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Transcript of Creative writing courses no longer marginalised in the academy
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 1
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
Swinburne University of Technology
Carol-Anne Croker
Creative writing Courses in the Academy: no longer
marginalised, and becoming mainstream within the global
innovation and creativity paradigm for academic excellence.
Abstract
In 2008 the Australian Federal Government released Venturous Australia, a
report which positioned creativity central to the Innovation and Globalisation
rhetoric. In 2009 the Australian Research Council (ARC) opened access to the
HASS sector (humanities, arts and social science disciplines) in a two year
pilot period, for the International Collaborative Grants Funding schemes
previously only available to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
Medicine) discipline researchers.
Minster Carr is on record as stating that to build a knowledge economy for the
twenty-first century and for Australia to improve its export position amongst
comparable OECD nations, such a divide between ‘soft’ and ‘hard’
innovation, and the creativity that drives it is no longer appropriate.
For academics, researcher and practitioners in Creative writing programs, as
well as for our colleagues in other arts-based or practice-led research
disciplines we are now encouraged into the mainstream educational and
societal discourses. We are expected to engage with the globalisation
imperatives for Australian Industries, including the publishing and tertiary
education industries.
In looking at research towards my postdoctoral studies, and research for
authoring a chapter for a forthcoming monograph on creativity in a globalised
market, I propose that we can no longer be viewed as marginalised within the
Academy, nor within the economic and social dialogue about Australia’s
future.
Author Declaration:
I am indebted to the collegial sharing of pre-publication research from
Associate Professor James C. Kaufman, Professor of Psychology at the
California State University of San Bernadino from his now published book
The Dark Side of Creativity (2010).
Much of this chapter was presented as a work in progress at the Australasian
Association of Writing Programs Annual Conference in Hamilton, New
Zealand, December 2009. A previous version of this Chapter is forthcoming in
Text Journal, 15(1) 2011 (forthcoming).
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 2
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
Biographical note:
Carol-Anne Croker is also a PhD student at Swinburne University. She was
the first student editor of the month on the AAWP’s Writing Network site in
2009. Carol-Anne is also Postgraduate Representative for 2009 for ASAL
(Association for the Study of Australian Literature) and the Swinburne
University Postgraduate student representative on the AAWP. In 2010 she is
the Postgraduate student representative on the Swinburne (Lildale)Faculty
Academic Committee , member of the Swinburne Student Consultative
Network and Postgraduate member of CAPA (Council of Australia
Postgraduate Associations).
Her PhD artefact is a novel, Walking with Madness. Carol-Anne’s research
interests and experience include women’s popular fiction, feminist fiction,
higher education policy research particularly in Creative Art Practice and
teaching. As part of her doctoral studies she interned at the Melbourne
Writer’s Festival She presented a paper on Chick Lit at the 5th
International
Conference on the Book in Madrid, Spain, as well as Conference papers for
the AAWP and ASAL.
. Carol-Anne has worked as an academic teaching Professional Theatre
training, Drama-in-Education, Cinema Studies and Media theory and
production. Carol-Anne was also ABC Radio (774 Melbourne) theatre
reviewer and worked as an actor for over ten years in Australia and the United
Kingdom.
Keywords:
Globalisation – Research Excellence – Creativity
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 3
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
For academics, researcher and practitioners in creative writing programs, as well as
for our colleagues in other arts-based or practice-led research disciplines we are now
encouraged into the mainstream educational and societal discourses. We are expected
to engage with the globalisation imperatives for Australian Industries, including the
publishing and tertiary education industries.
‘If the arts are to be valued as an integral part of Australia’s national
innovation system, we must:
Develop an understanding of arts-based knowledge that connects it
to innovation
Broaden commercialisation of the arts and creative outputs
Develop the argument for the arts as social inclusion
Educate an innovative workforce
Meeting these challenges requires further research, sector-wide coordination
and leadership.’ (Jaaniste 2008:5)
This response to Senator Carr’s review into the National Innovation System (Cutler
2008) by Brad Haseman and Luke Jaaniste, from Queensland University of
Technology outlines the political and social imperatives that will frame the
educational debates within arts and humanities faculties in Australia in the coming
months and years. For those of us studying and working in creative arts disciplines,
especially those of us in creative writing disciplines, these imperatives signify where
the academic debates need to focus within our own disciplines, sectors, departments,
faculties and institutions as well as more broadly within the International tertiary
education market.
I contend that we can unpack this discourse of creativity and innovation to ascertain
the broader economic and social political machinations at play (Rogers 1998; Cooke
2009; Stoneman 2007). This paper calls for the de-construction of this new hegemonic
tertiary educational discourse, which finds its home within the corporate managerialist
policies and mission statements of our Universities.(Atkinson & Easthope 2008; May
2006; May & Perry 2006; Finkelstein 2005; Oakley 2004)
Cropley (2010) asserts that innovation and creativity associated with economic
growth has been linked internationally since the Cold War era and the “so-called
Sputnik shock in 1957 (Cropley, Cropley, Kaufman and Runko 2010:243). He sees
the technological advances demanded by the space race as key motivation for both the
US and (then) USSR investing heavily in R &D, with an emphasis on nurturing
creative innovation.
However, as correctly noted by Cropley the ‘creativity question’ remained under-
defined and under-researched. Until Anderson discussed the problems in ‘harnessing
creativity’ the concept of the actual processes of creation and creativity were
conflated with the term innovation.
‘Creativity is the gift and discipline that provides the competitive edge
– in marketing, production, finance and all other aspects in an
organisation. Firms and managers crave it. Awards are given for it.
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 4
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
Incentives encourage and cajole it. But it is still the most elusive
weapon in an executive’s arsenal.’ (Anderson 1992:40)
By linking fuzzy notions of innovation with the as yet under-theorised notion of
creativity, at least in an Australian context, (and to a lesser extent globally until the
last few years of the twenty-first century) and to imply a direct correlation between
research and excellence as drivers of national economic prosperity is problematic.
(Hecq 2008; Lowrie & Wilmott 2006; Jaaniste 2009; Smart Business 2009).
As Cropley discovered through their research in 2005 by limiting creativity to the
production process and marketing of a product is to greatly devalue the broader role
creativity plays within society as a whole. It equates creativity and innovation with
concepts such as market novelty, which in itself implies an ever decreasing
importance within an ongoing development and improvement cycle. This denied some
of the core aspects to creativity as identified by Barron (1969), Rhodes (1961) ‘with
the focus on the product exclusively among the four Ps (Process, Person, Product and
Press). (Cropley:340)
Runco (2010) took this concept further emphasising the person within the process of
creativity and innovation, without whom the product and production, distribution and
innovation cannot garner economic benefit for a community, company or society.
Similarly, US academic and author Lawrence Lessig delivered a key note speech at
the 5th
International Conference on the Book in Madrid, Spain in October 2007 (the
year Madrid was named a UNESCO City of Literature). His keynote address was
focused on the need for global knowledge sharing for future innovation and indeed
knowledge production. His solution was to set up the Creative Commons License
scheme in 2001, where knowledge workers could freely share and develop further
innovative ideas and practices. For Lessig the key to innovation for both economic
prosperity between developing and developed nations, and to enhance human capital
for the new knowledge economy and workforce was collegial and co-operative, a sort
of creativity without borders.
The importance of the role of the artist/creator/innovator was recognised within
Australia after the attendance by Richard Florida in Melbourne (another UNESCO
City of Literature) ,as guest speaker for the 2004 Melbourne Fashion Festival,
speaking on his book The Rise of the Creative Class (2002).This appears to be the
seminal moment when Australian policy makers and influential business groups ‘got
on board’ with the idea of creative classes, creative cities and creative industries as
drivers of globalisation and promised economic prosperity.
‘The creative individual, Florida argues, is the "newmainstream", a
creature to be feted by governments and companies smart enough to
realise that the age of creativity is upon us…
Cities that accept and encourage diversity - be it racial, sexual or
cerebral - are the economic winners of our age, says Florida. Think
San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, even Sydney and Melbourne. Gay-
friendly, immigrant-friendly, creative and bohemian is the way to
wealth. Or, in Florida's neat summation, it's the three Ts - tolerance,
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 5
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
talent and technology - that governments and business should foster.’
(Florida 2004)
Even now after the GFC Australia still features comparatively high up on
globalization matrices and graphs according to Florida and his colleague Charlotta
Mellander after examining data produced by the KOF Swiss Economic Institute.
[Insert Graph 1]
‘Globalization is closely associated with the level of economic
development. There is a considerable correlation (.81) between the
Globalization Index and economic output (GDP per capita).’ (Florida
2011)
In Australia, this discourse has taken hold and been privileged in the Rudd/Gillard
Federal government’s education and training policy agenda over the last four years.
A timeline showing the emergence of this discourse in the public sphere, based on a
quick literature overview, demonstrates the need for Universities to engage with the
broader industry globalisation initiatives.
With the Australian economy faring comparably well post GFC (Global Financial
Crisis) it is no surprise that our policy and economic discourse remains tied to
globalisation and gross domestic production, perhaps a coming together Barrons four
P’s.
[Insert Graph 2]
Post-industrial, knowledge-based economies are also more
globalized. Globalization is closely correlated with human capital
levels (.73) and the percentage of the workforce in professional,
knowledge-based and creative jobs (.68). (Florida 2011)
For the purpose of charting the interplay of economic discourse, government policy
initiatives and global research and rhetoric I have selected what appear to be the most
influential documents and papers determining Australia’s agenda for the knowledge
economy; leading the Higher Education and Post-Secondary education debates on the
desirability of a more highly skilled (read educated) workforce to counter Australia’s
ageing population and low birth rates.
[Figure 1 thumbnail landscape required]
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 6
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
In overseas literature, creativity and innovation have been linked for decades.(Sasaki
2004; Swann & Birke 2005, Finkelstein 2005, May 2006; May & Perry 2006;
Stoneman 2007). The difference in the in the C21st century discourse illustrates a
‘new paradigm’ with economic constructions of innovation applied to non-science-
based disciplines and industries for the first time. Individual Australian state premiers
now recognise the Arts sector as economic drivers, particularly in boosting tourism
numbers and tourist revenue. One early example is South Australian Premier Don
Dunstan labelling Adelaide ‘the Athens of the South’ in the mid-seventies when
marketing the Adelaide Arts Festival. However, the reconfiguring of innovation with
creativity, into the term ‘Creative Industries’, with explicit instrumental connotations,
was yet to appear in the public discourse in Australia until the twenty-first century.
In a paper presented in Barcelona in 2004, Masayuki Sasaki referred to the following
diagram to position the Creative Industries as drivers of cultural development and
innovative thinking, which in turn drives the ‘hard’ innovations needed for turning
ideas to practice.
[Figure 2 thumbnail]
However a model proposed by P Stoneman (2007) on the ‘dimensions of innovation’
has been used by NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the
Arts) to exemplify the way the innovation-creativity nexus locates the relevance of
‘soft’ innovation as found in the Creative Industries for economic prosperity for
creative sectors, cities and regions.
[Figure 3 thumbnail]
Hecq in her 2008 paper, Banking on Creativity, identified the need to place creativity
at the centre of the discourse and indeed education practice within our university
sector.
‘Creativity in universities is offered up as a generic skill, no longer
limited to practices involving the arts. It has espoused the political
agenda that drives the economy to renaissance heights. It is tied in
with development, new ideas and, above all, innovation. Productivity,
output, cost effectiveness are here buzz-words, not creativity. Thus
neo-liberal globalisation remains a significant challenge facing
universities and the creative industries increasingly need to play the
game of economics in order to be included in the system.’ (Hecq 2008)
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 7
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
The system is conceptualised by Swann, P and Birke, D (2005) and when applied to
the Australian higher education sector, with particular reference to the Creative
disciplines, the model solves the dualist dilemma faced by universities.
[Figure 4 thumbnail]
What can be ‘sold’ in the education market as a ‘quality innovative research
paradigm’ is also able to meet the needs of the local education market, identified by
the Bradley Review (2009).
Extrapolating from the Bradley Review, if we allow students to study where their
interest and indeed skills lie, we can address the predicted shortage of skilled labour
for the knowledge workforce in the twenty-first century, whilst maintaining
competitive rankings on the global quality scales of measurement.
By noting the student-demand and interests shown by Australian Government’s own
statistical data, the creative arts disciplines in Australian Universities has experienced
growth over a number of years.
Looking at the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace
Relations publication; Selected Higher Education Statistics: Award Course
Completions between 1996 and 2007 the change in domestic student numbers in
Creative arts fields of study has increased at 3.9%, the second largest increase apart
from in the Health fields of study with 7.7% . If we include the field of study
classified as Society and Culture there has been a further 2.2% increase in domestic
student numbers across the decade. Although slowing slightly the increases have
continued in both creative arts enrolments and awards into 2008.
[Figure 5 thumbnail]
The increase is not confined to domestic students, there is also a smaller, but
substantial increase in the number of overseas students completing awards in the
Creative arts; a 5.1 % increase. This increase is less than the increase in Hospitality
and Personnel Services (460.5%) and 8.8 % increase for management and commerce
which can be explained by Australian Government skilled trades training initiatives
and priority study/immigration programs. This increase is from a traditionally low
base, reflecting the fields’ recent place within University curricula. By ignoring the
statistics for the problematic fields of hospitality and personal services, for overseas
students, and include the increase for overseas students studying society and culture
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 8
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
fields of research, we can also see a 1.8% increase in these arts-related fields. creative
arts undergraduate courses are popular with students, and demonstrate consistent
annual increased enrolments and award completions. Therefore inevitably there has
been a student driven demand for higher degree programs in the creative arts
disciplines.
[Figure 6 thumbnail]
Thus if the university sector is seeking to educate graduates for a fluid and
unpredictable employment sector and industry it seems that graduates from creative
disciplines will be highly sought after ‘innovative thinkers’, and even in times of
fiscal restraint and cutbacks in government funding, the student drive demand for such
courses, and the training in such disciplines should be considered a core education
imperative best suited to ensuring closer higher education and industry linkages.
Brenner has demonstrated that it is in Australian Industry’s interest to focus on highly
creative, and innovative products and designs within an increasingly mass-market
global “playing field” for consumer goods.
[Figure 7 thumbnail]
With the current state of media convergence, content will remain key to information
dissemination and knowledge production. Despite the trend towards the
democratisation of publishing and the media via wiki-style web content, social
networking, text, twitter and print on demand services, what will remain constant is
the reader/market demand for trusted and verifiable content. As television did not
eradicate the use of radios, nor will the internet and mobile technology eradicate the
need for or desire for the codex.
All these new and emerging forms of mass media and publication will share one thing
in common the need for content. Thus to marginalise creative writing disciplines, or
even severely cut back intakes in this area will not only be financially costly (in terms
of foregone revenue) but also short-sighted and lacking in vision on the part of
university managements.
In the paper, Describing the creative writing thesis : a census of creative writing
doctorates, 2001 -2007, Boyd (Boyd 2009) has determined that the aggregate of
award course completions for creative arts doctorates by research has increased over
the period from 80 in 2001 to 202 in 2007. The number considered ‘creative theses’ is
199. Thus we can extrapolate that there is an increasing demand for student places
within Creative writing higher degree programs which is replicated across the broader
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 9
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
fields of creative arts research and practice in Australian Universities. More research
is being done in this area particularly by Dr Paul Thomas at Curtin University and Ms
Giselle Kett at the Victorian College of the Arts, but no definitive data is currently
available.
‘In Australia, over the past decade there has been a steady increase in
both the number of PhD programs in the creative arts and also in the
number of candidates enrolled’. (Creative arts PhD Projects Rountable
2008:8)
Given the consensus within the creative arts disciplines, and the impetus to establish a
Learned Academy for the Creative Arts, these disciplines demonstrate a significant
increase in student demand within our Universities, especially in creative writing
programs (Boyd, 2009; Muecke 2010).
[Figure 8 Boyd chart from Text]
If we accept (then) Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd’s imperative in his closing speech at
the 2020 summit; ‘to put to bed the false dichotomy between the arts and sciences” it
is increasingly important for Australian Universities to recognise the contributions to
knowledge made by the Creative arts disciplines. The Government reinforces this
new alignment or strategic direction for our Universities, but as yet few have taken
this on board in any systematic and meaningful way. There are some attempts to
position the discourse within the various University strategic plans but I contend that
it is merely ‘window dressing’ to camouflage the lack of administrative will to cater
for the HCA disciplines, other than as a source of “bums on seats” and EFTS dollars.
‘Critics of the creative industries idea are fearful that, by introducing
into the rationale for supporting culture too great an emphasis on
economics, it might marginalise the traditional arts sectors. However,
the benefits of mainstreaming culture and media into policy
powerhouses of industry development and innovation arguably
outweigh the drawbacks.’ (Cunningham 2006: 16 as cited by Perry
2009)
Our universities are slow to respond to institutional change, particularly when it is not
tied to additional sources of Government funding in this era of post GFC fiscal
restraint and almost universal political agreement to return the nation’s budget to
surplus. Given the time lag between implementation of higher education strategic
funding initiatives and the graduation of employment-ready professionals and trained
employees, it appears ludicrous to make short –term decisions and pilot schemes
under the pressure of constantly changing global economic trends and labourforce
demands. What the arts and humanities disciplines can deliver in this era of the
knowledge economy is highly skilled and adaptable scholars able to meet Industry
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 10
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
demands as they arise. By thinking longer than the next electoral cycle our politicians
would do well to see government temporary deficits and increased higher education
investment in research and teaching, as a national imperative to remain competitive in
an environment where even the experts are unable to predict the nature of jobs,
careers and industries emerging in the coming decades.
Thus I agree with Howard (2008) when he identifies our creative industries and
education disciplines are caught between “ a hard rock and a soft space”. Perhaps at
this time of fiscal restraint and political will for budget surpluses, Perry (2009) might
reconfigure this position as being between a metaphorical rock and a hard place,
where very little space appears visible.
Bullen et al (2004: 14-15) suggest that the approach taken in relation
to the creative industries concept must be cautious, however: The
creative industries offer a vibrant, future-oriented, relevant, and,
therefore, compelling alternative to many of the arguments
marshalled in defence of traditional arts and humanities faculties. We
argue, however, that the capacity of the creative industries to respond
to the push towards the use of new technologies, commercialization,
and collaborative partnerships must be approached with caution lest
these become the governing imperatives for humanities education and
research policy development.) Perry 2009.
For every step forward in recognition that the creative industries are crucial for the
development and nurturing of creative capital, there appears a step backwards
whenever the economy contracts with the creative arts and education funding
shrinking accordingly. I argue that in Australia there is a disconnect between policy
publication and implementation, efficient and valid assessment and critiquing of pilot
programs leaving new initiatives designed to bridge the STEM/HCA divide
vulnerable and under threat of dismantling at each Federal budget sitting.
Competition for scarce, government competitive grant, research funding pits
discipline against discipline; with the Humanities generally fairing far worse in
Australian Research Council Discovery and Linkage Grants than the more traditional
STEM faculties at around a 20% success rate for applications in a ‘good year’.
The impetus for national and global knowledge creation to break down artificial
disciplinary barriers intensifies under times of Higher Education Spending cutbacks,
corresponds in Australia with the Corporate Mangerialist University Governance
models implanted in the last decade s of the C20th, and remain beholden to
quantifiable indices and matrices of ‘quality’, ‘quantity’ and the more problematic
category; ‘impact measures’. Existing managerialist metrics remain inadequate for
measuring the efficacy of teaching and the periods od data collation far too brief to
allow for adequate assessment of impact of less traditional areas of research. This
fiscal ‘bunfight’ occurs annually in Australia when the Universities strategic alliances
and lobby groups speak representing their Institutional alliances in direct opposition
against each others. The recent decision, March 4th
2011 to disband the Australian
Teaching and Learning Council, the peak body for researching higher education
teaching and promotion of innovative teaching pedagogy, demonstrates the Federal
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 11
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
Governments negligence in implementing pre and post election promises to ensure
the quality of university teaching and research into effective teaching. This is another
example of such short-term electoral cycle thinking at the expense of larger scale
visions articulated in their own research documents and action plans (Cutler and
Bradley Reports for example).
In Australia the most recent discussion centres around just how many ways there exist
to utilise selectively the ERA (Excellence in Research,Australia) pilot scheme
statistics to demonstrate supposed research funding worth and merit. Whilst the Group
of Eight (G8) research intensive institutions promote their world ranked standings as
predominantly five across many disciplines and fields of research (top end of the 1-5
scale). It could be argued that the quota system set in place to rank journals is skewed
to the traditional research disciplines with more highly ranked world journals in the
STEM disciplines.
Groups such as the ATN (Australian Technology Network) universities argue that
comparisons should be based upon like for like models, taking account of geography
and isolation, age of institution and the discipline spreads offered that stand them
apart from the G8s, and thus there is less opportunity for publishing in A* ranked
journals in their discipline areas, as they are emerging research fields. Murdoch
University’s Acting Vice Chancellor, Gary Martin (2011) noted that they have
identified several different methodologies to view the ERA outcomes.
Our analysis have been geared towards how we compare to other
institutions of similar size and history [and] when Murdoch looked at
fields of research rated as four or five as a percentage of the number
of areas submitted [author emphasis], it was ranked 11th
nationally.
Martin (2011)
Similarly an analysis undertaken by the Australian National University, a member of
the G8 identified that:
14 Universities did not receive a signle five-star rating, with six
receiving neither four or five stars.(Rowbotham 2011)
With there being no similar metrics system to measure and acknowledge teaching and
the place of undergraduate education within the university sector, it is unwise to
assume that none of the ‘lower-ranked’universities are less than world class in
academic standards. It merely points to the emphasis placed by Governmens around
the world to value research over the core university function as places of education.
Australia within the next two years is hoping to develop a metric based assessment of
teaching quality that will provide recognition for the world class education being
offered particularly at under and early post-graduate levels of study.
With more and more workplace training being performed within universities (nursing,
childcare, primary and secondary education, drafting and design) and the smoothing
of pathways between Australia’s two sectors of tertiary education, Technical and
Further Education (TAFE) and higher education (degree programs and above) a
radical re-evaluation of the (re-envigoured) publish or perish mantra is critical for the
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 12
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
viability of the sector and its ability to stem the flow of highly qualified academics
and researchers leaving Australia for more secure tenured postings in other countries.
Regulatory authorities audit the practices of our Universities are currently in a state of
flux with the AQF (Australian Quality Frameworks Agency) being replaced by
TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency) there exists no consensus
as to how Universities will be held responsible for beaches of quality and standards
and dispute as to the most effective way such measurement can be achieved. Under
the guise of ensuring global competitiveness for our Universities in an increasingly
market-driven era, promoted through perceived research excellence and productivity,
Australia like many nations developed a pilot scheme to assess and measure research
excellence to enable compliance with regulatory frameworks. The Excellence in
Research Australia pilot scheme has generated more questions than answers as to how
it fits within the larger quality auditing processes.
Whilst learning some lessons from the UK’s RAE (Research Assessment Exercise)
and other European Schemes, we in creative writing celebrated the fact that creative
output was finally recognised and allocated ERA points, as indicators of research,
however this was not mandated under the AQF (nor at this stage under TEQSA). The
result was that many universities preferred to market themselves and their research
profiles (and scores) as indicated by the Shanghai Jiao Tong index. The creative arts
disciplines are virtually invisible on this index as it is reliant upon citation scores and
matrices designed to suit STEM disciplines and traditional research methodologies.
So whilst we in creative arts faculties celebrate our artistic output as professional
research practice, these same ERA generating publications, installations and
performances, do not attract high or even numerous citation indices, under the many
bibliometric scheme operating globally. In the case of the creative arts disciplines
(including creative writing), there is no policy imperative to recognise academic
staff’s creative work as research output or research equivalency even within the newly
defined Excellence in Research Australia. Some Universities have moved their
bibliometrics to include these works but some have not.
There still exist no formal sanctions for non-compliance in this area. The current
educational debates focus on how precisely the ERA scores and metrics will be
encompassed within or represented within the TEQSA regulations and sanctions if at
all. If academic–practitioners’ creative work in the creative arts remain unrecognised
and undervalued, how can the disciplines ensure that students are taken seriously,
despite Cutler’s determination that “Australia’s innovation policy needs to
acknowledge and incorporate the role of the creative and liberal arts”(Cutler 2008:48)
for the National benefit?
Similar difficulties have been identified by Boyd points out in her article even
identifying and measuring our higher degree completion rates and creative output,
including post-graduation publication remains virtually impossible to collate.
There is no universal classification of creative writing PhDs on the
Australian Digital Theses Program website and many are missing
altogether to be found only on university school websites or library
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 13
Presented at Margins and Mainstreams: Conference papers of the 14th Annual AAWP
Conference 2009
catalogues, albeit with often limited information. Also, classification
criteria for theses ranges from: which supervisor the candidate
worked with, to the form of the thesis or the type of award. The
records are cryptic and incomplete and I mapped my journey,
metaphorically speaking, through the research process by marching
down dead end roads, finding new routes and peering at broken street
signs. There is no central place where all creative writing PhDs can
be found and no sure way of searching them all out. (Boyd 2009)
Luke Jaaniste, Research Fellow in Queensland University of Technology’s Creative
Industries Faculty, states, “This response holds the perspective that the creative arts
and broader humanities (HASS sector) can drive, produce, apply and diffuse
innovation, in different but equally useful ways to the STEM sector... it does not
adequately follow this through in the substance of its discussions and
recommendations.” (Jaaniste 2008)
Late in 2008 the Australian Academy of Humanities organised a travelling roadshow
to target the research success rates of HASS discipline competitive grant applications.
Based upon the Federal Governments innovation agenda to bridge artificial
disciplinary boundaries between STEM and HASS, and even across disciplinary silos
within each research division, a two year pilot scheme was launched to encourage the
HASS disciplines to look broadly at what could be conceptualised as ‘scientific
research’away from predominantly quantitative studies towards more humanistis
qualitative studies suited to the disciplines. Universities were actively encouraged to
engage with emerging research nations in co-operative research collaborations under
the existing International Science Linkage Scheme.
These “new” destinations, particularly collaboration with the ‘emerging’ research
nations, (India, China and South America) together with a re-invigourated discourse
with interdisciplinary focus between Arts disciplines was viewed as the most effective
way forward to achieve the Governements innovation policy agenda. This seemed
implicit within the pilot ERA field of research codes for the HCA sector (humanities
and creative arts sector) encouraging ‘cross, intra, and multi-disciplinary research
between humanities, social sciences and arts disciplines. Suddenly a new source of
funding was opened up for the HASS sector to boost their research output and
rankings.
This new research initiative underpinned by the Government’s rhetoric of
globalisation was administered by the Australian Academy of Humanities. At the time
of writing this paper the pilot programs have concluded or are concluding within the
coming months but as yet there is no written reporting available to examine the
efficacy of this pilot funding scheme.
Unfortunately changes in the Higher Education sector are at the behest of the Federal
government and with Labour holding a tenuous position in a hung parliament reliant
on independents and the minority party for the passage of legislation through both
lower and upper houses, such radical shifts in higher education funding becomes lost
within the more conservative calls for ALL Industries to be increasingly positioned as
product driven with export earning capacity. It is the contention of this paper that
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within changing global political and economic cycles such bold and new inclusive
education paradigms should be kept at the forefront of the national political debate.
In creative arts disciplines, particularly in creative writing, it is critical that
Universities heed these shifts in educational policy, as the future Government funding
initiatives demand a broadening of the education being provided and indeed marketed
to both the domestic and international students. It is the contention of this paper that
the HCA (Humanities and Creative Arts ERA cluster) disciplines are well suited to
capitalise on the development of niche education markets, both at home and abroad.
To quote Deakin University’s Douglas Kirsner “…journal rankings, part of the ERA
measures, had created an “aura of false objectivity”.” (as reported by Rowbotham
2011)
Universities are being forced to second-guess the Government funding moves and foci
as expressed by Murdoch University Vice Chancellor Gary Martin stating publically
that
‘…among his strategic priorities for this year and “arguably the most
important one of those” was positioning, re-positioning and
consolidating research activites as a result of ERA’ (as reported by
Rowbotham 2011)
This form of manageralist game playing makes those in the HASS sector even more
vulnerable of substantial funding cuts, restrictions to research grants and even loss of
program offerings should our student popularity wain, at the time when longer term
strategic thinking and recognition of transferrable skills and humanities recognised as
the science it remains. Professor Martin goes on to say, in the same newspaper
feature article that, “in some instances we will look to disinvest in areas of research
which have not met international standards” when the very metrics employed and
classification system surrounding it remains clouded in obscurity and inbuilt
discrimination against the HASS disciplines.
As one of the few nations to have weathered the GFC, Australian Higher Education
Policy has no rational reason to discontinue the positive movements, (especially for
the HCA ERA fields of research) of the past ten years.
It is the contention of this paper that the imperative is even stronger now for Australia
to engage globally with universities, research institutes and centres of excellence to
move to the prototype university servicing ‘knowledge without borders’ with the
tyranny of distance for us in the southern hemisphere being confined to history. We
are educating a new generation, through new technologies at a time of expanding
knowledge demands and provision, both of content (ideas) and skills (creative
thinking and innovation).
The international and global education agenda as outlined in the policy document
from the Australian Federal Government’s Department of Innovation, Industry,
Science and Research; Powering Ideas: An Innovation Agenda for the Twenty First
Century, value is now to be recognised for research proposals and projects that
enhance international co-operation and collaboration between individual researchers
and discipline clusters across like-minded global partners.i These global partners are
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Conference 2009
located in worlds rapidly growing economies of Asia where there already existi
models for research collaboration in place under the Science Division’s Co-operative
Research Centres. These CRC’s charter is to:
‘To deliver significant economic, environmental and social benefits to
Australia by supporting end-user driven research partnerships
between publicly funded researchers and end-users to address clearly
articulated, major challenges that require medium to long term
collaborative efforts.
The CRC Program links researchers with industry to focus R&D
efforts on progress towards utilisation and commercialisation. The
close interaction between researchers and the users of research is a
key feature of the Program. Another feature is industry contribution to
CRC education programs to produce industry-ready graduates. To
date there have been a total of 168 CRCs.
There are currently 48 CRCs operating in 6 sectors: environment (10),
agriculture and rural-based manufacturing (14), information and
communication technology (5), mining and energy (4), medical science
and technology (8) and manufacturing technology (7)’. (Government of
Australia 2009)(Government of Australia 2009)
Despite the apparent primary target being the existing six CRC sectors and generally
seeking research relationships across the emerging economic giants of the world
economy, there is also the imperative to continue Australian involvement in
developing collaborations and alliances with our Asia Pacific Partners. Japan,
Indonesia. Chile and Brazil were recently identified at a meeting between ‘interested’
academic members of the Australian Academy of Humanities and the DIIR National
roadshow at Melbourne University in May 2009.
Dr Jon Lewis, Manager of the Asia, Pacific and Africa International Science Branch
of the Science and Research Division (of the Department of Innovation, Industry,
Science and Research) encouraged all researchers from all disciplines within the HCA
sector to investigate and take advantage of these grant schemes as the Minister Kim
Carr has publicly indicated that the “false dichotomy” between the Arts and Sciences
serves no purpose under Federal Government’s notion of innovation and research.
The old privileging of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
disciplines in the academy cannot meet the Nations needs for innovation. The idea of
‘hard’ innovation constrains and ignores the ‘soft’ innovation found in non STEM
disciplines, ‘as if creativity is somehow this thing that only applies to the arts, and
innovation is this thing over here which applies uniquely to the sciences, or
technology, or design.’ (Cutler 2008:47)
The ramification of this shift in focus challenges ‘the ‘great cultural divide’ that needs
rethinking, between the realm of the conceptual, the intellectual [on the one hand] and
the artisan and craftsman [on the other]’ (Jaaniste citing Venturous Australia 2008:48)
Croker Global innovation and creativity paradigm for CW courses 16
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Conference 2009
Therefore, Universities must reconfigure their own disciplinary structures and search
out new research synergies.
[ Figure 9 thumbnail]
Cooke, P 2009, ‘Inside the ‘Black Box’ of Innovation: New Metrics for New Models’
Phil Cooke’s 2009 presentation to the Research Workshop on ‘Innovation and
Learning in Global and Local Economies: the Importance of Explicit and Tacit
Knowledge Flows’ at the Basque Institute of Competitiveness in San Sebastian, Spain
clearly articulates the economic value and policy imperatives to position ‘soft
innovation’ as situated in the Creative arts Industries and education disciplines.
The opportunities for exploring uncharted research terrain and pedagogy within the
creative writing discipline has never been more encouraged or supported under a [life]
raft of new funding schemes and additional openings within previously limited and
targeted schemes (Croker & Carthew 2010). We now have an imperative to expand
our existing national and international collaborative research linkages. We are
encouraged to launch cross and interdisciplinary research to enhance both academic
credibility for the discipline and to ensure direct practical applications within our
Industry sector and communities.
For Australia’s dual sector universities (Technical and Further Education & Higher
Education), the opportunity is present to position themselves as Australia’s, and
indeed the world leaders in Creative Industry-linked education, by using the now
accepted, (academically and structurally), and highly sought after (by students),
practice-led research pedagogy and theorising.
Powering Ideas: an innovation agenda for the Twenty-first century, (Senator Kim
Carr 2009), correctly links Australia’s economic prosperity with the development of
an educated and highly skilled workforce. This skilled workforce is aspired to by all
OECD nations in the current quest to build ‘knowledge economies’ more adaptable to
technological and scientific change than previous workforces.
By challenging traditional conceptions of what constitutes ‘academic knowledge’, the
‘innovation agenda’ stresses the importance of the synergies between education
(particularly tertiary education), culture, arts, science and technology.
It is within this conceptual framework that Australia is pushing ahead with reforms to
all levels of education; early childhood, pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary,
articulated in the 2009 budget response found in the Cutler Review into the National
Innovation System (Venturous Australia); the subsequent Powering Ideas report, and
finally, the Bradley Review into Higher Education. These three policy documents tie
together Industry, Education and Social policy agendas for C21st.
Each Government document stresses:
the need for dismantling false disciplinary boundaries, especially those that
form the science/humanities divide,
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Conference 2009
the need to view education as an Industry (from cradle to grave or as is the
favoured buzz words; “life-long learning”) ,
the need to provide skilled knowledge workers for growth export industries,
and positions education as an export commodity especially throughout the
Asia Pacific region.
At the same time as pointing towards new economic alliances in the Asia-Pacific,
these reports also look towards the ‘old world’, as represented by the OECD and
UNESCO. The OECD reports on Higher Education and indeed, into the education
sector more generally, there exists a common master discourse driving policy
formulations and government interventions. Whilst attempting to reconceptualise the
imperatives for economic development and sustainability by seeking answers from the
education sector and its research experts there is a space created where culture, nation
and region can be identified.
The Humanities and Social Sciences must have their research work judged alongside
the research generated by ‘hard sciences’. In Australia with the ERA (Excellence in
Research Australia), in the UK’s RAE (Research Assessment Exercise) and in Asia
with the Taiwan Humanities Index, creative works are allowed ‘research points’ and
recognition . The nexus between innovation and practice as driven by both ‘hard’ and
‘soft’ research/innovation cannot ignore the role played by our non-science based
disciplines in mapping human history, social change and cultural development.
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