Academic Support
The course intervention strategy operates on a series of monitoring reporting points throughout a students’ course, with certain actions to be taken at those points depending on the students’ performance and their duration within Interventions. These Points and their corresponding actions are described in the Course Student Support and Monitoring Table.
If a student required academic intervention, an email will be sent to the student notifying that: –
- They are not meeting course progress requirements.
- Failing to meet course requirements can jeopardize their enrolment &/or visa.
- They have been enrolled in a Student Support tutorial, which they must attend on a weekly basis to ensure their continued enrolment &/or visa.
Course Intervention Meeting:-
The student will meet with a tutorial leader assigned to them for the duration of the intervention. This tutorial leader will be known as a Student Support leader. The student and tutorial leader will discuss circumstances surrounding students’ difficulty to comply with course progress requirements. They will both agree on a successful strategy. This must include the student attending a Student Support Tutorial during the semester. This tutorial is aimed at assisting the student to build their academic skills in order to successfully complete the course.
Documenting Discussions at Meeting:
Discussions and decisions made at the meeting are documented and placed on the student’s file. The form is completed by the Student Support Tutorial Leader and is signed by the student. Students will also receive a copy of this form for their own records.
Students will be advised that unsatisfactory course progress, as per the table above, could lead to the student being withdrawn from College, with international students being reported to DIBP and their visa being cancelled, depending on the outcome of any appeals process.
Note: if a student is identified as being at risk of making unsatisfactory course progress before any of the above points, the Intervention Strategy may be implemented early
Course Interventions:
The strategy will include one or more of the following interventions: – [based on the specific needs of the student]:-
- Advising on the appropriateness of the course
- Internal or external assistance with language, literacy & numeracy
- Attendance at counselling sessions with a member of the Student Support Office or appropriate church department (e.g. Pastoral Care)
- Attendance at additional tutorials or study groups
- Opportunity for reassessment and/or RPL
- Mentoring or coaching by their Tutorial Leader
- Changing tutorials or other classes
- Referral to an external support agency
- A combination of the above.
Note: The responsibility for maintaining contact and following through with the intervention strategies remains with the student.
Difficulty to Make Progress and Withdrawal from College
When a student is still unable to meet the minimum course progress requirements after the implementation of the strategy [as per the Course Progress and Student Support Table], a process to withdraw them from the course will be implemented.
The student will be issued a Notice of Pending Breach advised in writing by the Registrar that they are in the process of being withdrawn from the course. A copy of this Notice is to be kept in the student file. The student will have 20 working days to appeal the decision using the College’s Complaints and Appeals process.
Student Appeals
A student may only appeal the Notice of Pending Breach in the following circumstances:
- Compassionate or compelling circumstances
- Failure to record or calculate a students marks accurately
- Failure to implement the Intervention Strategy or other related policies that have been made available to the student.
Where the student’s appeal is successful, the outcomes may vary according to the findings from 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 assessments for that study period), the student will not be withdrawn from college, and there will be 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 will be provided to the student through the intervention strategy, and the student will not be withdrawn from college.
The student’s enrolment will be terminated immediately in cases 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 that the student’s appeal was unsuccessful
For international students, this will include reporting to DIBP via PRISMS by the Admissions Coordinator as soon as possible. This will mean that the international student’s visa will be cancelled.
Student Access to Records
Students may access their personal records at any time using the Student Portal or the Application to Access Student Records form.
Academic Advice
Any guidance a student may require that relates to their program of study, subject enrolment, and graduation requirements can be provided by the tutorial leader. Appointments can be made through College Reception
This policy applies only to VET students. Details for HE students is available via the Alphacrucis College website.