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Support for Students Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) ACU is committed to ensuring its students are provided with the support and resources required to assist them to be successful in their studies.

(2) This Policy outlines how ACU will identify students who are at risk of not successfully completing their units of study and the support, services, resources, and assistance available to students to assist them with successfully completing their studies, and the University’s processes for ensuring students are aware of these support options.

(3) This Policy is published in accordance with the University’s obligations under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth).

(4) This Policy should be read in conjunction with other relevant University policies and procedures, including those listed in the Associated Information tab.

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Section 2 - Scope

(5) This Policy applies to all students and staff of ACU. It encompasses the full range of support services available to support students’ academic success, personal development, and wellbeing.

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Section 3 - Principles

Equity

(6) Every student at ACU is entitled to access to support services regardless of their race, gender, age, socio-economic backgrounds, disability, sexual orientation, or religion.

Accessibility

(7) Support, services and resources should be easily accessible to all students. This includes, where appropriate, making services available online and in physical campus locations, during and outside of business hours, with consideration for diverse needs and critical study periods.

Accountability

(8) ACU commits to continuously monitor and improve the services outlined in this Policy to ensure their suitability and effectiveness. Students are responsible for taking charge of their own learning and are encouraged to seek relevant support and advice from staff in a timely way if they experience issues that may affect their educational progress.

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Section 4 - Policy Statement

(9) ACU will ensure that support is available to students to assist them with successfully completing their units and that students are made aware of these support services throughout their study.

(10) ACU will review its resourcing allocated to academic and non-academic support as part of its annual budget process.

(11) ACU will publish its Support for Students Policy as well as more information regarding support for students on its website and any other internal sites as deemed appropriate.

(12) ACU will review this Policy annually for quality assurance, identify opportunities for improvement and to ensure the Policy remains fit for purpose.

Monitoring and assessment of students’ suitability to study

(13) ACU will undertake the following in order to identify students who are at risk of not successfully completing their units of study:

  1. In accordance with Academic Regulations (111) and (112), a student who has failed 50% or more of enrolled units or credit points during a progression review period will be warned that they are at risk of not making satisfactory academic progress. The student will be formally notified by the Course Coordinator of their at risk status. The notice must be consistent with the correspondence requirements of Section 3 of the Academic Regulations and will normally be issued within 20 working days from the date of finalisation of their results for the relevant progression review period to:
    1. warn that further failure may lead to termination of their enrolment;
    2. warn that further failure may mean they will not be eligible for Commonwealth financial assistance to study in a Commonwealth Supported Place or to receive a HELP loan, where relevant;
    3. recommend they seek academic advice before continuing in their program; and
    4. refer them to relevant support services.
  2. Lecturers in Charge (unit level) and Course Coordinators (course level) will monitor, identify, and offer support to students at risk of not making satisfactory academic progress. The Course Coordinator will email students with low or no engagement with their learnings (as determined by either classroom attendance or engagement with student learning materials in their learning management system) before the census date of each study period to check in on students and offer support. This includes an offer of meeting with the Course Coordinator; reminder about making changes to enrolment and withdrawal before census date to avoid financial and academic penalties; and the available services to support students with their studies.

(14) The relevant academic staff (e.g., course coordinators) will assist students experiencing academic difficulties by referring students to support services and make reasonable modifications to assessment requirements to support the individual needs of a diverse range of students in accordance with the Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedure.

(15) The University utilises a data informed approach to assess students’ suitability to study and to identify students who may be at risk of not progressing with their studies. These include: Student Learning Management System (LMS) and Echo360 analytics; early student feedback, Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys and Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) results; unit and course success rates; and longevity data within and across units and courses. 

(16) A formal assessment of a student’s academic performance will be undertaken at the completion of each progression review period in accordance with the Academic Regulations.

Support Services for students

(17) ACU is committed to providing support, services, and resources to all students to help them be successful in their studies. ACU offers, either directly or through a third-party, numerous support options for students. These include:

  • Access and Disability Services
  • Career and employability services
  • Clubs, societies, and events
  • First Nations student services
  • First year transition and student mentoring
  • Health, safety, and wellbeing
  • International student support
  • Legal advice, advocacy and accommodation
  • Study support
  • Veteran’s support

Communicating support services

(18) ACU regularly communicates the available support services to students via the following main mechanisms:

  1. Orientation and Transition: Information about the available support services is provided to all commencing students during orientation programs.
  2. Website and Online Resources: The University’s website and Student Portal include information about support services, including service descriptions, contact information, and instructions on how to access.
  3. Email and SMS: Regular email communications are sent to students at key critical periods throughout the year (e.g., before census, before / post examinations, and during academic progression). A SMS will be sent to students regarding critical enrolment and fees matters, including reminders about census date liabilities.
  4. Social Media and Digital Platforms: The University publishes and promotes student support services on social media channels, the learning management system, and the Student Portal, as well as information about upcoming events, workshops, and relevant resources.
  5. Physical Signage and Promotional Materials: Signage, posters, digital screens, and promotional materials are displayed across campuses to raise awareness about support services, upcoming events and how to access them.

Accessing support services

(19) Students can access support services via:

  1. AskACU Contact Centre: AskACU is the University’s centralised contact point for all students. Students can enquire about and access different support services through AskACU.
  2. Appointment Scheduling: Students can schedule appointments with academic and / or non-academic support services through online appointment booking systems, emails, phone calls, or in-person visits.
  3. Drop-In Hours: Designated drop-in hours are available for a number of academic and non-academic support services for students seeking immediate assistance or guidance.
  4. After-hours Support: ACU has a number of after-hour support services, with relevant contact details available on the University's website and the Student Portal.
  5. Referral Networks: Faculty and support services staff will refer students to the appropriate academic and non-academic support services for additional and / or specialist support. Students can also self-refer and seek direct assistance.
  6. International Student Advisors: The International Student Advisors provide designated support, advice and information to international students on issues impacting their studies at ACU.

Delivering support services

(20) Support services for students are delivered by:

  1. Academic Skills Support: The Academic Skills Unit is a team of educational experts on each campus offering individual consultations, group workshops, email enquiries, academic writing skills, academic referencing skills, literacy and numeracy skills and examination skills support either online and / or in-person on campus.
  2. Faculty collaborations: the academic skills team collaborates with Faculty staff to create resources tailored to the specific academic skills needed for assessment tasks.
  3. Specialised support programs: The University offers a range of specialised support programs tailored to the specific needs of the students. These programs may include peer assisted study sessions (PASS), peer mentoring, targeted intervention, and adjustments in accordance with the Assessment Policy.

(21) The Indigenous Higher Education Units (IHEU) are welcoming, culturally safe and supportive places available on each ACU campus offering academic, personal and cultural support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

(22) ACU has dedicated access and disability support for students who have a diagnosed health condition, disability, mental health condition, or have significant carer responsibilities that may impact their studies. Support can be provided to these students in a number of ways including educational adjustments, exam arrangements, assistive technology and course materials in alternate formats. All adjustments required by a student who receives disability support will be reflected in an Education Inclusion Plan (EIP).

Student safety

(23) ACU is committed to ensuring its campuses are places of safety and respect for all, and free of harassment and discrimination. ACU expects all staff and students to behave in a manner that is respectful, inclusive and fair at every campus, at all times.

(24) All commencing students are required to complete a compulsory Respectful Relationships training module to understand ACU’s expectations around healthy relationships, safety and consent, and seeking support.

(25) The  Critical Incident Management Policy and Critical Incident Management Procedure outline ACU’s crisis and critical harm response arrangements for students. Students can report critical incidents or safety issues to ACU’s on-campus security or via the 24/7 response line as detailed in the Emergency and Safety site.

(26) The Safeguarding and Student Safety team and trained Safety Support Officers on each campus provide support to students who have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment, sexual assault or family and domestic violence. Students can report incidents of sexual harm via in-person meetings, phone or online to the Safeguarding and Student Safety team, a Safety Support Officer, a Counsellor, the National Security Centre or a trusted ACU staff member.