(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. (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. (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. (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. (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. (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. (13) ACU will undertake the following in order to identify students who are at risk of not successfully completing their units of study: (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. (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: (18) ACU regularly communicates the available support services to students via the following main mechanisms: (19) Students can access support services via: (20) Support services for students are delivered by: (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). (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.Support for Students Policy
Section 1 - Purpose and Context
Section 2 - Scope
Section 3 - Principles
Equity
Accessibility
Accountability
Section 4 - Policy Statement
Monitoring and assessment of students’ suitability to study
Support Services for students
Communicating support services
Accessing support services
Delivering support services
Student safety
View Document
This is the current version of this document. To view historic versions, click the link in the document's navigation bar.