Assessing and assuring Australian graduate learning outcomes: principles and practices within and across disciplines

The Assessing and Assuring Graduate Learning Outcomes (AAGLO) project sought to contribute to the Federal government's plans to transform higher education in Australia through the redesign of quality assurance arrangements. The AAGLO project brought together key perspectives in Australia and internationally around the shared need for assessment of student learning in universities to deliver convincing evidence to relevant stakeholder groups of achievement of stated learning outcomes for graduates. The project addressed two central questions: What types of assessment tasks are most likely to provide convincing evidence of student achievement of or progress towards graduate learning outcomes? What processes best assure the quality of assessment of graduate learning outcomes [GLOs]?

The AAGLO project identified the assessment tasks in a range of disciplines that academics proposed generate convincing evidence of achievement of graduate learning outcomes. In addition to the resources to support engagement in the assessment and assurance of learning standards a series of key recommendations was proposed for ongoing work in this area. While a viable approach will require multiple components, this project has underlined the central role of academic-led, discipline based assessment in the assurance of GLOs.

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