A technology solution for the HE sector on benchmarking for quality improvement purposes

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the progress of a proof-of-concept trial of an online peer review tool with 17 universities, 6 private providers and 3 Deans Councils in Australia. The proof-of-concept trial was commissioned by Education Services Australia (ESA), a not-for-profit company owned by Australian Education Ministers, to explore options in the higher education (HE) sector. The aim of the proof-of-concept trial was to look for technology solutions that: 1) provide streamlined, sustainable and cost effective solutions to support interchange of good practice around core business operations, with a particular focus on assuring the quality of program level outcomes and their assessment and; 2) address the quality assurance and standards imperatives in the higher education sector. This trial is part of a larger national project but this paper will focus on the first two phases of a 7 phase project.