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Archived PublicationsFact Sheet (for latest Fact Sheets please go to Fact Sheets 2004)14. Assuring QualityThe international reputation of Australia’s higher education sector must be maintained to ensure our graduates have world-class skills to compete in the global economy and to protect and grow our position in the international education export market, which is currently valued at $5 billion. Given the expanded choice that will be available to prospective students as a result of the higher education reforms, it is imperative that information about the relative strengths of institutions be readily accessible. Employers should also have access to information about the capabilities of recent graduates. Overseas AuditsThe Commonwealth currently contributes to the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) under a MCEETYA formula for State/Territories/ Commonwealth contributions. The AUQA is charged with conducting “whole of institution” audits that include the international operations of universities. Most Australian universities have international activities, and increasingly, these are being offered off-shore in several countries. Significant future growth in international operations is likely to take place off-shore. From 2005, the Commonwealth will commission the AUQA to conduct audits of overseas higher education provision by Australian providers on a whole-of-country basis. The audits will be on a cyclical basis and the reports produced will be made available for consultation in the context of domestic institutional audits where relevant. This initiative, underpinned by funding of $590,000 per year, will assure the continued quality of Australian higher education provision in the international market. Enhancements to the Graduate Destination Survey and Course Experience QuestionnaireThe Commonwealth currently has a contract with the Graduate Careers Council of Australia to conduct the Graduate Destination Survey and Course Experience Questionnaire and to publish outcomes data in both hard copy and electronic form. The data serve three main purposes – providing national accountability for the sector, ensuring quality and performance management within institutions and informing student choice. The Commonwealth will maintain funding for the Graduate Destination Survey (GDS) and Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) to support the research and publication of data that inform institutional and sectoral performance. A number of enhancements will be made, including an extended version of the CEQ, more intensive use of qualitative data from the CEQ and a shift towards greater electronic delivery and publication of results. Enhancement of the Graduate Skills AssessmentThe Graduate Skills Assessment instrument has been developed for the Commonwealth by the Australian Council for Educational Research to test generic skills of graduates in the domains of logical thinking, critical reasoning, written communication and interpersonal understanding. The test is administered twice each year; once for entry and once for exit. There is also a potential market for out-of-cycle tests to be run for specific purposes for universities and employers. The Commonwealth will provide $270,000 per year from 2005 to promote the test to employers and support its use in selection processes. Employers and graduates will initially benefit from broader use of the GSA as a standard recruitment tool. As usage expands, the Commonwealth will be able to collect valuable information on the quality of higher education as measured by graduate skills. The reforms outlined in this Fact Sheet are subject to the passage of Commonwealth legislation. Full implementation details for the reforms will be provided over the coming months. Contact DetailsMedia inquiries:
Other inquiries:
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Any comments or
queries should be sent to:
highered@dest.gov.au
Department of Education, Science and Training
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