Sylvia Alston Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia 2015

Sylvia Alston

Dr Sylvia Alston has a background in policy development, program management, and education. She holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Canberra. Dr Alston is fascinated by the challenges in providing female only courses in countries where there is gender segregation, such as in Islamic cultures. This includes the types of courses studied by students at female only institutions. Sylvia is interested in examining any differences in the ‘value’ of qualifications obtained by graduates from a female only college and their counterparts graduating from male only or co-ed higher education institutions. She is also interested in the rationale behind the decision for women who are not limited by religious or other issues in where they study, yet choose to study at a female only college. Since 2011 Dr Alston has taught at the University of Canberra in a range of subjects in the area of Communication. She is also employed as an instructor in the Military Communications Program at the Australian Defence Force Academy. She is currently managing a research project at the University of Canberra involving students at the University of Dammam in Saudi Arabia who will be the first female students to study Industrial Design in that country.