Our Governance and Compliance Team recently attended two conferences, THE Campus Live.ANZ and IEAA Admissions and Compliance Forum 2023.

We are happy to share with you their key learnings and valuable insights.

THE Campus LIVE.ANZ

Here are some key takeaways from one of our governance and compliance consultants, Amber Daniels, who attended the conference:

“On higher education providers: What is our purpose – what are we here for, and how do we contribute to the betterment of our regions, our countries, and our world? We need to implement thoughtful policy design that is inclusive by default but considers impact long term impacts. Local KPIs as drivers for performance does not promote a healthy culture, nor positive change. Higher education providers should use their positions of prominence and influence with government and society to affect real change, addressing systemic boundaries, barriers and injustices in education.

On Artificial Intelligence: There is no bulletproof response to the challenges AI is posing to the higher education sector. Meaningful responses will be contextual, considering cohorts, equity and assessment design. The sector will need to respond as we shift from questioning whether content is the product of generative AI, to determining whether generative AI content is accurate. Students are not ‘empty vessels’ and will come to higher education with experience and knowledge of AI tools: we need to teach them how to leverage these tools and be discerning consumers of the information around them. We need to consider the importance of problem-based learning and the application of knowledge in assessment design to ensure the integrity of our qualifications, and their international portability.

On the future of the sector: The Universities Accord will not achieve everything we need, but it will start the dialogue to improve our sector.. We need long-term plans and ideas to ensure the sustainability of our sector to ensure we can deliver on lifelong learning, work together to utilise shared and common resources effectively and create the funding stability necessary to nurture true flexibility and innovation.”

IEAA Admissions and Compliance Forum 2023

Two of our governance and compliance consultants, Danielle Baird and Claire Holmes had the chance to attend this conference. Here are some key elements from Claire Holmes:

1. Managing Increased International Applications
   • Universities faced a surge in applications once borders opened, catching many off guard, leading to understaffing and unpreparedness for some.
   • To mitigate admission pressures, universities reviewed internal processes, prioritized applications, and focused on the well-being of admissions teams.
   • Long-term strategies involved exploring offshore processing teams, providing training for existing staff, ensuring staff continuity, and prioritizing staff well-being.
   • A shift towards prioritizing soft skills and teamwork over hard skills was highlighted in staff hiring practices.
   • Outsourcing certain tasks, such as GTE assessment, was discussed as a potential solution to alleviate peaks in workload.
2. Understanding Risks in the International Education Sector
   • The international education sector is impacted by global risk trends, such as evolving socio-political expectations, third-party viability, and critical infrastructure failure.
   • Australia and New Zealand face emerging risks including workforce planning uncertainty, third-party viability, critical infrastructure failure, new extreme weather events, and evolving socio-political expectations.
   • Global risks for 2023 include energy supply crisis, cost of living crisis, rising inflation, food supply crisis, and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
3. Strategies for Cultivating Empowered and Resilient Teams
   • Aligning personal and organizational values is important for recruitment and retention of staff.
   • Creating a safe environment for younger overseas students involves implementing proper orientation programs, monitoring welfare, establishing critical incident policies, and providing support services.
     Stakeholder engagement and optimizing existing systems and technologies can enhance team effectiveness.
   • English language testing innovation and security were discussed, with considerations given to test formats, security measures, and recognition by institutions and governments.
   • The impact of COVID-induced workforce shortages and changes in the student visa program on institutions’ visa risks was also explored.

Overall, the forum provided valuable insights into managing increased international applications, understanding sector risks, fostering resilient teams, and ensuring the well-being and success of international students in Australia’s education system.

If you would like to have a word with our Governance and Compliance team, feel free to reach out to us.