Evidence for the threshold learning outcomes

The Learning and Teaching Academic Standards project was established to facilitate and coordinate the definition and implementation of academic standards. Initially it was intended that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) would use the Academic Standards as one of several criteria in the accreditation of universities and other higher education providers, but the passage of time and a change of federal government in 2013 has created some uncertainty about this. Nevertheless, these national Academic Standards are an important quality assurance measure for universities, and the Australian Council of Deans of Science endorsed the Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Statement for Science as a generic, high-level statement of Bachelor of Science threshold learning outcomes (TLOs) in 2011. All TLOs for specific science disciplines are subordinate to the overall Science TLOs. Under the leadership of the RACI, a draft statement for the Chemistry TLOs was prepared and published as an appendix to the Science Statement. The Chemistry TLOs were refined through regional and national consultations (Chemistry in Australia, 2013 (March), p. 35) and ratified in October 2013 by the annual (Chemistry) Professors and Heads of Department meeting facilitated by the RACI. (**) The RACI is using the Chemistry Threshold Learning Outcomes as part of its accreditation of universities’ chemistry degrees (Chemistry in Australia, 2012 (October), p. 14). Preliminary work by Schultz et al. has shown that collating evidence that demonstrates the achievement of the Chemistry TLOs is not straightforward. Since mid-2014, a national project, headed by Siggi Schmid, has been working on a framework to evaluate whether achievement of the various Chemistry TLOs is demonstrated by specific assessment items. The project, which is funded by the Australian Government’s Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT), has held preliminary consultations and information sessions at various conferences, including the December 2014 RACI National Congress. Equally critical is the collation of exemplary assessment items for each Chemistry TLO that can be used in curriculum design. Generation of these outcomes will benefit from an external perspective since the chemistry education community worldwide is concerned with improving assessment of learning outcomes to inform curriculum reform. Nationally, reflection within the chemistry community on assessment of the Chemistry TLOs is relevant to other disciplines using the Science TLOs. As part of the OLT-funded project, a series of workshops will inform university academics of the current status of the Chemistry TLOs, provide professional development so that academics can understand the TLOs and analyse how their existing assessment tasks do (or not) provide evidence for the Chemistry TLOs, and obtain further feedback about evidencing the TLOs. In particular the Workshops will address which types of knowledge (factual, conceptual, procedural and/or metacognitive knowledge) are required to successfully complete an assessment item, which, if any, practical (laboratory) skills are required, which cognitive processes in Bloom's taxonomy are required, and which specific TLOs are demonstrated by successful completion of the assessment item. The Victorian/Tasmanian workshop will be held in Melbourne on 6 July, and the Queensland workshop will be held in Brisbane on 15 July, with workshops to follow in other states. All RACI members are invited to contribute to the discussion about assessment tasks that evidence the chemistry TLOs. Chemistry academics are invited to submit assessment tasks, along with examples of student work . You are also invited to participate in the Melbourne and Brisbane workshops planned for 6 and 15 July, and other cities. For further information, please contact the Chemistry TLO team: Siggi Schmid (Chair, Sydney ), Glennys O'Brien (Wollongong), Adam Bridgeman (Sydney), Ian Jamie (Macquarie), Kieran Lim (Deakin), Simon Pyke (Adelaide), Madeleine Schultz (QUT), Daniel Southam (Curtin), Simon Bedford (Wollongong).