Recent regulatory changes have intensified standardisation pressures across
Australian higher education. The Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold
Standards) 2021 streamlined provider categories and strengthened TEQSA's oversight
of research degree quality assurance. These changes create particular tensions for
screen production research, where standardised assessment frameworks must
accommodate the inherently experimental nature of creative practice methodologies.
Members of the ASPERA research sub-committee have conducted an initial landscape
analysis of HDR examination structures across Australian and New Zealand
institutions, examining assessment criteria, examiner guidelines, and degree-level
expectations from Honours through to PhD. This analysis reveals both challenges and
opportunities as universities navigate regulatory compliance while supporting creative
experimentation.
The evidence suggests several areas requiring attention. For example, beneficial
flexibility exists in creative versus written component weightings (ranging from 50/50 to
80/20) and word length requirements, with some institutions positioning the creative
work and the written thesis document as equal partners while others treat the creative
work as primary. This diversity reflects appropriate methodological flexibility but
requires clearer communication of assessment expectations and requirements to
more e\ectively support students and examiners.
Assessment criteria frequently default to traditional humanities frameworks
emphasising ‘substantial original contribution to knowledge’ without adequately
accounting for how creative practice generates and embodies knowledge di\erently.
Many examiner guidelines struggle to articulate what ‘international standing’ means for
examiner selection in creative practice fields, or how to assess ‘professional standard’
in creative work alongside academic rigour.
However, our analysis also reveals promising innovations where institutions have
developed sophisticated frameworks that genuinely embrace creative practice
methodologies while maintaining rigorous standards. These approaches recognise
creative work as contributing methodology, analysis, and outcome—not merely acting
as illustration of written research.
To start this roundtable, we will present our landscape analysis, highlighting both
challenges and innovative solutions. We will then engage participants as active
contributors to our ongoing research through structured discussion and data collection
(with appropriate ethics approval). We invite current and former HDR students,
supervisors and examiners to share experiences through this recorded group
discussion and to register interest for follow-up individual interviews.
Key questions for exploration include: How can institutions balance regulatory
compliance with methodological flexibility? What constitutes appropriate assessment
criteria for creative practice screen production research? How might we better prepare
examiners and upskill students/supervisors to navigate standards frameworks
effectively?
This participatory approach extends impact beyond the conference session.
Participants will contribute directly to building an evidence base informing policy
recommendations and advocacy strategies, culminating in a comprehensive sector
report for the ASPERA community (late 2026).
This discussion directly addresses ASPERA's "Experiments in Screen" theme by
examining how institutional structures can enable experimental approaches within
regulatory frameworks, preserving space for genuine creative innovation while meeting
legitimate quality requirements.