- A -

• Prior formal study undertaken at a tertiary institution (i.e. TAFE, other universities either Australian or international) credited towards a new degree program

• The body responsible for accrediting a course. This may include universities, the State and Territory Authorities and any body to which the Authority may have delegated the task of accreditation, such as the National ELT Accreditation Scheme. In the VET sector, a course includes recognising a qualification within a Training Package. A RTO can issue AQF Statements of Attainment and qualifications for endorsed Training Packages and accredited courses within its scope of registration.

• Making the transition to a new life and study id a social and academic experience – both aspects are important in the process of a student’s adjustment.

• Person who appeals a result.

• Australian Qualifications Framework. A policy framework defining all qualifications recognised nationally in post-compulsory education and training within Australia. The AQF comprises guidelines which define each qualification together with principles and protocols covering articulation and issuance of a qualification and Statement of Attainment.
• The AQF was established by the Ministerial Council of Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) in 1995 to provide for nationally recognised pathways between awards offered in Australia’s vocational education and training and higher education sectors. It brings together the qualifications issued by different sectors into a single comprehensive system of titles and standards.
• The Australian Qualifications Framework (commonly known as the AQF) is a unified system of national qualifications in schools, vocational education and training (TAFEs and private providers) and the higher education sector (mainly universities).

• Australian Registration Framework. Nationally agreed recognition arrangements for the vocational education and training sector. The ARF is based on a quality assured approach to the registration of training organisations seeking to deliver training and/or assess competency outcomes and issue AQF qualifications and Statements of Attainment. It ensures the recognition of training providers and the AQF qualifications and Statements of Attainment they issue, across Australia.

• The Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) is an independent, not-for-profit national agency that will promote, audit, and report on quality assurance in Australian higher education.

- C -

• The provider must determine whether the student’s request is genuine, and be able to assess that the student’s chances of satisfactorily completing the course within the nominated timeframe will be strengthened by permission to suspend studies for a short, nominated period. DIAC must approve these circumstances. Such examples include but are not limited to unexpected severe illness or death of a family member; the student is involved in custody proceedings for their child; the student or accompanying family member has an acute medical condition requiring treatment; the student has been involved in legal proceedings where the timing is beyond the student’s control; the student has been caught up in a natural disaster, political uprising or other similar event; the student has an accident, falls seriously ill or contracts a serious medical condition after arriving in Australia, or the student is pregnant (national code draft, April 2006, appendix B).

• Person who makes a complaint.

• A Compulsory study period is one in which the student must enroll unless granted a deferment or suspension form enrolment or leave of absence under Standard 13. A compulsory study period does not include periods in which the student can elect to undertake additional studies.

• A document, often provided, electronically, which is issued by the registered provider to intending overseas students which must accompany their application for a student visa. It confirms the overseas student’s eligibility to enroll in the particular course of the registered provider. An electronic Confirmation of Enrolment is referred to as an eCOE.

• These actions may include but are not limited to:
  - not entering into an agreement if the provider has prior knowledge of poor conduct of the agent as outlined in Standard 4.3,
  - termination of the written agreement gains knowledge of poor conduct of the agent as outlined in Standard 4.4,
  - re-training of agent in marketing and recruitment requirements

• A course of education of training as defined in the ESOS Act.

• Exemption from enrolment in particular part of the course as a result of previous study, experience or recognition of a competency currently held. Includes academic credit and recognition or prior learning.

• Nominated learning outcomes and competencies to be met for a course within a specified duration.

• The measure of advancement within a course towards the completion of that course irrespective of whether course completion is identified through academic merit or skill based competencies.

• Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students.

• A traumatic event, or the threat of such (within or outside Australia), which causes extreme stress, fear or injury.

- D -

• Where a student with the agreement of their provider and DIAC suspends their study for a nominated period. Students generally must leave Australia in this situation.

• The person responsible under the law of the State for approving providers to provide courses to overseas students in the State. See AQF Register of Recognised Education Institutions & Authorised Accreditation Authorities in Australia .

• Study in which the teacher and overseas student are separated in time or space throughout the duration of the unit of study (incl. Online learning), but does not include study where the student is resident in his or her home country or another country offshore. Distance learning differs from online learning in that the study may be undertaken through written correspondence and exchange of hard copy materials.

- E -

• Represents provider (either inside or outside Australia) or acts on behalf of the provider, or claims to do so, in dealing with overseas students or intending overseas students.

• Physical resources such as library, equipment, facilities and learning materials.

• English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students. Applied to stand alone English language courses that lead to certificate 1,2,3,or 4, or that result in no formal Australian award.

• Meeting a nominated level of English language skills.

• Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000.

• The legislative framework is made up of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act and associated legislation including the National Code.

• Entitlement Verification Online allows registered Australian organisations to check aspects of a person’s Australian immigration status. In addition eVisa holders can check their own visa details.
  The following Australian organisations can register for the service:
  - Employers and labour suppliers to check the work entitlements of prospective employees;
  - Licensing authorities to check the work entitlements and residence status of persons applying for a licence;
  - Educational Institutions to check the study entitlements of students;
  - Commercial or government organisations to check residence status; and
  - Government organisations to check immigration status.

• Amount of time (weeks, months or years) the institution has registered with CRICOS for the course to be successfully completed.

• In relation to support staff, no formal skill set has been defined; however, the ESOS Evaluation Report (2005) indicates some desirable attributes for international student support personnel such as confidentiality, ability to balance tensions between student needs and those of the institution, knowledge of ESOS and migration requirements, cross-cultural sensitivity, specialist language skills, and experience with international students and issues they commonly encounter.

- H -

• An employee, agent or officer of the provider with duties of such responsibility that his or her conduct may fairly be assumed to represent the provider in relation to the business of providing courses (see Section 5 of the ESOS act). Examples of the categories of person to be captured under this amendment – officers with management responsibility, consultants, principles and also includes teachers. The purpose of this is to prevent persons with a history of non-compliance with the ESOS Act, who are not providers or associates of providers (both currently captured by the legislation), from taking up positions of responsibility with other providers. So, wherever an employee, consultant, principal, teacher has sufficient responsibility within as organisation to make decisions with regard to the operation of the provider, the test would be applied.

- I -

• Information is true, honest and correct.

- M -

• This relates to advise on the most suitable visa, documents needed to submit with an application, help to fill out the application form, submission of the application on behalf of the applicant, communication with the DIAC on behalf of the applicant. This can only be done by a migration agent registered with Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) to operate within Australia.

• This may include, but is not limited to, behaviour scuh as acts of distrcrimination, sexual harrassment, vilification or bullying as well as acts of cheating or plagiarism.

• Refers to the way in which a student is enrolled in a course/program of study: internal, external or mixed.

• Where a student visa has been granted for two or more courses where the first course is a prerequisite to the second course and where entry to the second course is a dependant on the academic results achieved in the first course.

- N -

• Applies to non-award foundation studies, or other full time courses or components of courses not leading to an Australian award.

• As non self-accrediting institutions do not have the authority to accredit their own programmes of study, they must have their courses accredited by a State or Territory accreditation authority listed on the AQF Register of Authorities Empowered by Government to Accredit Post-Compulsory Education State or Territory accreditation authority.

- O -

• A detailed introduction designed to help students settle into their specific institution and to provide them with information to fully prepare for the start of classes and enable them to make an adjustment or adaptation to a new environment, situation, and custom.

• A person who holds a student visa (within or outside Australia).

• To be registered on CRICOS, a provider must be a resident of Australia (sections 9 and 16 of the ESOS Act 2000). A company must be incorporated in Australia, carry on business in Australia and have its central management and control in Australia. An unincorporated body must carry on its business in Australia and have its central management and control in Australia.

- P -

• Includes personal and contact details, course enrolment details and changes, and the circumstance of any suspected breach by the overseas student of a student visa condition.

• Provider Registration and International Students Management System (the electronic system that holds CRICOS and the eCoE). This is the approved form for reporting information under s19 of the ESOS Act 2000, unless the Secretary changes this requirement.

• Recognition for a qualification acqured in a course offered by a professional body, enterprise, private education institution, or by any other provider recognised by the institution, or learning acquiredmthrough work or life experience.

• Private providers of higher education - private colleges and institutes must apply to the relevant Minister for Education for permission to offer higher education awards (that is, bachelor and above), and must have their courses accredited by the appropriate State or Territory Government.

• Provide marketing information in the form of brochures, websites, course guides and audio visual materials for potential international students.

• An institution or other body or person in Australia that provides or seeks to provide courses to overseas students.

- Q -

• The Australian Qualifications Framework was developed under instruction for the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs and is a key national policy instrument to protect the quality of Australian education and training. The AQF comprises:
  - agreed national guidelines for each of the current national qualifications issued in the schools, vocational education and training and higher education sectors;
  - principles for articulation and credit transfer;
  - registers of authorities empowered by government to a credited qualification and to issue qualification and a structure for monitoring implementation of the AQF and advising Ministers, including recommending any changes.

- R -

• In the vocational education and training sector, any training organisation registered in accordance with the ARF to provide training delivery and/or assessment services. May include TAFE colleges/institutes, private commercial providers, community providers, schools, higher education institutions, enterprises, firms and industry bodies.

• Recognition of Prior Learning – recognition for a qualification acquired in a course offered by a professional body, enterprise, private educational institution, or by any other provider recognised by the institution, or learning acquired through work or life experience.

- S -

• The hours for which students enrolled in the course are scheduled to att4end classes, course-related information sessions, supervised study sessions, mandatory and supervised work based training examinations.

• The State authority must be satisfied that the new owners or management are fit and proper to be registered through CRICOS (ESOS Guide to providers, 2001, pg 6).

• Australia’s universities are self accrediting bodies established by or under Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation. They are responsible for maintaining the quality of their own academic standards. This quality is independently verified every five years by the Australian Universities Quality Agency.
• Universities assure the quality of their offerings in a number of ways including external academic and industry in-put into courses and peer review of new and ongoing courses. Usually universities formally review their courses on a five-yearly basis. In addition, universities regularly evaluate student feedback.

• Authority to accredit their own programmes of study and are established by or under Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation. They are responsible for maintaining the quality of their own academic standards i.e. Universities.

• The amount of time to complete a course on the basis of normal full-time study registered on CRICOS.

• Contact hours for a course for a period means the total number of hours in the period for which students enrolled in the course are scheduled to attend classes for teaching purposes, course-related information sessions, supervised study sessions and examinations.

• A staff to student ratio can vary from sector to sector, institution to institution. At present there is no formal determination for this ratio. Current ratios exist in the school sector: 0.2 staff to 5 international students enrolled, 1.0 staff to 100 students; in the tertiary sector some ratio examples are: 1.0 staff to 300 students, 1.0 staff to 1000 enrolled students in larger institutions.

• Very few recognized qualifications exist in this area. In the ELICOS sector, the National ELT Accreditation Scheme Limited (NEAS) provides a three-stage accreditation process designed specifically for the needs of students and demands of English language training and includes detailed requirements for teacher and supervisor qualifications in teaching English as a second language, provider facilities and student support.

- U -

• A discrete component of study within a course, the term included ‘subject’ and ‘module’.

- V -

• Student must maintain accommodation, support and general welfare arrangements that have been approved by their education provider if they: have not turned 18, are not an AusAID student or a Defence student, are not staying in Australia with: a parent, a custodian, or a relative who has been nominated by their parent or a custodian, is aged at least 21 and is of good character. Note: Student must not change those arrangements without the written approval of their education provider.

• Applies to Certificate 1,2,3,and 4 (except ELICOS), diploma, advanced diploma, vocational graduate certificate or vocational graduate diploma courses.

- W -

• Consideration is given to the mental, physical, social and spiritual well being of overseas students.

• Services, which address the mental, physical, social and spiritual well being of overseas students. These services may include, through direct provision or referral information/advice about: accommodation, counselling, crisis services, disabilities and equity issues, financial matters, legal issues, medical issues, mental health, peer mentoring, programmes promoting social interaction, religious and spiritual matters, and stress-management.

• Sets out the responsibilities of the agent and the provider including the need to comply with the National Code, any financial remuneration received by the agent, the process for monitoring agent’s activities, and any termination conditions.

• This is an agreement between provider and student and essentially covers arrangements for the refund of course monies if either party defaults.

• Utilising workplace expertise as a requirement for acceptance into a course.