This policy applies to organisations that desire to have an arrangement with the College for the purpose of delivering Higher Education Awards (in whole or in part).

This policy affects:

• All students enrolled in an accredited Higher Education course of study at the College, regardless of how it is delivered and who delivers it.
• All staff employed to teach students enrolled in a Higher Education course of study at the College regardless of whether employed by the College or a Third Party delivery partner.
• All Third Party Providers, whether delivering one or more Higher Education units of study or a Higher Education course of study (in whole or in part).
• All Higher Education units of study accredited by TEQSA.
• Any other parties who collaborate with the College, to facilitate the delivery of units of study or a Higher Education course of study.

Introduction

The Strategic Plan of the College encourages the establishment of strategic partnerships through which the ministry and educational programs of the College might be enriched and through which students might be provided with opportunities for greater empowerment.

Entering a Partnership Agreement for unit/course delivery

When a Third Party delivery partnership is being considered the Executive Principal, General Manager , Dean of Faculty and the Dean of Studies should be consulted in the initial stages of the negotiations.

A record of these consultations in the form of minutes of meetings or exchanges of emails shall be kept by the General Manager.

Before any formal commitment, a Business Case and a draft Memorandum of Understanding (including quality assurance measures) should be presented to the Governing Board for consideration and approval.

When the partnership arrangement is approved (by the Governing Board), the College will finalise the Memorandum of Understanding and submit it to the Learning Teaching and Research Committee (LTR) for monitoring and quality assurance of the delivery and to the Academic Standards and Risk Committee (ASR) for risk management oversight.  The LTR and the ASR will report to the Academic Board according to their respective Terms of Reference.

Any organisation which enters into a Third Party delivery partnership with the College shall not undertake any marketing or promotional activities which include the name and/or logo of the College unless authorised to do so by the College in writing.

Renewing a Partnership Agreement

Organisations that are already in a Third Party delivery partnership with the College must renew their partnership every year or according to an agreed cycle of not more than 5 years.

Memorandum of Understanding

The nominated officer shall be responsible for preparing a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for review by the Academic Board. The terms of the MoU for course delivery with a Third Party Delivery Partner shall support the College’s mission and the achievement of the goals of its Strategic Plan. All erasures, additions and amendments to the draft Memorandum of Understanding shall be undertaken by the Chief Operations Officer and approved by the Academic Board.

The Memorandum of Understanding may include, but is not limited to, the following details:

• Parties to the Memorandum of Understanding;
• Study Programs Offered;
• The responsibilities of the partnering organisation, including:
  • Statements relating to the standards for Higher Education Providers or Registered Training Organisations;
  • Adherence to the College policies and procedures;
  • Insurance coverage;
  • Use of the organisation’s logo;
• Responsibilities of the College including:
  • Provision of training and assessment tools;
  • Training and support in the use of the College’s curriculum and learning management software;
  • Access to the Resource Centre (Library) facility and resources;
• Tuition fees, cost sharing arrangements and tuition fee collection arrangements including HELP eligibility;
• Access for inspection or facilities, supervision of lecturers and markers, training, and moderation and quality assurance activities;
• Arrangements for student and partnership feedback;
• Partnership exit strategies that enable the College to meet its obligations to students.

Quality Assurance

• All accredited units of study delivered by Third Party Providers shall be of an equal academic standard and shall lead to learning outcomes equivalent to accredited units and courses provided by the College.
• The College will monitor the quality of delivery and academic standards of the accredited units of study delivered by the Third Party Providers through:
  • Assessment moderation as outlined in the Assessment Moderation policy;
  • Distribution of Student Surveys  and Lecturer self-reflections as outlined in the Quality Improvement Survey Policy; and
  • Academic Standards and Risk Committee meetings, wherein the results of the above measures, and student success data will be discussed and analysed.

Governance

The College shall be ultimately responsible for compliance with the relevant legislation and standards, the quality of its accredited units and courses, and student experience.

The College shall be responsible for providing the partner organisation with the procedures to be followed with respect to:

• application process;
• grounds for acceptance for study in the unit or the course;
• course or unit prerequisites;
• enrolment process;
• quality assurance;
• moderation;
• student evaluation;
• partnership evaluation;
• credit recognition;
• marking; and
• results notification.

Application and Enrolment

The academic and non academic entry requirements specified by the College shall be met by all students enrolling with a partnering organisation. The College has the right to accept or reject students according to their admissions policy.

All students intending to enrol in an accredited unit of study at the College, regardless of where it is delivered, shall apply directly to the College and be subject to all rules surrounding the College’s Applications, including closing dates and late enrolment fees. Students shall complete the College’s enrolment procedure via online enrolment and pay any tuition fees direct to the College.

Cost and Financial Arrangements

Students shall pay all tuition directly to the College. Once the census date for the unit has passed the College will reimburse the partner organisation for the appropriate tuition fees, which shall be stipulated in the MoU.

Generally, the proportion of tuition fees which is shared with a partnering organisation shall not exceed 50%, except with the prior approval of the Finance Committee of the College Board.

The Third Party Provider

• Third Party Providers shall adhere to all the College’s policies and procedures and
• Copies of all advertising shall be provided to the College and approved in writing by the College prior to publication. This process may take up to four weeks as changes may need to be made.

Students

Regardless of where students are taught, or by what mode they are taught, all students enrolled in an accredited unit of study at the College:

• Shall be required to adhere to all the College’s policies and procedures;
• Have the right to receive quality training;
• Have the right to make a complaint or appeal, according to the College’s grievance policies and procedures; and
• Have the right to receive quality student support, including, but not limited to pastoral care support, academic and career advice, advice and assistance with information technology facilities, and student learning assistance.

Teaching Staff

Regardless of whether employed by the College or a Third Party Provider, all staff:

• Shall be appropriately qualified and experienced according to appropriate governing body;
• Shall be selected and approved to teach by the College on the basis of the Guidelines for the Approval of Academics in Charge;
• Shall be required to adhere to all the College’s policies and procedures;
• Shall be required to use the College’s teaching resources, where appropriate, including but not limited to Unit Guide Basic Online Outline Tool (UGBOOT) and any Learning Management System; and
• Shall be provided with appropriate orientation and induction into the College’s policies, procedures and required teaching resources.

The College shall reserve the right to remove from teaching duties, any teacher who is found, in the course of the evaluation, to be not performing his/her teaching responsibilities at the required level of competence.

Other collaborative arrangements, not including unit/course delivery (i.e. not a Third Party provider arrangement)

Eastern College Australia (ECA) is responsible for and will continue to be responsible for the quality of any course accredited under its name.  From time to time, ECA may enter into collaborative arrangements which will facilitate the achievement of its strategic goals.  Any collaborative arrangement which is enduring (i.e. not single-instance) shall be covered by a Memorandum of Understanding, to ensure that expectations of all parties are properly understood and documented.

Such collaborative arrangements, where ECA is committed to long-term liabilities or responsibilities, must be approved by the Executive Principal or delegated representative.  If financial obligations are involved, a Business Plan must be presented, with the draft MoU, for the Governing Board’s approval.

Where the collaborative arrangement involves the delivery of courses (in whole or in part), ECA will be responsible for the content, compliance and the delivery of its courses and this responsibility will not be shared or delegated to any other parties.

The Academic Board shall have oversight of any courses delivered in conjunction with or have involvement by such collaborative arrangements, and shall be assured that quality assurance and student support arrangements are in place and are equitable.

Where a collaborative arrangement involves the other party being responsible for matters found under the Higher Education Standards (e.g., the provision of suitable facilities and support staff, recruitment of students) there must be clear monitoring and reporting procedures including but not limited to:

1. Comparison of student success data, by teaching locations
2. Student and lecturer feedback
3. Annual review of the effectiveness of the arrangements
4. Complaints and grievances
5. Student wellbeing and safety
6. Currency of the MoU

Quality assurance and monitoring of collaborative arrangements will be reported to the Academic Board by the Academic Standards and Risk Committee, at least once annually.