COMMON QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q. If I do a shorter course first can I get credits towards a certificate or diploma later?
A. Yes. We will assess previous studies to give you appropriate credits. Doing it this way will probably take a little longer and cost more in fees though.

Q. When can I start my course?
A. Anytime of the year

Q. Can I pay in instalments?
A. Yes, however full payment up front is the cheapest option.
All courses can be paid in two instalments, some can be paid in three or more. (Please refer to fee schedule on enrolment form for more information)

Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while?
(eg. Get sick, go on holidays, have a baby).
A. Apply for an extension. It's OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.

Q. Do I need any extra books?
A. You are supplied with all "essential" references. Extra books are always useful though, especially for special projects. Tutors will advise you what to buy if you decide you would like to get any extra books.

Q. How do I contact my tutor?
A. Write, fax, email or phone the school. Leave a message if your tutor isn't available and they will phone, write or fax back; whatever suits you.

Q. How long does a shorter course (ie. 80-120hrs) take to complete?
A. Commonly no more than one year. Some students finish in less than 6 months.

Q. How long does a certificate take to complete?
A. Commonly around 6-9 months, if studying full time; or around two years if studying part time. With dedication, part time students can complete a certificate in one year.

Q. Do you offer Degrees?
A. Courses are written to and delivered at a standard that is equal to or higher than degrees offered by some institutions; however, being largely applied or vocationally oriented studies, these cannot be called degrees. Our diploma graduates however have been highly competitive with degree graduates in the workplace.

Q. How does recognition of the school compare with other colleges?
A. We are internationally recognised by the International Accreditation and Recognition Council (IARC). In addition, in many respects we are more widely recognised, due to the fact that we have been established and trained students for so long, through all states, and many overseas countries. (Most other colleges tend to operate only in one state or region, and may be poorly recognised outside that area). Close involvement with industry has seen many employers sponsor staff through our courses, and many graduates develop strong careers as leaders in their respective industries.

Q. How do your diplomas compare with other Australian colleges, such as TAFE?
A. In the past, accredited diplomas involved well over 2000 hours of study, however, under the governments new Australian Qualifications Framework, many TAFE diplomas can be completed in much less time. We believe that the time you spend studying is important to the quality and long term recognition of a qualification. As such, we are maintaining old standards and distinguishing our graduates from those undertaking diplomas in this new system. Short qualifications from other Colleges may in the long term prove meaningless.

Q. How do I do workshops if I reside outside Australia?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops; alternative arrangements can be made in your country; however there may be additional expense. We can appoint an appropriately qualified person anywhere to work through curriculum documentation supplied by us, to satisfy the requirements set down in a course.

Q. How is Practical Work Done
A. A lot of people find it hard to understand how a distance education course can be anything more than reading and answering questions. Some are, and if that’s you’re your experience with distance education in the past; this is unfortunate. In reality, distance education has a great deal of flexibility and today can be more practical and relevant to real life than classroom education.

There are a few things to consider:

1. New technologies (internet, video, digital photography, cheaper & mobile telecommunications etc) make it possible to overcome many of the isolation and communication problems that used to exist with distance education.
2. Funding pressures that have often resulted in a decrease in quantity and quality of practical components in traditional classroom education.
3. People today are better networked than ever; and more exposed to visual images than ever (eg. In the past, if someone was studying an animal they had never before seen, the options to see an image of that animal would be virtually nil, unless supplied by their teacher in the classroom. Today people are bombarded by images of virtually everything they could imagine through cable TV, U Tube, web sites, magazines …etc
4. Be aware that no course will ever teach you everything! Wherever you study, your course should lay a foundation and framework for you to build on. It should open up opportunities for further learning –to further develop your practical skills, problem solving skills, knowledge, networking, communication abilities etc, within your field of study. Some courses focus heavily on the information; some on assessment more than learning, others focus heavier on the problem solving, and others perhaps on the practical, etc.
5. No course can have it’s emphasis on everything; because to emphasise one thing is to de emphasise something else.
6. Our courses are “experiential” learning (ie. A concept in education that focuses on learning through experience). Over more than 2 decades, these courses have been developed using feedback and suggestions from both staff and students to create a variety of different ways of building all sorts of learning experiences into the courses. Some are integral and compulsory experiences within a course; others are optional facilities (such as student interaction through the student room directory), which some students use, while others do not use.
7. We get our students to do all sorts of hands on and observational tasks throughout courses. Examples may be:

• To visit a farm and observe things (for students who have a problem with a real farm; they might take a “virtual tour” on a web site or using a video.
• To study the anatomical structure of a bone or piece of meat obtained from a butchers shop.
• To collect pieces off a plant, and from those pieces, create and propagate cuttings
• To undertake a well structured PBL project (NB: PBL is a highly structured tried & proven learning system based on dealing with hypothetical problems. This system is widely used world wide in medical schools, and increasingly in other disciplines)
• To undertake a role play
• To interview someone from industry.
• To video or photograph things performed or created by the student

….There are of course many other things that could also be added to this list.

Q. What level is a certificate?
A. We do not use levels on certificates.
Levels I, II, III etc are systems used for Competency Based Training in both Australia and the UK. (The levels also mean different things in different countries).
We operate with a more sophisticated system (experiential learning).
 
Eg.  Level III for instance means you are competent to perform certain tasks under limited supervision.
Our certificate develops a foundation within the discipline that enables you to develop and grow your capacity to work and solve problems within the discipline. You learn through experience as you study; and the study sets you on a path that encourages ongoing learning through experience after graduation. Our graduates are better prepared to advance in their career, to work alone or with others, etc. This concept is more in keeping with some of the more cutting edge education systems around the world. This contrasts with the CBT system which was popular throughout the 1980's and perhaps 90's but is often criticised today by leading educators around the world.
We take this approach because it works better; and on all reports, our graduates are in fact very successful.