Consultation Paper released on supporting university students
A Consultation Paper has been released today focusing on how universities can better support students falling behind to succeed in their studies.
This follows legislation introduced recently which will implement two of the recommendations in the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report.
The Bill abolishes the 50 per cent pass rule, which has had a disproportionately negative impact on students from poor backgrounds and from regional Australia.
The Bill also strengthens accountability and reporting for higher education providers to ensure students are properly supported to study.
The Bill introduces a requirement on all higher education providers to have and comply with a Support for students policy.
To implement this, changes will also be made to the Higher Education Provider Guidelines.
This Consultation Paper seeks feedback on what should be included in the Guidelines to ensure they are practical and support students to succeed in their studies. The Paper focuses on several areas including:
- Proactive ways of identifying at-risk students
- Connecting students to support
- Having crisis response arrangements
- Providing evidence-based support
- In-course resources for academic staff
The Consultation Paper and information on how to provide feedback is available here. Consultation will be open until 15 September 2023.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education, Jason Clare:
“That means we need more Australians going to university, not less.
“We should be helping students to succeed – not forcing them to quit.
“That’s what the Support for students policy is all about and I encourage universities, students and other interested groups to provide their feedback.”
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