View Document

Courses Lifecycle Policy

This is not a current document. To view the current version, click the 'Current Version' tab above.

Section 1 - Purpose / Objectives

(1) Victoria University (VU) provides accredited and non-accredited courses across the Higher Education, Vocational Education and Further Education sectors, for delivery on campus, in the workplace & community, with international and domestic institutional partners, and online.

(2) VU is committed to providing courses that support its diverse student body to be capable lifelong learners in a complex global environment.

(3) Design and delivery of courses and pathways ensures cross-sectoral alignment and a coherent course and pathways profile across the AQF.

(4) The purpose of the Courses Lifecycle Policy and associated procedures is to provide quality management across the lifecycle of Victoria University courses and pathways, in order to ensure that they are appropriate to the values and needs of students, and relevant to industry, community and institutional partners.

Top of Page

Section 2 - HESF/ASQA/ESOS ALIGNMENT

(5) (4)HESF: Standard 1.2.1, 1.4.1, 1.5.1, 1.5.3; 3.1.1; 5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.3; 5.3.

(6) (5)Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015: Standard 1; 2; 4.

Top of Page

Section 3 - Scope / Application

(7) This policy applies to:

Award and non-award courses delivered both locally and internationally by VU, or on behalf of VU.

Top of Page

Section 4 - Definitions

(8) Accreditation: Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited status is granted by the appropriate agency. For VU, the relevant accreditation bodies are the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Authority (TEQSA) for higher education, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) for vocational education, and the National ELICOS Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) for English language intensive programs.

(9) Advanced Standing: The term 'advanced standing' is used to describe the various methods through which a student or potential student can gain credit towards their study. Advanced standing encompasses 'recognition of prior learning' (RPL), 'recognition of current competence' (RCC), 'credit transfer' and 'skills recognition'.

Advanced standing is an assessment process that recognises the skills and knowledge a student has achieved, whether that be through study or life/work experience, by matching it with what would be covered in specific units within a course.

(10) Articulation: Course articulation is the process by which one institution matches its courses or requirements to course work completed at another institution. Students use course articulation to assure that the courses they complete will not have to be repeated at the institution to which they are transferring.

(11) Course

(12) Course Approval

(13) Course cancellation

(14) Course deactivation

(15) Course review

(16) Course transition

(17) Credit

(18) External Recognition and Professional Accreditation (ERPA)

(19) Externally accredited courses

(20) Further Education (FE)

(21) Higher Degree by Research (HDR)

(22) Higher Education (HE)

(23) Non-Award Courses

(24) Pathways

(25) Qualification

(26) Recognition

(27) internally accredited courses

(28) Senior Officer

(29) Student: A person who is enrolled in any VU program. This includes students on leave of absence from their studies; research students awaiting thesis examination results; and persons enrolled or registered in non-award programs.

(30) Vocational Education (VE)

Top of Page

Section 5 - Policy Statement

(31) Educational processes at Victoria University for course design, development, approval, monitoring and review are guided by the principles of:

Developing coherent courses and pathways so that students have access to modular, vertically-integrated qualifications that allow for multiple entry and exit points across the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF);
Ensuring that pathways for students are flexible, clear, transparent and systemic, facilitating credit and recognition arrangements to ensure access to a wide range of pathways options;
Ensuring that course design and approval includes comprehensive consultation with industry, professions, partners and stakeholders and alignment to VU strategic priorities;
Designing courses to support students' success as they transition through courses and pathways;
Embedding support for students to develop capabilities for the future;
Ensuring that ongoing course approval and additions to scope of registration are contingent on evidence-based decision-making and external benchmarking;
Facilitating the development and operations of collaborative communities through team-based course design, development, management and collaborative review by VU and partner organisations;
Developing and designing courses is informed by peer review and scholarly understanding of theory and practice derived from discipline knowledge, pedagogy, and understanding of professional and industry contexts;
Ensuring that students are not disadvantaged where course review leads to significant changes to or discontinuation of a course;
Monitoring course development, approval and review to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

(32) The Vice-Chancellor has authority to approve new courses, make changes to existing courses and approve discontinuation of courses, after considering any advice from the Academic Board.

(33) As specified in related Procedures, the Vice-Chancellor may delegate authority to approve some matters to the Provost or nominee after endorsement by Academic Board.

(34) In the case of minor changes to courses, which are developed in a manner consistent with Procedures, the Provost or nominee may have delegated authority to approve proposals after endorsement by Deans of Colleges and to notify Academic Board of the outcomes.

Top of Page