Institution Research and Action

The University undertakes detailed analysis to determine what aspects of learning and teaching are performing well and the key areas for improvement.

These analyses draw upon an examination of the following sets of data derived from the UWS Tracking and Improvement System for Learning and Teaching and other sources:

• the UWS Exit Survey 2004
• the UWS Employer Survey 2004-5
• the UWS Student Satisfaction Survey
• the UWS Annual Course Reports 2001-4
• UWS Student Feedback on Units 2004
• analysis of 27,000 individual CEQ comments written by UWS graduates on the best aspects of their experience at the University and those most requiring improvement. This study used the new qualitative analysis tool CEQuery.

The results of this analysis have led, for the period 2005-7, to the commissioning by the Vice-Chancellor of two projects.

A key university-wide improvement project entitled the UWS Retention Project. This project concentrates on enhancing the student’s total experience of UWS, not just on what happens in the traditional classroom. The key improvement priorities which have emerged from the above studies and which are being addressed include:

• management of student expectations
• enhancing the UWS enrolment system
• introduction of a more consistent system for ensuring student concerns are addressed promptly and effectively
• improved orientation across all six university campuses
• Identifying students at risk early in their first year of study and more directly linking them to the wide range of support systems currently available.

The introduction of a university wide quality of assessment project. This project addresses the following enhancement areas and aims to ensure that current areas of excellent practice across UWS are consistently applied:

• ensuring UWS assessment is valid – this is being informed by a series of studies of successful graduates and the UWS employer survey
• more careful management of students’ expectations around assessment, in particular ensuring all students are clear in the subject studied exactly how a fail, pass, credit, distinction and high distinction will be judged
• introducing a system of external moderation of assessment, starting with a pilot with the University of Canberra
• ensuring there is an even balance in assessment load between subjects
• ensuring the full range of assessment methods are considered and appropriately used
• enhancing assessment in the practicum and equivalent practical components of UWS programs
• ensuring feedback on assessment is both timely and constructive
• ensuring that assessment practices are designed to minimise and manage plagiarism effectively, according to the University’s integrated approaches to the management of plagiarism (PDF, 19Kb).

A strategic focus on these two areas and their direct support in the University’s budget was endorsed by the University’s Board of Trustees at its strategy workshop in March 2005.

In addition, every UWS school and college, using the same data sources has established a small number of additional improvement priorities for enhancement in learning and teaching which are uniquely suited to their operating situation.

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