Retiring academic laments “corrupted” university degree factories

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Outgoing University of Wollongong academic, Dr Anthony Ashbol, has taken aim at the “corrupted corporatisation” of Australia’s universities, which have turned into degree factories:

“I suppose the biggest change for me as a teacher is the expanding class sizes and in particularly tutorials because when I started at the University of Wollongong, small tutorials were the norm and you really got to know your students in quite a solid way.

“All that has disappeared as tutorial sizes have grown to now be between 20 and 30, and therefor the distance between staff and students has grown…

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.