TEQSA is said to have asked learning and teaching leaders to consider whether online degrees should be marked as such on testamurs, in a provocation to a closed-door meeting last week.
Sources at the meeting at the University of Sydney indicated there were ‘audible gasps’ at the provocation put forward by the regulator, which reportedly stated that the integrity of assessment of online degrees could no longer be guaranteed and that degrees studied online would therefore need to be tagged with what is effectively a warning label.
The meeting on the use of generative AI in learning and teaching was conducted via Chatham House rules and TEQSA have confirmed that this was a provocation, not a statement – but the fact that the national regulator could raise the inability of institutions to prevent cheating in exams for online courses as an issue has raised eyebrows.
TEQSA did not confirm the exact wording of the provocation shared at the meeting, but a spokesperson stated, “TEQSA continues to have confidence in the integrity and quality of courses offered by Australian higher education providers.“
“As part of our work to understand and forecast risks, TEQSA routinely has provocation discussions and tests potential scenarios with higher education providers.”
“This is a necessary part of ensuring risks are anticipated and managed. It complements and informs TEQSA’s work to ensure higher education providers are well positioned to manage these risks and uphold the integrity of Australian higher education awards.”
Just five years after COVID lockdowns forced Australian educators to shift thousands of courses online, any suggestion that assessment of online degrees is perceived (or measured) to be inferior to that of face-to-face or blended models has huge implications for both staff and students.
Encouraging contemplation of a sub-class of degrees where assessment integrity cannot be guaranteed as a potential future risk certainly provokes further questions in relation to university standards, degree fee setting and most importantly graduate impact.
Certainly, the higher education regulator can tick off ‘starting sector conversations’ as one of its’ KPI’s.
