MCEETYA's National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes: Preface
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Introduction
Under arrangements for sharing responsibility for higher education between the Commonwealth and the States, responsibility for exercising control over the use of the term ‘university’ and for protecting the capacity to confer higher education awards such as ‘bachelor degree’ rests with the States and Territories.
Most States and Territories have legislative provision governing the recognition of non self-accrediting institutions that wish to offer courses leading to higher education awards, the approval of courses offered by non self-accrediting institutions, and mechanisms to approve the establishment and operation of institutions wishing to operate as universities within their jurisdiction. All States and Territories, excluding the external Territories, protect the use of the term ‘university’ in legislation regulating the use of business names.
While there are many similarities in how States and Territories manage the recognition of universities and the accreditation of courses offered by non self-accrediting institutions, there has been no nationally agreed protocol of common principles underpinning the management of these functions.
In 1995, MCEETYA agreed to implement a common protocol for the concurrent accreditation of higher education courses to be offered simultaneously in two or more States or Territories. This protocol was elaborated in operational guidelines for the use of State and Territory officials in 1999, and has been used successfully since its adoption to process a number of applications.
In 1997, the then Higher Education Taskforce agreed to commission a project to develop common principles and a cooperative approach to the quality assurance of all higher education accreditation processes among relevant jurisdictions. The project examined accreditation and recognition processes for universities and for higher education courses offered by non self-accrediting institutions.
The national Protocols recommended in this statement are primarily drawn from an analysis of the results of that project, and meet one of its recommendations: ‘to develop national Protocols, where appropriate’. The introduction of nationally agreed Protocols for the recognition of universities is seen as particularly desirable to protect the standing of Australian universities nationally and internationally.
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Endorsement of Protocols
In March 2000 the Joint Committee on Higher Education, comprising State, Territory and Commonwealth officials responsible for higher education, recommended to MCEETYA that it endorse the common principles, criteria and processes for quality assurance of higher education accreditation arrangements which are outlined below. The Protocols endorsed by MCEETYA deal with the following matters:
- criteria and processes for recognition of Australian universities;
- operation of overseas higher education institutions in Australia;
- the accreditation of higher education courses to be offered by non self- accrediting institutions;
- delivery arrangements for higher education institutions involving other organisations; and
- endorsement of courses for overseas students.
Mechanisms to ensure adherence to national quality assurance arrangements
Each State and Territory agreed to review its legislative and regulatory mechanisms to ensure they had adequate authority to monitor, require improvements, or withdraw accreditation or approval where minimum quality standards are not met and necessary remedial action is not taken by an institution following critical audit reports. It was agreed that this authority should be available to the host State or Territory in the case of institutions with interstate campuses, and that the processes may differ significantly for self-accrediting and non self-accrediting institutions.
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Timeframe for implementation
Implementation of the Protocols was to occur as soon as possible, but by no later than 30 June 2001.
Definitions
Jurisdictions:
All Australian States and Territories which are signatories to the Protocol.
Accreditation:
A process of assessment and review which enables a higher education course or institution to be recognised or certified as meeting appropriate standards.
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