Student Progress and Participation Policy

Created Apr 2020, Reviewed Jun 2020, Dec 2020, Jun 2021, Updated Dec 2021, Reviewed Jun 2021, Updated Jul 2022, Reviewed Jul 2023, Dec 2023

Student Contact Policy

Student Contact 

Policy Statement

Our experience of 25 years (and counting) has shown us that proactive student contact and support is the biggest factor in our success in helping learners reach their goals.

To be effective in delivering quality training and assessment ACCM College:

  • Has established a minimum Student Contact Standard that ensures our staff are being supportive of all students.
  • This requires that staff proactively make contact with students in a professional manner.
  • It requires staff to use a range of student contact methods eg phone, email and SMS.

It is not acceptable for students to not be contacted when there is a reason to contact them and especially if they are not progressing in their course.

How is Contact Managed?

All students will be contacted by phone in each week of the first 6 weeks - which is the onboarding period.

In some situations where we are not able to talk to you - we will send an email instead.

If a student is progressing satisfactorily they should, after that initial onboarding period, expect a phone contact once a month.

If they do not answer our calls - we will instead send an email, but will generally not keep calling unless it is urgent we speak to them.

Students may, of course, contact us at any time for help and do not need to wait for us to call them.

If a student is a little behind we will be in contact normally once every 2 weeks until good progress is re-established.

If a student is well behind, or at risk of not finishing their course on time, it becomes necessary for us to contact them (and their employer if in a Traineeship or employer sponsored course) on a weekly basis with the view to agreeing on a strategy to ensure the course is progressed and they will complete on time.

In addition to phone calls and email, SMS will also be used where it is important that we make contact and we are not seeing a response to other methods.

It is not possible for students to opt out of receiving contact.

 

How is Course Progress Measured?

Webclass counts the number of questions a student does each week.

This information is available to our staff as well as employers of trainees or employer sponsored studies.

It is compared to the Target Questions per week - and this is used to determine if a student is ahead or behind in their course.

Subject due dates will align to this (noting that lots of resubmission of the same questions will mean students can still get behind but seem to be meeting the goal question amount).

Student Participation Policy

Student Participation

Policy Statement

To be effective in delivering quality training and assessment the College:

  • Has established a minimum Student Participation Standard that publishes the expectations to students enrolling in College programs
  • Requires that students interact with the College and respond to College communications in a professional manner
  • Requires a range of student contact points
  • Offers assistance and support to students by phone and email (if suitable) within standard business hours (9am - 5pm EST)
  • Initiates contact with students to motivate their course progress
  • Sets subject assessment due dates and maximum course completion dates
  • Requires appropriate conduct from students in interactions with all College staff and other students.

Why are Student Participation Standards Necessary?

a) The Student Participation Standards advise prospective students on the nature and level of interaction involved to successfully undertake their course before they commit to their enrolment.

b) The standards have been established as College past experience shows that students who actively interact with the College, and make regular progress on their course, have a greater level of course completion

We also recognise that one of the dangers in "distance or online" learning is that people can procrastinate and incorrectly feel they can "do it all in one go". This also means they lose motivation.

The Student Participation Standards

 

Implications if Students Do Not Meet the Participations Standards

a) The College, at its discretion, may discontinue a student's enrolment at any stage, where they are not meeting the Student Participation Standards.

b) Employers of students and trainees will also be advised where an employee/trainee is not meeting the Participation Standards.