Keywords

Enabling Course, Continuing Education Course, Bridging Course, Supplementary Course, Disadvantaged Student, For Credit, Issuing of Certificates, Equity Student

The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) allows universities to apply their funding load to offer ENABLING COURSES to prospective and existing students from designated equity groups. Study undertaken as part of these courses may not be used for credit towards a tertiary award.

DEST Definition:

An Enabling Course:

• provides bridging or supplementary education for the purpose of enabling a non overseas student to undertake an award course in a student place which is funded either partially or fully by the Commonwealth at the institution or at another institution; and

• which meets Commonwealth guidelines concerning the inclusion in the annual data collection of student load for bridging and supplementary programmes.

BRIDGING COURSES prepare students not otherwise eligible for admission to University.

DEST Definition:
A bridging programme is provided for particular types of disadvantaged students who need preparation prior to commencing a formal award course - it is offered to students to enable them subsequently, if they so choose, to commence an award course in a student place that is funded either partially or fully by the Commonwealth. Programmes which form part of a formal award course or for which credit will or may be given towards an award course are not considered to be bridging programmes.

SUPPLEMENTARY COURSES provide support through extra tuition to students enrolled in tertiary courses.

DEST Definition:
A supplementary programme is provided for students subsequent to their commencement of a formal award course in a student place that is funded either partially or fully by the Commonwealth, and which is undertaken concurrently with that course. Such programmes provide supplementary teaching in the form of a separate, discrete programme which is systematic and structured and aimed at addressing difficulties experienced by particular types of disadvantaged students undertaking the award course. Programmes which form part of a formal award course or for which credit will or may be given towards an award course are not considered to be supplementary programmes.

DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

DEST Definition:
The particular types of students for whom enrolments and student load may be reported as being in respect of enabling courses are those who have a disadvantage as a consequence of:

• being from low socio-economic background;

• being from rural or isolated backgrounds;

• being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent;

• being women in non-traditional areas;

• being from non-English speaking backgrounds; and

• having a disability or medical condition which has an adverse impact on the student’s ability to study.

Further DEST Guideline:
When a student is enrolled in a bridging programme the institution will provide formal confirmation that satisfactory achievement in the programme will qualify the student for enrolment in a specified award course in a student place that is funded either partially or fully by the Commonwealth, and the institution will provide a definition to the student of what comprises satisfactory achievement.

Bridging Courses:

Kulbardi Aboriginal Tertiary Entrance Course KATEC; UniAccess; UniFocus; UniQuest; EngFocus, Koora Kudidj Pre-Law Program; Kulbardi Wangkiny Pre-Media Program; Wangkiny Boodjah Pre-Sustainability Program.

Enabling Courses offered by Murdoch University will:

1. Assist the University meet its strategic objectives.

2. Complement existing award offerings, and use Murdoch University expertise and facilities.

3. Normally be DEST-funded.

4. Be subject to the normal provisions for academic oversight.

1. The University, a Division or a School may offer Enabling Courses, with the authority for their approval residing with Academic Council.

2. The Enabling Course will complement rather than compete with an existing offering.

3. Notification of all new Enabling Courses will be forwarded to the Academic Policy Committee (APC) following consultation with the Equity & Social Justice Committee. The proposal must be submitted under signature of the relevant Executive Dean and will not be considered by APC without the Executive Dean’s recommendation.

4. Those submitting the proposal must consult with other stakeholders as appropriate and ensure that they are aware of the proposed new offering. APC will notify the Committee on University Entrance (CUE) of all new Enabling Offerings that have implications for policy on university entrance.

5. Academic Council shall assign the normal oversight, including responsibility for academic planning, Board of Examiners and appeals, of initiatives developed outside of the academic Divisions to an academic Division.

6. Components of the Enabling Course may not later be credited towards a Murdoch University degree course.

7. Students who complete as part of their enabling program the full version of the Library’s LITE course shall be exempt from completing LITE as part of their Foundation Unit.

8. Students, who are formally enrolled, in approved Murdoch University units will follow normal enrolment procedures, and receive notification of enrolment from the Office of Central Student Administration [OCSA].

9. The courses will normally be DEST funded.

10. Murdoch University staff, with expertise in the discipline, will normally teach the Enabling Course. External staff may be employed with funding generated by the course.

11. Enabling Courses shall be reviewed both as part of School Reviews and as a distinct group. The latter review shall be initiated by Academic Council on a five-yearly basis.

12. Procedures related to enabling courses can be seen in Appendix 1.

The majority of students who enroll in ‘Continuing Education Courses’ are graduates from overseas who require additional units to qualify to practice in Australia (eg Law and Accounting). Applicants have to meet all unit pre-requisites and general admission standards. The Admissions Office considers formal applications on a case-by-case basis.

DEST Definition:
A non-award programme of study is a programme which does not lead to an award and which comprises a unit or units of study from an award course at the institution which can be counted as credit towards an award course at the institution by all students who complete the programme of study.

As “Continuing Education Courses” are unit(s) from award courses offered by Murdoch University they are automatically subject to the normal provisions for academic planning and oversight.

1. “Continuing Education Courses” may later be credited towards a Murdoch University degree course, provided this awarding of credit complies with the University’s Rules on Credit and Exemptions. The student, who is enrolled in the course and awarded credit, must also comply with the Higher Education Funding Act with respect to HECS and Fees.

2. Students who are formally enrolled in approved Murdoch University units will follow normal enrolment procedures and receive notification of enrolment from the Office of Central Student Administration [OCSA].

3. Where fees are charged this charge must comply with the relevant policy.

4. Income relating to “Continuing Education Courses” enrolments, either from fees or as targeted funding from external organisations, must be paid into the University’s account systems via the Central Cashier.

5. Academic Council shall assign the normal oversight, including responsibility for academic planning, Board of Examiners and appeals, of initiatives developed outside of the academic Divisions to an academic Division.

6. Procedures related to Continuing Education Courses can be seen in Appendix 2.

Award transition units are Murdoch University units that are offered by a non-academic Division (for example, TLC120 Introduction to University Learning and TLC277 From University to Workplace, which are both offered by the Teaching and Learning Centre).

Award transition units offered by Murdoch University will:

1. Assist the University to meet its strategic objectives.

2. Complement existing award offerings, and use Murdoch University expertise and facilities.

3. Normally be DEST-funded.

4. Be subject to the normal provisions for academic oversight.

1. The University may offer award transition units, with the authority for their approval residing with Academic Council.

2. Award transition units will complement rather than compete with an existing offering.

3. Award transition units are subject to quota and offered to students enrolled in a Murdoch University degree course

4. Notification of all new award transition units will be forwarded to APC following comment from the Student Equity and Social Justice Committee.

5. APC will enable Academic Council to perform the function which usually belongs to a Divisional Board for all new award transition units which have no natural home in an academic Division: that is, APC will recommend approval, amendment or rejection of the proposed new unit. The results of any such new unit will be reported to an existing Board of Examiners, and the proposal to APC will include an indication of which Board is appropriate. [Based on AC/94/2002 (i) (4)].

6. Students, who are formally enrolled, in approved Murdoch University units will follow normal enrolment procedures, and receive notification of enrolment from the Office of Central Student Administration [OCSA].

7. The units will normally be DEST-funded.

8. Murdoch University staff, with expertise in the discipline, will normally teach the award transition unit. External staff may be employed with funding generated by the unit.

9. Procedures related to Award Transition Units can be seen in Appendix 3.

Credit for Fee-Paying Short Courses
Issuing of Certificates

Enabling Course Procedures {Resolutions AC/51/2002 and AC/94/2002 apply}

1.

Students enrolling in Enabling Bridging Courses, other than KATEC, will be registered on the student records system in a non-award course and be subject to the University’s regulations and the Higher Education Funding Act with respect to HECS and Fees. These non-award bridging courses have one or more “units”, which have no creditable or HECS calculable points, but attract EFTSUs. The grade of pass/fail is suppressed so as to stop it printing on any subsequent transcript. Students may receive a certificate of participation, but no award is conferred. These certificates must comply with the Issuing of Certificates policy approved by Senate S/99/2001 (see attached). [AC/51/2002].

2.

Students enrolling in the Enabling Bridging Course, Kulbardi Alternative Tertiary Entrance Course, will be registered on the student records system in a non-award course and be subject to the University’s regulations and the Higher Education Funding Act with respect to HECS and Fees. This course has an approved structure equivalent to 24 points of pre-tertiary study, which has no tertiary creditable or HECS calculable points, but attracts EFTSUs. Students who successfully complete the requirements of the course are awarded the pre-tertiary Diploma of University Studies. Academic transcripts should display the student’s course of enrolment, subjects and pass/fail results, but no points, and a statement of completion and award conferral. As this is a pre-tertiary diploma the completion is not reported to DEST. [AC/51/2002].

3.

Students enrolling in an Enabling Supplementary Course eg Professional Education Programme for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (PEPA) must be enrolled in a degree course. For the purposes of capturing the student’s supplementary unit, enrolment will be registered on the student records system in a non-award course. The DEST guidelines disallow separate grades to be given to supplementary units, so both the non-award course and the unit enrolments will not appear on the academic transcript. [AC/51/2002].

4.

Non-award offerings which have a ‘natural’ home in a particular academic Division will remain the responsibility of the relevant Divisional Board, as at present [AC/94/2002 (1)].

5.

Notification of all new non-award and enabling offerings including units will be forwarded to APC following comment from the Student Equity And Social Justice Committee.

6.

Those submitting the proposal must consult with other stakeholders as appropriate, and ensure that they are aware of the proposed new offering. APC will notify the Committee on University Entrance of all new non-award and enabling offerings that have implications for policy on university entrance [AC/94/2002 (3)].

7.

APC will enable Academic Council to perform the function which usually belongs to a Divisional Board for all new non-award and enabling units which have no natural home in an academic Division: that is, APC will recommend approval, amendment or rejection of the proposed new unit. The results of any such new unit will be reported to an existing Board of Examiners, and the proposal to APC will include an indication of which Board is appropriate [AC/94/2002 (4)].

ISSUING OF CERTIFICATES Approved S/99/2001 (26/11/01)

1.

Certificates of attendance or completion may be issued by Divisions and Schools to persons who have participated in short courses or training, in accordance with the following provisions:

(a)

The course/seminar/workshop attended must have been of at least four hours duration.

(b)

The certificate must not bear a seal, use the word “degree”, “diploma”, “graduate certificate”, “postgraduate certificate”, “certificate in” or “certificate of” (except for "certificate of attendance/ completion"), nor emulate the appearance of a University testamur.

(c)

Before a certificate is issued for the first time, permission must be obtained from the University Secretary. The request must be accompanied by a draft design of the certificate.

2.

Divisions and Schools may also issue certificates of appreciation/congratulation where they deem this appropriate.

3.

Divisions, Schools and individuals may not issue any other types of certificates, except with the written approval of the Deputy Vice Chancellor.

1.

Students formally enrolling in tertiary units with an assessable outcome will be registered on the student records system in a non-award course and be subject to the University’s regulations and the Higher Education Funding Act with respect to HECS and Fees [AC/51/2002 (1)].

2.

Short courses designed to attract specific credit are covered by the policy Credit for Fee-Paying Short Courses.

3.

All other short courses/seminars/workshops run by the Divisions for which there is no formal recognition by the University are not covered by these procedures. Formal recognition may be in the form of DEST funding and reporting, appearance on the academic transcript and or the conferring of an award [AC/51/2002 (5)].

1.

In the case of TLC120, Introduction to University Learning, and TLC277, From University to Workplace, which are offered for credit by the TLC (and are therefore not subject to a Divisional Board), assessment results will be reported to the Board of Examiners of the Division of Science and Engineering. Other aspects of academic oversight will remain the responsibility of unit co-ordinators, the Director of the TLC, and the PVC (A), who should also receive a copy of the academic results sent to the Board of Examiners. The Director of the TLC shall be invited to attend the DSE Board of Examiners [AC/94/2002 (5), as amended AC/128/2002 (ii)].

2.

Academic Council shall assign the normal oversight, including responsibility for academic planning, Board of Examiners and appeals, of all award transition units to an academic Division.