Registration as a higher education provider
Report on Registration of Academy of Information Technology Pty Ltd
TEQSA has determined under subsection 32(1) of the TEQSA Act, to impose four conditions on the registration of the Academy of Information Technology Pty Ltd (AIT) as a higher education provider.
Registration condition 1:
Within three months of notification, AIT must provide TEQSA with a procedure for monitoring the performance of students by cohort, which must include the following:
- mechanisms to collect and report upon student attrition, student progress, course completions and grade distributions data, and to analyse that data by reference to:
- entry path (comparing students admitted under each entry pathway);
- credit awarded (comparing students admitted with no credit awarded with students admitted with credit for up to a third of the course and between a third and two thirds of the course);
- study mode (comparing students who take less than a full-time study load, exactly a full-time study load and greater than a full-time study load, where full-time study load is equal to 120 credit points in a calendar year);
- place of study;
- whether students are domestic or international students;
- referral to and uptake of student support (including participation in formal study support programs); and
- student achievement in similar courses at other higher education providers;
- details of an annual cycle of data review by AIT's Academic Board and Corporate Governance Board.
Registration condition 2:
By 28 February in each year, AIT must provide TEQSA with a report setting out AIT's analysis of student performance data pursuant to condition 1, and the action taken in response to that analysis by AIT's management, its Academic Board and its Corporate Governance Board.
Registration condition 3:
Within three months of notification, AIT must provide TEQSA with evidence of:
- planned (for the next five years) and current (2016) financial allocation for library acquisitions at each of the Sydney and Melbourne sites against current student numbers and projected student growth;
- Multiple physical and electronic copies of course resources for student use; and
- an amended workforce plan which includes a library resource position for the Melbourne site, including the position's requirements for qualifications, experience and availability to staff and students.
Registration condition 4:
By 31 October 2016 AIT must provide TEQSA with confirmation of the appointment of an individual to the library resource position pursuant to the plan in condition 3, including details of the individual's qualifications and experience.
Main Reasons for Decision
On 5 May 2015, AIT applied for accreditation of a new Diploma of Interactive Media and for renewal of the accreditation of its Bachelor of Interactive Media and Associate Degree of Interactive Media.
On 22 September 2015, AIT applied to add a new location in Melbourne to its registration under the ESOS Act from March 2016. This application was approved by TEQSA on 22 December 2015.
From the assessment of courses and the provider's delivery sites, TEQSA has assessed that AIT is at risk of not complying with a number of the Threshold Standards.
- The broad issues which relate to AIT's registration include:
a) AIT does not have a systematic or comprehensive process to collect, review and act on student performance data in accordance with Provider Registration Standards (PRS) 3.8 and 5.6.
b) AIT's library and learning resources are not sufficient for AIT to achieve its higher education objectives or the expectations of the Australian Qualifications Framework, in accordance with PRS 2.2 and 7.1.
TEQSA considers that the decision to apply conditions to AIT's registration is consistent with the basic principles for regulation in Part 2 of the TEQSA Act, as AIT is at risk of not complying with a number of the Threshold Standards.
