Re-registration 7 July 2016

Renewal of registration

Report on renewal of registration of UOWC

TEQSA has renewed the registration as a higher education provider, under Section 36(1) of the TEQSA Act, of UOWC for a period of seven years to 27 April 2023 in the provider category of Higher Education Provider.

TEQSA has, under subsection 32(1) of the TEQSA Act, imposed two Conditions on the registration of UOWC as a higher education provider.

Under Subsection 32(11) of the TEQSA Act, the following conditions on the registration of UOWC Ltd will be imposed:

Condition 1:

Within three months of notification of TEQSA's decision, UOWC Ltd must provide TEQSA with a procedure for monitoring the performance of students by cohort, which must include the following:

• mechanisms to collect and report on student attrition, student progress, course completions and grade distributions data, and to analyse that data by reference to:
  
  • entry path (comparing students admitted under each entry pathway);
  • credit awarded (comparing students admitted with no credit awarded with students admitted with credit for up to a third of the course and between a third and two thirds of the course);
  • study mode (comparing students who take less than a full-time study load, exactly a full-time study load and greater than a full-time study load,);
  • location of study;
  • whether students are domestic or international students;
  • referral to and uptake of student support (including participation in formal study support programs); and
• benchmarking of student achievement with similar courses at other higher education providers.
• evidence of an annual cycle of review by UOWD Ltd's Board and Academic Board, including any actions taken.

Condition 2:

By 27 April in each year, UOWC Ltd must provide TEQSA with a report setting out UOWC Ltd's analysis of the probable causes for rates and trends of student attrition, progression and completion rates for each accredited higher education course it offers by reference to the matters in condition 1, including a strategy with specific targets for the improvement of those rates and trends.

Main Reasons for Decision

As part of the renewal of registration process, TEQSA has assessed the application submitted by UOWC against the Threshold Standards. The scope of the assessment included all its Australian sites.

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

The broad issues which relate to the UOWC registration include:

• complex governance arrangements and processes to maintain and quality assure academic standards and academic integrity, and a Strategic Plan that guides decision-making and future directions
• limited strategies to monitor and mitigate potential risks, such as no direct strategies to address high attrition rates and low progress rates
• inadequate systematic monitoring, review and improvement mechanisms which include measurable targets monitored through internal and external benchmarking of performance outcomes
• effective grievance processes and a range of strategies and resources to support students at all its locations
• effective operational strategies to ensure appropriately qualified personnel manage and provide academic leadership, and
• strategies in place to ensure correct reporting procedures for assessing data.

TEQSA's 2016 Risk Assessment noted that risk to students with regards to attrition rates and progress rates has remained moderate to high between 2014-2016.