The new Quality Assurance and Reflection (QUASAR) system will be used by all schools from 201960. In one sense, QUASAR is a replacement for the previous piece of software – the Online Moderation System. However, we want everyone to think bigger than just a piece of software. We want you to think of the quality of a subject – holistically; collegially; and with the mindset of continual improvement. QUASAR has been built to encourage this type of thinking, but we need you to be the thinkers.
A favourite movie of mine is Robots (2005). A slogan of BigWeld Industries in the movie is “see a need, fill a need”. When considering the quality of your subjects, I encourage you to do just that. As you are teaching, if you see a need in your subject, fill it. If you cannot do it straight away, go to https://teach.csu.edu.au/quasar/ find your subject and visit the ‘Reflection and Planning’ tab. You can create an action item. This action item is a way for you, or the next subject convenor, to fill that need.
One of the other key messages of the Robots movie is that we do not need to constantly change just for the sake of doing so. Rather old or new can shine, so I encourage you to celebrate our subjects when they do shine.
Back to QUASAR. The system supports a holistic approach to quality by supplying a range of data (not just grades), encouraging you to bring in other sources of information, and including non-faculty staff in action items. The collegial approach is facilitated by allowing all subject coordinators to be able to see what is written about a subject and even add a comment for reflection. The mindset of continual improvement is promoted through a reworked action item system. The action items are more visible even after they’ve been completed so that you can see what has happened in the subject and how it has grown. At the same time, we have tried to make the system easier to use and make key data more accessible.
So when you are teaching, remember – “see a need, fill a need”. This should be part of our path as we “create a world worth living in”.
Article by Dr Michael Kemp, CSU QUASAR Lead