policy matters
National Monday Update Issue:
1. Higher Education Governance and Quality Assurance
2. AQF Policy for the addition or removal of qualification types: Final draft
3. AQF Qualification Issuance Policy: Second draft for discussion
4. Testing the AQF – online survey
1. Higher Education Governance and Quality Assurance
The Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) has developed a set of draft guidelines, entitled Academic Governance and Quality Assurance: Good Practice for NSAIs.
AUQA has asked stakeholders to provide comment on the guidelines and ACPET will develop a submission as part of this process. Members who would like to provide input in to ACPET’s submission should contact ACPET’s Manager of Policy and Research, Ben Vivekanandan ben [dot] vivekanandan [at] acpet [dot] edu [dot] au (by email) or phone 03 9412 5912
2. AQF Policy for the addition or removal of qualification types: Final draft
The purpose of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) policy for the addition or removal of qualifications types is to ensure that the AQF has flexibility and is responsive to Australia’s changing education and employment environment. This policy will ensure that changes to the structure of the AQF are able to be made and do not compromise the stability of the AQF.
Principles for the addition or removal of qualification types from the AQF were included in the paper Strengthening the AQF: An architecture for Australia’s qualifications in September 2009 that was circulated to all stakeholders for comment. Feedback indicated that the principles were received positively and this feedback has been incorporated into the new AQF Policy for the addition or removal of qualification types.
The AQF Council will include this new policy in its advice to the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE) on Strengthening the AQF later this year.
A copy of the policy is available on the AQF website
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3. AQF Qualification Issuance Policy: Second draft for discussion
This policy sets out the AQF policy for issuing AQF qualifications and provides the basis for the protection of the titles of AQF qualifications through consistency in their application across the education and training sectors.
The draft policy was circulated to all stakeholders for comment during 2009 and feedback was received from 32 VET and higher education stakeholders across Australia.
The direction of the policy and protocols was supported by all respondents who agreed that specifying the minimum content on testamurs added to the protection of Australian qualifications. Many comments and suggestions were provided and many of these have been incorporated into the second draft.
The AQF Council is seeking further comment from stakeholders.
The consultation paper and letter to stakeholders is available on the AQF website at http://www.aqf.edu.au
Submissions can be sent to the aqfc [at] sa [dot] gov [dot] au (AQF Council) by 30 April, 2010.
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4. Testing the AQF – online survey
An on-line survey is currently gathering data to empirically test the AQF levels criteria, the qualification type descriptors and where existing AQF qualification types should be placed in a strengthened AQF.
To do the survey please go to www.aqf.edu.au and click on the link to the survey. It will take about 20 minutes to complete.
For more information contact:
Australian Qualifications Framework Council
Level 4, 11 Waymouth Street Adelaide SA 5000
GPO Box 320 Adelaide SA 5001
Tel: 08 8226 2775 / aqfc [at] sa [dot] gov [dot] au (Email)
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