Discussion of Standard 10 – Monitoring course progress

Introduction
What's new
Obligations and responsibilities
Documents, knowledge and procedures
 Definitions
Learning Activity
National Code 2007

Introduction

DEST (now DEEWR) Commentary

An intention of the Australian Government student visa program is for students to genuinely attempt to achieve their desired educational outcomes within the duration of their student visa. Student visas include a condition that requires the student to progress satisfactorily and attend their classes (where applicable).

Registered providers monitor the progress of students and their attendance where applicable. This monitoring enables students at risk of not progressing, or not participating, where applicable, to be identified and offered support so that they are assisted to achieve their educational goals.

Generic standard applicable to all sectors

What's new

  • Providers must have documented course progress monitoring procedures.
  • Course progress must be assessed at the end of every study period.
  • Providers must have and implement intervention strategies.
  • Providers must inform a student in writing that of their intention to report for unsatisfactory course progress and that they have 20 working days in which to access the providers complaints and appeals processes.
  • Further reference document: DEST Comparison Chart (December 2006).

Obligations and responsibilities

  • The provider must act proactively in notifying and counselling students at risk of failing to meet course requirements.
  • The provider must monitor, record and assess a student's course progress in each enrolled unit.
  • The provider must have and implement documented course progress policies and procedures for each course offered.
  • Each student's course progress must be assessed in accordance with the institution's course progress policies and procedures at the end of every study period.
  • The provider must be able to identify and assist students, via a documented intervention strategy, who have failed or are deemed not yet competent in 50% or more of the units attempted in any study period.
  • Where the provider intends to report to DEEWR those students failing to achieve satisfactory course progress, they must inform the student of that intention and alert them that they have 20 working days to access the provider’s complaints and appeals process.

List of documents and specific knowledge of institutional and government matters and procedures required for this Standard

  • Documents:
    • a student's documented academic results for each enrolled unit
    • documented course progress policies and procedures that:
      • specify the requirements for achieving satisfactory course progress
      • specify the assessment of satisfactory course progress
      • includes an intervention strategy for students at risk of failing to achieve satisfactory course progress and this specifies the:
        1. actions for contacting and counselling identified students
        2. strategies to assist identified students to achieve satisfactory course progress, and
        3. how to activate the intervention strategy
        4. determines the point at which the student has failed to meet satisfactory course progress, and
        5. enables notification to students that they have failed to meet satisfactory course progress requirements.
    • the written notification to students which explains the intention is to report them to DEEWR via PRISMS as not achieving satisfactory course progress. The students also need to be informed that they have 20 working days in which to access the provider’s complaints and appeals process before that report will be made.
  • Knowledge:
    • Section 19 of the ESOS Act
    • Standard 8 (Complaints and appeals)
    • students and staff must have knowledge of appropriate course progress policies and procedures for each course
    • students and staff must have access to and the ability to activate the provider’s documented intervention strategy
    • students and staff need to understand that students due to be reported for failing to achieve satisfactory course progress have 20 days to access the provider’s complaints and appeals process
    • institution's complaints and appeals processes.
  • Procedures:
    • process for assessing satisfactory course progress
    • procedure for intervention for students at risk of failing to achieve satisfactory course progress to be activated, at a minimum, when they have failed or are deemed not yet competent in 50% or more of their enrolled units in any study period and which includes:
      • procedures for contacting and counselling identified students
      • strategies to assist identified students to achieve satisfactory course progress, and
      • the process by which the intervention strategy is activated.
    • process for determining the point at which the student has failed to meet satisfactory course progress
    • procedure for notifying students in writing that they have failed to meet satisfactory course progress requirements
    • procedure for 1) tracking those students deemed to not meet course progress and who have not chosen to access the complaints and appeals process, withdrawn from that process or where the decision supports the provider and 2) consequently reporting those students to DEEWR via PRISMS as soon as practicable.

Definitions of key words/phrases

  • Course
    - A course of education or training as defined in the ESOS Act.
  • Course progress
    - 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.
  • Course requirements
    - Nominated learning outcomes and competencies to be met for a course within a specified duration.
  • PRISMS: Provider Registration and International Students Management System
    - Stores information about registered providers and courses which is publicly available via the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). PRISMS is the approved method for reporting information under s19 of the ESOS Act 2000, unless the Secretary changes this requirement.
  • Study period
    - A discrete period of study within a course, namely term, semester, trimester, short course of similar or lesser duration, or as otherwise defined by the registered provider, as long as that period does not exceed six months.
  • Unit
    - A discrete component of study within a course; the term includes ‘subject’ and ‘module’.

Learning Activity

National Code 2007

Outcome of Standard 10

Registered providers systematically monitor students’ course progress. Registered providers are proactive in notifying and counselling students who are at risk of failing to meet course progress requirements. Registered providers report students, under section 19 of the ESOS Act, who have breached the course progress requirements.

10.1

The registered provider must monitor, record and assess the course progress of each student for each unit of the course for which the student is enrolled in accordance with the registered provider’s documented course progress policies and procedures.
10.2

The registered provider must have and implement appropriate documented course progress policies and procedures for each course, which must be provided to staff and students, that specify the:

  1. requirements for achieving satisfactory course progress
  2. process for assessing satisfactory course progress
  3. procedure for intervention for students at risk of failing to achieve satisfactory course progress
  4. process for determining the point at which the student has failed to meet satisfactory course progress, and
  5. procedure for notifying students that they have failed to meet satisfactory course progress
    requirements.
10.3 The registered provider must assess the course progress of the student in accordance with the registered provider’s course progress policies and procedures at the end point of every study period.
10.4

The registered provider must have a documented intervention strategy, which must be made available to staff and students, that specifies the procedures for identifying and assisting students at risk of not meeting the course progress requirements. The strategy must specify:

  1. procedures for contacting and counselling identified students
  2. strategies to assist identified students to achieve satisfactory course progress, and
  3. the process by which the intervention strategy is activated.
10.5 The registered provider must implement the intervention strategy for any student who is at risk of not meeting satisfactory course progress requirements. At a minimum, the intervention strategy must be activated where the student has failed or is deemed not yet competent in 50% or more of the units attempted in any study period.
10.6 Where the registered provider has assessed the student as not achieving satisfactory course progress, the registered provider must notify the student in writing of its intention to report the student for not achieving satisfactory course progress. The written notice must inform the student that he or she is able to access the registered provider’s complaints and appeals process as per Standard 8 (Complaints and appeals) and that the student has 20 working days in which to do so.
10.7 Where the student has chosen not to access the complaints and appeals processes within the 20 working day period, withdraws from the process, or the process is completed and results in a decision supporting the registered provider, the registered provider must notify the Secretary of DEEWR through PRISMS of the student not achieving satisfactory course progress as soon as practicable.

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