Student Attendance Policy

Attendance Requirements

Maintaining satisfactory attendance is vital to ensure students receive satisfactory training and assessment. Students must attend sufficient contact hours to be able to complete the learning and assessment activities and remain enrolled. Additionally it is also a visa condition for all international students.

In addition to receiving this information during the course induction, students receive attendance information, course structures, expected duration and schedules prior to enrolment within:

• Marketing materials

• Letter of Offer and Acceptance Agreements and/or

• Confirmations of Enrolment (CoE)

• The Student Handbook

• The International Prospectus.

Satisfactory Attendance

The term “scheduled course contact hours” mentioned above, will be referred to “contact hours” throughout this document, the contact hours for a course refers to all scheduled:

• Face to face classes

• Course-related information sessions

• Supervised study sessions

• Mandatory and supervised work-based training (Vocational Placement)

• Assessment sessions

• Structured Online tutorials (domestic students only).

Attendance may only be adjusted/put on hold in exceptional circumstances, including but not limited to:

• Compassionate or compelling grounds - including but not limited to:

  • Serious illness or injury with a medical certificate

  • Immediate family illness or bereavement (with documentation produced)

  • Natural disaster

  • Mental trauma

• Change of study mode/load (full time or part time) or Change of study course delivery method (online or face-to-face)

• Change to delivery schedule or training plan (deferral or RPL or Credit Transfer application).

Attendance Monitoring

Strategix monitors attendance to ensure students complete their course/s within the specified and expected duration. When attendance drops below 100%, it cannot and will not increase to a higher percentage. Strategix uses several means to monitor attendance, including:

• Attendance reports (marked daily)

• Automated tracking in aXcelerate

• Classroom attendance monitoring

• Progression monitoring

• Quarterly attendance reports

• Targeted monitoring of students who are “at risk”

• Targeted monitoring of students who are on an Intervention Plan or Catch-up Strategy.

At Risk

Students who do not maintain satisfactory attendance are not meeting their course requirements and are assigned a risk rating of either Low Risk or High Risk.

Consequences of Unsatisfactory Attendance

Consequences of unsatisfactory attendance may include:

• Progression Support Email

• Catch-up activities

• Intervention Meeting

• Intervention Plan

• Cancellation Warning

• Mandated reporting (international students) and or cancellation.

Catch-up Strategy

When contact hours are missed, the student must:

• Demonstrate that sufficient catch-up time/attendance/activities are completed, or

• Attended subsequent/additional sessions to complete designated activities (particularly practical activities)

• Under some circumstances, follow either a Catch-up Strategy or an Intervention Plan.

A Catch-up Strategy can be implemented for a face to face course where a student is absent from contact hours for a maximum 4 consecutive days.

Intervention Plan

When a student is absent for 5 or more consecutive days and/or their attendance drops to 80% (international) or 70% (domestic), whichever occurs first, an intervention meeting and/or Intervention Plan must be organised. Intervention Meetings and Intervention Plans are implemented as per the Intervention Information Sheet.

The intervention meeting is an opportunity to discuss the reasons surrounding the lack of attendance and to develop an Intervention Plan. The Intervention Plan must be followed throughout the remainder the course or until the Plan is fulfilled.

Intent to Cancel

When a student reaches the point where they are no longer able to complete their course in the expected duration, Strategix will notify the student as follows:

• Domestic students - Are notified through the Strategix - Cancellation Warning email, they may have their studies deferred, extended or cancelled

• International students - Will be notified through the Intent to Report email. Up to this point the student must have been following an Intervention Plan and been reminded of their attendance and progression requirements. They may have the option to defer, extend or cancel, but there are limitations of the options available to the student due to visa restrictions outlined in the Student Progress Information Sheet.

Student Attendance Procedure

Recording Attendance

Trainers/assessors are required to record attendance based on the student’s participation in all contact hours each week. The administrative process for recording attendance is outlined in the /wiki/spaces/QD/pages/3037168259.

Attendance must be accurately recorded by:

• 11am for Face to Face classes

• 3pm for Blended classes

• Within 24 hours for Workplace visits.

aXcelerate sends automated email notifications to a student if their attendance is unsatisfactory. If a trainer/assessor neglects to record attendance on time or incorrectly, a student may receive a notification where it is not due.

A student is to be marked as absent when:

• The student missed contact hours for a day

• The student attends minimal contact hours during a day

• International students who are enrolled on a course with VP and who did not attend all scheduled VP for the week or the college in its place.

Monitoring Attendance and Courses of Action

Trainers/assessors are responsible for monitoring student attendance and ensuring students catch up on all missed contact hours. To ensure students are provided with sufficient time to complete the learning and assessment activities, the action required by the trainer/assessor and or student is determined on a case-by-case basis as follows.

Daily Attendance – When a student misses any contact hours, trainers are responsible to ensure the students catch up on the time missed, the action to take is outlined in the /wiki/spaces/QD/pages/3039166631 (Refer to the 99%-81% and 79%-71% bracket requirements in the guide).

Vocational Placement Attendance (International students) – Each week, trainers must sight the VP Record to ensure international students are maintaining their VP and their 20 scheduled course contact hours requirements.

Attendance Milestones – Milestones where additional action is required of the trainer/assessor include:

• International students - attendance drops to 90%, 80%, and 70%

• Domestic students - attendance drops to 80%, 70%.

When a student’s attendance reaches one of the attendance milestones mentioned above, aXcelerate automatically sends an attendance reminder email to the student and administrative assistant.

The administrative assistant will advise the trainer/assessor notification and the trainer/assessor must take action as per the Attendance and Progression Action Guide.

Meetings and Intervention Plan

If a meeting and/or Intervention Plan is required follow this step, if not skip to Step 4 - Post Intervention. In the meeting, decisions on the conditions/requirements of an Intervention Plan must be made on a case-by-case basis. The outcome may differ from one student to the next due to multiple factors such as:

• Being an international or domestic student (i.e., unlike international students, domestic students are not restricted by a student visa and may have additional opportunities and time to catch up)

• The time remaining time on the course.

In some cases, students may have the opportunity for either:

• an extension (extensions are provided in compassionate or compelling circumstances)

• A deferral, or

• A withdrawal.

The meeting is conducted and the Intervention Plan is created or cancellation is actioned (where applicable) as per Intervention Policy and Procedure.

Please note: There are limitations around deferrals, extensions or withdrawals/cancellations for international students due to visa restrictions. Refer to the Student Progress Policy and Procedure.

During the meeting, if a deferral of enrolment is considered necessary due to compassionate or compelling circumstances, the student will be provided with the opportunity to implement it as per the Deferral Policy and Procedure.

Post Intervention

At all times, it is the student’s responsibility to:

• Continue to maintain acceptable attendance

• Follow/Meet any Intervention Plan, which may include attending additional catch-up days

• Follow through on any assistance offered

• Maintain contact with the trainer to monitor/discuss any ongoing concerns.

Appeals and Withdrawal

When a determination has been made to withdraw a student and cancel their enrolment, the student is notified of Strategix's intent to withdraw them through the Strategix - Cancellation warning (Domestic Students) or the Notice of Intention to Report (International Students). The student has may have an opportunity to appeal the decision, the appeal is processed as per the Complaints, Appeals and Consumer Protection Policy and Procedure.

Reporting of Student (International ONLY)

An international student will be reported where:

• The internal and external complaints processes are complete and if the breach has been upheld

• The international student has chosen not to access the internal complaints and appeals process within the 20 working day period

• The international student has chosen not to access the external complaints and appeals process

• The international student withdraws from the internal or external appeals process, by notifying Strategix in writing.

Strategix will notify the student immediately and the student will be reported for unsatisfactory course progress and/or attendance as soon as practicable through PRISMS.

Process Overview/Workflow

The following provides an overview of the Intervention Procedure:

• International Prospectus

• Student Handbook

• Training and Assessment Policy and Procedure

• Student Withdrawal Procedure

• Recording Attendance Policy and Procedure

• Student Catch-Up Policy and Procedure