Policy and Procedures

Information and downloads related to School, Course and Unit Reviews.

Legislation

As a higher education provider, UNE operates under a set of legislated requirements. It is important for all staff, as UNE representatives, to have a thorough understanding of our compliance requirements in order to continue the high-quality delivery of our degrees.

Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) Act 2011 legislates the regulation of higher education across Australia. UNE’s registration as a higher education provider is dependent upon our compliance with the TEQSA Act 2011.

Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021

The Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, made under section 58 of the TEQSA Act 2011, provides the minimum threshold requirements that UNE must meet as a provider of higher education.

Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) provides policy for the delivery of regulated qualifications. As a higher education provider delivering regulated qualifications, UNE is required to meet AQF+1 standards, in order to comply with Higher Education Standards Framework standard 3.3:

“Staff with responsibilities for academic oversight and those with teaching and supervisory roles in courses or units of study are equipped for their roles, including having:

c. a qualification in a relevant discipline at least one level higher than is awarded for the course of study, or equivalent relevant academic or professional or practice-based experience and expertise, except for staff supervising doctoral degrees having a doctoral degree or equivalent research experience.”

Please visit UNE’s AQF Plus 1 and Professional Experience Equivalence Policy for more information on our AQF+1 compliance requirements.

Education quality activities

UNE’s education quality activities are housed within UNE’s Academic Quality Assurance Policy– Annexure – Education Quality Activities and involve a range of monitoring and review processes that make up the ‘Evaluate’ stage of the four-stage quality cycle. These review processes then feed into the ‘Improve’ stage of the quality cycle, with the implementation of recommendations that arise from the reviews.

Monitoring

Monitoring occurs across different areas - School, Course, Unit and Student Progress and Success - to ensure continuous analysis of the quality of UNE's delivery of education. UNE's monitoring requirements are linked to our various review processes, and help academic governing bodies identify where a review may be necessary.

School Monitoring occurs annually through a report to Academic Portfolio Executive Committee and Academic Board.

Course Monitoring occurs through Course Advisory Boards (CABs), which meet at least once annually.

Unit Monitoring occurs through a collection of unit evaluations and regular reporting to Teaching and Learning Committee. Unit Monitoring is a key component of educational quality at UNE, allowing the monitoring, evaluation and review of units of study delivered, based on mode of delivery and agreed performance metrics. The process provides the opportunity to address any identified areas for potential improvement through the development of action plans, and the subsequent improvement of units, as well as to recognise unit modes with high levels of student satisfaction.

Student Progress and Success allows UNE to ensure that all students, regardless of their background or mode of study, are given the best chance to succeed at UNE. During the process we look at performance in areas of grade point average, pass rates, retention and completion, and interpret findings to devise improvement strategies.

Reviews

Review policy and processes vary depending on whether they are being conducted on a School, Course, or Unit level.

School Reviews are undertaken on an ad hoc basis – they are triggered as required by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, based on annual School Monitoring reports submitted to Academic Portfolio Executive Committee and Academic Board.

School Reviews are conducted to ensure that schools are functioning effectively, have the resources needed to implement the strategy of the University, and are delivering quality outcomes.

Standard procedure for School Reviews involves a Panel Review to examine and benchmark key aspects of the School, including:

  • Teaching and learning
  • Research
  • Community engagement
  • Working and learning environments for staff and students
  • Third-party relationships
  • Risk and compliance management

Please visit Part B – Detailed School Monitoring and Review Activities in UNE’s Academic Quality Assurance Policy for more information on the requirements, responsibilities and processes involved in School Reviews.

School Review downloads

The forms for the School Review process are available for download:

Course Reviews are undertaken on a mandatory 7-year cycle, unless initiated more frequently as a result of regular Course Monitoring activities.

A Course Review evaluates the academic program of an award, including the course structure, learning outcomes, graduate attributes, assessment and quality of teaching and learning. This is achieved through the analysis of external benchmarking, threshold standards, accreditation standards, student feedback, and professional feedback.

Standard procedure involves the completion of a Rubric and External Review, unless a course is deemed higher risk, in which case, a Panel-based Review will be triggered.

Please visit Part C – Detailed Course Monitoring and Review Activities in UNE’s Academic Quality Assurance Policy and EQD’s Course Review page for more information on the requirements, responsibilities, timeframes and processes involved in Course Reviews.

Course Review downloads

The forms required for each part of the Course Review Rubric process are available for download:

  1. Assessment and Grading Benchmarking (DOCX, 47.03 KB)
  2. Course Review Rubric
    (DOCX, 76.14 KB)
  3. Implementation Report (DOCX, 38.02 KB)

The form for the Course Review Panel process is available for download:

Unit Reviews are undertaken on a mandatory 3-year cycle, unless initiated more frequently as a result of unit evaluations and regular reporting activities. Accreditation requirements and legislative requirements may also cause a unit to be reviewed outside of its normal review cycle.

Heads of Schools and Associate Deans, Teaching and Learning consult to develop a cycle of review, which is noted annually by Teaching and Learning Committee.

Unit Reviews allow the evaluation and peer review of content and learning outcomes of a unit, relevancy for the course/s it relates to, pedagogy, assessment. They also allow the benchmarking of assessment and curriculum to external units.

The Unit Review process requires the completion of a Unit Review Rubric, which includes the implementation stage of the review.

Please visit Part D – Other Key Monitoring and Review Activities in UNE’s Academic Quality Assurance Policy and the documents below for more information on the requirements, responsibilities and processes involved in Unit Reviews.

Unit Review downloads

The Unit Review Template and Process documents are available for download: