Policy Submissions

Submission to Review of the Australian Qualifications Framework

14 Mar 19

Download – CAPA submission to AQF review

CAPA supports the notion of the AQF as one of several instruments to set minimum standards for the content and nature of qualifications. Defining qualification levels also allows students, graduates, and employers to identify the demands and outcomes of the type of course one has or is undertaking. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the current review. We also participated in a consultation interview for last year’s preliminary review of credit pathways policy and practice within the AQF, as well as attending the consultation workshop for the current review.

We are concerned that there is heightened pressure to reduce the duration, and therefore the breadth of content, in tertiary courses. This is due to ongoing cuts to higher education, as well as the change towards a mass-access tertiary system. We believe that the AQF has an important role to play in ensuring minimum durations and outcomes of tertiary courses, therefore upholding quality and value of these qualifications.

We recommend that:
1. The AQF Review Panel amends the definition of one year of doctoral study to equate to 30 hours per week over 48 weeks in a year, thus bringing “AQF-years” in line with the minimum expectations of doctoral students.
2. The volume of learning for the PhD be amended to “four to five years”.
3. The volume of learning for the research masters also be amended in line with average completion times.