Registration and accreditation 10 June 2014

Registration as a higher education provider

Report on Registration of Sheridan College Inc

TEQSA has determined, in accordance with Part 3 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (the TEQSA Act), that registration of Sheridan College Inc be granted to 31 December 2017 in the provider category of Higher Education Provider.

TEQSA has determined, under Section 49(6) of the TEQSA Act, to grant accreditation of the following higher education courses of study offered by Sheridan College Inc until 31 December 2017:

• Graduate Diploma of Business Administration
• Graduate Certificate in Business Administration

TEQSA has determined, under Section 49 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (the TEQSA Act), to reject the application for accreditation of the following course offered by Sheridan College Inc:

• Master of Business Administration

TEQSA has, under Subsection 32(1) of the TEQSA Act, imposed four conditions on the registration of Sheridan College Inc as a higher education provider.

Condition 1:

Revise the Statement of Faith to remove consideration being given to complaints against staff members for 'advocating positions incompatible with the central commitments of Sheridan College as a Christian higher education institution'

Condition 2:

Develop and provide to TEQSA a workforce plan detailing the profile and appointment of academic staff members with recent teaching and course development experience in relevant disciplines, such as organisational behaviour, marketing, finance, corporate strategy and human resource management.

Condition 3:

The Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate are revised by suitable academic staff as appointed consistent with the Workforce Plan referred to in Condition 1 to ensure that:

a) They present the required level of intellectual enquiry to engage students with advanced knowledge and critical reflection as required in an AQF level 8 qualification

b) Quantity and type of assessments are aligned with learning outcomes and AQF level 8

Condition 4:

No enrolments are to be made in the courses until 90 days after a report providing evidence to meet Condition 2 has been received by TEQSA.

Background to Decision

Sheridan College Inc submitted an application for registration in the category of higher education provider under Part 3 of the TEQSA Act. Section 25 of the TEQSA Act requires a registered higher education provider to offer at least one accredited course. The application process included consideration of an application for accreditation of higher education courses of study, under Part 4 of the TEQSA Act.

Main Reasons for the Decision

As part of the registration process, TEQSA has assessed the application submitted by Sheridan College Inc against the Threshold Standards.

TEQSA considers that the decision to apply conditions to Sheridan College Inc's registration is consistent with the basic principles for regulation in Part 2 of the TEQSA Act, as Sheridan College Inc is at risk of not complying with a number of the Threshold Standards.

• The broad issues which relate to the Sheridan College Inc's registration include:

  a) The Statement of Faith, which needs to be revised to preclude consideration being given to complaints against staff members for 'advocating positions incompatible with the central commitments of Sheridan College as a Christian higher education institution'. TEQSA considers that if the Statement of Faith is not revised there could be a risk that Sheridan will not comply with PCS 1.2.

  b) The courses need to be revised by suitably qualified academic staff to ensure that they present the required level of intellectual enquiry to engage students with advanced knowledge and critical reflection as required in an AQF level 8 qualification. This will reduce any risk of non-compliance with PCAS 1.1

  c) Sheridan has not fully established that its academic staff are appropriately qualified within the terms of PCAS 4.1 and 4.2 overall. TEQSA considers that the risks of non-compliance with PCAS 4.1 and 4.2 be addressed with a condition requiring Sheridan to appoint an academic with recent teaching experience in areas other than economics and quantitative science.

  d) Sheridan has demonstrated that it is reasonably likely, upon fulfillment of the conditions regarding recruitment of academic staff and revision of the curriculum and assessment, that the Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate will meet the standards fully in the near future. The conditions have been imposed so as to ensure that Sheridan does not offer the courses until the conditions have been met.

TEQSA has determined that the Master of Business Administration submitted by Sheridan College Inc for accreditation does not comply with the Provider Course Accreditation Standards in relation to:

• The curriculum, which is not:
  
  • drawn sufficiently from a substantial, coherent and current body of knowledge in the field of business as a whole
  • sufficiently coherent and appropriate
  • able to provide appropriate engagement by students in intellectual inquiry consistent with the nature and level of the units being taught and the expected learning outcomes of the course of study
• The qualifications and experience of staff who would teach in the proposed course
• Assessment tasks for the course and its units, which provide limited opportunities for students to demonstrate achievement of the expected student learning outcomes.