will the life of a Beijinger soon have more in common with that of a New Yorker or Londoner than a citizen in small-town China? Will we need to gear marketing messages to megacity residents internationally, not simply to prospective students in geographical locations?... read on

Facebook takes on Europe

Is your institution on Facebook? In the last year, Facebook use has grown 314% in Europe, with nearly 100 million visitors. Digital marketing company comScore recently released figures noting that 4.1% of all minutes spent online in Europe are spent on Facebook, as well as more than 30% of all minutes spent in the social networking category... read on

Student support: too far or not far enough?

It's reasonable to assume that international students will need particular assistance in overcoming linguistic, cultural and bureaucratic challenges. But does this mean tailored services and specially trained staff in separate offices, or raising the bar for the hoi polloi? A recent report on student experience by University of Melbourne researchers suggests a radical revision of some common institutional practices in providing 'special treatment' for international students... read on

Graduate oversupply: Australia, China, UK

Marketing and recruitment efforts are that much easier when you're able to provide prospective students and their families with healthy graduate employment statistics. While we can never guarantee an outcome, it's nice to be able to inspire confidence in the number of opportunities available to a graduate displaying an institution's badge. In a rapidly declining jobs market, though, will an international degree be enough of an advantage, particularly for our Chinese graduates?... read on