International Education Research Centre

Introduction

Message from Director

Welcome to CQUniversity's International Education Research Centre (IERC).

This University was a pioneer in dedicated international education provision, opening its Sydney campus in 1994, followed by campuses in Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. In those days, interstate provision was bold and novel, as were dedicated international campuses, although in more recent times, other institutions have followed suit in various ways.

For some time, several people within the University held the view that given our strong focus on teaching and learning, and our international student engagement, we should be looking to build a clear nexus between research into international education and our curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. This led to the creation of the IERC as an applied research centre which seeks to assist the University in ensuring that our academic programs are informed by our own research.

But, IERC's brief is broader than pedagogy. Our agenda embraces four broad themes, reflecting a wide range of potential topics. In this sense, the focus is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, involving contributors in education, sociology, law, economics, accounting, marketing, management, public policy, critical theory, cultural studies, media studies, information technology and information systems.

The appropriate level of welfare and support for international students is an issue of growing importance in the Australian education sector, and is of interest to IERC researchers. With CQUniversity's substantial international student enrolment, we are well-placed to undertake studies which will enhance our capability to maintain and improve high quality support outside the classroom. This includes the important challenge of ensuring that we produce work-ready graduates, given that many international students seek permanent residency and careers in Australia. This challenge involves both teachers and professional support staff.

Of course, with job readiness as with other issues, there is no dividing line between international and domestic students. In many cases, comparative studies may reveal a good deal of commonality, and hence the potential for broad application of research findings. Feelings of isolation are not restricted to those from abroad: new students from rural areas can find a regional town quite daunting and even in a metropolitan campus, domestic students can experience isolation in the absence of peer socio-economic reference groups.

International education research is very much a green field site for CQUniversity. So, at this stage, what you won't find here are long lists of publications and presentations by staff with extensive track records in the area. What you will find are details of enthusiastic and committed staff who have identified areas for research and have made a start. As time passes, their findings and results will feature on these pages, along with details of seminars and presentations where these will be shared.

Again, welcome to the site. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please contact me (details below).

Alison Owens
Director
International Education Research Centre
CQUniversity Sydney
400 Kent Street
Sydney, New South Wales. 2000
Phone: (02) 9324 5020
0438 157 004
Email: a.owens@cqu.edu.au