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All accounting graduates from all types of higher education institutions in Australia should meet or exceed nationally agreed learning outcomes, according to accounting lecturers from across the nation who met at The University of Western Australia last week.

The lecturers, part of a group from 17 higher education institutions, were participating in the sixth workshop for the Achievement Matters project. The workshop is one of a series being held around Australia over several years, calibrating accounting learning standards such as knowledge and written communication to ensure students nationwide are assessed in a consistent manner.

The UWA Business School's Associate Dean Teaching and Learning, Winthrop Professor Phil Hancock, who is co-leading the Achievement Matters project, said the aim of the workshop exercises is to develop consistent assessment of learning outcomes across all universities and institutions teaching accounting.

"This consistency will allow employers and accrediting bodies to be more confident in the quality of all accounting graduates," he said.

"For example, one of the questions we are asking ourselves is: Would we be happy to recommend a student for a job interview, based on the evidence we have of their skills?

"We are also looking at the way we set assignments and exams, and examining the best ways in which to allow students to demonstrate their skills.

"Ultimately, we want to be able to say we have complete confidence in every accounting graduate from every Australian institution, and to roll out these calibration workshops across other university subjects and disciplines."

The Achievement Matters project aims to develop a model process for assessing learning outcomes. Led by the UWA Business School's Winthrop Professor Phil Hancock and the University of Sydney's Professor Mark Freeman, the project is supported by the Office for Learning and Teaching, Australian Business Deans Council, CPA Australia, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.

Media references

Catherine Vogel (UWA Business School)    (+61 8) 6488 7340
Verity Chia (UWA Business School)    (+61 8) 6488 1346