TEQSA e-News February 2024

Message from the Acting CEO

Welcome to the first edition of TEQSA's e-News for 2024. I hope everyone reading this enjoyed the summer break, ready for a busy year. The year ahead holds great significance for TEQSA as we continue a program of substantial work to assure the quality of higher education in Australia for students and providers.?For many providers, 2024 will involve the first re-registration or course re-accreditation assessment since the pandemic arrangements.

The Australian Universities Accord interim report, released last year, identified key areas for work on issues affecting students and higher education providers. We look forward to the release of further initiatives from the final report, including what these will mean for regulatory arrangements.

This year, we are continuing to engage with the sector about a range of initiatives and guidance. This includes consultation around guidance notes, with the latest round open for feedback until 15 March 2024.

We will also soon be engaging further with you as part of our service charter review?and also seeking your feedback about how we engage with our stakeholders. Stay tuned for more information in next month's e-News.

TEQSA will continue to engage?with the sector around several key integrity risks in 2024, including artificial intelligence. As foreshadowed by our Chief Commissioner?last October, we'll be requesting information from all providers in June seeking evidence of how your institution is responding to the risks posed by generative AI. Further information will be shared with providers about this?in the coming weeks.

Kind regards,

Dr Mary Russell, Acting CEO

Have your say on our draft guidance notes

In 2023, TEQSA consulted stakeholders on the following guidance notes:

• Diversity and equity
• Student grievances and complaints
• Wellbeing and safety

We are now seeking further stakeholder feedback that identifies suggestions to update, clarify and further enhance the content to assist providers in delivering effective self-assurance. The consultation period closes at 5pm (AEDT) on Friday 15 March 2024.

Visit our consultation page for more information.

Update for academic and research integrity

An update to the guidance note about academic and research integrity (version 2.0) is now published on the TEQSA website.

The purpose and intent of the guidance note is to support providers in ensuring they have the relevant policies, processes, training, oversight?and culture to protect and maintain the integrity of their academia and research.

Read our updated guidance note on our website.

Invoices for the RHEP charge to be issued soon

From Monday 19 February, TEQSA will issue each registered higher education provider with their 2024 Registered Higher Education Provider (RHEP) charge?notice and invoice. The RHEP charge will comprise:

• the base component of the charge at 50% of the full rate, and
• the compliance component of the charge for compliance activity undertaken in 2023 that is specific to that provider.

Providers will have 30 days from the notice date to pay the RHEP charge. For details, please read the updated Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS), which outlines our fees and charges.

TEQSA and medical colleges agree on way forward for postgraduate medical training titles

TEQSA has been working with several specialist medical colleges to ensure the terms used to describe postgraduate training for medical practitioners meet the requirements of the?TEQSA Act.

The Act places restrictions on the use of terms such as Diploma, Bachelor or Masters to describe qualifications. This is to safeguard the interests of students and uphold the integrity of Australian higher education qualifications by ensuring that only courses that align with the Australian Qualifications Framework, and are provided by registered higher education providers, use these regulated terms.

Following discussions with several colleges and the Department of Health and Aged Care, the specialist medical colleges have agreed to ensure terms used to describe their qualifications will comply with the TEQSA Act from the end of February 2024.

TEQSA thanks the specialist medical colleges for engaging with us since late 2022 to explore all options for ensuring continuity of the delivery of postgraduate medical training by the colleges, while meeting the requirements of the TEQSA Act.

Read more about this update on our website.

TEQSA Conference recordings now available

Full-length recordings are now available of every panel session and presentation from the 2023 TEQSA Conference.

These resources are published on TEQSA's YouTube channel and feature the wealth of ideas and knowledge that were shared amongst delegates.