Re-accreditation 10 March 2016

Renewal of course accreditation

Report on renewal of accreditation of four higher education course of study offered by Raffles College Pty Ltd

A delegate of TEQSA has renewed the accreditation, under section 56 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (the TEQSA Act), of the following higher education course of study offered by Raffles College Pty Ltd until 22 December 2017.

• Bachelor of Design
• Associate Degree of Design
• Bachelor of Arts (Visual Communication)
• Associate Degree of Visual Communication

TEQSA has, under subsection 53(1) of the TEQSA Act, imposed one condition on the accreditation of the following courses of study:

• Bachelor of Design
• Bachelor of Arts (Visual Communication)

Condition 1

RCDC provide TEQSA by 30 April 2016, in respect of its Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong associate college delivery sites, evidence of:

1. the acquisition of appropriate on-line and physical library holdings and resources;
2. a report from an independent discipline expert or librarian on the appropriateness of library resources at both sites; and
3. access to appropriately qualified library support staff at both associate college delivery sites to support the delivery of the courses.

Main Reasons for the Decision

TEQSA considers that the decision to apply a condition on the accreditation of the Bachelor of Design and Bachelor of Arts (Visual Communication) courses of study is consistent with the basic principles for regulation in Part 2 of the TEQSA Act, as Raffles College Pty Ltd 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 a number of matters that may affect Raffles College Pty Ltd's capacity to manage and deliver these two higher education awards at its associate college delivery sites in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

• The broad issues which relate to the imposition of a condition of these two courses of study include:

  a. Provider Course Accreditation Standard (PCAS) 1.9 in relation to the extent to which equivalent student learning outcomes are ensured regardless of a student's place of study;

  b. PCAS Section 2 in relation to the adequacy of course resourcing and information; and

  c. PCAS 4.2 in relation to the appropriateness of staff that teach students in the courses of study.

TEQSA found evidence of deficiencies in library and information resources at RCDC's Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur associate colleges. In the absence of access to appropriate physical and online academic resources there is a substantial risk that students will not achieve course learning outcomes or acquire graduate attributes at these locations. Students also need support from appropriately qualified staff to make effective use of library resources and develop their capacity to search for information in online resources. The condition imposed will give RCDC an opportunity to provide evidence which demonstrates that it has satisfactorily addressed the risks discussed above.

TEQSA's decision to accredit the courses until 22 December 2017 also aligns the course accreditation dates with RCDC's registration period and provides further opportunity for RCDC to address risks of non-compliance with the Threshold Standards.