Education Commons^™

Developing Outcomes Assessments For Collaborative, Cross-Institutional Benchmarking : Progress Of The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration, Daniel Edwards, David Wilkinson, Benedict Canny, Jacob Pearce, Hamish Coates

Dr Daniel Edwards

The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (AMAC) began in 2010. This article charts the development of the collaboration over its initial years. AMAC was instigated as a way of improving the quality of medical education through the recognition of the need for tools for comparison and evaluation of learning outcomes, acknowledgement of the need for high quality assessment, and to share expertise in these areas. In a climate of increasing regulation and accountability, this collaboration was formed as a means of increasing assessment practices by, with and for medical schools. This article provides an overview of the background issues stimulating the …

Outcomes Assessment In Practice: Reflections On Two Australian Implementations, Daniel Edwards, Jacob Pearce

Dr Daniel Edwards

This chapter provides a critical reflection of the experiences of the authors in two different projects that have explored the assessment of learning outcomes of higher education students. Both projects were undertaken in the context of a growing higher education system and in an era of increased calls for accountability in higher education, and a ‘search’ for metrics to help monitor ‘quality’. Each project involved the development of assessments, engagement of higher education institutions and students, implementation of assessments and reporting of outcomes. While these projects both focused on measuring learning outcomes and were implemented in the same higher education …

Research Report : Higher Education Enrolment Growth : Exploring Recent Change By Provider Type, Daniel Edwards, Ali Radloff

Dr Daniel Edwards

This paper provides a snapshot of the higher education sector following recent policy changes that have promoted growth and expansion. The emphasis of this work is to highlight the relative enrolment changes among the different types of higher education providers in the sector during this growth period. The analyses show that most growth in the sector has been in universities – because it is universities which were the specific aim and beneficiaries of substantial change in policy and funding provision. However, the data also suggest that at the same time, other providers such as Private HEPs and TAFEs have managed …

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

Dr Daniel Edwards

This chapter contributes to the discourse about diversity of public institutions in the Australian Higher Education system. While there is scepticism around whether or not universities in Australia are significantly different from each other, there has been little effort to objectively examine whether this claim is reasonable. The research in this chapter offers a contribution to taking the discussion of diversity to the next level. The research does not promise neat solutions, but our analysis aims to go beyond existing discourse to explore emerging dynamics - regardless of the traditional 'groupings' of institutions. We do this by creating classification structures …

Higher Education Enrolment Growth, Change And The Role Of Private Heps, Daniel Edwards, Ali Radloff

Dr Daniel Edwards

This paper offers a mapping of change in higher education enrolments through the 2009 to 2012 period. It examines the massive growth in the system during this time and the extent to which this growth was distributed – by student enrolment characteristics, demographics and importantly by type of higher education provider (HEP). The authors provide a snapshot of the higher education sector captured using the most recently available data, and contextualise the potential role that could be played by non-university higher education providers in future expansion of the system. The work draws on data from the Commonwealth Government’s Higher Education …

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

Dr Daniel Edwards

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 …

Ahelo’S Civil Engineering Strand: Reflections, Outputs And Lessons From The Npm Perspective, Daniel Edwards, Satoko Fukahori, Mary Catharine Lennon, Hesham Gomma

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Growing Australian Higher Education: Achieving Targets And Rethinking Provision, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Higher education in Australia has been following a growth trajectory unmatched for the past 20 years. This paper shows that while the recent growth in university enrolments over the past few years has been facilitated by the federal government’s demand-driven funding policy, private providers have also been expanding and contributing to the overall national aims of increasing attainment. With the 2013 initial university offer figures showing a slowing of growth in universities for the first time since demand driven funding was announced, the role of non-universities in maintaining the growth trajectory for higher education, as well as helping to achieve …

Same Admissions Tools, Different Outcomes : A Critical Perspective On Predictive Validity In Three Undergraduate Medical Schools, Daniel Edwards, Tim Friedman, Jacob Pearce

Dr Daniel Edwards

Admission to medical school is one of the most highly competitive entry points in higher education. Considerable investment is made by universities to develop selection processes that aim to identify the most appropriate candidates for their medical programs. This paper explores data from three undergraduate medical schools to offer a critical perspective of predictive validity in medical admissions. This study examined 650 undergraduate medical students from three Australian universities as they progressed through the initial years of medical school (accounting for approximately 25 per cent of all commencing undergraduate medical students in Australia in 2006 and 2007). Admissions criteria (aptitude …

Assessment Of Medical Students’ Learning Outcomes In Australia : Current Practice, Future Possibilities, David Wilkinson, Benedict Canny, Jacob Pearce, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

All 19 medical schools in Australia examine and assess the performance of their students, but do so largely in isolation from each other. That is, most schools design, develop and deliver their own exams, against their own curriculum and standards, and students pass, fail and are graded with little external moderation or comparison. Accreditation of schools by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) provides some reassurance that assessment practices are appropriate in medical schools. However, very limited data are available for benchmarking performance against any national standard, or between medical schools in Australia. The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration has been designed …

Learning To Earning – Perspectives From Downunder, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Exploring Enrolment, Achievement And Progression Of Ib Graduates In Australian Universities, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Ib Graduates In Australian Universities : Entry And Outcomes : A Case Study Of Two Institutions : Project Report, Daniel Edwards, Catherine Underwood

Dr Daniel Edwards

This report explores the entry into and progression through university of graduates from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP). It focuses on two Australian universities, used as case studies for exploring the higher education pathways of IB DP graduates. The study has been conducted for the International Baccalaureate, the organisation which oversees the IB DP. This project responds to one key element of the IB research agenda, which focuses on establishing and expanding empirical evidence related to the postsecondary transitions, academic outcomes and experiences of IB DP graduates in the tertiary education sector. This report is intended to provide …

Academics’ Attitudes Towards Phd Students’ Teaching: Preparing Research Higher Degree Students For An Academic Career, Denise Jepsen, Melinda Varhegyi, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

An exploratory study of 473 academics in a metropolitan university investigated the attitudes of academic spervisors towards training for university teaching for doctoral students. The study investigated academic supervisors’ levels of awareness and knowledge of teacher training opportunities, the relative importance of teaching – both lecturing and tutoring – compared with research in the academic selection process, and the academics’ own entry into and attitudes about PhD students teaching during their candidature. Results indicate that academic supervisors are more aware of short courses and workshops than in-depth teaching certificates and diplomas. In terms of the relative value of aspects of …

Assessing Higher Education Learning Outcomes In Civil Engineering: The Oecd Ahelo Feasibility Study, Roger Hadgraft, Jacob Pearce, Daniel Edwards, Julian Fraillon, Hamish Coates

Dr Daniel Edwards

BACKGROUND

Higher education is increasingly a global business. At present, university ranking schemes are heavily reliant on research indicators, while students are likely looking for an excellent teaching and learning environment. Aware of this discrepancy, the OECD has funded the AHELO project.

PURPOSE

AHELO was designed to test the feasibility of an international assessment of higher education learning outcomes. The two test disciplines are civil engineering and economics, together with an assessment of generic skills. The civil engineering test will be reported in this paper.

More than a ranking, AHELO is a direct evaluation of student performance. It is intended …

Graduate Pathways: Insights From Australian Graduates In The First Five Years After Completion, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

This presentation explores the outcomes of higher education graduates based on data collected through the Graduate Pathways Survey (GPS) that was conducted in 2008 to gain insight into the pathways of Australian university graduates in the first five years after completion of their undergraduate degree. The presentation explores two key issues: the advancement of people from disadvantaged backgrounds and the net impact of gender on future salary. The findings from this detailed study of 10,000 Australian students provides valuable insight and lessons that are transferable across higher education systems, and helps to better understand the role of universities in the …

Postgraduate Research Experience 2009 : The Report Of The Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire, Ali Radloff, Daniel Edwards, Hamish Coates, B Guthrie, C Tilbrook

Dr Daniel Edwards

Each year, graduates of Australian higher education institutions who have completed a doctoral or research masters degree are invited by their institution and Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) to respond to the Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire (PREQ) about four months after graduation. This report presents the results from the ninth PREQ survey conducted since 1999. The PREQ asks graduates to respond to 28 statements about seven aspects of their research degree. The first 27 statements measure the quality of supervision, the intellectual climate of the department in which the respondent studied, the development of generic skills, the quality of the infrastructure …

Group Of National Experts On The Ahelo Feasibility Study : Contextual Dimension Framework : Ahelo Feasibility Study : 8th Meeting Of The Ahelo Gne, Paris, 28-29 November 2011, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

The document provides an overview of the framework and instruments used in the AHELO contextual dimension. Building on prior work, it describes development of a framework that charts an understanding of contexts of most relevance to contemporary higher education. It describes the properties of instruments that operationalise this framework in efficient, technically informed and environmentally relevant ways. The instruments are designed to yield data on systems, institutions, teachers and students. Importantly, this data will be combined with information on student learning outcomes.

International Students’ Engagement With Effective Educational Practices: A Cross-National Comparison, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Findings from the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) provide a new and unique means of tracking international students’ participation in higher education. The AUSSE is the largest cross-institutional collection of data from currently enrolled students in Australasia, and has formative links with the 1,200-institution USA National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The AUSSE has been validated rigorously for use in Australasia, and taps into fundamental aspects of educational quality – students’ engagement with effective educational practices, including important beyond class experiences. Evidence-based feedback such as this plays a critical role in growing and improving Australasia’s international higher education industry. …

Student Demand Projections: Supporting Analysis: Gippsland Tertiary Education Plan, Daniel Edwards, Paul R. Weldon

Dr Daniel Edwards

There is considerable interest in the provision of, and access to, tertiary education within Victoria by the State Government. In 2010, a Tertiary Education Plan was released by the Government, detailing various targets and policy objectives in this sector. Despite a change of Government, the broad objectives in the plan continue to be pursued. As such, a number of more specific plans, based on geographic locations within Victoria, are being constructed. One such plan is being constructed for Gippsland. An Expert Panel has been formed to create the plan for Gippsland, chaired by Professor Kwong Lee Dow. This document provides …

Postgraduate Research Experience 2008 : The Report Of The Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Each year, graduates of Australian higher education institutions who have completed a doctoral or research masters degree are invited by their institution and Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) to respond to the Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire (PREQ) about four months after graduation. This report presents the results from the ninth PREQ survey conducted since 1999. The PREQ asks graduates to respond to 28 statements about seven aspects of their research degree. The first 27 statements measure the quality of supervision, the intellectual climate of the department in which the respondent studied, the development of generic skills, the quality of the infrastructure …

Cognitive Skills Testing Program (Cstp) 2010 Pilot Test Summary Report, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards, Chris Freeman, Luc Le, Sam Hambur, Philip Brown

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Supplementary Analysis Of Teachers Using The 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey Data, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards, Ali Radloff

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Invited Submission To The Parliament Of Victoria Education And Training Committee Inquiry Into Geographical Differences In The Rate In Which Victorian Students Participate In Higher Education, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Industry, Employment, And Population Profile: Supporting Analysis: Gippsland Tertiary Education Plan, Daniel Edwards, Paul R. Weldon, Tim Friedman

Dr Daniel Edwards

There is considerable interest in the provision and access to tertiary education within the Victoria by the State Government. In 2010, a Tertiary Education Plan was released by the Government, detailing various targets and policy objectives in this sector. Despite a change of Government, the broad objectives in the plan continue to be pursued. As such, a number of more specific plans, based on geographic locations within Victoria are being constructed. One such plan is being constructed for Gippsland. An Expert Panel has been formed to create the plan for Gippsland, chaired by Professor Kwong Lee Dow. This document provides …

Development And Piloting Of The Victoria University Student Dividend, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

The VU Student Dividend reflects a new approach to improving learning in Australian tertiary education. It is a landmark study that sets an important precedent, being the first institution level assessment of learning outcomes conducted to monitor and improve the quality of education. The Victoria University (VU) Student Dividend was conceptualised by VU, and developed and implemented by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The student assessment and graduate survey were piloted in 2008. The VU Student Dividend reflects an assessment of the extent to which VU’s courses and programs prepare students and graduates to engage productively in the …

Student Profile: Supporting Analysis: Gippsland Tertiary Education Plan, Daniel Edwards, Catherine Underwood

Dr Daniel Edwards

There is considerable interest in the provision and access to tertiary education within the Victoria by the State Government. In 2010, a Tertiary Education Plan was released by the Government, detailing various targets and policy objectives in this sector. Despite a change of Government, the broad objectives in the plan continue to be pursued. As such, a number of more specific plans, based on geographic locations within Victoria are being constructed. One such plan is being constructed for Gippsland. An Expert Panel has been formed to create the plan for Gippsland, chaired by Professor Kwong Lee Dow. This document provides …

Where Are The Academics Of Tomorrow?, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of International Practice In University Admissions Testing, Daniel Edwards, Hamish Coates, Tim Friedman

Dr Daniel Edwards

This paper explores how admissions tests are used in different higher education systems around the world. This is a relatively new area of research, despite the fact that admissions processes are a key component of university practices and given the ever-increasing globalisation of higher education. This paper shows that aptitude and achievement tests, for example, are used in many developed countries. In some of them, a specific test is nationally instituted and generalised; consequently, the function of the test is well embedded in the education landscape of the country. Elsewhere, tests exist but are administered in an ad hoc fashion …

Australian Higher Education - Attainment, Demand And Realities, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.