NIAD-QE hosted the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), Australia’s regulatory and quality assurance agency for higher education, for their third staff-exchange program over a five-day period from November 13 to 17, 2017. The exchange programs are conducted as a form of cooperation based on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two organizations. Ms. Sarah Stevens and Ms. Olivia Tsang, who conduct evaluations at TEQSA visited NIAD-QE and participated in the program.

The purpose of this program is for the two organizations to exchange information and knowledge on quality assurance and to form closer cooperative ties. During the program, NIAD-QE staff explained their various roles such as, university evaluations, degree awarding, international cooperation, and research activities. In addition, they presented on their participation as observers in site-visits for institutional Certified Evaluation and Accreditation (CEA) of universities, MEXT’s procedures for establishing a university, and their international research efforts. In return, TEQSA staff gave a presentation about their organization, as well as indicators and framework for risk-based evaluations. In addition, TEQSA staff presented on the last day of the program, speaking about the latest efforts and trends of TEQSA and Australian higher education as a whole.

The program took place in the midst of change; Japan was about to start its third cycle of institutional CEA, while in Australia, a foundational framework for quality assurance of higher education, the Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF) 2015, was about to be published in January 2017. This exchange was a very meaningful way for both organizations to deepen their mutual understanding about the new efforts each is making as a quality assurance organization.


Commemorative photo with TEQSA staff

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