- Assessment Policy
- Complaints and Appeals Policy - International Students
- Course Progress Policy - International Students
- Critical Incidence Policy
- Deferment & Suspension or Cancellation Policy
- Education Agents Policy
- Entry Requirements and Selection Policy - International Students
- Fees & Charges and Refund Policy - International Students
- Health & Wellbeing and Safety Policy
- Industry Engagement Policy
- Informing and Protecting Learners Policy
- Marketing Policy - International Students
- Notice of Unsatisfactory Course Progress - Risk Intervention
- Overseas Student Transfer Policy
- Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Policy
- Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy
- Student Support Services Policy - International Students
- Training and Assessment Strategies Policy
- Validation Policy
- Volume of Learning Policy
INTRODUCTION
In accordance with The National Code (Standard 8- Overseas student visa requirements), Insight Institute of Further Studies (IIFS) must inform overseas students before they begin a course about the requirements to achieve satisfactory course progress and attendance requirements, where applicable.
Overseas students must make satisfactory course progress and, where applicable, attendance as a condition of their student visa.
Insight Institute of Further Studies (IIFS) must:
• monitor the overseas student’s course progress and attendance according to the
requirements of their sector
• identify and offer support to those at risk of not meeting course progress or attendance requirements
• only extend the duration of an overseas student’s enrolment in certain circumstances and
advise them of potential impacts on their student visa
• only deliver online learning in accordance with the online learning requirements for their sector.
POLICY
IIFS will systematically monitor each individual student’s course progress. The purpose of monitoring
course progress is to identify students who:
• Are not achieving satisfactory course progress and/or
• Are at risk of not completing the course within the expected duration.
Course Duration
The expected duration of study specified on the overseas student’s Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) must not exceed the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) registered duration for the course. This means that IIFS will need tomonitor the progress of overseas students to ensure they are able to complete the course within the expected duration specified on the CoE.
Course Progress
Course progress is achieving a Competent (C) outcome in the Units of Competency of the course.
• At the beginning of each unit the assessor will go through the arrangements for assessment with the students and will provide all the details about the assessment requirements.
• Each assessment task within a Unit of Competency will be given an outcome of either Satisfactory (S) or Not Satisfactory (NS).
• Students must complete all tasks for a unit satisfactorily to achieve an overall outcome of Competent (C) for a unit.
• If one or more of your tasks are assessed as Not Satisfactory, student will be given an overall outcome for the unit of Not Yet Competent (NYC).
• Students will be given 2 further attempts to complete the task and achieve a Satisfactory outcome. They will be given a timeframe for the resubmission and advised what must be included in the re-submission.
• If, after the third attempt, they are still assessed as Not Satisfactory for a task, a result of Not Yet Competent (NYC) will be given.
• Students will then need to re enrol in the Unit of Competency.
Monitoring Course Progress
• IIFS’s Trainers are responsible to continuously monitor, assess and record each student’s
course progress using the Course Progress Register.
• Student results are recorded in Axcelerate (Student Data Management System).
• At the end of each study period (12 weeks), IIFS Trainers are responsible of identifying students who are not achieving satisfactory course progress and are at risk of not completing the course within the expected duration.
• IIFS Trainers will notify the Admin department about these students so that Risk Intervention Procedure can be initiated.
Risk Intervention Procedure
• The Risk Intervention Procedure will be initiated when the Trainer establishes that the student is not maintaining satisfactory course progress.
• The Admin Department will issue a written warning to the student notifying them that they are at risk of not meeting the course progress requirements. This communication will also inform the student about the Risk Intervention Meeting involving the Trainer and the student. The Admin department will finalise date and time suitable to both parties for this meeting.
• The purpose of the Risk Intervention Meeting is to identify the reasons behind the unsatisfactory course progress and exploring alternative strategies (such as but not limited to utilising the re assessment and catch up days allocated in the timetable at the end of each term) so that the student is in better position to achieve satisfactory course progress.
• The intervention strategies may include, but are not limited to:
o academic skills support
o additional English support
o additional tutoring/study group
o increased monitoring
o personal counselling
o placement in a more appropriate class; and
o reduction in course load
o Timetable adjustments using the new study plan.
o Reviewing assessment strategies.
If the student attends the meeting:
• The outcomes of the Risk Intervention meeting will be recorded and placed on the student’s
file with a copy provided to the student.
• Following the Risk Intervention meeting, the trainer will monitor the implementation of the agreed strategy to ensure that the student is now able to maintain satisfactory course progress.
• During this monitoring process if the trainer believes that the student has not in good faith implemented the agreed strategy/s the trainer will deemed that the student has failed to meet satisfactory course progress.
• If the agreed intervention strategy is breached by the student and at that time the trainer also assesses them as not being able to complete their study within their period of enrolment, the trainer will bring this to the notice of the Administrative Department.
• The Administrative Department will inform the student in writing of IIFS’s intention to report them via PRISMS for unsatisfactory course progress and allow the student 20 working days to avail IIFS’s Complaints and Appeals Process.
If the student does not attend the meeting:
• IIFS Trainer will advise the Admin Department so that a letter (Non Attendance at Intervention Meeting) can be sent to the student advising them that
o they failed to attend the scheduled meeting,
o they are unlikely to achieve IIFS course progress requirement of completing all units of competency within their enrolment period, and
o that the student should contact IIFS to reschedule the meeting within 7 days.
• If the student has not established any contact at the end of the 7 days, the Administrative Department will inform the student in writing of IIFS’s intention to report them via PRISMS for unsatisfactory course progress.
• IIFS’s final written notice (of its intention to report the student for unsatisfactory progress) will inform the student that they can access IIFS’s Appeals process and that they have 20 working days in which to do so.
APPEALS
Students can appeal any decision made by IIFS in relation to this policy and procedure in accordance with the Complaints and Appeals Policy and Procedure.
A student may appeal IIFS’s decision to report on unsatisfactory course progress on the following grounds:
• IIFS’s failure to record or assess a student’s grade (S- Satisfactory) accurately,
• Compassionate or compelling circumstances, or
• IIFS has not implemented its intervention strategy and other policies according to its documented policies and procedures that have been made available to the student.
Where a student’s appeal is successful, the outcomes may vary according to the findings of the appeals process.
• If the appeal shows that there was IIFS error in recording or assessing a student’s grade (S- Satisfactory) accurately and as a direct result the student actually made satisfactory course progress, IIFS will not report the student, and there will be no further requirement for intervention.
• If the appeals process shows that the student has not made satisfactory progress, but there are compassionate or compelling reasons for the lack of progress, ongoing support will be provided to the student through IIFS’s Student Supports Services, and IIFS will not report the student.
Where:
• a student has chosen not to access IIFS’s appeals process within the 20 working day period,
or
• a student withdraws from the process, or the process is completed and results in a decision supporting IIFS (i.e. the student’s appeal was unsuccessful)
IIFS’s Administrative Department will notify the Secretary of the Department of Education through PRISMS that the student is not achieving satisfactory course progress. A copy of this notification will be placed on the student’s file.
REPORTING OVERSEAS STUDENT VISA HOLDERS
IIFS must maintain the overseas student’s enrolment by only reporting a breachof course progress or
attendance in Provider Registration and International Student ManagementSystem (PRISMS) if:
• the internal and external complaints processes have been completed and the breach has been upheld;
• the overseas student has chosen not to access the internal complaints and appeals process within the 20 working day period;
• the overseas student has chosen not to access the external complaints and appeals process; or
• the overseas student withdraws from the internal or external appeals process by notifying IIFS in writing.
EXTENDING COURSE DURATION
a) IIFS may only extend the duration of the student’s study where it is clear that the student will not complete the course within the expected duration (as specified on the student’s CoE) as the result of one or more of the following circumstances:
i. IIFS has assessed that there are compassionate or compelling circumstances and there is evidence to support this assessment
ii. IIFS has implementing its intervention strategy for students who were at risk of not meeting satisfactory course progress
iii. An approved deferment or suspension of study has been granted.
b) Compassionate or compelling circumstances are defined as those which are generally beyond the control of the student and which have an impact upon the student’s course progress or wellbeing. These could include, but are not limited to:
i. Serious illness or injury, where a medical certificate states that the student was unable to attend classes;
ii. Bereavement of close family members such as parents or grandparents (where possible, a death certificate should be provided);
iii. Major political upheaval or natural disaster in the home country requiring emergency
travel and this has impacted on the student’s studies; or
iv. A traumatic experience, which could include:
• Involvement in, or witnessing of a serious accident; or,
• Witnessing or being the victim of a serious crime, and this has impacted on the
student (these cases should be supported by police or psychologists’ reports).
v. where IIFS was unable to offer a pre-requisite unit, or the overseas student has failed a prerequisite unit and therefore faces a shortage of relevant units for which they are eligible to enrol.
When determining whether compassionate or compelling circumstances exist, IIFS Staff will use their professional judgement to assess each case on its individual merits and should consider documentary evidence provided to support the claim, and should keep copies of these documents in the overseas student’s file.
c) Where a student requests an ‘extension’ to their CoE because the student or IIFS has identified that the student will not be able to complete their course of study by the Proposed Course End Date indicated on the CoE, IIFS will select the SCV report option in PRISMS titled ‘Student requests change to existing enrolment.’
d) Where there is a variation in the student’s enrolment load which may affect the student’s expected duration of study, IIFS will record this variation and the reasons for it on the student file. IIFS will report the student via PRISMS and/or issue a new CoE.
e) Except in the circumstances specified in IIFS’s Deferment, Suspension and Cancellation Policy the expected duration of study specified in the student’s CoE will not exceed the CRICOS registered course duration.