Development of an Academic Standards Framework (ASF) and online evaluation and reporting tool at the University of Tasmania

The Australian government, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and universities are currently engaged in conversations on key performance indicators and measures. The period from 2008-2009 saw the national discussion focus on the development of performance indicators for a range of purposes. In 2010, the discussion shifted to identifying performance indicators within a national Higher Education Standards Framework. Indicators are most powerful when they are located in a multidimensional framework (Coates, 2010). A clear message is that universities need to be more explicit in their use and measurement of performance indicators for funding, regulatory and quality assurance purposes. Universities, in response, are developing their own institutional frameworks (Charles Sturt, Curtin, Macquarie, RMIT, Canberra, South Australia and Western Sydney). The University of Tasmania (UTAS) has developed its own University Standards Framework (USF). The UTAS USF encompasses 6 key dimensions: Teaching, Learning, Curriculum, Student Experience, Research and Research Training. Indicators and performance measures for each standard have been developed based on their capacity to measure and improve practice. The USF project also includes the development of an online evaluation and reporting tool. The framework and online tool is currently at the trial phase across one faculty (Student Experience Dimension) and campus (Teaching Dimension). This paper will report on the findings and utilisation of the performance indicators to measure quality. What has emerged during the project is the realisation that ‘developing indicators to measure complex phenomena is a complex task’ (Coates, 2010).