Education Commons^™

Supply, Demand And Characteristics Of The Higher Degree By Research Population In Australia, Daniel Edwards, Ali Radloff, Hamish Coates

Dr Daniel Edwards

This research has been undertaken for the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research by researchers from the Australian Council for Educational Research. It was conducted during May and June 2009. Its focus is on identifying the higher research degree (HDR) population in Australia, examining the characteristics of this population, and the levels of demand and supply for people with these qualifications now and into the future. This research also catalogues a number of existing data sources that can be utilised for research into this population and identifies key gaps in the current collections which inhibit some areas of analyses …

Finding The Right Fit: University Course Selection And Completion, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

As higher education enrolments continue to climb, the proportion of students failing to graduate remains high among some cohorts, according to analysis by Daniel Edwards.

Quality Assurance In Gp Training, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

An annual survey is collecting information about the postgraduate training experiences of General Practice registrars across Australia.

Exploring The Student Experience Across Different Systems: Understanding Context And Assisting Benchmarking, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

This paper explores the adaptation of the Australian University Experience Survey for use in Japanese universities. The project aims to increase knowledge within Japan of the experiences and engagement of students and offer comparative analyses with Australia using a ‘common’ instrument. The paper discusses the processes of adapting the survey for Japanese context to ensure comparability of data across systems, and provides insight into contextual differences for consideration in interpreting and benchmarking such data. The project demonstrates the importance of high quality survey instrumentation for benchmarking, and reflects on the use of survey outcomes to actively improve the student experience.

Work Integrated Learning: A Lesson In Good Wil, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Successful and sustainable work integrated learning programs share a number of key elements, as Daniel Edwards explains.

University Completions And Equity, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

University students from disadvantaged groups have a lower completion rate than their more advantaged peers, but most disadvantaged students do complete their degrees, research reveals.

Improving Assessment Processes And Quality In Medical Specialisations, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

ACER’s work for a number of specialist colleges in medicine is contributing to higher quality education, as Daniel Edwards explains.

Can Factors That Impact An Undergraduate Paramedic Student’S Performance Be Identified Prior To Admission?, E Bartle, A Rolley, Sean Pywell, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Remember The Students: Lessons For Learning Outcomes Assessments, Jacob Pearce, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Assessments of student learning outcomes are important for institutional and system-level quality assurance, but should also help students improve their knowledge and skills.

Pathways To University: Beyond Prior School Achievement, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Daniel Edwards explores whether Australia’s university admissions pathways adequately meet the needs of students and society.

The Rationale For And Use Of Assessment Frameworks: Improving Assessment And Reporting Quality In Medical Education, Jacob Pearce, Daniel Edwards, Julian Fraillon, Hamish Coates, Benedict Canny, David Wilkinson

Dr Daniel Edwards

An assessment framework provides a structured conceptual map of the learning outcomes of a programme of study along with details of how achievement of the outcomes can be measured. The rationale for using frameworks to underpin the targeting of essential content components is especially relevant for the medical education community. Frameworks have the capacity to improve validity and reliability in assessment, allowing test developers to more easily create robust assessment instruments. The framework used by the Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (AMAC) is an interesting and relevant case study for the international community as it draws and builds on established processes …

University Admissions In Australia: Multiple Pathways To The Same Destination, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

The undergraduate population in Australian universities is a diverse group. A mixture of age cohorts, and relatively large numbers of international students, as well as an increasing variety of entry pathways mean that examining policy and practice in admissions to university in Australia is very interesting while at the same time substantially complex. This chapter offers a background on the Australian university student population in order to highlight this diversity, and then explores different approaches to admissions within the university sector. Exploration of admissions policies and outcomes in Australia is timely. In recent years an emphasis on growth in the …

Improving The Quality Of Medical Education, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

An ongoing collaboration is developing tools and processes to help prove and improve the quality of medical education in Australia through quality comparison, the sharing of expertise and high-quality assessment, as Dan Edwards explains.

Improving Engineering Work And Study, Daniel Edwards, Jacob Pearce

Dr Daniel Edwards

Daniel Edwards and Jacob Pearce discuss a study that explores the perceptions of the engineering workforce, including engineering education and barriers to participation and career advancement.

Collaborative Assessments Of Learning Outcomes: Generating Positive Institutional Change, Jacob Pearce, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Insight into the development of higher education assessment collaborations in two fields (medical education and engineering education) is presented. These collaborations aim to improve and share assessment and assessment practice in order to enhance educational outcomes of students. This model is efficient and effective, can be applied nationally or internationally, and can generate positive institutional change around the globe.

Predicting Success In Medical Studies, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Daniel Edwards discusses the findings of a multi-institution investigation of the ability of Australia’s medical school admissions processes to predict future achievement levels.

Growth And ‘Quality’ In Higher Education, Daniel Edwards, Ali Radloff

Dr Daniel Edwards

Strong growth in university enrolments may not necessarily be affecting quality, according to analysis by Daniel Edwards and Ali Radloff.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Where Are The Academics Of Tomorrow?, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.