Re-accreditation 15 August 2013

Renewal of course accreditation

Report on renewal of accreditation of two higher education courses of study offered by Polytechnic West

TEQSA has determined, under section 56 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (the TEQSA Act), to renew accreditation of the following higher education courses of study offered by Polytechnic West for a period of seven years until 15 August 2020:

• Associate Degree in Aviation (Aeronautics)
• Associate Degree in Aviation (Operations Management)

TEQSA has, under subsection 53(1) of the TEQSA Act, imposed five conditions on the accreditation of the above courses of study. Polytechnic West must:

Condition 1:

For each of the two areas of study, the recruitment of senior academic leaders with experience in higher education, scholarship and professional practice;

Condition 2:

Confirmation in writing of a decision by the Institute's Executive to commit the funds necessary for the delivery of each the course at the required standards;

Condition 3:

A revision of all existing course materials by the appointed academic leaders, drawing on external expertise as required, addressing the following issues, the outcomes of which are to be reported to TEQSA:

a) That consistency is ensured across all course documentation and course materials;

b) That stated graduate attributes and employment opportunities for each course of study ensure accurate advice is provided to current and prospective students; and

c) That the course assessment tasks present the required level of intellectual engagement and critical reflection of material and issues pertinent to the field of study.

Condition 4:

Confirmation of articulation agreements into any degree course that are cognate to a professional pathway for the two areas of study; and

Condition 5:

No marketing or new enrolments are to be taken into the two courses of study until the above conditions have been fulfilled.

Background to Decision

Polytechnic West submitted an application for renewal of accreditation of two courses of study under Part 4 of the TEQSA Act. Subsection 45(4) of the TEQSA Act requires a registered higher education provider who is not authorised to self-accredit the course of study to apply to TEQSA for accreditation. Subsection 56(4) enables TEQSA to renew accreditation of a course of study for a period not exceeding seven years.

Main Reasons for the Decision

TEQSA considers that the decision to apply conditions to the application from Polytechnic West for accreditation of two courses of study is consistent with the basic principles for regulation in Part 2 of the TEQSA Act as Polytechnic West is at risk of not complying with a number of the Threshold Standards.

TEQSA considers that the risks of non-compliance with the Threshold Standards involve significant matters that may affect Polytechnic West's capacity to manage and deliver its higher education awards consistently with the Threshold Standards.

• There are a number of compliance issues, however, key concerns relate to four issues, which can be addressed with conditions on the accreditation of the courses.

• Broadly the issues relating to the Associate Degree in Aviation (Aeronautics) and the Associate Degree in Aviation (Operations Management) include:

  a) A lack of senior academic leaders for the discipline

  b) Inadequate course resourcing

  c) A lack of input by senior academic leaders on the course documentation

  d) No articulation arrangements with other higher education providers

• Student performance data for these courses (attrition rates and student satisfaction) have been collected and reviewed periodically by Polytechnic West, and are satisfactory, but the risks to students posed by the lack of academic leadership and the lack of firm and specific articulation arrangements need to be addressed.