The document discusses optimizing the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) program to improve the student experience. QILT administers the Student Experience Survey (SES) and Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) to measure student engagement, teaching quality, and graduate employment outcomes. The SES collects data from current students on their educational experience. Results are available on the QILT website to allow students to compare institutions. Institutions receive detailed SES results and can integrate QILT data into strategic planning to monitor performance indicators over time. Customizing QILT surveys allows institutions to address questions not covered and better evaluate specific strategic initiatives.

1. Students first
Optimising QILT to
improve the student
experience
Pam Muth
Executive Director Education Research and
Strategy
Lisa Bolton
Director QILT Research and Strategy
Cynthia Kim
Director Education, Training and Learning
Statistics
Social Research Centre

2. About the Social
Research Centre
• What we do: Inform decision making and
advance our understanding of Australian
Society through conducting world-class
social research.
• We are a private, for-profit company
owned by ANU Enterprise (Australian
National University)
• Our services include: survey
research, cognitive interviewing,
qualitative research,
statistical consulting, program and
policy evaluation and data analytics
• Contracted by the Australian Government
Department of Education to administer and
report of QILT (2017-2020)

3. Optimising QILT to improve
the student experience
• What is QILT?
• Benchmarking
• The QILT website
• The Student Experience
• What is in the SES?
• The detail
• The results
• How to analyse the results
• Integrating QILT into
institutional systems and
processes

4. QILT administrative
features
• Independently administered (SRC)
• Sample data drawn from HEIMS
• Consistent survey mode – online
only
• Stratified sampling
• Live survey monitoring
• Intensive strata based follow up
• Flexibility for institutions
• Additional populations
• Additional items
• Top up telephone surveying

5. What are the QILT
surveys?
• The QILT program consists of:
• Student Experience Survey (SES) - measuring
the educational experience and engagement
of current commencing and completing UG
& PGC students
• Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) –
examining graduates’ labour market
outcomes in the short term and then again
in the medium term (GOS-Longitudinal), and
GOS Panel Maintenance
• Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS) –
assessing employers’ opinions of how well
the institution prepared graduates for work

6. QILT and
the student
life cycle

7. Benchmarking:!
• Context is important
• Study area profile
• Student demographic profile
• Location

8. The QILT Website
• Allows prospective students to
compare up to six institutions and
study areas
• Based on results of main performance
indicators related to the current
student experience and recent
graduate outcomes
• Currently being redesigned!
www.qilt.edu.au

9. Search for
courses,
occupations
or
institutions
to compare

10. 21 study
areas

11. Choose up
to 6
institutions
to compare

12. Compare list
against
current
student and
graduate
indicators

13. The Nerd Section…
• Access to National Reports
• National Report Tables
• Methodological Reports
• Infographics

14. The Nerd Section…
• The Provider Portal
• Login (very small text…)
• QILT Materials
• Webinars
• Secure File Exchange

15. The Student Experience
Survey
• Fully online survey of current commencing and
“completing” undergraduate and postgraduate
coursework students

16. The Student
Experience
Questionnaire
• The current SEQ domains include:
• (Overall Educational
Experience)
• Skills Development
• Learner Engagement
• Teaching Quality
• Learning Resources
• Student Support
• Run in August/September
• Institutions get ALL data back
• SPSS, CSV files
• Tableau packaged
workbooks

17. SES
Methodology
• Sample is centrally sourced
through HEIMS
• Response maximisation
strategies well established
• Rolling prize draws
($32,000)
• Email invitations and
reminders
• Targeted reminder calls and
SMS
• 24 hour Help Desk
• Institutional engagement is
crucial!
• 2016 - 46% resp rate
(n = 178,459)
• 2017 - 36% resp rate
(n = 206,121)

18. The Student Experience
Survey SES 2016 and 2017 Results

19. Skills Development
• Skills Development represents the “outcomes” of the course/program

20. Learner Engagement
• “Learner Engagement” definition??

21. Teaching Quality
• Correlates most highly with Overall Student Experience

22. Learning Resources

23. Student Support

24. Open text and other items
• … living arrangements, financial circumstances or work
commitments negatively affected study
• … seriously considered leaving

25. Tableau Reports – UA Data Sharing Agreement

26. SES 2016 and 2017 Results Internal/Multi Mode

27. SES 2016 and 2017 Results External Mode

28. SES 2016 and 2017 Learner Engagement Results All

29. SES 2016 and 2017 Learner Engagement Item Results External

30. Tableau Reports – Student Support Focus Area

31. Integrating and
embedding QILT
• Map the QILT survey items
to institutional
performance indicators as
articulated in your strategic
plans, enabling plans,
operational plans etc.
• Set targets.
What’s
measured
matters!
Enablingplans

32. Making the most of
the QILT surveys!
• Performance Indicators
• Alignment with strategic plans, quality systems,
continuous improvement, governance
(Academic Boards) etc.
• What is MISSING! Additional questions in
surveys
• Crowded survey space – making the
most of contacts
• Telling a nuanced story! (Customising QILT)
• Evaluating strategic initiatives
• Online student counselling
• Student support
• Teaching and learning directions
• Work integrated learning
• Capstone projects

33. QILT customisation
• Flexibility for institutions
• Additional populations
• Off shore, middle years
• Additional items
• Performance indicators for strategic
initiatives
• Consortia and multi institution items
cheaper
• Charge first year and then no cost
for subsequent years if no coding
• Top up telephone surveying
• To assist with maximizing
responses in strategic areas

34. Thank You
If you have any questions
please contact us at QILT
qilt@srcentre.com.au