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Benchmarking at CQUniversity

The information on this site is designed to assist staff in their benchmarking activities by providing some broad advice and guidance on various topics related to benchmarking.  It is also provided to assist staff in obtaining a shared understanding of how benchmarking is integrated in to the quality management system of the University, its alignment with the overall strategy and evaluation of performance of the University and how it can contribute to analysis of evidence upon which informed decisions can be made.  This information should be read in conjunction with the Quality Enhancement Framework and Benchmarking Principles.

Benchmarks and Benchmarking

A Benchmark is a point of reference against which something may be measured and are used to compare performance with other organisations, units and/or sectors. As in "setting the benchmark", or a target for improvement.

Benchmarking is the formal and structured process of searching for those practices which lead to excellent performance, the observation and exchange of information about them, their adaptation to meet the needs of one's own organisation, and the implementation of the amended practice.

Meade, P.H. 1998, A guide to benchmarking, Dunedin, University of Otago Press, cited by AUQA Quality Enhancement Glossary

Rationale for Benchmarking

"These measures should enable the institution to place its objectives and their achievement within a broader environmental context . Institutions must therefore be able to assess how well they are performing in comparative, as well as absolute, terms" (Australian Universities Quality Agency Audit Manual, Version 6.0 March 2009, p.82).

Central Queensland University is a self accrediting institution, established under the Central Queensland University Act 1998.  Benchmarking allows Central Queensland University to demonstrate its performance in all areas against its own goals, but also, for its courses and programs against standards of the higher education sector, and for service areas against relevant sector standards.

Benchmarking is a process that allows confident comparisons to be made. Some of the tools used to make these comparisons include national surveys, accreditation from professional bodies, and even information from employers of the university's graduates.

Related Documents

Refer to the Quality Enhancement Framework and Benchmarking Principles available from the CQUniversity IMPortal

http://policy.cqu.edu.au/Policy/policy_list.do

These documents will provide additional information on how benchmarking fits within the Quality Enhancement Framework and the University accepted principles for benchmarking.