The Australian Council for Educational Research welcomes the release of the Bradley Review of Higher Education.

The independent review of Australia’s higher education system supports a range of recommendations made by ACER, including the need for policy and reform to be solidly underpinned by evidence-based research.

In particular, ACER’s submission called for an enhanced focus on how students engage in university learning, a recommendation that has been endorsed strongly by the Review.

The urgent need for an enhanced focus on student engagement is evidenced by findings from the ACER-led Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) – the largest cross-institutional survey of currently enrolled students yet undertaken in Australian higher education.

This survey has shown, for instance, that Australian students are less engaged with their university studies than students in the US. Students’ levels of contact with staff and the quality of student-staff interactions are particularly low.

The AUSSE also found that staff perceptions of student satisfaction are overly optimistic. University staff surveyed estimated that around 10 per cent of students would leave their current institution before course completing; but more than 30 per cent of students said they planned to do so.

Importantly, the AUSSE findings and a series of continuous improvement guides suggest ways to improve student engagement, verifying that students are more satisfied, perform better academically and are less likely to drop out when high standards are set and they are provided with integrated support to help them succeed.

According to the AUSSE Director, Dr Hamish Coates, the results of the survey clearly suggest the steps that could be taken to improve student engagement and educational quality.

“The results suggest that students feel their educational experience has been most valuable when they are challenged to learn in a supportive environment and have encountered work-relevant learning experiences,” Dr Coates said.

“Students are much less likely to depart before completing their course and more likely to have better learning outcomes if their institution offers challenging and stimulating courses and provides appropriate, individually-targeted student support. Participating in broader enriching experiences really count for high-quality learning and development outcomes.”

While the 2008 AUSSE results show that instances of student interaction with staff and of active learning have increased in the past year, there is still considerable room for improvement, and ACER welcomes the Bradley Review as a important step in the this process.

AUSSE reports and resources can be found at www.acer.edu.au/ausse

ACER's Submission to the Bradley Review is available from the Review of Australian Higher Education website.

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