APQN Members
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA)
Membership Type: Full
Email: Comms@teqsa.gov.au
Year in which Organisation/Agency commenced operations: 2011
Countries/regions/states of operation: 2011 Countries/regions/states of operation: Australia
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Title: Mr.
First Name: Anthony
Surname: McClaran
Job Title: CEO
Phone: 1300 739 585
Email Id: anthony.mcclaran@teqsa.gov.au
Nominated Contact Person (if different from CEO)
First Name: Karen
Surname: Treloar
Job Title: Manager Engagement Group
Email Id: Comms@teqsa.gov.au
Organisation Details
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA)
Address: Level 14, 530 Collins Street Melbourne
Australia
Website: https://www.teqsa.gov.au/
Additional Contacts
Criteria Requirements for Full Member
1 Criterion: Nature of the operations of the agency:
Measure: The agency is responsible for reviews at institutional or programme level of post-secondary
education institutions or post-secondary quality assurance agencies
Measure: The agency is responsible for reviews at institutional or programme level of post-secondary
education institutions or post-secondary quality assurance agencies
Description: TEQSA regulates and assures the quality of Australiaâ??s large, diverse and complex higher education sector. The higher education sector in total employs over 107,000 people in Australia and in 2009 had close to $19.9 billion in total revenue. The Australian higher education system is comprised of both public and private universities, Australian branches of overseas universities, and other self-accrediting and non-self-accrediting higher education providers. Qualifications available from higher education providers range from undergraduate awards including bachelor degrees, associate degrees or advanced diplomas to postgraduate awards including graduate diplomas, masters degrees and doctoral degrees.
From January 2012, TEQSA will register and evaluate the performance of higher education providers against the new Higher Education Standards Framework. The Standards Framework comprises five domains: Provider Standards, Qualification Standards, Teaching and Learning Standards, Information Standards and Research Standards. The Provider Standards and Qualifications Standards are collectively the Threshold Standards which all providers must meet in order to enter and remain within Australiaâ??s higher education system.
TEQSA will undertake both compliance assessments and quality assessments. Compliance assessments involve auditing a particular providerâ??s compliance against the Threshold Standards for registration as a higher education provider. Quality assessments can either be an assessment of the quality of an individual provider or a review of an issue across a number of providers (a thematic review).
TEQSAâ??s enabling legislation can be found at:
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2011C00582
From January 2012, TEQSA will register and evaluate the performance of higher education providers against the new Higher Education Standards Framework. The Standards Framework comprises five domains: Provider Standards, Qualification Standards, Teaching and Learning Standards, Information Standards and Research Standards. The Provider Standards and Qualifications Standards are collectively the Threshold Standards which all providers must meet in order to enter and remain within Australiaâ??s higher education system.
TEQSA will undertake both compliance assessments and quality assessments. Compliance assessments involve auditing a particular providerâ??s compliance against the Threshold Standards for registration as a higher education provider. Quality assessments can either be an assessment of the quality of an individual provider or a review of an issue across a number of providers (a thematic review).
TEQSAâ??s enabling legislation can be found at:
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2011C00582
2 Criterion: Mission statement and objectives:
Measure: The agency has formulated a mission statement and objectives which are consistent with the nature of the agency
Measure: The agency has formulated a mission statement and objectives which are consistent with the nature of the agency
Description: TEQSAâ??s mission is to protect and enhance the quality of Australian higher education through effective and efficient regulation and quality assurance programs.
TEQSAâ??s enabling legislation sums up the objectives of the agency at section 3:
(a) to provide for national consistency in the regulation of higher education; and
(b) to regulate higher education using:
(i) a standards based quality framework; and
(ii) principles relating to regulatory necessity, risk and proportionality; and
(c) to protect and enhance:
(i) Australiaâ??s reputation for quality higher education and training services; and
(ii) Australiaâ??s international competitiveness in the higher education sector; and
(iii) Excellence, diversity and innovation in higher education in Australia; and
(d) to encourage and promote a higher education system that is appropriate to meet Australiaâ??s social and economic needs for a highly educated and skilled population; and
(e) to protect students undertaking, or proposing to undertake, higher education in Australia by requiring the provision of quality higher education; and
(f) to ensure students undertaking, or proposing to undertake, higher education, have access to information relating to higher education in Australia.
TEQSAâ??s enabling legislation sums up the objectives of the agency at section 3:
(a) to provide for national consistency in the regulation of higher education; and
(b) to regulate higher education using:
(i) a standards based quality framework; and
(ii) principles relating to regulatory necessity, risk and proportionality; and
(c) to protect and enhance:
(i) Australiaâ??s reputation for quality higher education and training services; and
(ii) Australiaâ??s international competitiveness in the higher education sector; and
(iii) Excellence, diversity and innovation in higher education in Australia; and
(d) to encourage and promote a higher education system that is appropriate to meet Australiaâ??s social and economic needs for a highly educated and skilled population; and
(e) to protect students undertaking, or proposing to undertake, higher education in Australia by requiring the provision of quality higher education; and
(f) to ensure students undertaking, or proposing to undertake, higher education, have access to information relating to higher education in Australia.
3 Criterion: Agency staff, Numbers, Profile, Roles:
Measure: The profile of the staff is consistent with the Mission Statement
Measure: The profile of the staff is consistent with the Mission Statement
Description: TEQSA is led by an Acting Chief Commissioner and an acting Commissioner. The agency comprises 12 former Australian Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) staff who handle the regulation, legal, corporate, HR, IT and risk functions of the agency and 14 former AUQA staff who will continue with the quality audits of higher education providers.
The agency is currently recruiting more staff and in the coming months will have between 60-80 staff members in total.
The agency is currently recruiting more staff and in the coming months will have between 60-80 staff members in total.
4 Criterion: Profile of reviewers:
Measure: The profile of the reviewers is consistent with the Mission Statement
Measure: The profile of the reviewers is consistent with the Mission Statement
Description: TEQSAâ??s staff includes seven audit directors who transferred from AUQA and 136 former AUQA honorary auditors have agreed to have their information given to TEQSA to be included in TEQSA quality audit panels.
5 Criterion: Independence:
Measure: The judgements and recommendations of the agency’s reports cannot be changed by third parties
Measure: The judgements and recommendations of the agency’s reports cannot be changed by third parties
Description: TEQSA, as a national regulator, undertakes its functions independent of Government and free from political or any other interference. Section 135 of the enabling legislation states that TEQSA is not subject to direction from anyone in relation to the performance of its functions or the exercise of its powers.
TEQSAâ??s quality functions are separated from its enforcement functions. The Standards Panel makes its recommendations to change, update and interpret the standards directly (and independently of the TEQSA Commission) to the relevant Commonwealth Minister (for the Research Standards, this is the Research Minister; for all other Standards, this is the Minister for Tertiary Education). This ensures the separation of standard setting and the monitoring and enforcement functions carried out by TEQSA.
TEQSAâ??s quality functions are separated from its enforcement functions. The Standards Panel makes its recommendations to change, update and interpret the standards directly (and independently of the TEQSA Commission) to the relevant Commonwealth Minister (for the Research Standards, this is the Research Minister; for all other Standards, this is the Minister for Tertiary Education). This ensures the separation of standard setting and the monitoring and enforcement functions carried out by TEQSA.
6 Criterion: Resources:
Measure: The agency has sufficient resources to run its operations in accordance with its mission statement and objectives
Measure: The agency has sufficient resources to run its operations in accordance with its mission statement and objectives
Description: In the 2010-11 Budget, the Australian Government allocated $70 million over four years to TEQSA and its establishment. This gives the agency adequate resources to run its operations.
7 Criterion: External quality assurance criteria and processes:
Measure: The description of the processes and criteria applied should be transparent and publicly available and normally include:
self evaluation, site visit, public report and follow-up measure
Measure: The description of the processes and criteria applied should be transparent and publicly available and normally include:
self evaluation, site visit, public report and follow-up measure
Description: TEQSA will register and evaluate the performance of higher education providers against the new Higher Education Standards Framework (Standards Framework) which will comprise five domains: Provider Standards (consisting of the Provider Registration Standards, Provider Category Standards and Provider Course Accreditation Standards); Qualification Standards; Teaching and Learning Standards; Research Standards and Information Standards. The Provider Standards and Qualification Standards form the Threshold Standards. The Threshold Standards will underpin TEQSAâ??s regulatory activities and provide appropriate safeguards to ensure students receive a quality education. All higher education providers must meet the Threshold Standards (Provider Standards and Qualification Standards) in order to be registered and maintain operation as a higher education provider within Australia.
The introduction of a higher education standards-based quality regulatory framework under TEQSA will ensure that all higher education providers meet or exceed the Threshold Standards under the new Standards Framework. The Threshold Standards will be legislative instruments and enforceable to enable TEQSA to take action in response to identified poor performance and to ensure that strong market entry thresholds are maintained.
Drafts of the draft Provider Standards and Qualification Standards can be found via the links below.
Draft Provider Standards â?? http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Policy/teqsa/Pages/DraftProviderStandards.aspx
Draft Qualification Standards â?? http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Policy/teqsa/Pages/default.aspx
The draft Provider Standards and the Qualification Standards will be made into legislative instruments by the Australian Minister for Tertiary Education in 2011 prior to the commencement of TEQSAâ??s regulatory functions in January 2012.
The introduction of a higher education standards-based quality regulatory framework under TEQSA will ensure that all higher education providers meet or exceed the Threshold Standards under the new Standards Framework. The Threshold Standards will be legislative instruments and enforceable to enable TEQSA to take action in response to identified poor performance and to ensure that strong market entry thresholds are maintained.
Drafts of the draft Provider Standards and Qualification Standards can be found via the links below.
Draft Provider Standards â?? http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Policy/teqsa/Pages/DraftProviderStandards.aspx
Draft Qualification Standards â?? http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Policy/teqsa/Pages/default.aspx
The draft Provider Standards and the Qualification Standards will be made into legislative instruments by the Australian Minister for Tertiary Education in 2011 prior to the commencement of TEQSAâ??s regulatory functions in January 2012.
8 Criterion: Quality assurance:
Measure: The description of the processes and criteria applied should be transparent and publicly available and normally include:
self evaluation, site visit, public report and follow-up measure
Measure: The description of the processes and criteria applied should be transparent and publicly available and normally include:
self evaluation, site visit, public report and follow-up measure
Description: TEQSA has been established as a Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act) and as such is financially part of the Commonwealth. Because of this there are many accountability and assurance regulations in place to safeguard the agency. The agency must also prepare annual financial statements to the Commonwealth and have the statements audited by the Auditor-General.
Criteria Requirements for Institutional Member
Institutional Member Criteria:
Measure: Institutional Members are institutions of higher education in the region that are in good standing with the relevant quality assurance agency if one exists.
Measure: Institutional Members are institutions of higher education in the region that are in good standing with the relevant quality assurance agency if one exists.
Proof of recognition as a Higher Education Institution: Applicable Only For Institutional Members
Proof of the organisation’s good standing with the local QA agency: Applicable Only For Institutional Members
Criteria Requirements for Associate Member
Associate Member Criteria:
Measure:Associate Members are organisations with a major interest and active involvement in evaluation, accreditation and quality assurance in higher education, but without the responsibility for assuring the quality of institutions, education programs, or external quality assurance agencies
Measure:Associate Members are organisations with a major interest and active involvement in evaluation, accreditation and quality assurance in higher education, but without the responsibility for assuring the quality of institutions, education programs, or external quality assurance agencies
Applicable Only For Associate Members
Criteria Requirements for Intermediate Member
1 Criterion: Nature of the operations of the agency:
Measure: The agency is responsible for reviews at institutional or programme level of post-secondary education institutions or post-secondary quality assurance agencies
Measure: The agency is responsible for reviews at institutional or programme level of post-secondary education institutions or post-secondary quality assurance agencies
Description: Applicable Only For Intermediate Members
2 Criterion: Mission statement and objectives:
Measure: The agency has formulated a mission statement and objectives which are consistent with the nature of the agency
Measure: The agency has formulated a mission statement and objectives which are consistent with the nature of the agency
Applicable Only For Intermediate Members
3 Criterion: :
Proof of the organisation’s good standing with the local QA agency
Proof of the organisation’s good standing with the local QA agency
Applicable Only For Intermediate Members
Criteria Requirements for Observer
Criterion For Observers:
Measure: APQN accepts as Observers organisations outside the Asia-Pacific region, including: external quality assurance agencies; institutions with a major interest in evaluation, accreditation and quality assurance in higher education; other regional networks that have major interests in and strong links with the region
Measure: APQN accepts as Observers organisations outside the Asia-Pacific region, including: external quality assurance agencies; institutions with a major interest in evaluation, accreditation and quality assurance in higher education; other regional networks that have major interests in and strong links with the region
Criteria Requirements for Observer: Applicable Only For Observers
Documentation and Fees
Additional Information: I will be emailing additional supporting information
Upon approval of my application I agree to pay:
- $500 (Initial Joining Fee: Full Member, Intermediate Member, Associate Member)
I will be applying for support for: None
Documents Submitted
Located in: APQN Members
