July 2011
- 13 Jul 2011

SFP audit deadline 8 August

PTEs with a 31 March 2011 financial year-end and that do not have a Student Fee Protection exemption to use trust accounts or bank bonds need to have their audit documents submitted to NZQA by 8 August 2011 (90 working days from the financial year-end).

For Public Trust clients, the auditor completes the document: Trust Deed Audit Opinion – PTE (DOC, 42KB)

For PTEs that use an accountant or lawyer as their trustee, the auditor completes both documents: Trust Deed Audit Opinion – PTE (DOC, 42KB) and Trust Deed Audit Opinion – Trustee (DOC, 41KB).

Providers will have received a letter from NZQA Deputy Chief Executive Tim Fowler in early July reiterating the importance of covering the full amount of fees as required under the Student Fee Protection Policy.

Any queries, contact Team Mailbox Risk, Risk@nzqa.govt.nz, or call free phone 0800 697 296 and ask for Sharon Clark.

Feedback sought on new fees for qualifications

Feedback is being sought on proposals to introduce two new fees to support the implementation of the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.

The proposed fees are for:

• Approval to develop a qualification (qualification pre-approval)
• Approval of the training programmes.

Feedback is also being sought on quality assurance approval criteria for training programmes.

A comprehensive review of the quality assurance fee structure for the non-university tertiary sector is planned for 2012. However, as NZQA operates on a cost-recovery model, interim proposals for new fees are being put forward now. An online questionnaire is provided for feedback.

The deadline for submissions is 19 August 2011.

Māutaranga Māori gains quality mark

The NZQA Board has approved the overarching mātauranga Māori evaluative quality assurance framework which includes the awarding of a quality assurance mark to approved programmes of study.

Providers can opt-in to the framework. The board’s decision follows a trial of the model for quality assuring mātauranga Māori, completed earlier this year. A summary report of the independent evaluation of the trial will be available on the NZQA website soon.

Key components of the framework include:

1. Pre-engagement – to ensure potential applicants understand the purpose, content and process of mātauranga Māori evaluative quality assurance
2. Evaluative tools – key evaluation questions, merit criteria and performance rubrics
3. Mātauranga Māori quality assurance mark – awarded to a programme that fulfils NZQA entry requirements and provides exemplary evidence of key support systems and quality outcomes. Providers can use the mark to promote an educational programme.

More development work required for implementation of model

Further work will be undertaken over the next few months to progress the model towards implementation. This will include:

• Development of a plan identifying short, medium and long-term strategies to support the sustainable development of mātauranga Māori evaluative quality assurance (MM EQA) capacity and capability
• Strengthening of MM EQA by embedding, at its core, key mātauranga Māori principles, then ensuring they are reflected in the MM EQA tools, processes and methodologies
• Working closely with trial participants and other key stakeholders in making final improvements to the MM EQA tools, processes and methodologies
• Producing documentation and supplementary resources that provide information in a clear and concise way, for clients and audiences, including NZQA analysts and evaluators, qualification developers and TEOs.

QAD on the web

Updated guidelines for qualifications reviews

Updated Guidelines for the review of qualifications at levels 1 to 6 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework are available. They reflect learnings from the first rounds of reviews.

The revised guidelines include more detailed information about NZQA’s expectations and requirements in terms of review participants’ decision-making and reporting.

A reporting template has also been developed to assist qualification developers to report on the results of their review, along with a form that organisations must use to confirm their acceptance of the new suite of qualifications arising from the review.

Practice notes share qualifications review experiences

Practice notes to share the experiences of those who have been involved in qualifications reviews are being developed.

One of the first challenges facing organisations is to establish an effective decision-making structure or framework. Practice Note 1 outlines how three qualification review groups approached this task.

Spreadsheet available for tracking qualifications reviews

A review tracking spreadsheet is available to enable the progress of qualifications reviews to be tracked. It also lists the key contact person for each review. The spreadsheet can be found on the Qualifications Review Schedule page.

Key contacts for ITPs available

A list of key contacts for institutes of technology and polytechnics is also available on the Qualifications Review Schedule page. These are the people to be contacted in relation to qualifications reviews.