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Learning and Teaching

Academic calibration program

Education Strategy

The CDU Academic Calibration Program is an external peer review process that is undertaken in collaboration with universities across the sector and internationally.

The calibration process aims to provide a comparable review and constructive feedback from academic about the standard of assessment tasks, and the suitability of assessment tasks for supporting the achievement of learning outcomes in selected higher education units.

Calibration provides insight into comparable units at other universities and valuable feedback to support the continuous quality improvement of unit teaching and learning.

The outcomes of academic calibration provide evidence to inform quality enhancement to units and to accrediting bodies for the assurance of learning.

Academic calibration aims to:

  • inform the quality enhancement of units
  • review the clarity, appropriateness and relationship of assessment design, learning outcomes, and supporting material for a unit
  • enable comparison of assessment and supporting items to that of other institutions
  • promote discussion on good practice in learning and teaching across participating universities.

Academic calibration supports CDU in meeting the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards), in particular the requirement that we:

Review and improve learning and teaching activities including regular external referencing of the success of student cohorts against comparable courses of study, including:

  • the assessment methods and grading of students’ achievement of learning outcomes for selected units of study within courses of study.

Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021: Section 5.3 Part 4b

CDU has an Academic Calibration Schedule that identifies units for calibration across disciplines each year, with additional units being identified as required. The principle of reciprocity supports the continuation of the program, which requires both incoming and outgoing academic calibration:

  • CDU academic staff review units for other universities.
  • CDU HE units are reviewed by academic staff at other universities.

For more information, please contact the CDU Academic Calibration Program Coordinator at quality@cdu.edu.au

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