The self-assurance report is an opportunity for you to articulate and evidence the effectiveness of your systems of self-assurance as they relate to your operational context and the authorisation to provide Australian courses offshore application, thereby demonstrating how you have assured yourself of ongoing compliance with the requirements of the Threshold Standards.
Outcomes of your self-assurance activities should be used to demonstrate your capacity to identify, mitigate and manage risks to quality and integrity in the provision of Australian courses offshore, and relatedly, to identify and action opportunities for improvement.
Where you have entered an arrangement with a third party to deliver Australian awards offshore, you must demonstrate effective mechanisms for managing and maintaining quality assurance of all aspects of that arrangement.
To assist you in preparing your self-assurance report and application, TEQSA has compiled the following list of key considerations relevant to authorisation to offer or confer Australian higher education awards for courses delivered at offshore premises. This is not a definitive list and is intended to support providers in considering (and subsequently demonstrating consideration of) relevant factors and potential areas of risk that may apply to this application type.
TEQSA recommends that you give regard to the key considerations relevant to your specific context, noting that this is expected to vary from application to application.
| Corporate governance |
Competent governance oversight of and accountability for quality and integrity of all higher education operations, including identification and mitigation of risks and assurance of ongoing compliance with the Threshold Standards, are substantially the same and materially equivalent irrespective of location, and whether delivery is undertaken with a third party. The provider ensures appropriate consideration and ongoing management of:
TEQSA recommends that providers consider our guidance notes on Corporate governance and Delivery with other parties, our Transnational Education (TNE) toolkit, and Education’s Transnational Education Guidance Note on Due Diligence. |
|---|---|
| Academic governance |
Effective academic oversight and benchmarking of the quality and integrity of teaching, learning, and scholarship, including identification and mitigation of risks, and provision of competent advice to the corporate governing body on academic matters are substantially the same and materially equivalent irrespective of location, and whether delivery is undertaken with a third party. The provider ensures appropriate consideration and ongoing management of:
TEQSA recommends that providers consider our guidance notes on Academic governance, Academic quality assurance, Academic and research integrity, and Admissions. |
| Student participation, support, and experience |
Staffing, learning resources, facilities, support services and the learning environment are sufficient to support student wellbeing and achievement of learning outcomes, and are substantially the same and materially equivalent irrespective of location, and whether delivery is undertaken with a third party. The provider ensures appropriate consideration and ongoing management of:
TEQSA recommends that providers consider our guidance notes on Staffing, Learning resources and educational support, Wellbeing and safety, and Grievance and complaint handling. |
As part of your self-assurance report you are expected to self-identify and address any significant risks and opportunities for improvement specific to your individual circumstances. These may include, but not be limited to risks associated with:
- your regulatory and compliance history, including management of conditions, voluntary undertakings, and any other adverse outcomes from recent regulatory assessments undertaken by TEQSA
- observations and recommendations made by TEQSA about areas for improvement to support quality enhancement
- areas of high or heightened risk identified by TEQSA in our annual Provider Risk Assessments (e.g. attrition rates, progression rate, senior academic leaders)
- recent significant changes, including changes to senior leadership, ownership, third-party arrangements, courses, or organisational structure, or significant events, including media reporting or public attention surrounding an issue at your organisation
- issues identified by other government and regulatory bodies (e.g. ASQA, Department of Home Affairs), or professional accreditation bodies.
Further information
For more information or assistance with preparing an application for authorisation to provide Australian courses offshore, please contact the Transnational Education team at tne@teqsa.gov.au.