Abstract
This paper reports a recent national studyby the Centre for the Study of HigherEducation into contemporary practices in studentassessment in Australian higher education and theissues of quality assurance facing thesector in the light of public speculationand concern about academic standards. Amajor issue emerging from the project isthe importance of defining the relationshipsbetween approaches to student assessment andgrading, quality assurance and academic standards. The paper discusses the issues surrounding academicstandards in Australia in the context ofthe new national framework for highereducation quality assurance and the role of theAustralian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA).
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Andrews, L. Aungles, P. Baker, S. & Sarris, A. (1998). Characteristics and Performance of Higher Education Institutions (A Preliminary Investigation). Canberra: Department of Employment Education Training and Youth Affairs (http://www.deetya.gov.au/ divisions/hed/highered/otherpub/heperf.pdf).
AUQA (2002). Australian Universities Quality Agency Audit Manual Version 1.
DEST (2001). Characteristics and Performance Indicators of Australian Higher Education Institutions, 2000. Occasional Paper Series, Higher Education Division.
DEST (2002a). Striving for Quality: Learning, Teaching and Scholarship. Paper prepared for the Government Review Higher Education at the Crossroads. Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training. Available at http://www.dest.gov.au/crossroads/ pubs.htm (accessed 12 August 2002).
DEST (2002b). Selected Higher Education Student Statistics 2001. Canberra: AGPS.
DETYA (2000). The Australian Higher Education Quality Assurance Framework. Occasional Paper Series, Higher Education Division.
DETYA (2001). Quality of Australian Higher Education: Institutional Quality Assurance and Improvement Plans for the 2001-2003 Triennium. Higher Education Division.
Higher Education Council (1992). Achieving Quality. National Board of Employment, Education and Training.
James, R. & McInnis, C. (2001). Strategically Re-Positioning Student Assessment: A Discussion Paper on the Assessment of Student Learning in Universities. Available at http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au (12 August 2002).
James, R., McInnis, C. & Devlin, M. (2002a). Options for a National Process to Articulate and Monitor Academic Standards Across Australian Universities. Submission to the Higher Education Review 2002. Available at http://www.dest.gov.au/crossroads/sub.htm (accessed 12 August 2002).
James, R., McInnis, C. & Devlin, M. (2002b). Assessing Learning in Australian Universities. Australian Universities Teaching Committee.
Nelson, B. (2002). Higher Education at the Crossroads: An Overview Paper. Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training. Available at http://www.dest.gov.au/ crossroads/pubs.htm (accessed 12 August 2002).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
James, R. Academic Standards and the Assessment of Student Learning: Some Current Issues in Australian Higher Education. Tertiary Education and Management 9, 187–198 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024494613604
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024494613604