The Assessment Research Centre (ARC) is a research centre based in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, at the University of Melbourne. The Centre was founded in 1989 by Professor Patrick Griffin. The Centre is active in educational measurement and evaluation projects locally, nationally and internationally.
The Centre focuses on improving assessment and reporting through a four-step process of research, publication, development and training. These processes provide the framework for strategic planning by the Centre and guide the Centre's core business as well as its link to the University's mission. Research that leads to change, strategically affects change, or sets up the basis for change and improvement in assessment, forms the focus of the Centre's work.
Research
The Centre focuses on research either in or using assessment. All activities and projects have a research focus and emphasise assessment or evaluation models based on assessment. The Centre's research program is its basic tool for educational change. Assessment research is regarded as a way of testing ideas, of checking the theoretical and practical nature of theories, new approaches and ideas.
Publications
Through publishing the research outcomes in a variety of media to cater for a wide variety of audiences, the Centre is able to disseminate its ideas and procedures to assess the change process.
Development
The development strategies employed by the Centre translate research outcomes into materials that practitioners can evaluate and use. The end user is one who can judge the practicality of research outcomes and their application potential. This is the basis of the change and improvement practices. Therefore, the development of materials is also given priority in each project.
Training
Each project at the development stage incorporates plans for a series of seminars, workshops, publications and other means of dissemination. The Centre conducts a series of short course training programs in assessment research and related fields. Graduate supervision and teaching of award and non-award courses complements the Centre’s research program by having graduates actively participating in components of the Centre’s research agenda.
The ARC previously worked on evaluating the Regional Network system in the Victorian education system.
The ARC currently operates an online testing facility, The Assessment Research Centre Online Testing System (ARCOTS)
The ARC is involved in an ongoing Literacy Assessment Project.
The ARC has completed a large number of projects, including:
Problem Solving ARC Linkage
Sydney University Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMI)
Vietnam Major Data Analysis Project
Leadership Development Framework
Vietnamese Secondary Teacher Project
Determinants of Literacy and Numeracy among Primary School Children in Vietnam
Review of the Australian Qualifications Framework Guidelines for Certificates I-IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma Qualifications
Profiling Literacy and Numeracy for Indigenous Preschool Children
