Dear OHS Educators and Researchers

This first Update for 2017 makes two important announcements: a call for expressions of interest for the Registrar of the Accreditation Board and for nominations for an OHS educator member of the Accreditation Board. It also includes information on some presentations and workshops on assessment.

Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board – Management

Call for expressions of interest for Registrar role

I have had the privilege of being the inaugural Registrar of the Accreditation Board and through the last 5½ years have seen the development and implementation of accreditation and the associated ongoing evolution of OHS professional education in Australia. As part of ensuring the ongoing sustainability of accreditation and that OHS accreditation continues to be based on leading edge OHS and education principles it is now time for me to step down and a new person take on the role of Registrar. Thus, the Accreditation Board is calling for expressions of interest for the Registrar role. The EOI is available on the Accreditation Board web site at https://www.ohseducationaccreditation.org.au/ . Please circulate the EOI to others who may be interested. The call for Expressions of Interest closes on March 10th.

During 2016 the two functions previously carried out by the Registrar of accreditation and managing the OHS Body of Knowledge were separated and the EOI only addresses the accreditation role. For the time being I will continue to manage the OHS Body of Knowledge.

Call for nomination for an OHS educator on the Australian OHS Accreditation Board

As part of its routine renewal the Accreditation Board is seeking nominations/expressions of interest from OHS educators who are involved in the design and/or delivery of OHS professional education programs that meet the requirements of an eligible program for OHS accreditation. nomination form is available on the Accreditation Board web site at https://www.ohseducationaccreditation.org.au/. Self-nominations are welcomed. Nominations close on the 10th March

Please feel free to contact me via email (registrar@ohseducationaccreditation.org.au) or phone (0411 193 370) should you wish to discuss the activities of the Board or the role of board members.

Accreditation

As previously announced, new accreditation criteria apply from January 2017, in line with the implementation of the Higher Education Threshold Standards, 2015 effective from January 2017. All new accreditations and re-accreditations will be against the new criteria. See https://www.ohseducationaccreditation.org.au/providers/ . Other accredited programs are expected to move towards full compliance with the new criteria through the annual review process. Proformas for the Annual Reviews for 2017 will be circulated toward the end of March for return in May.

Education theory and practice

Higher Ed Services (HES) and the University of Tasmania (UTAS) hosted a national series of peer review of assessment workshops in 2016 as part of a collaborative initiative to support the higher education sector as it prepares for the introduction of the new Higher Education Standards Framework. Just under 600 people from 81 institutions attended the workshops which explored models of peer review of assessment, looked at assuring learning and teaching standards and investigated how to align peer review of assessment with accreditation and threshold learning outcomes. Led by Dr Sara Booth, Strategic Advisor Quality, External at UTAS, the workshops featured a range of presentations from scholars who discussed peer review of assessment from various discipline perspectives. The workshops are part of a suite of resources developed by HES and UTAS to support the higher education sector. The 2016 workshop presentations are available at http://www.hes.edu.au/services-initiatives/higher-education-compliance-and-quality-network-hecqn/pran-peer-review-of-assessment-network/ . I recommend that OHS educators looking to enhance their assessment processes review the presentations for lessons for their own practice.

Feedback from participants in the 2016 workshops revealed their value in providing a breadth of information about ongoing work in peer review of assessment as well as providing an opportunity to focus on this important aspect of learning and teaching. TEQSA CEO Anthony McClaran has stated that “peer review is a key tool for quality assurance”, and in relation to the workshops noted that “it is encouraging to see this collaborative initiative taking place and providing the sector with tools and resources in this important area”.

Registrations for the 2017 Workshop Series are now open. See https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=214445&

Dates and locations for 2017 are:

• 15 March: William Angliss Institute, Melbourne
• 29 March: Australian Catholic University, Brisbane
• 12 April: The Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle
• 19 April: University of Technology, Sydney

Draft Program includes

• Discussion on a shared definition of standards, consensus and calibration across the HE sector
• Workshop training and discussion on moderation, validation, and calibration
• Practical demonstration of online Peer Review Portal and different project types to support peer review of assessment and accreditation
• Networking session with disciplinary, institutional and industry networks on how to collaboratively unpack the key elements for successful networking for peer review of assessment.
• Practical examples and tips about how to undertake institutional and cross-institutional implementation of peer review of assessment
• Using professional learning conversations with program teams to align peer review of assessment to course review and accreditation.

As always if you have any important information you would like circulated please pass it to me and I will endeavour to get it out to the those interested.

Please let me know if you wish to me to add any interested persons to the list. Similarly, if you do not wish to receive these updates just let me know and I will remove you from the list.

Regards

Pam Pryor, Registrar
February, 2017

This release is also available as a PDF.