Growing knowledge about QAA subject benchmarking

Abstract

Subject benchmarking developed by the Quality Assurance Agency, provides a good example of a systemic policy that is being introduced in the belief that it will lead to improvements in teaching, assessment, curriculum design and ultimately student learning. Guidance on how benchmark statements are to be interpreted and used is scattered through many policy documents but it is not based on knowledge derived from the experience of using it. There is an urgent need to develop knowledge of how benchmarking statements can and cannot be used. This paper provides a general introduction to the topic, an analysis of the first 22 benchmarking statements and a commentary on the general implications of the information for curriculum design and assessment.