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The Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer) Response To The Australian Universities Accord Panel Interim Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Higher education research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) recognises the importance of universities, and the higher education sector more broadly, to the prosperity and success of Australia. ACER welcomes the intent and focus of the Universities Accord in creating a system that enables all Australians to consider the option of university education and be supported in embracing this opportunity. In our submission to the Accord Panel, we would like to provide reflection and insight into the following key areas:

• Recognising the higher education ‘life cycle’ begins well before university enrolment.
• Continuing to build the emphasis on equality of opportunity and equity-focussed …

Rethinking Assessment In Response To Generative Artificial Intelligence, Jacob Pearce, Neville Chiavaroli

Higher education research

The use of decision-making support tools during assessments, such as electronic differential diagnosis in examinations, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how technology is currently changing assessment practice. We have reached a transformative stage in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). We can no longer rely on non-invigilated assessments and submitted ‘artefacts’ to demonstrate student learning and competence. This is bringing many long-term demands on educators, course coordinators and curriculum designers, forcing us to rethink assessment approaches. Going forward, we see an important distinction between ‘assisted’ assessments and ‘unassisted’ assessments. With the recent increase and …

Australian General Practice Training Program: National Report On The 2022 National Registrar Survey, Rebecca Taylor, Leyna Clarke, Ali Radloff

Higher education research

The Australian General Practice Training National Registrar Survey (AGPT NRS) is an annual, national survey of GP registrars currently training in the AGPT program. It collects information via an online questionnaire about registrar satisfaction, experience and future career plans. It also collects information about registrars’ demographics and training contexts and other aspects of their training experience. This survey is part of the Department of Health and Aged Care’s (the Department) monitoring and quality improvement activities. From June 27 until August 12, 2022, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) administered the AGPT NRS to registrars enrolled in active training on …

Australian General Practice Training Program: National Report On The 2021 National Registrar Survey, Rebecca Taylor, Leyna Clarke, Ali Radloff

Higher education research

The Australian General Practice Training National Registrar Survey (AGPT NRS) is an annual, national survey of GP registrars currently training in the AGPT program. It collects information via an online questionnaire about registrar satisfaction, experience and future career plans. It also collects information about registrars’ demographics and training contexts and other aspects of their training experience. This survey is part of the Department of Health’s (the Department) monitoring and quality improvement activities. The information collected in the AGPT NRS can be used to assure the quality of training provision in the program, enables continuous improvement and allows responses to be …

Australian General Practice Training Program: National Report On The 2020 National Registrar Survey, Rebecca Taylor, Leyna Clarke, Ali Radloff

Higher education research

The Australian General Practice Training National Registrar Survey (AGPT NRS) is an annual, national survey of GP registrars currently training in the AGPT program. It collects information via an online questionnaire about registrar satisfaction, experience and future career plans. It also collects information about registrars’ demographics and training contexts and other aspects of their training experience. This survey is part of the Department of Health’s (the Department) monitoring and quality improvement activities. From October 12 to December 9, 2020, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) administered the AGPT NRS to registrars enrolled in active training on the AGPT program …

International Graduate Outcomes Survey 2018 Final Report, Darren Matthews, Ali Radloff, Jo Doyle, Leyna Clarke

Higher education research

The 2018 International Graduates Outcomes Survey (IGOS) provides an insight into international graduates from Australian universities post-study employment, work readiness, and reflections on course experiences, study motivation and overall satisfaction. Over 10,000 international students who graduated from an Australian university in the last decade (international graduates) were asked a range of questions about their current employment status and their opinions on their Australian qualification. In brief the results indicate that: 90 per cent of graduates who are available for employment are currently employed - incorporating 93 per cent who returned home and 85 percent who were still in Australia; 77 …

Australian Higher Education Equity Ranking Project: Final Report, Tim Pitman, Paul Koshy, Daniel Edwards, Liang-Cheng Zhang, Julie Mcmillan

Higher education research

This report details the findings of a feasibility study for the Department of Education and Training (DET) into the development of a higher education student equity ranking index. The purpose of study was to determine whether it was possible to measure higher education equity performance at the institutional level and convey each institution’s relative performance through an ‘equity rank’. The ranking was to be based on institutional performance in regard to equity-group students, including students from low socio-economic backgrounds; students from regional/remote areas of Australia; Indigenous students; students with disability; and students from non-English speaking backgrounds.

The Japan University Experience Survey (Jues), Darren Matthews, Leyna Clarke

Higher education research

An overview of the Japan University Experience Survey (JUES) including its background and aims, and the ACER - Kawaijuku Group partnership. The presentation discusses the development, delivery, reporting and results of the survey, and considers Japanese and Australian UES/SES comparisons and the potential for benchmarking.

Assessment Of University Support Services For Regional And Remote Students On Transition To University: Final Report, Darren Matthews, Gina Milgate, Leyna Clarke

Higher education research

This report details the development and piloting of an Assessment of university support services for regional and remote students on transition to university. The project forms part of the Australian Government’s response to the Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education led by Emeritus Professor John Halsey. In its recommendations, the Review highlighted how critical it is to “Support RRR [regional, rural and remote] students to make successful transitions from school to university, training, employment and combinations of them”. In relation to this recommendation, this project is designed to support the Australian Government’s response to the Halsey Review by …

Investigating The Relationship Between Equity And Graduate Outcomes In Australia, Sarah Richardson, Dawn Bennett, Lynne Roberts

Higher education research

Australian higher education equity policy focusses mostly on access and participation with the implicit assumption that disadvantage will be ameliorated through educational achievement. Less is known as to whether patterns of disadvantage continue post-completion. In a context in which graduate employability is becoming an important yardstick against which to measure institutional effectiveness, this question is of fundamental importance to higher education equity practitioners and policymakers. This study employed Commonwealth graduate outcome data to investigate relationships between disadvantage and graduate outcomes in Australia, with disadvantage defined as a graduate belonging to one or more of the following groups – low SES, …

Developing A Global Health Assessment Collaboration: Ancillary Report, Daniel Edwards, Jacob Pearce, David Wilkinson

Higher education research

This document reports on a project designed to develop an assessment collaboration between medical schools in both Australia and the United Kingdom. The project was funded by the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT), utilising surplus funding from a broader assessment collaboration project – the Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (OLT ID12-2482). The Global Health Assessment Collaboration (GHAC) involved five universities in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK). It developed an assessment framework and item specifications, undertook assessment item drafting workshops, built in a process of review and resulted in the development of a focused suite of assessment items. This report …

National Research On The Postgraduate Student Experience : Case Presentation: Volume 1: First Year Postgraduate Student Experience, Gary Hamlin, Shelley Kinash, Linda Crane, Amy Bannatyne, Madelaine-Marie Judd, Ashley Stark, Bill Eckersley, Helen Partridge, Ken Udas

Higher education research

This is volume one of a set of case studies that explore the postgraduate student experience. The theme of this case study is first year postgraduate student experience and is based on experiences derived from student engagement breakfasts, interviews, and focus groups with 366 people across the stakeholder groups of postgraduate students, educators, and university executives from 26 institutions. The case studies constitute part of the output from the project, Engaging postgraduate students and supporting higher education to enhance the 21st century student experience.

National Research On The Postgraduate Student Experience : Case Presentation : Volume 2 : Postgraduate Student Diversity, Bill Eckersley, Linda Crane, Shelley Kinash, Amy Bannatyne, Gary Hamlin, Helen Partridge, Sarah Richardson, Harry Rolf, Ken Udas

Higher education research

This is volume two of a set of three case studies that explore the postgraduate student experience. The theme of this case study is postgraduate student diversity and is based on experiences derived from student engagement breakfasts, interviews, and focus groups with 366 people across the stakeholder groups of postgraduate students, educators, and university executives from 26 institutions. The case studies constitute part of the output from the project, Engaging postgraduate students and supporting higher education to enhance the 21st century student experience.

Profiling Diversity Of Australian Universities, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards, Leo Goedegebuure, Marian Thakur, Eva Van Der Brugge, Frans Van Vught

Higher education research

There is a good deal of consensus that institutional diversity in higher education is a good thing. Simply put, systems with more diverse institutions perform better than systems with less diverse institutions. Yet the overall diversity of Australia’s higher education system remains unclear. Significant questions and opportunities remain unresolved. How diverse are Australia’s institutions today? How can stakeholders— particularly institutions and policymakers—understand and manage this diversity? This LH Martin Institute and ACER research briefing seeks to shift discussion of diversity to a more considered level. The analysis moves beyond extant sectoral partitionings and contingent policy interventions to expose emerging dynamics …

The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration: Developing The Foundations For A National Assessment Of Medical Student Learning Outcomes, David Wilkinson, Daniel Edwards, Hamish Coates, Ben Canny, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Schaefer, Tracey Papinczak, Lindy Mcallister

Higher education research

In late December 2010 the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd (ALTC) provided a grant to The University of Queensland along with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and Monash University to develop foundations for a national assessment that evaluates the learning outcomes of later‐year medical students in Australia. The project, titled ‘Developing the foundation for a national assessment of medical student learning outcomes’ responds to the growing need to prove and improve the standards of medical education by establishing an Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (AMAC). This project includes scoping work, wide‐ranging sector engagement, development of an assessment framework, …