• Section 1 - Purpose
• Date of taking effect
• Scope
• References
• Section 2 - Glossary
• Section 3 - Policy
• Section 4 - Procedure
• Detailed criteria for deciding a student’s academic progress stage
• Matters that will be considered in academic progress decisions
• Key subjects
• Delayed assessment of academic progress
• Exemptions from maximum time for elite athletes and performers
• Process at each academic progress stage
• Stage one – support offered
• Stage two – support required
• Stage three – considered for exclusion
• Management of academic progress in deliveries with third parties
• Suspension of a student from workplace learning
• Appeals against exclusion
• Appeal decision-making
• Notification of external appeal avenue to international students
• Section 5 - Guidelines

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This procedure supports the Assessment Policy by stating requirements for monitoring and management of students’ academic progress in coursework courses.

Date of taking effect

(2) This procedure will take effect in sessions that begin on or after 1 January 2021. In sessions that begin before that date, the Academic Progress Policy and International Full Fee-Paying Students – Monitoring Course Progress Policy will continue to apply.

Scope

(3) This procedure applies only to students enrolled in coursework courses, and to staff.

(4) The Higher Degree by Research Policy states academic progress requirements for higher degree by research candidates.

References

(5) Where a supporting document is referenced in this procedure, it will be listed on the associated information tab.

Section 2 - Glossary

(6) The terms used in this procedure are defined in the glossary section of the Assessment Policy.

Section 3 - Policy

(7) This procedure supports the Assessment Policy and should be read alongside it.

Section 4 - Procedure

(8) The Division of Student Administration (DSA) will review all students’ academic progress after each session. Where, however, a student is enrolled in only one subject per session, the DSA will review the student’s academic progress once the student has completed 12 months of enrolment comprising two or more sessions of enrolment.

(9) The Assessment Policy states the three stages of academic progress for students who do not maintain satisfactory academic progress. The process for students at each stage of academic progress is stated below.

Detailed criteria for deciding a student’s academic progress stage

(10) The Division of Student Administration will apply the criteria in the table below to identify students whose academic progress is unsatisfactory. These are more detailed versions of the criteria for academic progress monitoring stated in the Assessment Policy.

1. A student who meets a criterion will be subject to the actions indicated in the table. 
2. In applying these criteria, subjects with FNS (fail non-submission) grades are counted as failed subjects.

Matters that will be considered in academic progress decisions

(11) A student’s whole academic record in the course will be considered in a decision whether the student’s academic progress is satisfactory, and in any decision on whether to exclude the student, including:

1. subjects the student completed before any previous exclusion from the course, even if the student appealed against the exclusion and it was overturned, and
2. any previous exclusion of the student from any Charles Sturt University course for unsatisfactory academic progress.
3. Where a student has already been assessed as being at an academic progress stage in a course and transfers to a different course, they will remain at the same academic progress stage in the new course.

Key subjects

(12) Where the list of key subjects in a course is changed as the result of changes to the course, the old list of key subjects continues to apply to students already enrolled in the course.

1. A new key subject can only be applied to the student if it is a close equivalent in content and learning outcomes to a subject it has replaced in the course structure, which was identified as a key subject when the student enrolled in the course.
2. Where a new subject is nominated as a key subject, which is significantly different from the key subjects that were identified when the student enrolled, it does not apply to them.

Delayed assessment of academic progress

(13) Assessment of a student’s academic progress and any resulting process or decision may be delayed until:

1. grades for additional assessments, additional exams, deferred exams, assessments still in progress or pending grades have been converted to achievement grades,
2. grades have been changed,
3. grades have been published late because of administrative delay, and/or
4. grades have been corrected.

Exemptions from maximum time for elite athletes and performers

(14) The Deputy Dean of the teaching faculty may extend the maximum time for a student to complete their course, where the student is registered by the University as an elite athlete or performer.

Process at each academic progress stage

(15) All actions in the processes in this section will be recorded in the University's centrally managed system.

1. Staff interacting with students as part of academic progress management will attach those communications, or notes of them, to the student’s record in the system.
2. Where students seek support from a central service to improve their academic progress, the service will record that fact in the system.

Stage one – support offered

(16) Where the Division of Student Administration (DSA) identifies a student as being at stage one – support offered, the following process will occur.

1. The DSA will inform the relevant faculty of students who are at stage one and thus may approach the faculty for an academic advice interaction.
2. The Student Communication Team will communicate to the student informing them:
   1. that they have not maintained satisfactory academic progress (stating which criterion they have met), and are now at the first stage of academic progress management, where they are being offered support,
   2. that they have the option of contacting their faculty (giving details for them to make the contact) to request an academic advice interview, to identify the factors preventing them from making satisfactory progress and develop an improvement plan, and
   3. of services such as Academic Skills, Counselling and the Library that may also help them address any issues that are impeding their academic progress.
3. The faculty will provide academic advice to students who request it and collaborate with them to develop and agree on an improvement plan.
4. The faculty will send students who have received advice a copy of the agreed improvement plan.

Stage two – support required

(17) Where the Division of Student Administration (DSA) identifies a student as being at stage two – support required, the following process will occur.

1. The DSA will generate a new report and inform the faculty of students enrolled in courses managed by the faculty who are at stage two and thus must have an academic advice interaction.
2. The Student Communication Team will communicate to the student informing them that:
   1. they have not maintained satisfactory academic progress (stating which criterion they have met), and are now at the second stage of academic progress management, where they must take part in an academic advice interaction to be able to continue their studies, and
   2. the faculty will invite them to the academic advice interaction.
3. The faculty will instruct the student to take part in an academic advice interaction, which may be face to face, online, by video conference, phone or email.
4. The faculty will use the advice interaction to:
   1. identify the issues that are impeding the student’s academic progress, and
   2. collaborate with the student to develop and agree on an improvement plan. 
5. After the academic advice interaction, the faculty will send the student the agreed improvement plan and warn them that if they do not improve their progress, but again make unsatisfactory academic progress, they will be considered for possible exclusion.
6. The faculty will notify the DSA of students who have not participated in their academic advice interaction.
7. Where a student has not participated in their academic advice interaction, the DSA will:
   1. place a hold on their access to results and their ability to change their enrolment, and
   2. inform the student that these holds have been placed but that they will be removed after the faculty confirms that the student has participated in an academic advice interaction.

Stage three – considered for exclusion

(18) Where the Division of Student Administration (DSA) identifies a student as being at stage three – considered for exclusion, the following process will occur.

1. The DSA will generate a new report and inform the faculty of students enrolled in courses managed by the faculty who are at stage three and thus must be considered for exclusion.
2. The Student Communication Team will communicate to the student informing them that:
   1. they have again not maintained satisfactory academic progress (stating which criteria they have met), and are now at the third stage of academic progress management, where they will be considered for possible exclusion by the faculty academic progress committee,
   2. they have an opportunity to make a written submission of reasons why they should not be excluded,
   3. this is not an appeal process but an opportunity to explain their situation before the decision is made; if the decision is to exclude them, they will have an appeal opportunity after that, and
   4. they have seven calendar days from the date of this communication to send the written submission to the faculty (giving the faculty contact details for the submission).
3. The faculty academic progress committee will meet to consider the list of students for exclusion, any written submissions they have received by the deadline and any information from course staff that may inform the decision whether to exclude.
   1. This meeting will be timed so that exclusion decisions are made before the census date in the session immediately after the one in which students did not meet academic progress criteria, leading them to be classified at stage three.
   2. Where, however, students’ results have been delayed, the committee may meet again later to decide on exclusions of students who now meet criteria to be classified at stage three.
   3. The Assessment Policy states that the committee has discretion not to exclude a student where it considers that they will have a reasonable likelihood of success in the course.
4. The faculty will provide DSA with the list of students whom the faculty academic progress committee has decided are to be excluded. The Student Communication Team will communicate to each student on the list of:
   1. the exclusion decision, and
   2. their right of reply to the faculty against the decision, the grounds of appeal and the time-frame within they must submit the appeal for it to be considered.
5. The DSA will carry out the exclusion and refund any relevant student enrolment fees and/or cancel any relevant Higher Education Contribution Scheme or Higher Education Loan Program debt, once:
   1. the timeframe for the student to submit an appeal has passed and the student has not appealed, and
   2. if the student has submitted an appeal and the appeal has been heard, the decision on the appeal is that the exclusion decision will stand.
6. The DSA will perform the exclusion by cancelling the student’s course enrolment and any subject enrolments for the session(s) in which or after which the exclusion begins.
7. Where the DSA cancels the enrolment of a student studying on an Australian international student visa, it will record the cancellation and the reason for it on the Provider Registration and International Student Management System. The Department of Home Affairs will then consider the effect of the enrolment cancellation on the student visa.
8. Students who have been excluded from a course, and who later wish to resume studying in the course, must apply for readmission on the same basis as any other applicant. The Admissions Procedure states the conditions on which students who have been excluded from a course may be readmitted to the course or may be admitted to a different course.

Management of academic progress in deliveries with third parties

(19) For Charles Sturt University students enrolled in courses or subjects delivered in partnership with third parties:

1. Charles Sturt University staff and partner staff will collaborate to monitor students’ adherence to academic progress improvement plans, and
2. the Division of Student Administration (DSA) will assess students’ academic progress, the faculty academic progress committee will make exclusion decisions and (where relevant) DSA will update international students’ record on the Provider Registration and International Student Management System, in the same way as for any other student of the University.
3. The Student Communication Team will provide the communication, in the same way as for any other student of the University.

(20) The partner institution or organisation keeps records of its interventions to support students.

Suspension of a student from workplace learning

(21) The Student Misconduct Rule authorises certain officers of the University to issue an order to suspend a student from an activity where there would be risk of harm to persons or the University’s reputation if the student continued in the activity. A suspension order can be issued suspending a student from workplace learning, including external workplace learning.

(22) The Student Misconduct Rule states in detail the scope and effect of suspension orders and the processes in relation to them.

Appeals against exclusion

(23) The Assessment Policy states the grounds on which a student may appeal a decision to exclude them for unsatisfactory academic progress and/or the duration of such an exclusion.

(24) The student will have 20 business days from the date the University notifies them of the exclusion decision, in which to appeal the decision to the University student appeals committee.

(25) The committee must then commence assessment of the appeal within 10 business days.

(26) It is the student’s responsibility to inform the DSA of changes to their address and contact details. The appeal time-frame will not be extended because the address to which the exclusion notification was sent, was out of date.

(27) The committee has discretion to receive a late appeal in exceptional circumstances, such as where the student has been prevented from submitting their appeal by circumstances outside their control.

Appeal decision-making

(28) Appeals against exclusion will normally be decided on the basis of written submissions.

(29) For an appeal on the ground of new evidence, the University student appeals committee will advise the Executive Dean. The Executive Dean or Deputy Dean will decide whether that ground is made out, and:

1. if so, consider and decide the allegation afresh, taking the new evidence into account, and make a finding on the balance of probabilities, or
2. if the ground is not made out, dismiss the appeal.

(30) For an appeal on either of the other two grounds, the University student appeals committee advise the Executive Dean. The Executive Dean or Deputy Dean will decide whether that ground is made out and:

1. if so, uphold the appeal (in whole or in part), and decide whether:
   1. the original decision should be varied or set aside, or
   2. an original decision should be varied or replaced with a different decision, or
2. if the ground is not made out, dismiss the appeal.

(31) Where the student is studying on an Australian student visa, once they have been excluded and all appeal processes have ended, the University will notify the Department of Home Affairs of the cancellation of their enrolment. The University will notify the student that this may lead to the cancellation of their student visa.

Notification of external appeal avenue to international students

(32) Where an appeal by a student studying on an Australian student visa does not overturn the exclusion decision, the Student Communication Team will communicate the outcome to the student and inform them that:

1. their appeal has not overturned the exclusion and the reasons for this decision,
2. the University now intends to exclude them and report their exclusion to the Department of Home Affairs, which may lead to cancellation of their student visa,
3. they have the further right of appeal to the external reviewer for such appeals in the relevant state or territory (in New South Wales, the NSW Ombudsman),
4. the University will not report their exclusion to the Department of Home Affairs for 10 business days, and
5. if before the end of the 10 business days, the student provides evidence that they have submitted an external appeal (such as the reply by the New South Wales Ombudsman with the case number), the University will wait until the outcome of that appeal is known before excluding the student and notifying the Department of Home Affairs of the exclusion.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(33) Nil.