ASQA Student Survey: The What, Why and How Explained

Since 2016, ASQA’s auditing approach has been student-centred. This is in an effort to focus on the student experience and RTO practices, as well as measure systemic risk within the VET sector. ASQA conducts these Student Surveys to gather information about the 5 phases of the student experience and includes the information in their Provider Risk Profile. This includes collecting information from both current and former students, and can be done through interviews and surveys. Important Note: ASQA Student Surveys are different from the Learner Questionnaire, which training providers are required to administer themselves and report their findings to ASQA at the end of each financial year. This is part of your RTOs Quality Indicator Reporting. Here, we unpack the What, Why and How about the Student Survey, discuss how your RTO will be expected to assist ASQA in this process and talk about what this means for RTOs moving forward.

What?

The Student Survey is a tool used by ASQA to gather information from students about their experiences with training providers. Questions will relate to the following five specific parts of their experience as well as their overall experience:

The questions are in a multiple choice format and students will be asked to choose the statement that best describes their experiences. Top Tip: Include a survey at various points of the learner journey that include the questions so that you can measure any potential risk yourselves. You will receive a summary of responses with your audit report, however; students will not be identified as comments are kept confidential. Responses may also be referenced and discussed in your audit report. Important Note: ASQA retains the copyright for survey results and RTOs are not permitted to republish them anywhere, including online. This is because the survey findings alone are not indicative of an RTO’s quality and could be misleading, or could imply ASQA’s endorsement of an RTO.

Why?

ASQA will use this information when deciding the scope of audit, to determine areas of concern and as supporting or contradictory evidence you provide during audit. It is important to remember that an individual’s response alone will not result in an RTO being found non-compliant. Student Surveys are one of many tools that ASQA uses to inform the audit process and identify areas of concern. When areas of concern are identified through the Student Survey, ASQA will search for other forms of evidence to back up this information, including student interviews. Training providers are given an opportunity to respond to the Student Survey results and evidence described in the audit report.

How?

An online survey is sent to students who enrolled or completed training at your RTO in the last 12 months. You will be asked to do the following:

• Provide ASQA with a list of student details
• Inform the students that they may receive the survey from ASQA

All or some of the students will receive an email from ASQA asking them to take part in the survey. You may be asked to remind students to complete the survey if the initial response rate is low. The questions are tested for cognitive understanding to ensure they are not difficult for students to understand including those with limited English. ASQA will work with RTOs should another means for gathering the info be required.

What the Student Survey means for your RTO

It is clear that ASQA has good processes in place to gather student feedback in order to measure the quality of the student experience. This in turn should work towards a more sustainable way of ensuring Australia delivers a world class Vocational Education and Training Sector. While the Student Survey may at first seem burdensome, it is important to remember that this information is imperative to understanding and identifying areas of need within your own RTO, as well as to see where you are flourishing. Although you don’t get the results broken down by each individual it gives you a great overview of where you are at and how you can improve in order for you to create the best possible product or service for your customers. Source: https://www.asqa.gov.au/resources/fact-sheets/student-surveys