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Development of the Australasian survey of student engagement (AUSSE)

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Abstract

Student learning and development are the core business of the academy, yet until recently Australian and New Zealand universities lacked data on students’ engagement in effective educational practices. This paper reports the foundations and development of the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE)—the largest educationally focused cross-institutional collection from current students in Australasia. Results from the 2008 AUSSE are analyzed to elucidate the focus and significance of the collection. A review is undertaken of the AUSSE’s approach to stimulating each institution’s continuous improvement. The analysis is expanded, by way of conclusion, to consider the role of the collection as a general agent for encouraging the expansion of evidence-based quality management in higher education.

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Notes

  1. Items in questions 2–11 and 14–16 in the SEQ have been used with permission from The College Student Report, National Survey of Student Engagement (Copyright 2001–2009, The Trustees of Indiana University). Also, items in the SSEQ were used with permission from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, Center for Postsecondary Research (Copyright 2001–2009, The Trustees of Indiana University). The items were adapted and validated for Australia and New Zealand by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

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Acknowledgments

The author is very grateful to the staff and students who have supported the AUSSE, and to two anonymous reviewers for their helpful feedback on an earlier version of this paper.

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  1. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), 19 Prospect Hill Road, Private Bag 55, Camberwell, VIC, 3124, Australia

    Hamish Coates

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  1. Hamish Coates
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Correspondence to Hamish Coates.

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Coates, H. Development of the Australasian survey of student engagement (AUSSE). High Educ 60, 1–17 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-009-9281-2

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