• TEQSA to establish new Higher Education Integrity Unit

    TEQSA has welcomed Australian Government funding to strengthen the agency’s ability to identify and protect against risks to the integrity of the nation’s higher education sector.

    Announced earlier today by the Minister for Education, the Hon Dan Tehan MP, the Australian Government will provide $3.9 million per year to maintain the new Higher Education Integrity Unit within TEQSA to identify and analyse emerging risks and take pre-emptive action to assist the sector to address these threats.

    ‘This welcome investment will enable TEQSA to be more proactive in responding to risks to the integrity of Australia’s higher education sector, supporting the protection of student interests and the reputation of the sector,’ said TEQSA Chief Commissioner and Acting CEO Professor Nick Saunders.

    ‘The Higher Education Integrity Unit will continue TEQSA’s partnership approach, collaborating with higher education providers and other stakeholders to deliver a range of activities including data and intelligence analysis, provision of educational resources and establishing communities of practice.’

    Areas of focus for the Higher Education Integrity Unit will change as circumstances require (following consultation with the sector, government and other stakeholders), but will include admission standards and information, academic and research governance integrity, student safety, foreign interference, cyber security, fraud and corruption. The integrity unit’s activities will not be subject to cost recovery.

    The funding will also support TEQSA’s responsibilities under the Prohibiting Academic Cheating Services Bill which is currently before Parliament.

    Media enquiries 

    Bryan Allchin, Assistant Director, Communications: comms@teqsa.gov.au, 0437 143 012

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  • Good Practice Note published

    TEQSA has released a new online resource to assist Australian higher education providers in preventing and responding to sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH).

    The Good Practice Note: Preventing and responding to sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Australian higher education sector features examples and practical advice for providers to support further improvements in policies, procedures and practices.

    “The sector has been working to improve its ability to prevent and respond to sexual assault and sexual harassment for several years. It is essential that this work continue, even during the disruption caused by COVID-19, to ensure student interests are protected,” said TEQSA Chief Commissioner and Acting CEO Professor Nick Saunders.

    “This Good Practice Note aims to further support Australian higher education providers to adopt policies and practices to prevent and respond to sexual assault and sexual harassment, consistent with TEQSA’s fundamental purpose to safeguard student interests and the reputation of Australia’s higher education sector,” he said.

    The Good Practice Note was developed following extensive consultation and input from across the sector.

    TEQSA acknowledges and thanks all students, experts, providers and their staff, as well as other stakeholders who have made a contribution to its development.

    Media enquiries 

    Bryan Allchin, Assistant Director, Communications: comms@teqsa.gov.au, 0437 143 012

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  • Professor Peter Coaldrake AO appointed as TEQSA Commissioner

    TEQSA has announced the appointment of Emeritus Professor Peter Coaldrake AO as a Commissioner. The appointment, made by the Hon Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Education, is for a period of five years.

    TEQSA Chief Commissioner Professor Nick Saunders, in welcoming Professor Coaldrake’s appointment, said “Professor Coaldrake brings a wealth of experience to TEQSA, drawn from his extensive national and international higher education service and leadership; and his comprehensive understanding of Australia’s higher education sector, quality assurance and regulatory standards. His expertise will support the agency in protecting students and the reputation of the Australian higher education sector as we continue to work through the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

    Professor Coaldrake has a distinguished record in higher education, having completed his almost 15-year term as Vice-Chancellor and CEO of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in December 2017. A dual Fulbright scholar, he is also a former chair of both Universities Australia and the governing board of the OECD’s then higher education group IMHE.  

    In October 2018 Professor Coaldrake was appointed by the Education Minister, the Hon Dan Tehan MP, to conduct a review into the Higher Education Provider Category Standards. In 2018 he also undertook two separate reviews for the Queensland government: one dealing with the present and future Queensland public sector workforce, and the other of the future of vocational education, training and skilling in central-western Queensland.

    Professor Coaldrake is currently the Chair of the Board of the Queensland Performing Arts Trust, and a Board Member of the Queensland Community Foundation. Upon accepting his appointment as a Commissioner of TEQSA, Professor Coaldrake is stepping down from two other roles, as Chair of Jobs Queensland and as an external Council member of the University of Newcastle.  

    Professor Coaldrake will join existing TEQSA Commissioners Professor Nick Saunders AO, Emeritus Professor Joan Cooper and Emeritus Professor Cliff Walsh.

    Along with responsibility for TEQSA’s regulatory decisions, the Commissioners, as TEQSA’s Accountable Authority, are also responsible for setting the strategic directions of the agency, governance, financial management, performance reporting and its regulatory approach.

    Media enquiries 

    Bryan Allchin, Assistant Director, Communications: comms@teqsa.gov.au, 0437 143 012

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  • COVID-19 response continues with first Undergraduate Certificate courses accredited

    TEQSA has completed the first accreditations of new Undergraduate Certificate courses.

    Professor Nick Saunders, TEQSA Chief Commissioner and Acting CEO, said the agency has implemented a streamlined approach for the assessment of new Graduate and Undergraduate Certificate courses, which form part of the Australian Government’s recently announced Higher Education Support Package.

    “We’re working closely with the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure Australian higher education courses continue to be world-class,” Professor Saunders said.

    “Through our streamlined approvals process, TEQSA is supporting providers to get these new courses to students as soon as possible.”

    TEQSA’s other work to support the sector through the COVID-19 pandemic includes:

    • Reducing the administrative burden of regulation on higher education providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including deferring cyclical assessments, waiving fees and refunding fees already paid.
    • Publishing good practice resources to support higher education providers transitioning to online delivery.
    • Updating our webpages for students.
    • Working with RMIT University to develop a series of webinars for higher education professionals to support good online learning practice.

    The Undergraduate Certificate is a formal qualification recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework. All higher education providers (with the appropriate accreditation), can issue Undergraduate Certificates until at least December 2021.

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  • National principles for clinical education during the COVID-19 pandemic

    The Department of Health, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Health Professions Accreditation Collaborative Forum (HPACF) have issued a joint statement setting out national principles to guide the decisions of professions, accreditation authorities, education providers and health services about student clinical education during the COVID-19 pandemic response.

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  • Quality of Research Determination 2021

    On 12 July 2021, the Minister for Education and Youth approved the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Quality of Research) Determination 2021.

    This legislative instrument complements new research quality criteria included in the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 for the Australian University category.

    It provides clarity around the research quality indicators that TEQSA will have regard to in relation to an entity or provider that is registered in, or is seeking registration for, the ‘Australian University’ category.

    The determination is not intended to be prescriptive or exhaustive, and TEQSA may consider other relevant evidence of research quality not listed in the determination.

    Consultation

    In April 2021, TEQSA published a consultation paper on the TEQSA website, including a list of matters proposed to be included in the determination, asking for submissions by 28 April 2021. A total of 42 submissions were received and considered when drafting the final determination.

    Frequently asked questions

    Why has TEQSA made this determination?

    This determination provides clarity around the research quality indicators, as outlined in Part B of the Higher Educations Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, that TEQSA will have regard to in relation to an entity or provider that is registered in, or is seeking registration for, the Australian University category.

    Will TEQSA be proposing a legislative instrument for the University College category?

    No. TEQSA’s power to make the legislative instrument is specifically tied to assessing the quality of research undertaken by a provider which is registered, or applies to be registered, in the Australian University category. As such, TEQSA can not and will not be proposing a legislative instrument for the University College category.

    Why has TEQSA not defined several terms in the determination? 

    While TEQSA also considered the inclusion of definitions for other terms in the determination, TEQSA concluded that the relevant terms have a generally accepted plain language meaning and do not require specific definitions.

    Why does this determination not include TEQSA’s broader approach to assessing research?

    During the consultation, several submissions raised broader issues about TEQSA’s approach to assessing research. These included questions about how TEQSA will map fields of research and fields of education, whether the determination would lead to the duplication of existing data collections, whether TEQSA would provide a pathway for prospective entrants to the Australian University category to undertake an ERA-like assessment, and TEQSA’s approach to collecting information about the matters in the determination.

    These broader issues go beyond the purpose of the determination, which is to describe matters which TEQSA must consider when assessing the quality of research at a regulated entity. However, TEQSA will continue to work closely with the higher education sector to ensure that its approach to assessments covered by the determination is clear and avoids duplication. TEQSA will place particular emphasis on existing assessments (including ERA) and data collections, and will calibrate its approach to each regulated entity by reference to the entity’s maturity and risk profile.

    See also:

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  • Provider accounts payable contact details

    Providers are asked to submit their Accounts Payable contact details to TEQSA in preparation for the agency’s transition to cost recovery for its regulatory activities from 1 January 2023.

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  • Reporting a suspected academic cheating service form

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    Privacy information and disclaimer

    The information in this form is collected for the purpose of administering sections 114A and 114B of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011. We can only collect personal information if it is directly related to what we do, or when permitted or required by law. We may want to contact you for more information about your complaint or ask for help with our review into whether a blocking or a website was appropriate. Further details about how TEQSA handles personal information. 

    By providing your personal information you are consenting to TEQSA contacting you with further questions throughout our investigation.

  • Transnational education (TNE) toolkit

    Body

    TEQSA’s Transnational education (TNE) toolkit, authored by Dr Samantha Young, provides guidance to the sector on third-party offshore delivery of Australian higher education awards.

    A PDF version of the toolkit is available above.

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