• 2022 Compliance Report now available

    As part of our annual compliance program, we’ve published our 2022 Compliance Report.

    The report details TEQSA’s compliance priorities for 2023, includes compliance in focus scenarios to assist providers in meeting their obligations and summarises TEQSA’s compliance activity for the previous 12 months.

    For 2023, we’re continuing to focus on systemic issues related to online learning quality and the continuing risk posed by commercial academic cheating services in the year ahead.

    As outlined in the report we will be looking more closely online courses, including the quality of learning, student support and how providers are using student feedback to improve.

    In addition to ensuring academic quality, including in online delivery, TEQSA will also continue to focus on strengthening academic integrity and combatting commercial academic cheating services.

    We've also updated our website to make it easier for providers to learn more about our compliance approach and access best-practice resources.

    Further information

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  • Compliance in focus: Academic integrity

    The circumstances

    In 2022, TEQSA investigated complaints about several providers’ handling of academic integrity matters.

    Our role

    TEQSA expects that providers maintain vigilance over academic integrity across all areas of educational operations, including admissions, delivery, assessment and credentialling of graduates. Further, providers are expected to take a proactive approach to identify risks or breaches to integrity and take action to mitigate these risks and prevent recurrence of identified breaches.

    The HES Framework requires providers to take action to mitigate risks to academic integrity:

    • standards 1.4.3 and 1.4.4 require providers to ensure that methods of assessment can confirm that specified learning outcomes have been achieved, and that upon completion of their course, students have demonstrated all learning outcomes prescribed for their course.
    • section 5.2 requires providers to implement procedures and policies that uphold academic integrity and address misconduct or allegations of misconduct. Preventative action must be taken to mitigate foreseeable risks or to prevent the recurrence of identified breaches. Guidance on integrity must be provided to students, and providers are responsible for ensuring that third-party delivery of teaching does not compromise academic integrity.
    • standard 6.2.1 requires that the corporate governing body of a provider ensures that qualifications are awarded legitimately.
    • standards 6.3.1 and 6.3.2 require that processes and structures are established, and responsibilities assigned, to achieve effective academic governance and oversight which will ensure the quality of teaching, learning and research. 

    Our focus

    Our review focused on providers’ academic integrity policy and procedure suites, and how these were implemented in practice.

    Our review identified the following themes:

    • failure to take adequate action when academic misconduct was identified, e.g. the imposition of penalties
    • poorly documented and opaque practices for adjusting marks, particularly from fail to pass grades
    • lack of systematic recording of academic integrity breaches and limited evidence that governing entities were regularly reviewing changes to academic integrity settings
    • inadequate implementation of technology solutions as barriers to plagiarism.

    What providers can do

    We encourage providers to:

    • implement and maintain thorough records of academic integrity breaches and engage in regular data analysis to mitigate academic integrity risks
    • review aggregate trends in academic cheating and integrity matters regularly at the academic and/or corporate board level, ensuring that approaches are consistent, proportionate and effectively tailored to current integrity threats
    • ensure that academic integrity policies are easily accessible and that integrity content is embedded throughout courses of study
    • identify underlying causes of academic integrity breaches and provide additional support to students where needed
    • ensure that software used to detect plagiarism is used systematically to authenticate student submissions and that relevant staff are trained to assess the authenticity of student work
    • develop and implement clear rules, delegations and documentation protocols for moderation processes, especially for cases where moderation results in the upgrade of a fail grade to a pass.

    Resources

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    Related links

  • Get latest updates in our May e-News

    TEQSA has published the May e-News featuring latest news and regulatory updates for the sector.

    This includes:

    • the upcoming Masterclass about contract cheating and detection
    • registrations open for our joint webinar with CRADLE about generative artificial intelligence
    • Australian Universities Accord submissions
    • our latest Compliance Report
    • the TEQSA Conference
    • cyber security tips

    Read the May e-News or subscribe to our e-News mailing list.

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  • Registrations now open for AI webinar on 5 June

    Registrations are now open for the next webinar in our joint series with Deakin University’s Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE).

    Join us online for the webinar, Implications of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) for higher education, on Monday 5 June, 2:00-4:00pm AEST.

    Six months after the release of ChatGPT, an expert panel reviews the impact of genAI and how the much-hyped technology is unfolding in reality from the perspectives of institutional governance, regulation, academic integrity and educational technology research.

    Expert speakers include Professor Rowena Harper, Professor Simon Buckingham Shum, Professor Phillip Dawson and Dr Helen Gniel.

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  • Consultations extended for draft guidance notes

    TEQSA has undertaken major reviews of three guidance notes and has now extended the consultation period for the sector to provide feedback.

    A public consultation period is currently open for each draft guidance note, with submissions accepted until 5pm on Tuesday 7 March 2023.

    The draft notes are published on the Consultation page of our website:

    • Guidance note: Academic governance
    • Guidance note: Credit and recognition of prior learning
    • Guidance note: Delivery with other parties

    Please submit your feedback to PolicyandResearch@teqsa.gov.au.

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  • Risk Assessment Framework consultation: Summary report

    Body

    This document provides an account of the consultation process that took place; summarises stakeholder feedback on the Risk Assessment Framework; and communicates TEQSA’s focus areas and forthcoming plans to the sector.

    A copy of the summary report is available above in PDF format. An HTML copy is available on request. 

    Stakeholder
    Publication type

    Related links

  • TEQSA and Deakin University AI webinars launched

    More than 1700 people from across the higher education sector attended the first session in TEQSA’S new webinar series: Implications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for higher education.

    The webinars, which are being delivered in partnership with Deakin University’s Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE), explore what is known about generative AI, implications for learning, teaching and assessment and how such technologies might transform higher education into the future.

    The first webinar, looking at the ethical, policy and management issues immediately raised by the presence of generative AI, was held on Wednesday 15 February 2023.

    TEQSA Chief Commissioner, Professor Peter Coaldrake AO, said the advancement of AI applications such as ChatGPT presented both a risk and an opportunity for the sector, and TEQSA wanted to ensure providers and academics were supported in adopting best practice approaches.

    “The rapid enhancement in AI presents significant opportunities to support learning and increase efficiency in a range of ways, but universities and colleges need to balance this with the risks that generative AI presents to academic integrity,” Professor Coaldrake said.

    “This requires a deep rethink of approaches to teaching, learning and assessment practices and how higher education institutions are ensuring that students have attained the skills and knowledge they need to graduate with their awards.”

    “This is a challenge facing the whole sector, and that’s why TEQSA is partnering with Deakin University on this webinar series to bring together experts to share best practice, helping to strengthen the higher education sector’s capacity to respond to generative AI.”

    Professor David Boud, Co-Director of CRADLE, said his team’s long-standing research suggests institutions must ensure graduates can adapt to a world of AI.

    “The development of generative AI technologies provides an important impetus for us to rethink our present assessment practices. ChatGPT is forcing us to address the question of whether some of our familiar forms of assessment should be used as much as we do at present,” Professor Boud said.

    The webinars build on TEQSA’s partnership approach to building capacity within Australia’s higher education sector and working collaboratively to address emerging risks.

    In 2020, we partnered with RMIT University to deliver a series of webinars supporting the rapid transition to online learning during the pandemic, and TEQSA continues to work in partnership with providers and academics to combat industrial-scale academic cheating.

    Registrations are now open for the next webinar in the series:

    Webinar 2: ChatGPT – how should educators respond?

    This webinar explores the immediate significance of ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence for teaching and learning, with a discussion across topics such as the implications for: assessment design, feedback practices, writing tasks, student equity and teacher development.

    It will be facilitated by Professor Margaret Bearman, CRADLE, Deakin University, with speakers:

    • Rola Ajjawi, Professor of Educational Research at CRADLE, Deakin University
    • Simon Buckingham Shum, Professor of Learning Informatics at the University of Technology Sydney, where he serves as Director of the Connected Intelligence Centre
    • Dr Lucinda McKnight is an Australian Research Council Fellow undertaking a Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) project in digital writing, at Deakin University
    • Sarah Howard is an Associate Professor of Digital Technologies in Education, at the University of Wollongong in Australia.

    You can learn more about the speakers and register your attendance at Eventbrite.

    All webinars in the series are free to attend, and recordings will also be made available.

    Information about future sessions will be shared via the TEQSA and CRADLE websites and social media.

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  • Student visa holder work restrictions

    The Department of Home Affairs has announced that from 1 July 2023, student visa holders studying in Australia will be able to work up to 48 hours per fortnight.

    This is 8 hours per fortnight more than under the previous work restrictions.

    The existing waiver on working hours for student visa holders, which enables students to work unlimited hours, will end on 30 June 2023.

    Student visa holders must still maintain their course enrolment, ensure satisfactory course attendance, and ensure satisfactory course progress.

    Student visa holders who cancel their enrolment and stop attending classes, or fail to meet satisfactory course progress, may be in breach of their visa conditions.  

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  • How TEQSA protects student interests

    TEQSA is the regulatory and quality assurance agency for all higher education providers in Australia. We work with the higher education sector and each provider in Australia to ensure that the interests of students are protected, and the quality of education is upheld.

    There are other government departments and agencies that can help with guidance on financing your study or visa:

    Our approach

    TEQSA’s regulatory and quality assurance approach underpins our work to protect student interests, while also upholding the quality of higher education in Australia.

    All institutions offering higher education courses in Australia must be registered with TEQSA. As part of this process, we look for evidence that the provider is able to meet the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021.

    The Threshold Standards have been structured to align with student experiences – from enrolment to award of qualification. They set out the standards that providers must meet to offer higher education in Australia. These standards exist to protect student interests while studying.

    For providers that do not have self-accrediting authority, TEQSA is also responsible for accrediting courses. This requires TEQSA to ensure the course meets the criteria set out in the Threshold Standards.

    Providers are registered for up to 7 years. Higher education providers must meet the requirements of the Threshold Standards at all times to remain registered.

    TEQSA also undertakes annual risk assessments to examine the quality of higher education and look for a range of possible risks to students, including:

    • student enrolments, outcomes and experience
    • staff resources and profile
    • financial viability and sustainability.

    During these assessments, we review relevant evidence against the requirements of the Threshold Standards.

    We also undertake compliance assessments where we have concern that the Threshold Standards have been breached. This includes investigating complaints made by students. Visit making a complaint to learn more.

    What happens if TEQSA finds an issue

    If we find issues with providers' operations that relate to their ability to meet the Threshold Standards, we will raise these concerns, and take further action where necessary. The type of action we take is proportionate to the risk to students.

    Requirements for providers offering courses to international students

    There are added requirements under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) for providers that deliver courses to international students. These providers must be registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). TEQSA assesses CRICOS applications and ensures higher education courses delivered to international students are of high quality.

    Sector-wide issues

    TEQSA also works to protect student interests in relation to issues that exist at more than one provider. Examples of this include our work to strengthen academic integrity, supporting the response to generative artificial intelligence and improving the prevention and response to sexual assault and sexual harassment within higher education.

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