CAPA recommends that TEQSA risk assessments look at student support
The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) is calling for the TEQSA Risk Assessment Framework to include an indicator measuring the availability and resourcing of support available to students of higher education providers.
Current indicators relating to students in the Risk Assessment Framework are: changes in student load, attrition and completion rate, course progression rate, graduate satisfaction, and graduate destinations.
In our submission to the TEQSA Risk Assessment Framework Consultation, we recommend that the risk assessment framework be expanded to include a measure for the availability of independent support and representation for students. This would empower TEQSA to assess the infrastructure for students to represent their feedback and complaints, both as individuals and as a collective where issues are systemic.
Feedback received by CAPA suggests that at some institutions, policies on student complaints are nonexistent or not applied properly, and that there is little support available to navigate complaints processes. Moreover, students are unable to effectively organise and must pursue complaints on an individual basis at institutions where there is no supported student representation. This is particularly an issue at private higher education providers.
We also recommended that staff-to-student ratios be assessed in a more segmented manner, to ensure that staffing is fit-for-purpose and that research students are receiving appropriate academic support.
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For comment:
CAPA National President Natasha Abrahams
M: 0430 076 993
E: president@capa.edu.au
