General Study Information & Visa Conditions
The ESOS Act
The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) of the Australian Government regulates the education and training sector’s involvement with Overseas students studying in Australia on student visas. It does this through the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act and associated legislation which protects the interests of these students. The legislation mandates a nationally consistent approach to registering education providers so that the quality of the tuition, and associated pastoral services offered to students, remains high. The professionalism and integrity of the industry is further maintained by the ESOS legislation’s interface with immigration law. This imposes visa related reporting requirements on both students and providers.
CHC is registered with the Australian Government to provide higher education courses to Overseas students and complies with the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2007 (the National Code). A description of the ESOS framework is available on the DEST website at: http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/8BE74BB3-EC08-4925-BBF0-5A01B7A68BE0/15628/ESOSFramework.pdf.
Other Legislation
CHC is also registered with the Queensland Government to provide higher education courses to Overseas students. This registration is based on compliance with Queensland Government legislation, in particular the Education (Overseas Students) Act 1996 and the Education (Overseas Students) Regulation 1998, and leads to the inclusion of CHC and its courses on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
Courses and Units
At Christian Heritage College, students enrol in a course which is the complete award with which a student graduates upon the completion of the requirements for that course. Courses consist of units, which are individual components of a course which are usually one semester in length. The academic year is divided into two compulsory semesters, each of 16 weeks (excluding holidays): Semester 1 runs from February to June, and Semester 2 from July to November. CHC also offers a Summer Semester for a limited number of its courses. This is a non-standard, non-compulsory teaching period in the academic year, running between December and mid-February, which has fewer teaching weeks than Semesters 1 or 2 and in which selected units are available in Intensive or External modes.
All units in CHC courses carry 10 credit points (cp), unless otherwise indicated. Each credit point indicates an expected student involvement of one hour per week for one semester in both formal contact hours and individual study. Therefore, for each 10 credit point unit, a student is expected to complete 10 hours of study per week for a full semester of 16 weeks.
Completion Within the Expected Duration of Study
Each course at CHC has an expected duration of study based upon the number of units required to complete the course and the full-time study load in each semester (compulsory study periods only) associated with that course. For example, a course which requires 24 units for completion with a full-time study load of four units per semester (compulsory study periods only) will have an expected duration of study of six semesters, or three years.
The expected duration of study of a course is used to determine the course end date which is specified on your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
CHC is able to extend the expected duration of your course in a limited number of circumstances only. These include:
• compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, illness where a medical certificate states that you are unable to attend classes or if CHC is unable to provide a prerequisite unit); or
• CHC has implemented its intervention strategy for students who are at risk of failing to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements (see Satisfactory Course Progress on page 12 of this handbook); or
• an approved period of deferral has been granted due to compassionate or compelling circumstances, or CHC has suspended your enrolment due to misconduct (see Changing your Enrolment on page 55 of this handbook).
Where any of these circumstances result in the expected duration of your course being increased, CHC will notify DEST of this extension and will issue you with a new Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) which indicates a revised expected course end date. Please note that any such change to your expected course end date will require you to apply to DIAC for a new student visa.
Study Loads
Australian student visa conditions require that Overseas students maintain a study load which results in the completion of their course within the expected duration of study. In general, as an Overseas student you will normally need to undertake a standard full-time study load in each semester (compulsory study periods only) in order to complete your course within this timeframe.
However, the conditions of your student visa allows some flexibility in your study program by permitting you to vary your study loads across semesters – that is, to undertake a normal, reduced or increased study load in each study period – as long as you complete your course by the course end date specified on your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
In advising you of a study program to ensure that you complete your course within the expected duration of study, CHC will assume that you will undertake a standard full-time load in each semester (compulsory study periods only) as applicable to your course. Any variations you wish to make to your study load are to be discussed with and approved by your Course Coordinator as early as possible after your enrolment to ensure that you are able to undertake the remaining units in your course in such a way that your course end date is not affected – for example, by enrolling in a Summer Semester, or by enrolling in an increased or reduced study load in Semesters 1 and/or 2 of a year. In proposing any such variations to your study program, you should be aware that not all units are offered in each study period and, consequently, that the schedule of units may not facilitate a variation to your study load.
Modes of Study
Overseas students must generally undertake units of study in the Internal mode: that is, classes which are conducted on campus in a face-to-face context for which classes are scheduled weekly across the semester. Where appropriate, Overseas students may also enrol in units which are offered as Intensives, in which the total number of contact hours for the semester are condensed into a number of whole days. These may be scheduled together as consecutive days, or as a series of one- or two-day sessions at various points during the semester, and may be held both at weekends and during holiday periods. All arrangements regarding Internal and Intensive units, are advertised prior to the beginning of the semester in which they are being offered.
Australian student visa conditions also allow Overseas students to undertake up to 25% of their total course in the External mode: that is, where a unit is offered off campus by distance education. While Overseas students must not enrol exclusively in distance education units in any compulsory study period (at CHC, this is Semester 1 and Semester 2 of a year), they may study entirely by distance education in any non-compulsory study period (at CHC, this is the Summer Semester).
If you wish to undertake units in the External mode, you will need to consult your Course Coordinator for information regarding which of the units in your course are available in this mode and also to ensure that you do not exceed the maximum number of units which you are able to undertake by distance education.
If you reach the final semester of your course and have one unit complete and wish to remain in Australia for this unit, you must undertake it in the Internal mode, unless it is undertaken in the Summer Semester. If this final semester is either Semester 1 or Semester 2 of a year, and the unit is available in the External mode, you may ask CHC to cancel your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) and return to your home country to complete the unit by distance education.
Attendance
As a provider of higher education courses, CHC is not required to monitor your attendance visa compliance purposes. However, you should be aware that CHC does have minimum attendance requirements for units which are offered by Internal mode. These requirements are determined by the School from which the unit is offered, as follows:
• School of Christian Studies: 80% of scheduled classes for each unit
• School of Business: 80% of scheduled classes for each unit
• School of Education and Humanities: 80% of scheduled classes for each unit
• School of Ministries: 90% of scheduled classes for each unit
• School of Social Sciences: 80% of scheduled classes for each unit
You are expected to meet these attendance requirements unless a reason for absence, such as illness, traffic delays, vehicle breakdown or family responsibilities, has been accepted by the unit lecturer. Absences for more than two consecutive days are to be substantiated by a medical certificate for that period.
You should be aware that you may place your results for units in jeopardy, and may even fail a unit, if you are unable to satisfy attendance requirements.
Attendance policies which relate to specific School requirements, such as attendance requirements during practicum or professional experience placements, are contained in the relevant School Student Handbooks.
Satisfactory Course Progress
It is a condition of your student visa that you maintain satisfactory course progress. At CHC, if you fail two or more units in a semester, or if you fail the same unit more than once, you will be identified as being at risk of failing to maintain satisfactory course progress, and a Review of Academic Progress (RAP) will be implemented. The aim of this intervention strategy is to assist you to identify the reasons for you being at risk of failing to maintain satisfactory course progress and to develop an Action Plan to avoid its repetition. This intervention strategy may include reducing your study load to assist you to achieve satisfactory course progress. In the case that this intervention strategy results in an extension to your course end date, CHC will notify DEST of this extension and will issue you with a new Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) which indicates the revised course end date. In such a case, you will need to apply to DIAC for a new student visa (see Completion Within the Expected Duration of Study on page 10 of this handbook).
The Review of Academic Progress for Overseas Students policy can be found on the CHC website.
If, after this intervention strategy is implemented, you again fail two or more units in a semester or fail a further unit more than once, you will be deemed as failing to maintain satisfactory course progress. At this point, CHC will notify you in writing that it intends to report you to DEST for failing to maintain satisfactory course progress and to cancel your enrolment. You will then have 20 working days in which to formally request a review of this decision, as outlined in the Overseas Student Grievances policy (see page 16 of this handbook). CHC will not report you to DEST during this period, or the period of any review process, and your enrolment at CHC will remain active.
Should any review process find in your favour, your enrolment will continue. Should you withdraw from any review process, or should any review process uphold CHC’s intention to report, or following the expiration of the 20 working days without CHC having received a request for a review of this decision, CHC will notify DEST that you have failed to maintain satisfactory course progress. You should be aware that this will have severe implications for your student visa. You will be required to report to a DIAC officer within 28 days of receiving notice that CHC has reported you for failing to maintain satisfactory course progress, or your student visa will be cancelled and you will be required to leave Australia.
Course Assurance Arrangements
CHC has in place Course Assurance arrangements in the event that it cannot continue to provide a course in which Overseas students are enrolled. These arrangements vary according to whether the course concerned is covered by CHC’s Tuition Assurance Scheme (TAS) or by Ministerial Exemption as granted by the Australian Government.
For those courses which are covered by a TAS, the following arrangements apply:
In the unlikely event that CHC is unable to deliver your course in full, you will be offered a refund of all the course money you have paid to date. The refund will be paid to you within two weeks of the day on which the course ceased being provided. Alternatively, you may be offered enrolment in a suitable alternative course by Tabor College, Adelaide or Avondale College at no extra cost to you.
You have the right to choose whether you would prefer a full refund of course fees, or to accept a place in another course. If you choose placement in another course, we will ask you to sign a document to indicate that you accept the placement.
If CHC is unable to provide a refund or place you in an alternative course, our Tuition Assurance Scheme (TAS) with The Australian Council of Independent Vocational Colleges Limited (ACIVC) will place you in a suitable alternative course at no extra cost to you.
Finally, if the ACIVC can not place you in a suitable alternative course, the ESOS Assurance Fund Manager will attempt to place you in a suitable alternative course or, if this is not possible, you will be eligible for a refund as calculated by the Fund Manager.
Overseas students who accept the offer of a place at an alternative institution must accept that offer in writing and will not be paid any refund for the non-delivery of any course at CHC in which they were previously enrolled.
For those courses which are covered by Ministerial Exemption, the following arrangements apply:
In the unlikely event that CHC is unable to deliver your course in full, you will be offered a refund of all the course money you have paid to date. The refund will be paid to you within two weeks of the day on which the course ceased being provided. Alternatively, you may be offered enrolment in an alternative course by Tabor College Adelaide, or Avondale College at no extra cost to you.
You have the right to choose whether you would prefer a refund of course fees, or to accept a place in another course. If you choose placement in another course, we will ask you to sign a document to indicate that you accept the placement.
Finally, should CHC be unable to provide a refund or place you in a suitable alternative course, the ESOS Assurance Fund Manager will attempt to place you in a suitable alternative course or if this is not possible, you will be eligible for a refund as calculated by the Fund Manager.
Code of Conduct
In accordance with its foundation on Christian principles, CHC is concerned to maintain the highest levels of personal and professional, moral and ethical conduct. Further, CHC aims to create a constructive environment for academic achievement, for Christian community and for personal growth. The Scriptures establish basic principles of behaviour and respect, and the basis for dealings among members of the CHC community should be one of mutual respect. The CHC Code of Conduct aims to engender a commitment to these values.
The Code of Conduct encourages all members of the CHC community to recognise the potential of each individual for personal growth and transformation, and acknowledge, with grace, the varied life journeys of individuals. It promotes academic integrity and seeks to allow reasonable freedom for students to pursue study and research and to participate in community life at CHC, as well as respect the property of CHC, the wider COC campus and members of the CHC community. The Code of Conduct also provides clear guidelines regarding the grounds on which any suspension or cancellation of enrolment at CHC may occur.
The CHC Code of Conduct can be found on the CHC website.
Assessment
The courses at Christian Heritage College use a variety of assessment methods including term and research papers, seminar presentations, group work, examinations, field work, practicums and internships. The particular assessment methods which are to be employed in individual units are included in the unit outlines which are distributed to all students at the beginning of each semester. These unit outlines also indicate assessment task due dates and the unit outcomes to which each assessment task relates.
Text Books, Books of Readings and Other Materials
Each unit undertaken as part of a course at CHC will have required text books which form the basis of the reading to be completed by students. These requirements are outlined in the Text Book Lists which are available from the CHC Reception and published on the CHC website prior to the beginning of each semester of study. These text books may be commercially published texts which students are required to purchase, or Books of Readings which CHC supplies to students as part of their tuition fees. Students may also be required to purchase other unit materials where these are part of the learning to be undertaken.
CHC has nominated The American Bookstore as its preferred supplier of commercially published texts. Certain texts may also be available from the CHC Reception. For School of Ministries students, Rivers Book Café is also a preferred supplier. The details for these suppliers are as follows:
• The American Bookstore - Phone: [07] 3229 4677
- Email: info@americanbookstore.com.au
- Web: www.americanbookstore.com.au
• Rivers Book Cafe - Phone: [07] 3343 8888
- Email: riversbookcafe@citipointe.com.au
The American Bookstore website contains a link to a subsidiary company, Text Traders (www.texttraders.com.au), which contains the text book lists for all CHC courses. From the Text Traders home page, select ‘Books/Resources’ from the menu at the top of the page, and then ‘Christian Heritage College’ from the list of institutions which appears. The ‘Locations/Contact’ tab contains a link to the CHC website. You will receive a discount at The American Bookstore when you present your CHC student ID card.
The American Bookstore also sells text books on campus during Week 1 of Semesters 1 and 2.
School of Ministries students may also wish to source their text books through one of the bookstores below:
• Word Bookstore - Phone: [07] 3341 8500
- Web: www.word.com.au
• Koorong Books - Phone: [07] 3896 8777
- Web: www.koorong.com.au
Students are to supply their own stationery and consumable items, such as paper and writing equipment.
Approximately $AUD400 per semester should be allowed for the purchase of text books and other student needs.
