Higher Education:the landscape of reform

Colin WaltersGroup Manager, Higher Education Group, DEST

The Crossroads review - 2002The Crossroads review - 2002From the Minister's Media release 2 April 2002:

• Minister's initial discussions had highlighted a range of issues meriting close scrutiny:

• Governance and university management & workplace relations • Financing, attracting and retaining quality staff• Efficiency and responsiveness• Student access and equity of opportunity

• Despite the significant strides that have been made there remained significant challenges

The Crossroads review - 2002The Crossroads review - 2002

Therefore Crossroads review was created to • Identify the scope for improvements • Seek suggestions about how

Government might facilitate those improvements

• Include wide-ranging consultations

The Crossroads review 2002:The Crossroads review 2002:the outcomesthe outcomes

The Review acknowledged these themes:• Growth of Australian higher education sector

required additional resources and investment• Need to maintain quality• Need to be competitive in a rapidly changing

global higher education market

Review findings led to Backing Australia’s Future

Backing Australia’s Future:a major reform & funding package in 2003

• Provided $2.6 billion over five years• Based on four key principles:

sustainability, diversity, equity and quality

• Significant additional investment - $11 billion in new support over 10 years (2005-2014)

$2.6 Billion additional $2.6 Billion additional funding(2004-08)funding(2004-08)

Includes• Commonwealth Grant Scheme $838 million• Conversion of marginal places $543million• Commonwealth Learning Scholarships $327million• Learning & teaching Performance Fund $251 million• HELP Programmes $259 million• National Priorities (Teaching & Nursing) $160 million• Regional loading $146 million• Growth places $74 million• Workplace productivity Programme $83 million• National Institute for learning & teaching $67 million• New medical places $58 million

Our Universities:Backing Australia’s Future

• In 2005, the Australian Government is making available more Commonwealth funded places than ever before, with 409,393 places

• Student demand is being addressed by funding over 39,000 new Commonwealth supported student places in the next 5 years (2005 to 2009)

The research landscape: Backing Australia’s ability: packages 1 and 2

• Additional investment to boost Australia’s science and innovation performance, $8.3 billion from 2001–02 to 2010–11

• Three key research themes:– Strengthening Australia’s ability to generate

ideas and undertake research– Accelerating the commercialisation of ideas– Developing and retaining skills

• Total Government investment in science and innovation over this period will be around $52 billion

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400

600

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2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

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SkillsCommercialisationR&D

NOT E S: (a) f unding is as announced; (b) 2004-05 and 2005-06 show combined BAA and BAA-BOFT SI f unding

Collaboration and Structural Reform Fund (CASR)

• $37m in funds (2005-07) to foster collaboration between higher education providers & business & other groups

• First round projects are expected to be announced shortly

• There will be another round soon for funding in 2006

• $13 million allocated for 2006

Workplace Productivity Programme

• Commencing 2006 • Encourage higher education institutions to

further progress reform to increase workplace productivity

• $83 million available between 2006 & 2008 • Discussion paper released July 2005 for

comment by 9 August 2005

Learning and Teaching Performance Fund – 2006 onwards

• Established to reward those institutions that best demonstrate excellence in teaching and learning

• The Fund comprises two stages:• Stage 1 – appropriate policies and processes in place and

publicly available on their websites. Completed & results to be announced shortly

• Stage 2 – assessment of institutional performance using quantitative indicators and qualitative input. Performance Allocation Model to be announced in the next few weeks

Higher Education workplace requirements

• Introduced in 2005• Designed to encourage choice in agreement

making• Direct relationships between employers &

employees• Workplace flexibility• Productivity and Performance• Freedom of Association

AWAs

• The HEP must provide employees with genuine choice and flexibility in agreement making by offering AWAs to all new employees employed after 29 April 2005 and to all other employees by 31 August 2006. Until 30 June 2006, HEPs are exempt from offering AWAs to casual employees engaged for a period of less than one month.

Higher Education workplace requirements

• Universities that comply with the workplace reforms and the National Governance Protocols will be eligible for the increase in assistance funding under the Commonwealth Grant Scheme (5% in 2006 and 7.5% in later years)

• Must comply by 30 November 2005 to receive the 5% increase

• Must comply by 31 August 2006 to receive the 7.5% increase

Voluntary Student UnionismHESA Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Up-front Student

Union Fees) Bill 2005 • Referred to Senate Inquiry in June, due to report 9 August • Debate in the Spring Sitting • Expected start date of 1 January 2006

The Bill ensures that providers do not require a student to• Be a member of an organisation of students (or students and other persons)• Pay a fee in respect of an organisation of students• Pay a fee for an amenity, facility or service that is not of an academic

nature, unless the student chooses to do so

Packaging the fee for non-academic services and amenities• Critical issue is that students must have a choice• Bill does not prevent providers from offering students “packages” of

services

Voluntary Student Unionism

Non-discretionary penalty for a breach of the VSU provisions:

• Reduction in amount a provider receives under CGS equivalent to $100 for each CGS student place

• Applies in all cases of requiring membership of an organisation of students

• If breach involves payment of a fee, provider is given an opportunity to correct breach

• Non-discretionary penalty not applied if money repaid to the student

The HELP schemes

• HECS-HELP – to assist eligible Commonwealth supported students pay their student contribution. There are two types of HECS-HELP assistance: the HECS-HELP discount and the HECS-HELP loan

• FEE-HELP – to assist eligible fee-paying students pay their tuition fees

• OS-HELP – to assist eligible Commonwealth supported students who wish to study overseas. Distribution of loans to Universities finalised end of September 2005

The next round of new places

• Next round of new places will be for 2,800 new growth places commencing in 2007

• The Minister has yet to determine how these places will be allocated.  The Department will consult with the sector on the application process towards the end of 2005/early 2006

• In 2008, there will be a further 1,800 new growth places

Capital Development Pool (CDP)

• CDP Guidelines are being reviewed to ensure the programme continues to meet the capital development needs of the higher education sector

• Sector was invited to provide feed back on the draft Guidelines by 26 July 2005

• Guidelines will be finalised, following the Minister’s approval, in the coming weeks

• Bids for the 2008 round will be called for end of August/early September. Over $44 million available for allocation

HEIMS & Reporting Student Learning Entitlements

Reporting period start date

Reporting period end date

HEP data submission date

1 January 2005 30 June 2005 31 August 2005

1 July 2005 31 August 2005 31 October 2005

1 September 2005

31 December 2005

31 March 2006

1 January 2006 31 March 2006 31 May 2006

Course Information SystemCourse Information System

• There will be a national searchable database of all higher education courses, accessed from in GoingtoUni, scheduled for release in September 2005

• The database will include information about indicative course fees, cut-off and minimum entrance requirements, eligibility scores

• Course data for the Course Information System will be required from all HEPs by 15 August 2005

• The Student Private Portal is scheduled for release at the end of November 2005

Accountability and quality

The Institution Assessment Framework, introduced in 2004, involves assessment by DEST of universities':

• sustainability - planning processes and financial viability

• achievements in higher education provision • quality of outcomes • compliance with legislation and guidelines• Universities visited every 2 years for bilateral

discussions about the assessment

Accountability and quality

• The 2005 schedule of visits includes: Newcastle, New England, Charles Sturt, Western Sydney and Macquarie universities

Accountability and quality

• DEST will monitor the filling of new places through the Funding Agreement process and the Student Statistics Data

• Since new places for 2005 were allocated in late 2004, DEST appreciates that some providers had difficulties filling these places in 2005. This should not affect their ability to fill the places in 2006 and beyond

• However, unfilled places from institutions that consistently under enrol may be redistributed to other universities

Australian Higher Education Quality Assurance Framework

StateStateaccreditation

(based on NationalProtocols)

UniversitiesUniversitiesResponsible for

academic standards

AQFAQF(Australian Qualifications Framework)

national register and awarddescriptions

CommonwealthCommonwealthFunding support (institutions/students)

national reporting performance data, tools

AUQAAUQA(Australian Universities

Quality Agency)audits

AUQA Quality Audit Process

– AUQA bases each audit on an auditee’s critical self-review (performance portfolio)

– Audit visit programs based on auditee’s self-review and a preparatory visit

– Audit visit tests the statements and descriptions in the performance portfolio

– AUQA audit report is publicly released

FURTHER DIRECTIONS OF REFORMDiscussion papers

• Building university diversity released 27 May 2005 www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher_education/policy_issues_reviews/reviews/building_diversity/building_university_diversity.htm

• Building Better Foundations for higher education released March 2005 www.dest.gov.au/highered/pubs/papers/responsibility/default.htm

• Enhancing offshore delivery released July 2005 www.dest.gov.au/sectors/international_education/policy_issues_reviews/reviews/quality_auditing_of_offshore_delivery

Building University Diversity

• Issues paper released to debate the desirability of greater diversity in the university sector

• National Workshop on 17 August 2005 under auspices of Australian Education Ministers to further discuss these issues

• Any changes to the Protocols would need to be agreed to by the Commonwealth & State and Territory Governments in November 2005

Commonwealth-State Relationships

• Building better Foundations for Higher Education in Australia released March 2005

• Suggests a greater role for Australian Government in 3 key areas

• Commercial activities, governance and management, recognition and accreditation

• Consultation process underway & seeking Australian Education Ministers consideration in November 2005

Credit Transfer and Articulation

• Australian Education Ministers have endorsed a set of “Good Practice Principles for Credit Transfer and Articulation”

• The Australian Government has enhanced its GoingtoUni website to include more detailed information on credit transfer from VET to university

Enhancing Offshore Quality

• $590,000 in 2005 to improve higher education offshore quality assurance

• Discussion paper, A National Quality Strategy for Australian Transnational Education and Training

• Model and strategic directions to be presented to Australian Education Ministers – November 2005

National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)

• Backing Australia’s Ability initiative (A$542 million) - the main part of funding will start to flow from 2006-07 (~$100m pa)

• Strategic focus for the Government’s investment in major research infrastructure

• NCRIS will seek to: – Develop world-class capacity in key areas of research– Encourage collaboration– Encourage greater international engagement

• Strategic Roadmap’ to guide the Government’s investments over the next ten years: - Advisory Committee recommendations considered by end of 2005.

Research Quality Framework (RQF): Strategic Objectives

• Announced in May 2004 Budget, the RQF will measure the quality of research in universities and Publicly Funded Research Agencies

• Among the drivers is the need:– for greater accountability for public investment in research – to demonstrate the quality and impact of publicly funded

research • Existing quality indicators (eg number of publications) are

not brought together in any readily accessible and consistent way

• RQF will inform future distribution of research effort, although the details of this will need to be worked through once models are developed

RQF: Progress to Date• Framework development guided by an Expert

Advisory Group• Principles underpinning an RQF are: transparency,

acceptability and effectiveness• RQF Issues Paper released in March 2005 • RQF Advanced Approaches Paper released in May

2005 • RQF Preferred Models Paper for release in early

September 2005• Advice to Minister by end of year• Updates available on the RQF website

– http://www.dest.gov.au/resqual

The dreaded red tape issue

• Data and information collection driven by DEST’s accountability responsibilities for implementing and managing Government policies and programmes

• Funding Agreements. Universities are not required to contact DEST for each and every variation to student enrolments made throughout the year

• IAF is a consolidated instrument to streamline reporting

Unmet demand

Future of our market?

and the competition

http://www.infosys.com/default.htm

http://www.infosys.com/default.htm

• Founded 1981 by 3 partners• Government support – free science land, freeing up

of inward investment and a long tax holiday• Now $1bn US revenue, >40,000 employees, 1 in

130 selected• Includes 600 foreign nationals in 33 countries• Concern about future supply of suitable graduates

in India – already takes 10% of Indian production of suitably qualified engineers

• 419 clients, 99% repeat business• Main Bangalore campus has 40 buildings• Residential training campus at Mysore for 5000

staff

•IMEC's revenues up 12% to €159m

•IMEC generates 78% of budget, 22% from the Flemish community

•International industry: 62%

•Staff: 898 members

•Guest researchers & industrial residents: 430

•Average age = 34 years

•15 % PhD students

Economic activity across the planet27 November 2000 (NASA)

Higher Education:the landscape of reform

Colin WaltersGroup Manager, Higher Education Group, DEST