Abstract
The global context of contemporary higher education demands international benchmarks. Quality assurance of teaching and learning would benefit from the insights gained from cross-cultural assessments. If cross-cultural assessments are used it is imperative that equivalence is assured, requiring attention to the technical standards used. In this paper we draw on our experiences implementing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) Feasibility Study across 17 countries. We consider the key standards required in a number of core technical areas to achieve equivalence. We discuss how different elements were achieved in the AHELO Feasibility Study. These include the development of assessment materials for use across languages; selection and engagement of students; delivery of assessment materials and analysis of assessment data.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and recognise its ownership of all data, deliverables and instruments produced during the AHELO Feasibility Study. The authors would like to thank Dr. Karine Tremblay of the OECD, Dr. Daniel Edwards of the Australian Council for Educational Research and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier draft of this paper.
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Richardson, S., Coates, H. Essential foundations for establishing equivalence in cross-national higher education assessment. High Educ 68, 825–836 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9746-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9746-9