Assurance of Learning
Assurance of Learning (AOL) is a continuous improvement process that has been prioritised by the Business School and will assist us to meet the requirements of the AACSB accreditation.
Each year, select programs undergo AOL to assess how our students are performing against the key learning objectives for the programs offered in the School.
Students are assessed against each of the key learning objectives and receive a rating, based on a 5-point scale, ranging from Excellent to Poor.
This data provides valuable information that will help identify areas for development and inform future decisions about the programs, our teaching and learning support.
In 2021, programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate level underwent Assurance of Learning with the target that at least 80% of our students scored Good or higher in their overall performance for each of our Learning Objectives.
In 2021, the combined data obtained from each of the undergraduate programs assessed indicated that the performance target was met for all learning objectives.
However, in 2023, the combined data indicated that two of the learning objectives – Independent Learning and Critical Thinking - failed to meet the performance target, though only slightly. Students in this cohort would have commenced their degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which all classes were conducted online, compared to the 2021 student cohort who commenced prior to 2020 when classes were conducted in-person.
In 2021, the combined data obtained from each of the postgraduate programs assessed indicated that there were several learning objectives where the performance target was not met.
In 2023, the combined data indicated that comparative results were a mix of either improved performance, maintained performance or a decrease in performance. However, this was not indicative of all assessed programs as some met the performance target for all learning objectives.
Resources
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.