'Template' higher education standards out for comment

UNIVERSITIES and other higher education institutions have been given a glimpse of the standards expected of them.

UNIVERSITIES and other higher education institutions have been given a glimpse of what's going to be expected of them, with draft course design and learning outcome standards released for comment.

The two documents are intended as templates for the new-look threshold standards, against which the higher education regulator TEQSA will register institutions and accredit their courses.

The independent Higher Education Standards Panel wants to iron out bugs in the standards by streamlining their content, eliminating duplication and overhauling the organising framework.

The closely related areas of course design and learning outcomes have been addressed first, essentially as guinea pigs. The panel has drafted seven standards on course design and ten on learning outcomes.

It’s seeking feedback on the proposed format, including style, clarity and “pitch”.

It’s also asking for comment on “reference points” which have been included to provide guidance on how the standards should be interpreted, and the types of evidence likely to be considered.

“Feedback on these examples will guide the panel’s drafting of future standards for consultation,” a discussion paper explains.

It says blocks of standards from “cognate” areas, such as teaching and research, will then be released progressively. “There will be an opportunity to revisit these particular standards together with their proposed bedfellows,” it says.

Comments on the initial block are due by mid-April.