12May2017
Secretariat
Admissions Transparency IWG
C50MA7
GPO Box 9880
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Dear Professor Krause
Re: Consultation on admissions transparency implementation plan
Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the admissions
transparency implementation plan. Swinburne commends the Implementation
Working Group on the paper and its intent.
Swinburne supports all the recommendations outlined in the Higher Education
Standards Panel (HESP) report on improving transparency in admissions,
particularly those recommendations which relate to supporting students and
their advisors in navigating critical information regarding future study options.
This student centred approach is consistent with Swinburne's ethos. We also
note and support the principle of institutional autonomy and accountability,
including the responsibility of ensuring that information published is accurate.
However, Swinburne has identified a number of issues which we believe need
to be addressed before full implementation is possible. We therefore offer the
following feedback:
Timing
•
The document proposes a timeline that requires providers to publish
information about all courses by August 2017, including detailed
statistics. The 'ATAR ranges' and 'Student Profile' data requirements
for each course across the non-VTAC cohorts will be challenging to
source and validate in the proposed timeframe.
•
The proposed 'best endeavours' approach through publishing a PDF
still requires the provider to collect and validate statistical information
about courses. The timelines may not allow providers to collect and
validate all of the required statistical information. Publishing inaccurate
or incomplete information would be misleading and unlawful.
•
Swinburne believes an acceptable 'best endeavours' would be
providing the current course level ATAR information available through
VTAC (for Victorian universities), i.e. clearly-in ATAR, %-below, Yr12
numbers and Total numbers, minimum raw ATAR, median ATAR etc.,
with full requirements to be met in 2019.
Hawthorn Campus
John Street Hawthorn
Victoria 3122 Australia
PO Box 218 Hawthorn
Victoria 3122 Australia
Telephone +61 3 9214 8000
Facsimile +61 3 9818 3649
www.swinburne.edu.au
ABN 13 628 586 699
CR\COS Provider 00111D
Effectiveness
•
The document indicates that the purpose of the standardisation is to support individuals in
making better informed choices about providers and courses of study. We agree that
standardisation of definitions and naming systems will assist, however the volume and level
of detail of the information proposed in the templates may be too extensive reducing the
ability of prospective students to comprehend the critical details.
•
The proposal to provide quartile-based statistics for ATAR ranges may be confusing to those
who are not familiar with the interpretation of statistics. This may hide the most critical
statistic (lowest adjusted ATAR) which answers the common question of likelihood of
acceptance.
•
A further example is the requirement to include details of the application, enrolment and
appeals processes on each course entry. The amount of information required to guide
students through these process is extensive. Providing summary or partial information into
the templates may be misleading. Providing links to relevant websites would be preferable.
Mode of delivery
•
Many providers offer courses in different modes (on-campus and online) and physical
locations. The student cohorts in these modes and locations vary significantly in their
previous study backgrounds and admission profiles.
•
Swinburne would prefer if providers were given the option to present separate information
(whole of institution and course level) for each mode and/or location. This would assist in
meeting the 'cohorts' information requirements of the HE Standards and would also provide
more accurate representations to prospective students.
Non-university higher-education providers
•
Given that non-university higher-education providers will not be subject to the 7.5% 'at-risk'
component of their Commonwealth funding, Swinburne believes that the Department must
develop some guidance on what accountability there will be for these providers around
meeting requirements, and that incentives should be created to encourage adherence.
Equity category students
•
Swinburne is concerned that equity category students who are transitioning from vocational
education to undergraduate study may be disadvantaged if ATAR remains the primary entry
requirement, considered above Certificate level qualifications.
•
Swinburne would caution against any future requirement that would report success and
completion against stratified categories of students due to potential disadvantage in the
future.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1 - Best endeavours approach
Swinburne recommends a best endeavours approach that involves providing current course level
ATAR information available through VTAC (for Victorian universities), with full requirements to be
met in 2019.
Recommendation 2 - Student choice data
Swinburne supports standardisation of definitions, yet recommends that quartile-based statistics
may in fact confuse students. Therefore, we recommend a more basic suite of data, and referral to
relevant websites wherever possible.
Recommendation 3 - Mode of delivery
Swinburne recommends that providers be given the option to present separate information (whole of
institution and course level) for each mode and/or location.
Recommendation 4- Non-university higher-education providers
Swinburne recommends that the Department develop guidance on what accountability there will be
for non-university providers around meeting requirements, and that incentives should be created to
encourage adherence by these providers to the standards.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the implementation plan and for the high level
of consultation on these reforms to date. Should you require further clarification on any of the matters
raised in this submission, please contact Professor Chris Pilgrim, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education
and Quality) at [email protected] or 03 92145231.
Yours sincerely
Professor Duncan Bentley
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
Swinburne University of Technology