RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

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Applicant students who have previously completed cognate studies at another recognized Australian institution of higher education, an Australian Registered Training Organisation (RTO) or appropriate recognized overseas institution are eligible to apply to the Registrar to have those studies credited to progression in the relevant College program. Tabor College recognises the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications and statements of attainment issued by any other RTO, when competencies are equivalent with those required by Tabor College.

In keeping with the intent of the policies of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs , the College uses:

1. “whole of institution” applications, rather than piecemeal;

2. a standard form of application;

3. an accompanying information sheet which identifies closing dates for applications, the nature and legal status of evidentiary material required for applications;

4. the adoption of limitations on the award of credit;

5. an appellate process applies when the decision of the Faculty Executive is disputed.

In relation to the individual degree programs, College policy is to favour applicants for the recognition of prior learning who:

1. can articulate informed comment and insight regarding current issues in the areas of pastoral ministry and Christian theology;

2. are long experienced practitioners of Christian ministry especially in the areas of counselling and pastoral leadership; and

3. can demonstrate basic research or investigative skills applicable to tertiary level studies.

CREDIT LIMITS

Tabor College’s current general policy is to consider the provision of maximum credit of 50 per-cent where the applicant for recognition of prior learning makes formal application to the College and can substantiate completion of studies cognate to the modules for which exemption is sought.

Students whom the Faculty Executive approves to pursue concurrent studies in programs of other institutions may not apply for more than 30 per-cent of advanced standing.

RPL will not normally be granted for studies completed more than ten years prior to application, unless there is evidence of substantial relevant experience in the intervening period.

Where credit has been granted on the basis of another award of the College in the same or a similar discipline, the student may be required to surrender that award before a bachelor degree of the College is conferred.

A student who has previously completed at a lower level, modules which at a higher level would form part of a bachelor degree of the College, will be required to do upgrading work in each of these modules before they can be credited towards the bachelor degree, or alternatively may be granted an appropriate amount of block credit towards the bachelor degree after an RPL assessment.


EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS

Evidence of an applicant’s level of knowledge, understanding and skills will be required. The nature of this evidence will vary, depending on the basis for the application for RPL.

An applicant who has completed previous studies at another educational institution will need to provide a certified copy of his/her complete academic record and may need to provide detailed course/ subject/ module outlines, together with samples of the written work completed, if possible. The College provides detailed RPL application guidelines and RPL packs to guide applicants in preparing their applications.

An applicant who applies for RPL on the basis of non-formal education, self-directed learning or previous experience will need to provide appropriate evidence of this.


WHO PROCESSES THE RPL APPLICATION?

The Registrar co-ordinates the RPL process, including:

• Issuing initial RPL information to applicants,

• Preliminary checking of applications for completeness,

• Forwarding to the relevant Faculty Head for consideration, and

• Advising applicants of the outcome once a determination has been made by the Faculty Executive.

Once an application is received and checked for completeness by the Registrar, it is forwarded to the relevant Faculty Head/s for assessment. Where an applicant is seeking RPL for modules in different faculties, the Registrar will co-ordinate with each Faculty Head for input.

The Registrar presents the application and recommendation of the Faculty Head/s to the Faculty Executive for consideration. The decision of the Faculty Executive is communicated to the applicant by the Registrar, who updates the academic records as appropriate.


OUTCOMES OF RPL APPLICATION

The Faculty Executive may:

• Award full credit for a module, in which case the applicant will be exempt from that module,

• Award partial credit for a module, in which case the applicant will be exempt from some aspects of that module. Where a student has to undertake less than 50% of the assessable work in that module, a non-graded assessment result for that module may appear on the student’s academic transcript, regardless of the normal grading system for the module.

• Decline to award any credit, in which case reasons will be provided to the applicant.

FEES FOR RPL ASSESSMENT

There is no charge for an application for Recognition of Prior Learning when enrolled in a course of study at Tabor College NSW. An RPL assessment fee will apply when RPL assessment is requested when not enrolled in the course of study or an application for enrolment into a course of study has not been received but for which RPL assessment is requested. The RPL Assessment Fee is equal to 50% of the unit fee that would apply for that unit. If the student proceeds to enrol in a course of study at Tabor College NSW an application for a refund / credit of the RPL Assessment Fee may be made to the College after completing the equivalent of one full–time semester.

Where a student is granted partial credit for a module (subject) and is required to submit additional work to gain RPL, the student will need to enrol in the relevant module at ‘Advanced Standing’ level. The tuition fee for the additional work required is provided on the College’s Fee Schedule under ‘Advanced Standing’.


APPEALS

A student may appeal to the Faculty Executive if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of an assessment for RPL. The process to be followed is:

• The applicant meets with the Registrar in the first instance to discuss the outcome of the application to ensure they understand the reasons for the decision. Any additional evidence should be provided by the applicant during this discussion.

• If the applicant believes they have grounds for an appeal, they should submit their reasons in writing to the Registrar, within 10 working days of receipt of the determination of the Faculty Executive.

• The Faculty Executive will consider the written submission.

• The decision of the Faculty Executive is final.
   

 

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