Using qualitative data to prove and improve quality in Australian higher education

![CDATA[Many performance indicators in Australian higher education are based on the quantitative data from student feedback surveys, while the qualitative data usually generated by these surveys receive relatively limited attention. This paper argues that these data, if collected and analysed in a systematic way, can be used as an effective and robust institutional performance indicator and can assist the process of quality improvement. The paper describes a comparative analysis of qualitative data generated at a large metropolitan multi-campus university by three key student surveys in 2006. These surveys track students’ and graduates’ experience of their individual subjects, their course and overall experience of their University. In total, about 108,000 student open-ended comments have been analysed and compared with the 280,000 comments from 14 other universities. The results, obtained via CEQuery –a software tool that facilitates analysis of the written comments, were benchmarked and interpreted, and have allowed the University to identify key areas of student experience that warrant an intensified improvement focus. Further, the paper provides examples on how the University uses the data.]]