Last updated: 16/01/2019 Student Policy
Contents Student Policy... 1 1. General... 3 1.1 Introduction... 3 1.2 Our Tutors... 3 1.3 Student Policy... 3 2. Admission and Enrolment... 4 2.1 Entry Requirements... 4 2.2 Cancellation of Enrolment... 4 2.3 When enrolment becomes official... 5 2.4 Enrolment provisions for specific student groups... 5 3. Paying Fees... 6 3.1 Payment methods... 6 3.2 Interest-free payment plan... 6 3.3 Liability for unpaid fees... 6 3.4 Fees paid by a company or other third-party... 6 4. Transfers and Course Deferral... 7 4.1 Course transfers... 7 4.2 Course Deferral... 7 4.3 Course extension... 7 5. Refunding Fees... 8 5.1 Refund Policy... 8 5.2 Refunds on compassionate or exceptional grounds... 8 6. Assessment and Academic requirements... 9 6.1 General Principles... 9 6.2 Assessment Guidelines... 9 6.3 Plagiarism... 9 6.4 Passes and grades... 10 6.5 Restricted Pass... 10 6.6 Grading... 10 6.7 Completion of course... 10 6.8 Moderation... 10 7. Student Support Resources... 11 7.1 Student add-ons... 11 8. Comments and Complaints... 11 8.1 General... 11 Appendix 1: Debitsuccess Terms and Conditions... 12 2
1. General 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 Welcome to The Career Academy, Australia s leading provider of online courses. We are excited that you have decided to join us and look forward to a happy and successful partnership together. 1.1.2 We aim to provide students with an outstanding online learning experience that will empower you to embrace new opportunities and advance your career. We want to ensure that your interactions with The Career Academy reflect the values that we place on mentoring, inspiring and supporting students through their training. 1.2 Our Tutors 1.2.1 Our tutors work hard to meet the students expectations and strive to deliver high quality education support. They are either qualified in the National Certificate in Adult Education and Training or currently completing this qualification. The team is led by the Global Academic Manager Jessie Nankivell. Jessie is a qualified chartered accountant with expertise in course development and certified XERO expert, and is passionate with experience in education delivering and designing inspiring and informative courses. 1.3 Student Policy 1.3.1 The Student Policy is for students enrolled into online courses with The Career Academy and its purpose is to provide a framework that outlines essential and useful information to its students. This includes: To define the responsibilities of the Students To define the responsibilities of the Academic Team To define the responsibilities and authorities of The Career Academy To define the rules and regulations of The Career Academy 1.3.2 The Student Policy is created for the purpose of ensuring students with The Career Academy are treated fairly and equitably. 1.3.3 The Career Academy is committed to providing a high-quality learning environment and all policies are intended to be with relevant legislation. 3
2. Admission and Enrolment 2.1 Entry Requirements 2.1.1 All students will be considered for enrolment at The Career Academy, unless on a student visa, but please ensure you ve advised the team if there are Medical Conditions or other problems that may prevent you from completing the course. 2.1.2 If on any other visa at the time of enrolment, it is the students responsibility to maintain that visa for the duration of their course. If there are any changes, the student must contact The Career Academy at info@thecareeracademy.com.au 2.1.3. Those students residing in New Zealand will need to send through supporting documentation before enrolment is confirmed. This comprises of: Passport page Visa stamp or E-Visa and Photo of New Zealand first entry date 2.1.4 Enrolment is confirmed once the student accepts The Career Academy s student policy, uploads their supporting documentation (if required) and receives their login details through a welcome email. The student has deemed to have received the email at the end of the day and will be their enrolment date. 2.1.5 There are no academic prerequisites for The Career Academy courses, however in order to be considered for enrolment at TCA a student must meet English proficiency requirements (IELTS 5.5 or above). 2.1.6 As an online education provider, The Career Academy does have minimum technical requirements; before signing up to commence their course students will need to ensure they have Microsoft Office. Without Microsoft Office students will be unable to open or submit their assignments. 2.2 Cancellation of Enrolment 2.2.1 If a student would like to cancel their enrolment, or downgrade their course, they must email their cancellation request to info@careeracademy.com.au. If a student is within their 10-day cooling off period they will receive contact from the team within 3 working days. If outside, they will receive contact within 10 working days. 2.2.2 To be eligible for a refund of the course fees the student must meet the following conditions: To receive a full refund of the course fees the student must submit their cancellation request within 10 working days of the enrolment date. The enrolment date is the date the student receives their Welcome email and Learning Platform login details as defined in section 2.1.4. Refunds will only be processed on 20 th of each month. A student will be liable to pay the full amount of the course fees if they cancel after 10 days of enrolment. 4
2.2.3 The student can appeal the full payment of fees if there are mitigating circumstances and their appeal will be reviewed by the Managing Director. His decision will be final and no further consideration will be given to the students appeal. 2.2.4 As an alternative to cancelling students can opt to suspend their course start date for a up to 3 months, subject to management approval. Payments for the course fees will commence on their new start date. 2.2.5 The Career Academy may refuse to permit or may cancel the enrolment of students who are not of good character (including, but not limited to, having a bad debt history or a history of breaching The Career Academy rules or regulations). 2.2.6 Graduation Registration Fees Cancellation If a student would like to cancel their Graduation registration and not attend the event, they must email the cancellation request to ca@thecareeracademy.com no later than 30 days prior to the Graduation event date. The Graduation date is the date publicly advertised to all students each year. Refunds will only be processed on 20 th of each month. Note this clause applies to the Graduation Registration Fee only. Course fee cancellations are still subject to the conditions found in clause 2.3 2.3 When enrolment becomes official 2.3.1 Enrolment becomes official once the student: Accepts and signs the Student Policy as advised by their student advisor; Sends through their supporting documentation as per 2.1.3 (if required); and Receives their Learning Platform login email as defined in section 2.1.4. 2.4.2 If on an interest free payment plan (see 3.2.2) the student will also need to pay a nonrefundable $50 payment plan establishment fee. 2.4 Enrolment provisions for specific student groups 2.4.1 Students under 18 not affiliated with their school will need verbal parental consent and a signed declaration, and proof of support of payment of fees before they can enrol in The Career Academy 5
3. Paying Fees 3.1 Payment methods 3.1.1 Student can pay for their courses via the following methods: Full online payment by credit card Full online payment by direct bank transfer Interest-free payment plan with Debit success And will need to confirm on enrolment they have the required authority to operate the relevant bank account. 3.2 Interest-free payment plan 3.2.1 If you have selected an Interest-free Debitsuccess payment plan, you are deemed to have accepted Debitsuccess terms and conditions. See appendix 1 for the complete T&Cs. 3.3 Liability for unpaid fees 3.3.1 Students who do not pay their fees on time: authorises The Career Academy to notify any debt collection or credit reporting agency upon default by the Customer in regard to any obligation to pay under this Student Policy; agrees to immediately pay the full outstanding balance of the remainder of the payments due, including any current arrears, should a default occur prior to student fees having been paid; agrees to pay any and all costs incurred as a result of debt collection including the commission, fees and costs charged by any debt collection agency and any associated court costs such as Disputes Tribunal fees; will be referred to Illion (formerly Dun & Bradstreet) 13 23 33 3.3.2 The Career Academy will suspend a student s account if they miss two consecutive payments, or their account becomes significantly overdue. It will be at the discretion of the Credit Control team when the overdue student can access their course again. 3.4 Fees paid by a company or other third-party 3.4.1 Companies or other third parties, who have confirmed that they are paying a student s fees by producing an order number or a letter confirming payment, are liable for any outstanding fees, including where the student withdraws or transfers their enrolment. This applies even if the student no longer works or that company. 6
4. Transfers and Course Deferral 4.1 Course transfers 4.1.1 Students may apply to transfer between courses of equal value within a month of enrolment. 4.1.2 However, students can only transfer between courses once. If a student requests a second transfer, or wishes to transfer outside of the one month period, it will need to be approved by Senior Management and an administration fee of $100 + GST will be charged. 4.2 Course Deferral 4.2.1 Students can defer their course start date for up to 3 months, subject to management approval. Payments for the course fees will be suspended until they resume their studies. 4.2.2 Students are only allowed to suspend their course once during their studies. 4.2.3 Students enrolled in more than one course can request to have certain courses suspended until they have completed their first course. 4.3 Course extension 4.3.1 The courses we offer are designed to be completed within a six, twelve or eighteen month time frame depending on the course. 4.3.2 The enrolment date is the date the student receives their Welcome email and Learning Platform login details. From that date students have 6 months to complete their Certificate or Diploma in Xero or MYOB course and 12 months to complete their Diploma and Pathway courses. However, the Administration Pathway, Accounting Pathway and Accounts Admin & Payroll Pathways are all 18 months. 4.3.3 If students fail to complete their course within the required timeframe their course will be suspended in Learning Platform and they will cease to have access to the content. Access will resume only after students have paid for a course extension from the student services department. As per 2.1.3, we require supporting documentation for all New Zealand residing students, and as such an extension will not be applied until satisfactory identification has been received. 4.3.4 Students can either: Continue in their existing course for $100, with a 3 month extension, but must accept that the existing course may exclude recent updates. Transfer onto a newer course (if one is available), but the student will have to start their studies from the beginning. The student is able to use the 20% returning student discount when re-enrolling. 4.3.5 Students will only be eligible for one course extension (but can re-enrol as many times as they require), and this will be valid from the day it s processed. The team are always on hand to discuss your progress, but please apply for your course extension close to your completion date. 4.3.6 The tutor team will mark assessments within 3 5 working days and are unable to cater for bulk uploads from students in their last fortnight. The team will only be able to mark 4 assessments within the last two weeks of a students course. 7
5. Refunding Fees 5.1 Refund Policy 5.1.1 The following table outlines TCA refund policy Circumstances Refunds Establishment Fee Cancellation of course within 10 days of the enrolment date 100% refund of course fees plus add-on costs $50 non-refundable Cancellation of course after 10 days of the enrolment date No refund Nil 5.2 Refunds on compassionate or exceptional grounds 5.2.1 No refunds will be made after the refund periods stated in the above table except on compassionate grounds where the student s ability to study and complete their course has been significantly affected by events beyond their control, including but not limited to: Illness; Injury; or Circumstances deemed exceptional by the Managing Director 5.2.2 To be considered for a refund on compassionate or exceptional grounds the student must provide appropriate documentary evidence. Only refunds up to 70% of total fees will be given if approved. 8
6. Assessment and Academic requirements 6.1 General Principles 6.1.1 Assessments at The Career Academy have been designed to test student s knowledge of the course content in a fair and equitable manner. 6.1.2 It is the student s responsibility to familiarize themselves with assessment regulations and requirements for their course. 6.1.3 Academic integrity is a central philosophy of The Career Academy and we expect our staff and students to adhere to our values of honesty, trust, responsibility, fairness and respect when engaging in teaching and learning. 6.2 Assessment Guidelines 6.2.1 Assessments submitted by students must be their own work. Our courses are offered on the basis of trust, assuming the good intentions, integrity, and moral character of our students. If there is a question about whether a student has submitted work that is not their own The Career Academy will review the information and decide what action to take. 6.2.2 For each module the students learning will be accessed via a written assessment and/or a quiz. 6.2.3 Tutors will mark the assessment according to marking schedules and the student will receive a pass, fail or resubmit required grade for their assessment and a percentage grade for their quiz. 6.2.4 Students are allowed a maximum of three submissions per assessment, to ensure that students are diligently working through the course notes, and taking on board the feedback provided by the tutor team. 6.2.5 If a student doesn t pass on their third attempt, their work will be reviewed by the senior management team. Depending on the quality of work produced and the students progress so far to date, they will either: 1. be able to purchase one more attempt at that specific assignment for $100 + GST 2. need to repurchase the course and begin from topic one if they wish to complete and achieve their certificate 3. be able to receive an exit qualification. Rather than re-enrolling or paying for another attempt, the student can elect to receive an Academic Transcript of the modules completed, or the individual certificates if completing a diploma course. 6.2.6 If students purchase the additional attempt and don t pass, options 2 and 3 will apply. 6.3 Plagiarism 6.3.1 Plagiarism is not tolerated at The Career Academy and it is the student s responsibility to become aware of The Career Academy rules on plagiarism. 6.3.2 Plagiarism is defined as: Copy and pasting text directly from The Career Academy course material. Copy and pasting text or visual images from other resources. Submitting another student s work in whole or in part and claiming it is your own work. Submitting work that has been written by someone else on the student s behalf. 9
6.3.3 If a student submits work that is deemed as plagiarized they will be required to resubmit the assessment. Students will be given a warning and if they continue to submit work that is not their own they will fail their course and will not receive a certificate of achievement. 6.3.4 Students must answer questions using their own words. 6.4 Passes and grades 6.4.1 In courses where a competency is based on an assessment the student will either receive a pass, resubmit required or fail grade. 6.4.2 In courses where a competency in based on a quiz the student will either receive a pass or fail grade. The pass mark is 80%. 6.5 Restricted Pass 6.5.1 Students who marginally fail an assessment may be considered for a restricted pass or allowed one more submission. Restricted passes will not be available for every assessment or course. 6.5.2 It will be at the discretion of the tutor manager and academic team to decide if a student is eligible for a restricted pass. The decision will be based on the student s progress and performance throughout their course. 6.5.3 Students will be granted no more than two restricted passes per course. 6.6 Grading 6.6.1 Tutors aim to grade assignments within 3-5 working days. However, it can take longer depending on the volume of assessments to mark. 6.6.2 Students will receive an email notifying them that their assessment has been graded. 6.6.3 Students can appeal their final grade if they fail their third attempt within 10 working days of receiving their grade. They may apply in writing to have their work and the marking reviewed by the tutor manager. 6.7 Completion of course 6.7.1 A Certificate of Achievement will be only be issued to students when they have paid their fees in full. 6.7.2 Once fees have been paid in full students will be able to access their Certificate of Achievement from their Learning Platform. Hard copies can be requested for a fee. 6.7.3 The Career Academy does not issue Academic Transcripts for its courses however upon request we can arrange an overview of a student s academic achievement with The Career Academy. 6.8 Moderation 6.8.1 All summative assessments submitted by students will be subject to internal and external moderation. 10
7. Student Support Resources 7.1 Student add-ons 7.1.1 We are committed to helping improve our students learning experience with products to support their studies. These can be purchased via credit card, bank transfer or can be added to your payment plan (your weekly payments will not change). http://www.careeracademy.com.au/add-ons/ 8. Comments and Complaints 8.1 General 8.1.1 The Career Academy encourages and welcomes student feedback as we are always aiming to improve and growing as a learning institute. 8.1.2 The Career Academy is committed to ensuring the Student Policy stays abreast of relevant legislation changes. Please check the website or learning platform regularly for the most up to date version. 8.1.2 Complaints can be emailed to our student services and academic management team at complaints@thecareeracademy.com. 8.1.3 All complaints will be dealt with by either the tutor manager, sales manager and/or the directing manager. 8.1.4 At the end of every course students are encouraged to provide feedback on the course and their learning experience. Students should inform our administrator (studentservices@careeracademy.com.au) if they would prefer that their feedback was not used for marketing purposes 8.1.5 On requesting an Information Pack students will receive a complementary phone consultation with a course adviser. Students will also be automatically added to The Career Academy enews database. Students should advise our administrator (info@careeracademy.com.au) if they do not wish to receive Career Academy updates. 11
Appendix 1: Debitsuccess Terms and Conditions Introduction This document outlines the rights and responsibilities you have with regard to the ability of Debitsuccess to directly debit your nominated bank account or credit card for any instalments or payments due by you under the terms and conditions of this Contract. All communication relating to this Contract are to be sent directly to Debitsuccess. All queries regarding the provision of the Services should be directed to the Facility. Definitions In this Contract, the words and phrases referred to below are defined as follows: Commencement Date means the date that the Facility provides the Services to the Customer or such other date as agreed by the Facility and the Customer. Contract means these terms and conditions together with the conditions of instruction to accept direct debits. Customer or you means the person or party signing this Contract. Debitsuccess means Debitsuccess Limited: Email: customerservice@debitsuccess.com Facility means the organisation providing the Services and/or its franchisees, as applicable. Facility Membership Agreement means any terms, conditions and contractual agreements made between the Facility and the Customer. Services means the services to be provided by the Facility pursuant to which this Contract relates. For the purposes of this Contract, Services means an entitlement to use the Services provided by the Facility and does not mean the actual use of the Services. Term This Contract will commence on the Commencement Date and will continue until all instalments and payments due have been paid in full, unless terminated earlier in accordance with clause 4. Early termination This Contract may be terminated at any time with the agreement of the Facility. The Customer shall not consider that this Contract has been terminated until such time as termination is confirmed in writing to the Customer by Debitsuccess and/or the Facility to the last address of the Customer that Debitsuccess has on record. Termination of this Contract will also terminate the instruction to accept direct debits. Further customer agreements The Customer agrees that: Change in Facility details the Customer s obligations under this Contract are not affected by a reasonable change in the normal location where the Services are ordinarily provided, a reasonable change in the location of the Facility s premises, a change in the ownership of the Facility, or a change in the name of the Facility; and Rights conditional the Customer s rights to the Services are conditional upon he or she: complying with any rules and conditions of the Facility relating to the Services; and making any payments required under this Contract when due. Payments As consideration for receipt of the Services, the Customer agrees to pay the instalment amount at the agreed payment frequency for the term of this Contract. The Customer may alter the payment frequency and/or day to debit by requesting a change with Debitsuccess. However, any changes shall not affect the total amount of money the Customer would otherwise be required to pay. Should there be any payments in arrears, the Customer authorises Debitsuccess to debit the outstanding balance in order to bring the account up to date. The balance to settle in Debit Success reflects the minimum number of payments as per payment schedule and not as per the contractual amount. Administration Fee A one-off administration fee is payable by the Customer on signing this Contract. The Customer authorises Debitsuccess to add any fees owing under this clause, to the initial instalment to be paid by the Customer (as a separate payment or otherwise) or to such other instalments as Debitsuccess may, at its sole discretion, decide. Late Payment Fee A late payment fee of the amount indicated on the front of this Contract is payable by the Customer to 12
Debitsuccess for each reversal of a payment initiated by Debitsuccess in accordance with this Contract. The Customer authorises Debitsuccess to add any fees owing under this clause to any future instalments paid by the Customer (as a separate payment or otherwise). Privacy The Customer acknowledges that: Debitsuccess is entitled to store his or her personal information (whether received from the Customer, the Facility or otherwise) on its systems, and use it for the purposes of administering this Contract, providing its products and services, or offering alternative products and services; he or she has rights of access to, and correction of, his or her information under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth); and Debitsuccess (or the Facility) may contact the Customer for any purpose related to the provision of its products and services. Liability The Customer agrees that, to the extent permitted by law, neither the Facility, Debitsuccess or any of their related companies, directors or employees will be liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential injury, loss or damage to the Customer, or to the property of the Customer whatsoever, arising out of or in relation to this Contract. Debt Collection Action The Customer: authorises the Debitsuccess to notify any debt collection or credit reporting agency upon default by the Customer in regard to any obligation to pay under this Contract; agrees to immediately pay the full outstanding balance of the remainder of the payments due, including any current arrears, should a default occur prior to this Contract terminating; authorises Debitsuccess to add $50 to the outstanding debt as its fee for dealing with the default; and agrees to pay any and all costs incurred as a result of debt collection including the commission, fees and costs charged by any debt collection agency (approximately 25% of the outstanding debt). Contracts Privity The Customer acknowledges that Debitsuccess has been contracted by the Facility to collect the instalments due under this Contract and the Customer acknowledges that all rights of the Facility pursuant to this Contract are able to be enforced by Debitsuccess as if it were the Facility, without any involvement on the part of the Facility or the consent of the Customer. Entire Agreement This Contract and the Facility Membership Agreement (as applicable) constitutes the entire agreement, understanding and arrangement (express and implied) between the Customer, the Facility and Debitsuccess relating to the subject matter of this Contract, and supersedes and cancels any previous agreement, understanding and arrangement relating to the subject matter of these arrangements whether written or oral. In the event of any inconsistency between the terms of this Contract and the Facility Membership Agreement that specifically relate to the rights and obligations of the Facility (other than any right to unilaterally vary fees payable), the terms of the Facility Membership Agreement shall prevail. Severability If any provision of this Contract is prohibited, invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be ineffective to the extent of the prohibition, invalidity or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions of this Contract or affecting the validity or enforceability of that provision, unless it materially alters the nature or material terms of this Contract. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE DEBITSUCCESS DIRECT DEBIT REQUEST (DDR) SERVICE AGREEMENT INITIAL TERMS Debitsuccess will debit your nominated account for the amounts and at the frequency of payments as agreed between us on the Debitsuccess DDR Contract, authorised and accepted by you. CHANGE OF TERMS In the unlikely event that the initial terms are to change, they can only do so in accordance with your Contract and we must give you at least 14 days notice of the changes including if applicable the new amount, new frequency and next debit date. DEFERRING OR STOPPING A PAYMENT Should you wish to defer a payment to another date you must contact Debitsuccess before the date of that payment to request the deferment. Deferments are entirely at the discretion of Debitsuccess and will depend on the length of deferment, the current state of your account and your past history. You may request us to stop an individual payment however you will still be liable to make this payment by some other method or your account will become overdue 13
ALTERING THE SCHEDULE Should you wish to alter the payment frequency or Day to Debit, contact Debitsuccess and we, at our discretion, may be able to make the changes you require. There may be a fee charged for this service (details of any fees payable can be obtained by contacting Debitsuccess). Any changes made will not affect the total amount you would otherwise have paid over the minimum term of your Contract. SUSPENDING THE PAYMENTS Suspension of payments may be possible under the terms of your Facility Membership Agreement. Payments may be suspended for a minimum of 2 weeks at a time so long as the total time suspended within the minimum term does not exceed 6 weeks. In order to suspend payments you should contact Debitsuccess at least 3 days prior to the date of the first suspended payment. There is a charge of $5.00 per week while the contract is suspended unless a different fee is specified on the front of this Contract. Any time spent on suspension will be added onto the minimum term of the Contract so that the sum of the instalments payable for the minimum term or number of payments shall still be payable regardless of any suspension or suspension charges made. may, if we have not received instructions to the contrary from you, debit both the current due payment and the now overdue payment(s) on the same day. Debitsuccess may debit other fees or costs involved with debt collection in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract. ENQUIRIES All enquiries should be directed to Debitsuccess and should be made at least 1 working day prior to the next scheduled debit date. YOUR OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES In addition to those already mentioned, you are responsible for ensuring that your nominated account is able to accept direct debits. If it is not, it is your responsibility to provide Debitsuccess with a new account number CANCELLING THE PAYMENTS You can cancel this Direct Debit Request Authority by requesting this of Debitsuccess or your bank. Cancellation of the authority to debit your account will not terminate this contract or remove your liability to make the payments you have agreed to. DISPUTES If you dispute any debit payment, you must notify Debitsuccess immediately. Debitsuccess will respond to your dispute within 7 working days and will immediately refund the amount of the debit if we are not able to substantiate the reason for it. If you do not receive a satisfactory response from us to your dispute contact your financial institution who will respond to you with an answer to your claim within 5 business days if your claim is lodged within 12 months of the disputed drawing, or within 30 business days if your claim is lodged after 12 months from the disputed drawing. NON WORKING DAY When the day to debit falls on a weekend or public holiday the debit will be initiated on the next working day. DISHONOURED PAYMENTS It is your responsibility to ensure that on the due date clear funds are available in your nominated account to meet the direct debit payment. Should your payment be dishonoured, Debitsuccess will debit the amount indicated on the front of this Contract with your next payment and 14