Support for Students Policy Guidelines – IRU Response

The Innovative Research Universities (IRU) supports:

That universities should have a “Support for Students Policy” that identifies students at risk of failing and interventions to support completion.
Support for Students Policy Guidelines (the “Guidelines”) that outline the broad purposes of the Support for Students Policy and mandatory obligations.
Consultation with the Higher Education Standards Panel (HESP) for advice on the effectiveness of the Higher Education Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 for supporting students.

The IRU recommends:

The HESP advice on the efficacy of the Threshold Standards be considered prior to finalising any mandatory obligations in the Guidelines.
If the HESP advises that the Threshold Standards sufficiently describes (or could be amended to describe) what quality providers should be doing to support students, then the need for mandatory obligations in the Guidelines should be reconsidered.
If the HESP advises that there is a need for a Support for Students Policy, then the Guidelines should be developed in consultation with the HESP.
Reporting and compliance should be the responsibility of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).
Mandatory obligations in the Guidelines should be piloted in 2024, with implementation in 2025.

Read the full submission here.