Credit and Articulation Management Procedure

Intent

This procedure supports the James Cook University (JCU) Coursework Enrolment Policy and guides the management of Credit and Articulation across the organisational units at JCU. It has the following key principles:

• Credit impacts recruitment and should be managed  consistently and effectively.
• Student experience should be central to all credit management processes.
• Precedents are essential to improving the student experience and facilitating quick turnaround.
• Maintaining Precedents is everyone’s responsibility.

Scope

This procedure applies to all organisational units involved in the Credit Transfer Procedure.

Definitions

Except where otherwise indicated in this procedure, the definitions used in this procedure are found in the Policy Glossary or the Coursework Enrolment Policy.

Articulation Agreements: are the arrangements which enable students to progress from a recognised academic program to a James Cook University course with admission and/or Credit in a defined pathway.

Course Credit: In accordance with the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code 2018)   “Exemption from enrolment in a particular part of the course as a result of previous study, experience or recognition of a competency currently held. Includes academic credit and recognition of prior learning”.

Credit: is the value assigned for the recognition of equivalence in content and learning outcomes between different types of learning and/or qualifications. Credit reduces the amount of learning required to achieve a qualification and may be applied via Credit Transfer, articulation, recognition of prior learning or advanced standing.

Credit transfer: is a process that provides students with agreed and consistent Credit outcomes for components of a qualification based on identified equivalence in content and learning outcomes between matched qualifications.

Precedent: approval for credit of prior studies, which may be applied to subsequent Credit applications where the same prior studies exist.

Procedure

1.  Roles and Responsibilities

1.1   Colleges will:

a)   Assess applications not covered by Articulation Agreements or clear and current precedents and determine the level of specified and unspecified Credit awarded within the stipulated timeframes:

• Student Services will forward the application to the nominated college contact within 5 working days of receipt of application; and
• the College will advise Student Services of a decision within 12 working days of receipt of the application from the Enrolments team.

b)  Provide Student Services with Precedents, to facilitate centralised assessment and processing.

c)  Advise Student Services if Precedents and Articulation Agreements can continue to be applied post their nominated expiry date.

d)  Ensure that determination and award of Credit for prior learning outside of a formal agreement is overseen by the Course Coordinator or Academic Advisor.

e)  Propose and review Articulation Agreements with other education providers.

f)  Notify the Partnership Development Officer or equivalent representative of any proposed articulation or Credit Transfer schedule, proposals, or material changes to existing arrangements where relevant and ensuring that the partner institution operate in accordance with the Articulation Agreement.

g)  Monitor the progress of students granted Credit from partner institutions and making recommendations for change to the Credit assessment process.

h)  Adhere to agreed timeframes to ensure the student experience is consistent and professional.

1.2  Course Coordinators / Academic Advisors will advise students about outbound exchange subject options to ensure the student makes appropriate study choices and does not prolong their degree unnecessarily.

1.3   Student Services will:

a)   Maintain a current list of approved Credit arrangements on the University’s public website.

b)   Process Credit applications covered by an Articulation Agreement or where there are clear and current precedents.

c)   Communicate with students (including prospective students) about their Credit outcome/s.

d)   Record Credit granted or not granted in individual student records.

e)   Ensure applications not covered by an Articulation Agreement or that are unprecedented are forwarded to the Colleges for assessment.

f)   Notify nominated staff of course length reduction where international students have been approved Credit to assist with compliance under section 19 of the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act.

g)   Maintain a process for international students at a JCU Australia campus to accept a record of Course Credit granted under the National Code 2018, standard 2.4.

h)   Notify the International Compliance Officer (Sponsored Students) when Credit is granted for students originating from the US to comply with United States (US) Government financial aid reporting requirements.

i)   Provide academic divisions regularly with reports of expiring Precedents.

j)   Apply Credit to student records who complete outbound cross institutional or exchange studies as per the Outbound Mobility Procedure.

1.4   In the case of new student admissions or existing students, International Student Support will issue revised Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) as per section 19 of the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act for international students who have had a course length reduction due to approved Credit.

1.5   Directors, Academic Quality and Strategy for each Division will analyse performance metrics reports supplied by Student Services and develop continuous improvement strategies, for processing times and timeframe compliance.

2.   Approved Precedents & Articulation Agreements

2.1 Formal agreements and Precedents should be documented, and related Credit schedules made available to students on the University website.

2.2 Articulation Agreements: Articulation Agreements are designed to ensure consistency in agreements with both higher education providers and vocational education and training providers, whether Australian or overseas, and whether public or private.

Articulation Agreements help students transition to JCU, and they typically involve (but are not limited to) an agreement to award block Credit or Credit. The Credit Calculator shows Credit that may be allocated to a JCU course, based on previous studies at a recognised tertiary institution.   Colleges and Partnerships Development Officer will advise Student Services of new or updated agreements or changes.   Student Services will update SMS of the changes, these changes will integrate with the Credit Calculator.

2.3 Precedents:  Precedents are designed to ensure consistency is evident when assessing and providing Credit outcomes for individual subjects.

Precedents are to be promoted within the Credit Calculator, available to prospective and current students on the JCU website.

a)   Academic Divisions assess the subject and advise a nominated timeframe of automatic approval (pre-approval), and any related conditions on that approval.

b)   Once a Precedent is approved by the Academic Divisions it will be entered into the Student Management System (SMS) by Student Services and will integrate with the Credit Calculator.  A copy of the email approving the subject will be saved to TRIM.

c)   If a pre-approved subject has a name change or code change, it will be sent by Student Services to the Academic Divisions for review.

d)   Student Services will provide the Academic Divisions a report on Precedents that are expiring.

e)   The Academic Divisions are to advise Student Services whether an expired Precedent will be maintained or discontinued.  If no advice is provided the Precedent will be discontinued.

f)   Student Services will update and remove expired Precedents from the Credit Calculator.

2.4   Reporting:.To ensure continuous improvement and compliance with credit procedure timeframes, regular performance metrics, by discipline, will be published by the Associate Director, Student Enrolment and Client Services, for the Director, Academic Quality and Strategy for DTES and DTHM and Director, Student Services.

Related policy instruments

Coursework Enrolment Policy

Coursework Enrolment Procedure

Course Transfer Procedure

Credit Transfer Procedure

Defence Force, National Service and Elite Athlete Friendly University Procedure

Outbound Mobility Procedure

Related documents

Course and Subject Handbook

Administration

NOTE:  Printed copies of this procedure are uncontrolled, and currency can only be assured at the time of printing.

Approval Details

Revision History

Approval date - the date the Policy Sponsor approved the establishment, minor or major amendment or disestablishment

Implementation Date - the date the procedure was published in the Policy Library and is the date the procedure takes effect