Education Commons^™

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.

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.

Learning Outcomes Assessment At American Library Association Accredited Master’S Programs In Library And Information Studies, Win Shih

Win Shih

There is an increasing emphasis on learning outcomes assessment in the accreditation process in higher education in general and in library education specifically. This mixed methods study investigated the practice of outcomes assessment at master’s programs in library and information studies accredited by the American Library Association in the United States and Canada. Six salient themes emerged from the survey responses of Accreditation Liaison officers and the content analysis of 12 program presentations of MLIS programs. First, outcomes assessment has taken hold at MLIS programs in which 93% of programs have adopting a common set of learning goals and outcomes, …

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.

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

Dr Jacob Pearce

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

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.

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

Dr Jacob Pearce

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.

Assessing Vocational Competencies In Civil Engineering: Lessons From Ahelo For Future Practice, Jacob Pearce

Dr Jacob Pearce

There has been much interest in the notion of vocational competencies of late. The pressing question, however, is how to measure vocational competencies. In order to contribute to this ‘how’, the results of the Civil Engineering strand of the recent Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) Feasibility Study are discussed. The focus of the assessment instrument was explicitly on “above content” areas of the domain, and the assessment framework provides an example of a construct which articulates certain domain-specific competence components. This paper draws specific attention the Constructed Response Tasks (CRTs) in the instrument and discusses the results of …

'Are We There Yet?' Revisiting The Digital Education Revolution, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle

Implementing A Qep In A Distributed University When Memories Are Short And Changes Are Necessary, Aaron Clevenger, Kelly Whealan George

Aaron D. Clevenger

A Rural Phd Candidate And The Grace Of Community, Jillian Marchant, Pauline Taylor

Associate Professor Pauline Taylor-Guy

Partnerships, Policies And Professional Learning: Experiences From An Australian Government-University Partnership, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle

No abstract provided.

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.

Retention And Success Of Underrepresented Minorities In Stem At University Of Massachusetts Boston: A Pilot Study Of The Impact Of Freshman Success Communities, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Alvine Sangang, Liliana Mickle

Michael P. Johnson

Today’s college graduates are facing a complex world in which the demand for a sophisticated skill set is ever increasing; this is even more salient in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Therefore, the success of students majoring in STEM appears critical for meeting the market demand for such degrees. Unfortunately, current rates of success in STEM suggest that there are a number of challenges impeding STEM major completion, particularly for underrepresented minorities. In the academic year 2011, the share of underrepresented minorities (URM) receiving STEM degrees in the University of Massachusetts system was 8.7%. In the 15- …

Liberating Insight By Walking In Other People's Shoes, Gail Rathbun, Jane Leatherman, Rebecca Jensen

Rebecca S Jensen

The researchers framed this program evaluation project as an investigation of the influences on teaching practices of a teaching center program participants and non-participants. Changes in teaching practices and the motivations for these changes of fifteen randomly chosen faculty were studied. Session participants will develop and analyze brief case studies using abbreviated data sets and three of the methods that were used in the study. Through hands on analysis of data, session participants will enhance their ability to evaluate the conclusions drawn by the researchers and become familiar with useful analytical frameworks that they can use in their own research. …

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

Ali Radloff

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

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.

Ensuring Quality In Ahelo Item Development And Scoring Processes, Jacob Pearce

Dr Jacob Pearce

This chapter summarises the work undertaken in the Engineering Strand of the OECD's Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) Feasibility Study. The iterative processes of design, review and revision that were followed to ensure that the assessment instrument and scoring processes were of high quality are outlined in detail. There are several lessons which can be drawn out of these experiences for future practice. The chapter offers an example of the amount of thinking and effort that is required in the development of an assessment instrument and the scoring processes related to it, if high quality data and directions …

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 …

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

Ali Radloff

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 …

Biosmart: An Integrated Programme To Enhance Graduate Skills In Biomedical Science, Peter Johnson, Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, Kevin Ashton, John Leggett, Russ Chess-Williams, Debra Henly

Kevin Ashton

The BioSMART (Scientific Methods for Analytical and Reasoning Skills and Critical Thinking) program was developed to support the professional development of Bachelor of Biomedical Science students in the Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine at Bond University. BioSMART comprises an integrated suite of learning activities and assessments embedded across the degree program in three phases. In Phase One, students develop foundational laboratory and scientific reasoning and writing skills. In Phase Two, students plan and conduct scientific research projects and other activities, which develop work-ready competencies including project design, implementation, data analysis, team work and presentation skills. Finally, in Phase Three, …

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 …

Australian Changing Academic Profession (Cap) Sampling Design, Hamish Coates, Martin Murphy

Martin Murphy

No abstract provided.

Why Facebook Is (And Isn't) A Pre-Service Teacher's Friend, Pauline Taylor

Associate Professor Pauline Taylor-Guy

An Accreditation Team Tightens Up, Sherry Penney, John Erickson

Sherry Penney

Describes how combining the campus visits from regional and specialized accreditation agencies saved the State University of New York Binghamton time, money, and effort.

Analyzing Institutional Data To Determine Which Characteristics Best Predict Graduation Rates At Colleges Or Universities., Bradley J. Coverdale

Bradley J Coverdale

No abstract provided.

Grey Literature In Australian Education, Gerry White

Dr Gerald K. White

Gerald White discusses the need to better organise the proliferation of non-commercially published reports and documents of particular importance in the area of public policy.

How To Ignite Excitement For The Development Of A Transformational Qep In A Distributed University, Aaron D. Clevenger, Kelly W. George, Jayathi S. Raghavan

Kelly Whealan George

No abstract provided.