Australian Training College Ordered to Close Over Cheating Allegations

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) has ordered the closure of Entry Education, citing concerns over cheating and the integrity of the certifications it provides.

Entry Education is one of the largest training colleges in Australia. It provides courses and certifications in real estate and financial fields. It has over 16,000 students enrolled and offices in several major cities.

However, according to the ASQA, Entry Education also has a serious cheating problem. The ASQA cited incidents where students possibly used AI to generate answers and cases where students could easily find test answers online.

The closure is just the latest one ordered by the ASQA. In December, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that some 13 training colleges were similarly forced to close due to integrity issues. In addition to the school closures, some 7,358 qualifications were also canceled.

The move comes after the government granted the organization an additional $33 million in funding to step up enforcement and start a tip line.

According to the ASQA, this drastic action was necessary due to the risk to the public. Many of the qualifications canceled were in child care, first aid and related fields.

Entry Education is allowed to stay open while the decision is appealed. However, even among the rash of closures, Entry’s story is unique, as much of the alleged cheating may have been out of its control.

The Cheating Problem

According to coverage by the Sydney Morning Herald, the main issue that the ASQA took with Entry was its online assessment process.

First, they found instances where they believed students used AI to answer questions. They claimed the answers were “too perfect” and bore other signs indicating AI usage.

The ASQA also alleged that many of the answers to Entry’s exams are available on contract cheating sites such as Chegg and Course Hero. There are also concerns that students may not be the ones taking the tests, raising further issues about the validity of certifications.

However, Entry Education claims that this is unfair. Just before the ASQA investigation, the school says it completed a ten-month audit and received a seven-year recertification. It claims that all minor issues have been rectified.

Entry Education says that the closure order “shocked” them and that they will contest the decision.

While Entry Education is just the latest closure the ASQA has called for, it is also somewhat unique. Other closures have targeted so-called “ghost” colleges that provide certifications without proper training or assessment.

Though the ASQA made similar allegations against Entry, the focus was primarily on the testing process. As Entry Education chief executive Matthew Trounce said, this could significantly impact the entire industry.

The Problem with Online Assessments

While one can argue that Entry should have done more to prevent cheating, there’s a serious problem. The ASQA is punishing Entry for its students’ actions and content on third-party sites.

From there ASQA’s perspective, it doesn’t change the fact that at least some of Entry’s certifications are likely compromised. As they have said before, their goal is public safety and trust.

But this raises a question: Should the ASQA allow online testing at all?

While there are things that schools can and should do to improve security with online testing, there are limits. Though using controlled environments, asking difficult AI questions, and regularly updating tests can help, they aren’t perfect.

One criticism of the ASQA in this process is that, according to regulators, it has not provided assistance to schools on how to counter these threats. This differs significantly from the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, which oversees higher education.

While schools must take responsibility, the ASQA must also clarify the standards. If online testing is impractical, then the ASQA should ban it. Requiring in-person testing would be onerous to schools and students alike, but it may be impractical while maintaining the ASQA’s standards.

It’s a choice that the ASQA must make.

Bottom Line

I agree with ASQA largely here. They have an obligation to maintain the integrity of the certifications, and cheating is a serious threat to that integrity. Schools have a responsibility to mitigate cheating through various tools and approaches.

I also agree that shuttering schools and revoking certifications are essential steps. Removing bad actors is vital to improving integrity. But it is an extreme step and should be a last resort.

Without seeing the report, I can’t say if Entry Education’s issues are genuinely worthy of closure. However, I know these issues are industry-wide and not unique to any school.

Improving education on these issues, clarifying standards and offering resources may not be enough to save Entry, but it could help others avoid the same fate.

With an organization like the ASQA, there needs to be a balance of enforcement and support. While it’s clear they are making great strides on the enforcement side, now is also an opportunity to step up on the support side as well.