Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Project

1. Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Project Setting standards for higher education Dr Carol Nicoll PSM Chief Executive Officer June 2010

2. The new TEQSA will be at the centre of a new standards-based quality assurance framework…. Key to the success of the new quality assurance arrangements – and meaningful academic standards in particular – will be the active involvement of the academic community…. Discipline communities will ‘own’ and take responsibility for implementing academic standards... within the academic traditions of collegiality, peer review, pre-eminence of disciplines and, importantly, academic autonomy…. Australian Government, 2009 Transforming Australia’s Higher Education System p.32

3. What context in the sector? TEQSA will regulate the higher education sector in line with agreed standards. The standards framework will likely comprise the following: • Provider standards • Qualification standards – AQF • Learning and Teaching Standards: Academic Standards, Learning outcomes • Research standards – ERA • Information standards

4. What is the purpose? The LTAS project has been established to facilitate and coordinate discipline communities’ indentifying academic standards Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Project

5. Academic standards: a working definition • Academic standards are learning outcomes described in terms of core discipline knowledge, and core discipline specific skills • Expressed as minimum learning outcomes that a graduate of any given discipline (or program) must have achieved

6. What principles underpin the identification of academic standards? • Academic standards will be expressed as measurable or assessable learning outcomes • Input and process (eg lab hours) may support but are not substitutes for learning outcomes • Minimum learning outcomes will be defined by each discipline community for each level of AQF qualification (ie bachelors, masters, doctorate)

7. Regular review will be required to maintain currency with knowledge and practice • Minimum academic standards must be comparable with appropriate international standards • Processes for assessment of performance against defined standards must be efficient, transparent, sustainable and include external peer review • Processes for assuring academic standards must not give rise to perverse consequences (eg standardisation of curricula)

8. Diversity and academic autonomy will be protected: • Individual institutions may set their own learning outcome standards in addition to the defined minimum • Individual institutions will determine the curriculum, resources, teaching and assessment methods leading to the achievement of the minimum learning outcomes in their institution

9. Implementation approach • Steering Group and Discipline Scholars appointed • Forum for senior representatives of discipline areas: a ‘working session in discipline groups’ • Forum produces a program of work for each discipline for developing learning outcomes • Expert reference groups appointed for each discipline

10. ALTC the convenor/ facilitator for six discipline-based projects • Further disciplines to be identified and additional scholars appointed • August to October – consultation drafts • December – final report and evaluation

11. Discipline Scholars • Architecture & Building To be appointed in May • Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities Prof Iain Hay (Flinders) • Business, Management & Economics A/Prof Mark Freeman (Sydney) • Creative & Performing Arts Prof Jonathan Holmes (UTas) • Engineering & ICT Prof Ian Cameron (UQ) A/Prof Roger Hadgraft (Melbourne) • Health, Medicine & Vet Science A/Prof Maree O’Keefe (Adelaide) Prof Amanda Henderson (Griffith) • Law Prof Mark Israel (UWA) Prof Sally Kift (QUT) • Science (including Mathematics) Prof Sue Jones (UTas) Prof Brian Yates (UTas)

12. How do I get involved? Ask for the information pack at: standards@altc.edu.au Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Project