Information for students
Advice for students: Always check the link you click
Illegal cheating services are targeting legitimate Australian websites.
TEQSA has received evidence that some ‘edu.au’ websites have been compromised by malicious code, which redirects students to illegal cheating websites.
What we’re doing about this:
TEQSA has informed all higher education providers of this risk and asked that action be taken to protect against this risk.
We’re also making use of Australia’s tough new laws to investigate illegal cheating websites and will soon be taking court action to block them.
What you can do:
The type of malicious code these illegal cheating providers are inserting can result in what you think is a legitimate link taking you to a website operated by an illegal cheating service. This can make it difficult to detect. But there are some things you can do to protect yourself.
- Check the URL of any page you click on and ensure it is the correct website.
- When searching for academic support, use the search function within your institution’s website. Do not use a search engine.
- Do not use any website that asks for payment from you in order to access ‘study support’ or which offers essay or assignment writing services.
- Be wary when clicking links to any third-party website left in comments on a website or on social media pages.
- Confirm that essay or other competitions are legitimate. Illegal cheating services sometimes hold fake contests in a bid to get student work to on-sell.
- Never share your work online. This includes via social media or websites that ask for a sample of your work in return for ‘free’ support.
- Report any suspect website link on your institution’s website to your institution’s website team.
- Ensure you understand academic integrity. TEQSA’s resources for students are a great place to start.
- The Australian Cyber Security Centre has more general information for individuals about staying safe online.
Introduction
TEQSA’s key responsibilities are to safeguard the quality and reputation of Australia’s higher education, and to protect student interests. During COVID-19, TEQSA worked closely with the higher education sector to understand the challenges they faced and to support the continuation of study for all students.
These webpages have been established in response to key concerns raised by students, to provide information and resources. We are updating this website regularly and encourage you to revisit. Students are invited to let us know other questions they would like answered by emailing enquiries [at] teqsa.gov.au.
Student experience of online learning during the pandemic
TEQSA is working with providers and students to better understand the impact of the pandemic on the student experience to assure the quality of online learning. The Foundations for good practice: The student experience of online learning in Australian higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic report is a high-level thematic analysis of summaries of student experience surveys conducted by 118 Australian higher education providers in the first half of 2020 which provides insights in student experiences.
Resources
Graduate and Undergraduate Certificates
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Under the Australian Government’s higher education relief package, providers are encouraged to develop six month online courses, focused on identified national priorities. |
COVID-19
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Want to know the latest COVID-19 advice from the Australian Government? These resources have the most up to date information, including links to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE), Smartraveller and the Department of Health. |
Services to assist
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In this section, you will find a wide range of resources including information to help you adjust to the new environment of working online. Resources include links to Australian Government websites, study hubs, mental health resources and many others. |
Sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) resources
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These resources will provide you with the latest information on preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment in higher education and how the Australian Government is addressing this issue. |
Student Expert Advisory Group
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TEQSA's Student Expert Advisory Group was established to provide us with advice on approaches and strategies relating to regulation and quality assurance of higher education providers, with particular reference to the engagement of students. |
How TEQSA regulates
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The TEQSA Act established TEQSA as Australia’s single national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education. While the TEQSA Act identifies a significant number of objects, the core elements are to apply a standards and risk-based quality framework to protecting and promoting the interests of higher education students and the reputation of the higher education sector. This section provides links to demonstrate how TEQSA regulates the higher education sector. |
Complaints
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This page provides resources on how to make complaints to TEQSA about aspects of your higher education experience. TEQSA can only address complaints relating to the TEQSA Act, HES Framework, ESOS Act, National Code, ELICOS Standards and Foundation Program Standards. |
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
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This information is for students studying a diploma qualification or above, with a higher education provider that is registered with TEQSA (check the National Register if you’re not sure). To help you stay up-to-date with authoritative information, and find the support you need in these challenging times we’ve put together these Frequently Asked Questions. Note: What is a ‘provider’? To keep it simple, we are referring to all the types of higher education providers (such as universities, Australian branches of overseas universities and other higher education providers) as ‘providers’. |