The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) program consists of four survey elements:
Student Experience Survey (SES) which measures five aspects of the student experience (referred to as focus areas): skills development, peer engagement, teaching quality and engagement, student support and services, and learning resources; as well as other aspects of students’ higher education experience.
Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) which measures short-term employment outcomes, salaries, skills utilisation, further study activities and graduate satisfaction 4-6 months after course completion.
Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal (GOS-L) extends the assessment made in the GOS, by measuring graduates’ medium-term employment outcomes and further study activities 3 years after completing their studies.
Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS) which measures how well higher education institutions prepare graduates for the workforce from the perspective of their direct supervisor.
Personal information is collected to facilitate each of the QILT surveys. Covering study levels from undergraduate and above, and both domestic and international students, QILT is the only comprehensive system of higher education surveys in Australia covering the student life cycle from commencement of studies in higher education, to employment after course completion. Importantly, this depth within QILT provides an evidence base to:
This privacy notice relates specifically to the Student Experience Survey (SES).
The Social Research Centre has been engaged by the Australian Government Department of Education (the department) to conduct the suite of QILT surveys, including the SES.
When you enrolled in your current course, your higher education provider (institution) collected your personal information to process and manage your enrolment.
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified or reasonably identifiable individual.
Personal information about you includes your contact details, course details, citizenship and residence status and disability status, amongst other details. These details were provided to the Social Research Centre by your institution for the purposes of administering the data collection for the SES.
Your responses to the SES will be linked with personal information (such as your age group, citizenship and residence status, and your disability status) and course data provided by your institution. This allows the questionnaire to be shortened as we do not need to ask specific details about your background or your course in the survey.
Both the department and the Social Research Centre must comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as well as additional legislative obligations for handling information collected and used in the QILT surveys under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) and the Student Identifiers Act 2014 (Cth).
To protect personal information, the Social Research Centre uses a secure portal for the transfer of information from your institution, and a secure platform for the completion of online surveys.
For the duration of the survey, the Social Research Centre stores all personal information and survey responses on secure servers located within Australia.
4.1 What information is collected in the Student Experience Survey?
If you choose to participate, further information will be collected by the Social Research Centre on behalf of the department in this survey.
This will include your views on the educational experience of your course and institution. This includes your experiences engaging with your peers and your perceptions of the skill development, learning resources, support and services, teaching quality and engagement offered by your course and institution.
The SES also includes an international student module which seeks to understand the reasons international students choose to study in Australia and their experiences with accommodation, transport, safety, relationships and employment while studying.
Throughout the survey, you may choose to provide sensitive information such as information or an opinion about a race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, membership of a professional or trade association, or membership of a trade union.
Please know that any personal information, including sensitive information, you choose to provide
will be handled in accordance with this privacy notice.
4.2 Is my participation voluntary and what are the consequences of not participating?
While your participation in the survey will provide valuable feedback about your experiences as a student in your course and at your institution/s that is highly valued, participation in QILT surveys, including the SES, is completely voluntary.
If you decide to not participate in the SES, it will not adversely impact you.
4.3 Use and disclosure of personal information
Some personal information (such as your name, email address and phone number) is only used for administering the survey.
Other personal information such as demographic information (including your gender, age group and citizenship status) as well as course information is also used to support analysis and interpretation of the survey data. However, only aggregated, non-identifiable data are made publicly available on the QILT websites.
Personal information collected under the SES may be disclosed to third parties, including but not limited to:
Personal information may also be disclosed to other parties where the individual whose personal information it is has agreed, or it is otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act. Your personal information is unlikely to be disclosed to overseas recipients.
4.4 Who to contact
For general queries about the survey, please contact the Student Experience Survey Helpline on 1800 055 818 (free call within Australia) or email ses@srcentre.com.au. This includes queries or complaints concerning your personal information, or to request access to, or make a correction to, your personal information.
The department’s Privacy Policy contains more information about how the department will manage your personal information, including information about how to make a complaint and seek access to and correction of your personal information.
To contact the department about your personal information, email privacy@education.gov.au.
To contact the department about the QILT program, email qilt@education.gov.au.
The Social Research Centre’s Privacy Policy also contains information on how they protect your privacy rights including information about complaints and how you can access the information they hold about you.