Abstract
National qualifications frameworks (NQFs) have grown rapidly since the first generation of frameworks were established in the mid-1990s. They are designed for several purposes and uses, and are located amongst a set of other policy, socio-economic, and socio-material contexts, enmeshed in existing ideologies, systems, and practices, which shape what they can and cannot do. But what practical impact, if any, do such frameworks have on student learning? Drawing on recent work designing fully online postgraduate programs with several public and private universities in Australia and Malaysia, this paper explores the impact of their respective NQFs on innovation for online learning. We suggest that these frameworks are useful, and sometimes effective, to establish transparent standards, assure educational quality, and better align higher education to labour market and social needs. But they can also hinder innovation. This is exacerbated in the case of online learning, where new delivery models are disrupting the status quo and regulators are challenged to keep pace with best practices and innovations in both pedagogy and technology. This paper critically reflects on these challenges, exploring how the different characteristics and components of NQFs impact on student learning, and the online learning experience, in both positive and negative, and intended but also unexpected, ways.
Author Information
Stephen Abblitt, Keypath Education, Australia
Siti Mariam Muhammad Abdul Basar, Keypath Education, Malaysia
Paper Information
Conference: SEACE2023
Stream: Higher education
This paper is part of the SEACE2023 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Abblitt S., & Basar S. (2023) What Use a Qualifications Framework? The Impact of Qualifications Frameworks on Innovation for Online Learning in Australia and Malaysia ISSN: 2435-5240 The Southeast Asian Conference on Education 2023: Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-5240.2023.55
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-5240.2023.55
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