Higher Education Private Provider - QUALITY Network

1. The HEPP-QN has a shared national purpose focused on the achievement of good student outcomes.
2. The HEPP-QN remains relevant and grounded through actively seeking to interface with TEQSA and with the stronghold of experts who service our network.
3. The HEP-QN is relational, believing that achieving together is in everyone’s best interest.
4. The HEPP-QN remains radically open and trusting.
5. The HEP-QN welcomes collaboration, regarding debate, uncertainty, flexibility, agility and responsiveness as our core strengths.

In April 2015 the HEPP-QN was born on one of the windiest and stormiest day recorded in Sydney’s history. No one then believed we could create from that storm the organised, collaborative hub we call the HEPP-QN.

Today it is home to a range of independent higher education institutions who are passionate about investing in a collaborative national agenda for quality. The HEPP-QN’s unique value proposition is connectedness - doing quality can be purposeful and dynamic if we lend our shoulders to each other - hence our motto: Achieving Together!

As we look back over the 5 years we have been in service, we can catalogue a series of achievements. In July 2020, we ran the Online Discussion Forum with TEQSA which featured 120 participants with 27 CEOs in attendance. Click here for the outcomes of this event.

In the 5 years since its inception, the HEPP-QN delivered on several projects: Academic Integrity, Grade Distribution, an Academic Leadership Pilot Study, Sexual Assault & Harassment, Learning Outcomes Workshop, Scholarship Workshop, ACODE, Articulation Agreements Workshop, COVID-19 Cluster Groups and covered a range of issues through its 10 National Forums. It provided a Response to the Provider Category Standards and a Response to TEQSA’s White Paper on Scholarship. The HEPP-QN also developed the Academic Leadership Statement & Charter cited in TEQSA’s Guidance Notes. The HEPP-QN conducted the first national SASH study for the Australian independent higher education sector. 

Several of our member institutions have also proudly scaled up into the provider categories – with 4 self-accrediting institutions and one university college.

Goodwill and moral purpose defines our vision, and collaborative purpose is our work-ethic!

In this shared space, it feels like we are breathing together!

We respect and trust regulation and value the role of TEQSA. 

Thank you for your support.

Professor Jane Fernandez
Adjunct Professor and Founding Convenor HEPP-QN [Avondale University]

currently Provost, Excelsia College

Feedback from Participants of November 2020 National Forum

TEQSA session was excellent to present questions and discuss issues openly with TEQSA

Irene’s session on SASH: slides were helpful to see HEPP-QN members’ progress, and a ‘close the loop’ on our SASH survey with respect to a measurement of effectiveness of our SASH survey and response (but still more to do, so we move onto the next ‘loop)

Would be good to have a working group on SASH, and have pre-reading of other institutions’ policies:  sometimes we’re only getting snippets in the sessions themselves

Michael Tomlinson’s session as ‘on the other side’ was great

Working groups

Sharing more of the concrete information with each other in small groups

Grade distribution – good to see root cause why distributions are shifted into patterns, and impact of COVID

The survey on mental wellbeing – something concrete to take back and show we have more work to  do

Academic Leadership helpful as I am new in the role, so lots to take on / help me improve; would like more workshops on developing leadership

PD sessions so we can provide to our staff, leverage out scale of economy because this is a large group; PD sessions for our staff

Michael Tomlinson’s session – due diligence in partnerships (very helpful as we are moving in that direction). I’d like to watch it again / share with my team

Reflections of international students – key points from them

Nice to see projects coming together eg Stephen and Andy and overarching work, and the Scholarship work coming together

My first one!  Thoroughly enjoyed it.

List of participants would be good if possible – we couldn’t work out who was who

For those who didn’t make it for whatever reason, sharing presentations and recordings will be good

Student feedback on wellbeing – their feedback and suggestions was excellent.

It was good overall to meet others from other organisations and share

We showed we can run these things online – we could consider doing this ongoing especially given some institutions can’t afford accommodation / flights etc

It’s good to share and also have a mirror so you can reflect on your institution and own experience.

Thank you for your collegiality.

Thank you – it was excellent

Appreciate the network – one of my favourites; miss everyone.  It’s well-put together

Having TEQSA in many sessions, and Michael Tomlinson

Diverse range of topics was useful and stimulating

I always come away with more work – is this a good thing?

Congratulations on a great forum.

Substantive outcomes of the projects, Academic Leadership, Scholarship and Grade Distribution

Hope we can have face-to-face meeting a year and maybe one online?

We are able to take ideas and put in melting pot to emerge into new chameleon model and take on different ideas and shapes in the different institutions.