The University of Tasmania (UTAS), Charles Sturt University (CSU), Curtin University, Griffith University and University of Western Sydney (UWS) agreed to undertake a 6-month benchmarking project on their professional studies/professional practice and early childhood degree courses, focussing on professional experience, school and early childhood/community partnerships, cross-campus teaching, online facilities, resources and teaching and literacy, numeracy and English language standards. This project was considered mutually beneficial in aligning with:

1. - Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACEQA) accreditation requirements;
2. - TEQSA's Higher Education Standards Framework, in particular the Course Design (Coursework) and Learning Outcomes (Coursework) standards;
3. - Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) requirements; and
4. - Institutional peer-review and course review processes.

It also provided an opportunity to compare and share best practices and identify areas for improvement across the five participating institutions.

This project took place in two distinct phases:

Phase A: Process and outcome benchmarking of specific aspects associated with professional studies/professional practice degree courses.

Phase B: Inter-university moderation of assessment in literacy, numeracy and early childhood units.

This report outlines the preparation and implementation of the project, and summarises key findings and recommendations from the project.