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The inaugural Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching Symposium, held at ���������¼�, explored data-driven approaches to enhancing the student experience and learning across Australia.

A first-of-its-kind symposium, hosted by ���������¼� Sydney, has highlighted how leveraging student feedback data is key to improving the student experience and driving sector-wide improvements in learning outcomes across Australian higher education.

The inaugural Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) Symposium explored data-driven methods to enhance student experience and learning across Australia through the QILT framework –��the university-level national data set of survey results that measure student experience, graduate outcomes and employer satisfaction. The event, held in partnership with the Social Research Centre, brought together higher education leaders, policymakers, academics and practitioners to discuss how the sector can utilise QILT insights to collaborate and prioritise students’ needs.

“This data is invaluable for celebrating what is working in teaching and learning and identifying areas for improvement,” said ���������¼� Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Quality, Professor Merlin Crossley, who gave the welcome address. “This Symposium highlights the commitment universities have to teaching and the student experience and how student data can help us build on strengths and address issues efficiently and effectively.”

Lisa Bolton, Director of QILT Research and Strategy at the Social Research Centre, delivered a keynote on optimising QILT to enhance the student experience, engagement and success. Ms Bolton said one of the main factors for universities was utilising more targeted dashboards to drive constant review and improvement.

“We collect a lot of data as universities, but how well we use it is often the issue,” Ms Bolton said. “It’s about understanding how to use that data to actually drive decision-making.”

Elevating the university sector

Ben Rimmer, Deputy Secretary at the Australian Government Department of Education, delivered the opening address and told the audience��that the data collected by QILT helps to foster continuous improvement in teaching and learning practices.

He said the federal government’s focus on improving productivity, along with the Universities Accord’s goal of achieving 80% higher education attainment by 2050, meant there needs to be a greater focus on the student experience and increasing opportunities for people from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

“We can’t achieve the 80% attainment target without a much more significant focus on equity, and therefore a much more significant focus on student support, engagement and wellbeing,” Mr Rimmer said.

Prof. Crossley agreed, adding that benchmarking and sharing QILT data between institutions was vital to help uplift the entire sector.

“Cycles of analysis and improvement can set us on an upward trajectory,” Prof. Crossley said. “By sharing innovations across the sector, Australia is poised to enhance its capability in first-rate tertiary education further.”