Introduction

The Provider Information Request (PIR) is a request for information under Section 28 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act).

From 2022, new reporting requirements have been introduced to streamline the PIR TEQSA dataset with the department as described in the TEQSA’s Consultation Summary paper to improve transparency, efficiency of the data collected and to support the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) arrangements. This includes information which has been collected via manual processes from 2021, such as student names, residential addresses, and information about student courses and units, including cost and information on any work integrated learning unit requirements.

Reporting method

All data can be reported through:

• an application programming interface (API) from each provider’s student management system to the Government or

• TCSI Data Entry - TCSI Data Entry (external link)

Providers can report new and revised data as soon as the data is available. The system can receive information about past events and some events that are planned to occur (e.g. the establishment of a course in the following year).

Reporting TCSI PIR data via API

All data is reported in data packets, with each packet comprising of specific data elements. The packets that are submitted to TCSI via API are submitted in an order or a sequence. This means that there are certain packets that are independent while others that are co-related. The preferred TCSI reporting submission method uses an automated processes known as business to government (B2G) application programming interfaces (APIs) and authentication with PRODA (Provider Digital Access).

• PRODA is the authentication method for TCSI and facilitates the secure access to government services online.

• APIs send data from a provider's student management system to the government with a minimum of manual processing and enable student management software to interact in near real-time.

For more information see Department of Education - Transforming the Collection of Student Information (external link)

PIR Student Data

The sequence in which PIR Student Data is reported to TCSI is:

Packet Details:

Course of Study Packet- The PIR course of study packet is used to report data on the courses of study offered by each provider. Providers are required to report a PIR course of study packet for each course of study they intend to admit one or more students. The course of study records must be reported before the first course is linked to the course of study.

Note- The course of study record is the first packet to be sent to TCSI.

Course Packet- The course packet is used to report data on the courses offered by each provider. Each course packet must be linked to an established PIR course of study packet. This means that the course packet is linked to the course of study packet. This needs to be reported before the first-course admission or course on campus is linked to the course.

Note- A course record can only be recorded once the course of study record is reported.

Campus Packet- The PIR campus packet is used to report data on the campuses from which providers deliver their courses. A campus is defined as a unique record based on the combination of campus Suburb, campus Postcode, and campus country code.

Note- The campus packet is the third packet to be sent to TCSI. The record must be reported before the first course on campus is linked to the campus.

As there can be multiple campuses in the same suburb and postcode, providers are allowed to report further information after the suburb or town name so the campus is uniquely identified. This is automatically handled in the system as we report a combination of Venue Code and Suburb name as Campus Suburb which makes each campus record unique.

Course on Campus Packet- The PIR course on campus packet is used to report which courses are delivered from which campuses and to provide data on the features of the courses as delivered at each campus. Each PIR course on-campus packet must be linked to an established PIR campus packet and an established PIR course packet.

Note- The course on campus packet can only be reported after the course and campus records have been reported.

Student Packet- The PIR student packet is used to report key identity, address and demographic data for students at the provider. The data collected through a PIR student packet is referenced by one or more PIR course admission packets.

Note- The student packet is used to report student data and is an independent record which is not linked to the previous 4 packets submitted unless subsequent packets like course admission and unit enrolments are reported for the student. The student data must be reported to TCSI before the first course admission is linked to the student.

Additional Notes on PIR Student Packet- Citizenship code and effective from date

A student reported to TCSI is reported with a citizenship status (citizen resident code) and citizenship effective from date. The citizenship effective from date is the date on which the provider receives evidence of a student’s citizen resident status (either when enrolling or when their citizenship resident status changes).

By default, the first citizenship effective from date (E609) defaults to the date the student packet was submitted to TCSI. This date can be amended. If a student’ citizen resident status changes, the effective from dates (E609) will need to be reported.

Course Admission Packet- The PIR course admission packet is used to report the admission of students into courses and provide data on aspects of the student's admission and engagement in the course. Each PIR course admission packet must be linked to an established PIR student packet and an established course packet. The data collected through a PIR course admission packet may be referenced by one or more PIR unit enrolment packets.

Note- This data packet is used to report a course admission for a student given that the course and the student records are reported to TCSI already. The course admission for the student must be reported before the first unit enrolment is linked to the course admission. If a course admission is reported to TCSI, the student course cannot be deleted from Meshed System. To delete the student course record, you will need to delete the reported course admission from TCSI reporting page and then delete the student course.

Unit Enrolment Packet- The PIR unit enrolment packet is used to report a student’s enrolment in units of study. Each PIR unit enrolment packet must be linked to an established course admission packet. Unit enrolments are only reportable if the student remains enrolled after the census date.

Notes-

A PIR unit enrolment packet is not required for units of study:

• undertaken by overseas students in Australia as part of a formal exchange program where the student is not being charged tuition fees by the provider

• for English language intensive courses for overseas students (ELICOS)

• for which the cost of resources is met by another Australian provider

• involving work experience undertaken as a requirement of a course but which does not count as credit towards the course's total credit requirements

• leading to the award of a higher doctorate

• for cross-institutional programs where the provider is not meeting the cost of the resources for the unit of study (these unit enrolments are to be reported by the provider that is meeting the cost of the resources)

• where the student has been granted an exemption or deferral

• undertaken by a domestic student as part of a formal overseas exchange program that will not count as credit towards a course with the provider.

A unit enrolment can only be reported for the student after all the above-mentioned records are reported. If a record for a unit enrolment is reported to TCSI, it cannot be deleted from the Meshed System. To delete the unit enrolment record reported to TCSI, you will first need to delete the reported record from the TCSI reporting page and then delete the unit enrolment from student result page.

Deletion of PIR Student Related Data Records

There can be instances where there are certain changes or updates need to be made for the data reported to TCSI for any of the above-mentioned packets. This would mean that there will be a need to update the reported data record in TCSI.

However, there is no update functionality available for PIR API reporting on the TCSI end. Any updates or amendments to be sent for an already reported record will mean that the record will need to be deleted and resubmitted.

As the data packets mentioned earlier have a certain sequence in which they can be reported, deletion and reposting of the data records also need to follow a sequence. The table below outlines the data packets which are inter-related and affect the other data packets.

Process flow for deletion of PIR student-related data if any amendments are made:

For any changes made in the Course of Study after the student unit enrolments are reported:

This means that the course of study, course, course on campus, course admissions and unit enrolment packets are reported related to the course of study. Hence, for any changes made to the course of study record now would mean following the Bottom-Up approach to delete the TCSI reported records.

Note-

Student Data packet does not need to be deleted as the student record links to the course admission record which is deleted in step-2 after the unit enrolments are deleted in step-1. Once these are deleted, the student record exists as an independent record which will be again linked to a course admission when we repost the records.

Reposting the data records after the deletion is completed successfully:

For any changes made in student record after the student unit enrolments are reported:

This means that the course admissions and unit enrolment packets are reported related to the student. Hence, for any changes made to the student record now would mean following the Bottom-Up approach to delete the TCSI-reported records.

Reposting the data records after the deletion is completed successfully:

For any changes made in the campus record after the student unit enrolments are reported:

This means that the course on campus packet is reported related to the campus. Hence, for any changes made to the campus record now would mean following the Bottom-Up approach to delete the TCSI-reported records.

Reposting the data records after the deletion is completed successfully:

PIR Staff Data

Similar to the PIR Student Data, PIR Staff Data can also be submitted to TCSI via API. The data is sent in packets with each packet comprising of specific data elements.

Full-Time Staff Packet- The full-time staff packet is used to report demographic characteristics and work classification data for each person who is a member of staff at a Table A provider, a Table B provider or Avondale College of Higher Education. Each full-time staff packet contains:

• demographic data for the member of staff as at the last reference date

• the primary work classification data for the member of staff on the first reference date for the year in which a full-time staff packet was reported for that person.

The work classifications packet is used to report data where a person has been a member of staff for more than one year. The work classification packet is also used to report second and further work classifications where a member of staff has more than one work classification on the reference date for a given year. A provider may create as many additional work classifications packets as necessary to cover all of the work classifications that may apply to the member of staff on the reference date.

Reporting Deadlines-

The reference date for the 2022 Staff Collection is 31 March 2023. All full-time staff data for this reference date is to be reported in September 2023.

Casual Staff Actuals Packet- The casual staff actuals packet is used to report data on staffing resources engaged on a contract basis by a provider throughout the year. Data for casual staff actuals is collected at the organizational unit level.

Notes-

Data is not to be reported for staff:

• who were members of staff appointed for a limited term with a full-time or fractional full‑time work contract

• whose duties relate solely to vocational education and training, or

• in any independent operation which is not a controlled entity.

Reporting Deadlines-

The casual staff actuals for the whole of calendar year 2022 must be reported in September 2023.

Causal Staff Estimates Packet- The casual staff estimates packet is used to report an estimate of the staffing resources that are likely to be engaged on a contract basis by a provider throughout the year. Data for casual staff estimates are collected at the institutional level.

Notes-

Data is not to be reported for staff:

• who were members of staff appointed for a limited term with a full-time or fractional full‑time work contract

• whose duties relate solely to vocational education and training, or

• in any independent operation which is not a controlled entity.

Reporting Deadlines-

The estimate of casual staff FTE for the whole of the calendar year 2023 must be reported in September 2023.