Rolling Audits – A Mechanism for Self-Assurance
Annual audits are common place in all organisations. They are a means of matching expectations with reality. In quality operations – the audits are more regular and usually focus on specific issues associated with performance and projection.
My own institution is committed to a high level of audit (reflection) and self-assurance – consistent with the current higher education environment. This is best practice and evidence of integrity.
Daily Audits
Cash flow updates (cash receipts and balances) are provided each day as a means of understanding the daily shift. This is an excellent device for senior management to monitor spending and prioritise commitments.
A range of daily updates is provided by email from the Office of the DVC and CEO – whether it be operational or scholarship-related – in an attempt to keep core staff up to date and informed on a daily basis. This is quite an achievement – and considerably more impressive than most providers.
Weekly Audits
The daily updates – operational and scholarship – are amalgamated each week into a Weekly Bulletin for all UBSS staff and is published each Monday morning as a means of keeping staff up-to-date and informed.
Fortnightly Audits
These weekly updates are further amalgamated into a Message from the DVC and CEO that is provided to each UBSS and GCA staff member (and other stakeholders) every second Friday. This ensures greater transparency and keeps everyone informed.
Monthly Audits
Each month the Executive Management Team (including the three Campus Directors – Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide) – meets in hybrid mode and provides Business Units Reports (BURs) that provide detail on a range of key issues (associated with the current Strategic Plan) and provide senior staff with a most useful oversight of the business at large. The exercise is overseen by the DVC and CEO highlighting the importance of both the reports and the meetings.
These same reports are provided to the quarterly GCA Board of Directors meetings as a means of keeping members up-to-date and informed. It has been noted that this effort is appreciated. The reports often trigger a request for a presentation on a specific item/issue – adding to the currency of the efforts.
Monthly financial updates are provided against the agreed budget – these of course are extremely useful for monitoring progress and adjusting accordingly.
Monthly Reports are provided by the Centre for Scholarship and Research as a means of monitoring scholarly activity across the school.
An Academic Integrity Committee (AIC) meets (often more than monthly) ensuring that processes, policies and practices around this important area are maintained and monitored appropriately. A senior staffer chairs this audit.
The UBSS Academic Senate (AS) meets six times a year and overviews academic activities in the school. As a standing committee of the GCA Board of Directors, the minutes of these meetings are shared and help guide decision making.
Quarterly Audits
Risk and Workplace Health and Safety are audited/investigated quarterly under the scrutiny of a Member of the GCA Board of Directors. The audits are a standing item on all GCA Board of Directors’ agenda. Both issues are vitally important and the formal audits are essential to ensure coverage and context is secure.
Trimester Audits
Each trimester several audits are conducted in the form of either surveys or a committee approach.
Student Surveys (SFUs) provide evidence of the satisfaction with the teaching and learning at UBSS. These surveys commenced in T2, 2016 and have been maintained since providing an exceptionally useful longitudinal study that in turn assists with guiding the teaching and learning strategy.
Staff Satisfaction surveys are also conducted each trimester. These are a critical barometer for maintaining quality staff. Wherever possible suggestions are actioned.
GCA has in place a formal Threshold Standards Audit Committee (TSAC) that meets each trimester (usually multiple sessions) to carefully consider coverage of the HE Threshold Standards Audit.
A Grades Review Committee (GRC) is active each trimester overviewing grade distribution and ensuring the normalisation process is put in place – and that a comprehensive report is provided to both the UBSS Academic Senate and GCA Board of Directors.
A Course Advisory Committee (CAC) meets formally each trimester to consider new innovations and any changes to programmes needed. The independent/external influence here is critical to the quality of the product and delivery.
Annual
Finance audits (external) are conducted by a reputable authority. These are critical for reporting to regulators and shareholders. These audits are usually conducted over a three-to-six-month period with external auditors examining, at close range, the financial activity and conduct of the organisation.
A UBSS Annual Report is provided each year (usually early in the following year) that overviews performance against the UBSS Strategic Plan.
Ad hoc
Wellness is formally audited twice a year – but the context is open for ad hoc access as required. The trimester student and staff surveys feed into this mechanism quite effectively as does monitoring of sexual assault and sexual harassment.
A Rolling Audit Scheme for 2024 Using Independent, External and Internal Staffers
A high-end (7-person) compliance team has been put in place to commence (March 2024) a set of monthly audits/investigations into all elements of the operation to further enhance self-assurance and prepare for the 2025 re-registration and re-accreditation process with the National Regulator.
It is essentially the commitment to this level of information and reflection that, in my opinion, is solid evidence of my own institution’s commitment to quality and compliance – and in turn, understanding the true meaning of self-assurance. Transparency is vital in these circumstances – and this is achieved by these rolling (ongoing) audits and reports.
Well worth reading–
Corporate Governance at GCA - https://www.ubss.edu.au/media/4978/corporate-governance-at-gca.pdf
Academic Governance at UBSS - https://www.ubss.edu.au/media/4988/academic-governance-at-ubss.pdf
Emeritus Professor Greg Whateley is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (UBSS) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
