Course Progress & Intervention Policy and Procedure - International Students

POLICY

• Charter Australia (hereafter named as the College) monitors, records and assesses the course progress of each student for the course in which the student is currently enrolled.
• The College believes that regular and sufficient attendance to classes is necessary for successful achievement of expected outcomes in VET. Therefore, the College will also record and monitor students’ attendance.
• The College assesses each student’s progress at the end of each compulsory study period. Each study period is one term which is normally 10 weeks.
• Unsatisfactory progress is defined as not successfully completing or demonstrating competency in at least 50% of the course requirements in that study period.
• The College must define course requirements for each study period and is able to identify when a student has not passed or demonstrated competency in 50% or more of the course requirements. The course requirements for each study period must also be made clear to the student at the start of the course, or if variable, each study period.
• The College has an intervention strategy in place for any student who is not making satisfactory course progress. It must be made available to staff and students and must specify: i. procedures for contacting and counselling students; ii. strategies to assist identified at-risk students to achieve satisfactory course progress; and iii. the process by which the intervention strategy is activated.
• The intervention strategy must include provisions for:
  • where appropriate, advising students on the suitability of the course in which they are enrolled;
  • assisting students by advising of opportunities for the students to be reassessed for tasks in units or subjects they had previously failed, or to demonstrate the necessary competency in areas in which they had not been previously able to demonstrate competency; and
  • advising students that unsatisfactory course progress in two consecutive study periods for a course could lead to the student being reported to The Department of Home Affairs.
• At the end of each compulsory study period, students must be assessed against the course progress policy. If a student is identified for the first time as not making satisfactory course progress, the intervention strategy as outlined on page 3 is implemented. The intervention strategy must be activated within the first four weeks of the following study period. However, if the College identifies that a student is at risk of making unsatisfactory course progress before the end of the study period, the provider is encouraged to implement its intervention strategy as early as practicable.
• If a student is identified as not making satisfactory course progress in a second consecutive compulsory study period in a course, the College must notify the student of its intention to report the student to the Department of Home Affairs for unsatisfactory progress. The College does this through the written notice described in 9.
• The written notice (of intention to report the student for unsatisfactory progress) must inform the student that he or she is able to access the registered provider’s complaints and appeals process under National Code 2017 Standard 8 and that the student has 20 working days in which to do so. A student may appeal on the following grounds:
  • The provider’s failure to record or calculate a student’s marks accurately,
  • compassionate or compelling circumstances, or
  • the provider 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 the student’s appeal is successful, the outcomes may vary according to the findings of the appeals process.
  • If the appeal shows that there was an error in calculation, and the student actually made satisfactory course progress (successfully completed more than 50% of the course requirements for that study period), the provider does not report the student, and there is no 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 must be provided to the student through the provider’s intervention strategy, and the provider does not report the student.
• The reporting process will be initiated when:
  • the student has chosen not to access the complaints and appeals processes within the 20 working day period,
  • the student withdraws from the process, or
  • the process is completed and results in a decision supporting the registered provider (ie. the student’s appeal was unsuccessful) the registered provider must notify the Secretary of DET through PRISMS as soon as practicable of the student not achieving satisfactory course progress.

PROCEDURES

• Trainers advise students of the assessment requirements for the course at commencement and the beginning of each study period if applicable.
• Students must submit all their assessments electronically via the Student Portal or unless the trainer requested differently.
• Trainers will mark student assessments via Student Record Management System (aXcelerate). The Administration / Student Support Officer will print reports and enter them into the Training Record Management system (aXcelerate) on a weekly basis.
• Students can access their results via the Student Portal or contact their trainers as soon as their results are available.
• The Lead Trainer will review all students’ results on a weekly basis and in consultation with the CEO, implement intervention strategies as required. Charter Australia assesses the student’s course progress at the end of a study period.
• If the student is identified as at risk of failing to meet course progress requirements Charter Australia will implement an intervention strategy. The intervention strategy will commence as soon as possible and at the latest within the first 4 weeks of the following study period.
• Charter Australia will send a letter to the student inviting him/her to attend a counselling meeting to discuss the reasons why the student is at risk and agree to a plan to improve the student’s progress.
• The student will be reminded of Charter Australia Course Progress Policy and that the satisfactory course progress is a student visa requirement.
• The student will be informed that if he/she is assessed as making unsatisfactory course progress in a second consecutive compulsory study period, the CEO via PRISMS may report the student to the Department of Home Affairs. Any questions regarding the student visa conditions and possible outcomes of breaches should be referred to the Department of Home Affairs.
• If any student is deemed to be reported to the Department of Home Affairs, he/she will be given an unsatisfactory course progress letter outlining the intention of Charter Australia to report the student. Students are also notified that they may appeal against the decision within 20 days of the letter being issued. A student may appeal on the following grounds:
  • Charter Australia has failed to record or calculate the student's marks accurately;
  • The student has compassionate or compelling circumstances that impact on the student's capacity and/or ability to progress through the enrolled course; or
  • Charter Australia has not implemented the intervention strategies documented in this policy or referred to in other existing policies provided, or has not made these policies available to the student.
• Where a student's appeal is successful, Charter Australia will take the following steps depending on the findings of the appeals process:
  • If an error was made in calculations or recording of results and the student did make satisfactory course progress, Charter Australia will not report the student to the Department of Home Affairs.
  • If the appeals process shows that satisfactory academic progress was not made due to compassionate or compelling circumstances, the student will not be reported to the Department of Home Affairs and ongoing support will be provided to the student through the intervention strategy.
• Charter Australia will notify the Secretary of DET through the Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS) that a student is not achieving satisfactory course progress within 5 days in any of the following cases:
  • The student chooses not to access the Complaints and Appeals process within the 20 working day period from Charter Australia notification of intention to report.
  • The student has withdrawn from the Client Complaints and Appeals process.
  • The Client Complaints and Appeals process is completed and the student's appeal was unsuccessful.
• Non genuine / non bona fide student
  • Non genuine / non bona fide student is a student with erratic (irregular / inconsistent) course progress or who does not progress in teir coure and does not attend or participate in regular class. If the College suspects that a student is not a bona fide student, the College may cancel the student’s enrolment, as allowed under Standard 13.

INTERVENTION STRATEGY

Charter Australia will provide its students with all the necessary support to assist them in achieving their learning outcomes as per the student support policy.

Charter Australia’s Intervention strategy is activated when a student is deemed to be at risk of not meeting satisfactory course progress. Students must successfully complete or demonstrate competency in at least 50% of the course requirements in a compulsory study period (refer to pre-enrolment information for details on duration).

Charter Australia develops an intervention strategy for each student on a case by case basis. Listed below are suggested actions that may be taken by Charter Australia.

 

“AT RISK” PROCEDURES AND INTERVENTION STRATEGY

Definition of a Student “At Risk”

An “at risk” student can be defined as a student who struggles in an area or several areas. Those struggles often have an adverse effect on the student's performance at college. A student can be deemed an at risk student due to several factors including low test scores, poor attendance, discipline issues, cultural and linguistic issues, socio-economic status, and others.

• Details of the Charter Australia intervention strategy will be made available to staff and students through orientation, staff induction and on the Charter Australia website.
• Students identified by trainers for the first time as “at risk” will be given a verbal warning if they are at risk of failing the course. Trainers must complete the Student ‘at risk’ Notification and endorse it ‘Stage 1’ when this has been done. Trainers should also provide assistance to those students to improve their progress. The Lead Trainer maintains a collated record of the students who have been given verbal warnings;
• Students who were identified as “at risk” and whose progress continues to be unsatisfactory during the first study term are required to attend a formal intervention meeting (Intervention level 1). The students are contacted to make an appointment with the Lead Trainer. At this stage the student is on Student ‘at risk’ Notification ‘Intervention Level 1’. Students will be advised that unsatisfactory course progress in the next study period may affect their visa and they are required to participate in an intervention strategy.
• During the meeting between the student and the Lead Trainer, an appropriate intervention strategy will be negotiated. This may include:
  • identification and implementation of support strategies to enhance the student’s progress;
  • a recommendation that the student seeks appropriate personal and/or academic support from within or outside of Charter Australia;
  • regular feedback from academic staff that may include discussion, continuous (perhaps informal) assessment to track progress, model answers, lists of common mistakes, peer and self-evaluation;
  • counselling to consider alternative programs at the same or another provider;
  • repeating subjects in the next study period; and
  • other such support as deemed appropriate by the Lead Trainer in light of the academic and/or personal difficulties facing the student.
• A record of all counselling sessions and the specific support decisions will be held on the student’s file.

Support strategies

In addition to any specific support negotiated in an intervention strategy, Charter Australia conducts the following:

• one-to-one mentoring and support
• language, literacy and numeracy support as appropriate
• small group tutorial or study groups
• individual case management
• assistance with personal issues which are influencing progress or attendance

Academic Warning Action

• The Lead Trainer monitors student academic results every week;
• The Student Support Officer mails out unsatisfactory Academic Warning Letter;
• The Student Support Officer follows-up the warning letter with a phone call to organise a counselling session; and
• makes electronic entry and files copies in the student’s file.

Calculations to Determine Academic Progress

Period Duration

The following calculation is to be used for determining any academic progress less than 50%. The result will indicate the current progress. It may be possible for a student to have less than 50% progress and still be able to recover to make satisfactory progress. To determine this, use the calculation below:

UOC successful / Total UOC for the period * 100 = Percentage Academic Achievement

Intention to Report Stage

• After the first term, the student is advised that he or she is at the ‘intervention level 1” Stage.
• A student who is identified as “Intervention Level 1” and who fails to achieve a pass in at least 50% of their enrolment in a consecutive study period will be deemed as making unsatisfactory academic progress and recorded in the database as “intervention strategy Level 2”;
• The student will be provided with a written notice of intention to report, informing them that they are able to access Charter Australia’s Complaints and Appeals processes, and that they have 20 working days in which to do so;
• Whilst this process is being conducted the student will be permitted to enrol and attend classes and will be placed on an “Intervention Level 2” condition for the term; and
• On expiry of this period, or on completion of the appeals process confirming unsatisfactory course progress, the student’s enrolment will be terminated.

Definitions

Expected duration – the length of time it takes to complete the course studying full-time.

Actions to be Taken for At-Risk Students

Unsatisfactory Academic Progress

A student who is identified as “intervention level 2” and who fails to achieve a pass in at least 50% of their enrolment in a study period will be deemed as making unsatisfactory academic progress. The student will be provided with a written notice of intention to withdraw them from the college. The student will be provided with the Complaints and Appeals Processes, and will have 20 working days in which utilise these processes. Whilst this process is being conducted the student will be permitted to attend classes and will be placed on an “intervention level 2” condition for the semester.

LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT

• Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000
• National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 – Standard 11
• Department of Home Affairs