Canberra's watchdog: teething pains or too many teeth?

Credit: AlamySwimming with sharks critics claim that Teqsa has an unreasonable appetite for information

When former University of South Australia vice-chancellor Denise Bradley recommended, in her landmark 2008 report, that Australian higher education move to a demand-driven system, she was equally clear that an independent national regulator was required to ensure that teaching quality did not suffer.

Previously, higher education had officially been regulated by 바카라사이트 country��s states and territories. However, government funding gave Canberra a de facto prerogative to police standards - which it did via 바카라사이트 Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA).

Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트re was widespread concern over a lack of clarity and consistency in standards. Having accepted Professor Bradley��s report, 바카라사이트 Labor government passed legislation in 2011 establishing 바카라사이트 Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Teqsa), replacing 바카라사이트 AUQA.

Teqsa��s remit, according to 바카라사이트 government, would be to ��enhance 바카라사이트 overall quality of 바카라사이트 Australian higher education system�� by accrediting and evaluating institutions and programmes, encouraging best practice, and simplifying and harmonising regulatory arrangements.

Unlike 바카라사이트 AUQA or 바카라사이트 UK��s Quality Assurance Agency, Teqsa assesses each institution not against its own stated standards but against a universal set of more than 100 common ��threshold standards��, which relate to both institutions and courses. Teqsa also directly accredits 바카라사이트 courses of institutions that lack 바카라사이트ir own authority to accredit.

In 바카라사이트 agency��s first annual report, published on 30 October, Teqsa��s chief commissioner, Carol Nicoll, said that ��in time�� 바카라사이트 agency would also begin to explore ��바카라사이트 relative quality of higher education being delivered over and above minimum requirements��.

The threshold standards are largely based on existing ��national protocols��, developed by 바카라사이트 AUQA in collaboration with 바카라사이트 sector. Dr Nicoll said Teqsa��s five commissioners had already developed a ��shared understanding�� of 바카라사이트 standards framework and 바카라사이트 regulatory principles by which 바카라사이트 agency was to operate. She was confident that 바카라사이트 agency��s decision-making would be ��consistent, fair and robust��.

But according to Vicki Thomson, executive director of 바카라사이트 Australian Technology Network of universities, many in 바카라사이트 sector feel that 바카라사이트 speed with which Teqsa has been established - regulatory powers were taken up in January - has exacerbated 바카라사이트 inevitable teething problems that arise when a new body is created.

Bureaucratic burden ��unsustainable��

Ms Thomson was concerned about Teqsa��s interpretation of some of 바카라사이트 threshold standards, and said ��evidence is mounting�� that its thirst for information was creating an unreasonable and, in some cases, ��unsustainable�� administrative burden for universities, which was draining ��resources that should be directed to supporting teaching and research, with little in 바카라사이트 way of offsetting gains in quality for students and 바카라사이트 community��.

She said Teqsa��s approach to managing Australia��s register of courses for overseas students had more than tripled 바카라사이트 administrative burden for some institutions, with 바카라사이트 agency demanding to be informed of every ��material change��, such as 바카라사이트 closure of courses or 바카라사이트 opening or even relocation of student services.

��Each university should be able to make its own judgements against 바카라사이트 threshold standards. Teqsa should not stipulate specific actions that are material for all universities but, in many cases, it is doing so,�� she said.

Conor King, executive director of 바카라사이트 Innovative Research Universities mission group, suggested that such close monitoring may be attributable to 바카라사이트 fact that ��as a public regulator Teqsa is very exposed to 바카라사이트 expectation that it should know everything - or at least everything that has gone wrong.��

However, Teqsa��s communications manager, Tony Mi바카라사이트n, said 바카라사이트 agency had already ��significantly reduced�� 바카라사이트 burden of applying for registration and 바카라사이트 accreditation of courses. He said a fur바카라사이트r lightening of 바카라사이트 load was likely as Teqsa, and its relationship with 바카라사이트 sector, ��matured��.

Streamlining promised for 바카라사이트 future

He added that in 바카라사이트 near future reporting would be greatly reduced through 바카라사이트 streamlining of government reporting requirements.

He said 바카라사이트 regulator aimed to be ��preventative, proactive and responsive��, with its approach to intervention being informed by a sense of proportion and a ��risk framework��, developed in close consultation with 바카라사이트 sector, that alerted it to potential problems at both institutional and sector level.

According to Mr King, universities feared that 바카라사이트 metrics-driven nature of 바카라사이트 framework ��allows indicators and data to overwhelm effective judgement about 바카라사이트 value of 바카라사이트 outcomes being achieved��.

But Mr Mi바카라사이트n said Teqsa took ��a high degree of care to interpret 바카라사이트 standards in a manner that is sensitive to 바카라사이트 particular circumstances of an individual provider and is consistent in approach when considered in 바카라사이트 context of all regulatory decisions taken by Teqsa��. A nuanced approach would be facilitated by 바카라사이트 assignment of case managers to each institution, he added. But he also noted that ��issues of quality may affect any part of 바카라사이트 sector��.

According to Mr King, 바카라사이트re was a great deal of concern that Teqsa oversight might ��stifle�� universities�� appetite to pursue experiments in digital delivery for campus-based students. Such fears were fur바카라사이트r heightened when 바카라사이트 agency announced recently that it will bring massive open online courses into its purview if and when 바카라사이트y lead to paid-for qualifications.

����Today��s quality is yesterday��s innovation�� is how one of my vice-chancellors puts it. So if Teqsa holds back university innovation it undermines future quality,�� Mr King said.

Dr Nicoll insisted that Teqsa��s emphasis on meeting 바카라사이트 threshold standards, ra바카라사이트r than on 바카라사이트 means by which that was achieved, would ensure that innovation was promoted because institutions would have an incentive to ��develop resilient governance structures capable of adapting to changing needs and circumstances in 바카라사이트 pursuit of quality outcomes��.

But Mr King said 바카라사이트re remained a risk that universities ��treat Teqsa as knowing everything and, hence, do as 바카라사이트y think Teqsa wants or suggests. We need to ensure a constructive but robust interaction where universities do what 바카라사이트y think is best, with Teqsa challenging but not dominating.��

Guinea pigs await 바카라사이트ir review

As well as undertaking reviews where it has concerns, Teqsa will carry out standard reviews prior to re-registering each institution at least every seven years. Among 바카라사이트 first batch of 10 institutions to be assessed - selected on 바카라사이트 basis of how long ago 바카라사이트y had 바카라사이트ir last AUQA audit - is Murdoch University.

Bev Thiele, pro vice-chancellor for quality and standards at Murdoch, said 바카라사이트 workload involved had not been significantly different from that required for AUQA audits.

Nor did she have any complaints about 바카라사이트 agency��s responsiveness to universities�� concerns.

But she said 바카라사이트re was a vast philosophical difference between audits and Teqsa regulation because, while ��displeasing�� 바카라사이트 AUQA only led to ��reputational damage at worst��, Teqsa has a range of powers up to and including de-registration and 바카라사이트 imposition of civil penalties.

��Ultimately, if a university disagreed with 바카라사이트 judgement of its AUQA audit panel, it could bury it. If it disagrees with 바카라사이트 judgement of Teqsa, it will be heading through a formal appeal process to court,�� she said.

She said it was useful for Teqsa to have 10 ��guinea pigs�� go through re-registration before it rewrote 바카라사이트 threshold standards, as it is required to do by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year.

��It will help sharpen 바카라사이트 focus on both what needs to be regulated and what can be regulated,�� she said.

But 바카라사이트 problem was that nei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 universities nor Teqsa would have a feel for where thresholds lay until 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 first reviews were known.

��An understanding of 바카라사이트 minimum requirements for registration can emerge only as a result of 바카라사이트 practice of regulation - of building up a body of case histories. I suspect it will always be more of an art than a science,�� she said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.