Student Progression

Your Academic Journey at GCA: Ensuring Your Success

At Group Colleges Australia (GCA), your academic success is at the heart of our mission. We’ve established a comprehensive Academic Progression, Monitoring and Intervention Policy to support you throughout your studies, identify when you might need extra help, and provide effective strategies to ensure you successfully complete your course.

Our Commitment to Your Success

This policy is designed to:

Clearly outline the academic progress requirements you need to meet.
Detail our monitoring and intervention processes to help you stay on track.
Support you in achieving ** timely course completion**.
Ensure we meet all regulatory compliance standards.
Uphold our high academic standards.

Who This Policy Applies To

This policy is relevant to all enrolled students at GCA, as well as the academic, support, and administrative staff involved in your learning journey.

Our Guiding Principles

Our approach to academic progression is built on these foundational principles:

Academic Standards

We maintain high academic standards by setting clear expectations, regularly monitoring your progress, and continuously improving our quality assurance processes.

Student Support

We are committed to providing timely, proactive, accessible, and culturally appropriate support through clear communication channels to help you succeed.

Course Completion

We support your timely course completion through standard duration guidelines, continuous progress monitoring, early intervention, and flexible study options where appropriate.

Understanding Academic Progress Requirements

To ensure you’re making satisfactory progress, we have clear benchmarks:

Satisfactory Course Progress

You are making satisfactory academic progress when you:

Successfully complete more than 50% of credit points attempted in a study period.
Complete units within two attempts.
Are on track to complete your course within the expected duration.
Demonstrate active engagement in learning activities and meet attendance requirements.
Submit all required assessments and maintain minimum GPA requirements for your program.

At-Risk Status

You may be identified as “at-risk” if you show signs of academic difficulty, such as:

Failing 50% or more credit points in one study period.
Failing the same unit twice.
Showing poor engagement or attendance (below 80% recommended).
Demonstrating academic misconduct or missing/failing early assessment items.
Showing declining performance trends or requesting multiple assessment extensions.
Demonstrating poor English language proficiency or erratic course progress.

Unsatisfactory Course Progress

You are deemed to have “unsatisfactory course progress” if there are serious concerns about your ability to complete your course. This includes:

Failing 50% or more credit points in two consecutive study periods.
Failing the same unit three times.
Being unable to complete your course within the maximum duration.
Showing persistent non-engagement despite intervention, ongoing academic misconduct, or failing to respond to intervention strategies.
Missing multiple assessment deadlines without approval.

Monitoring and Intervention: How We Support You

We systematically track your performance to provide proactive support.

Progress Monitoring

We regularly monitor:

Attendance and assessment submission rates.
Early assessment performance and learning management system system engagement.
Tutorial participation, academic integrity compliance, and English language proficiency development.

All monitoring activities, progress reports, intervention strategies, and student communications are formally documented.

Intervention Strategies

If you are at risk of unsatisfactory course progress, GCA offers tailored intervention strategies, including:

Academic Support: Workshops, individual tutoring, study skills development, and academic writing assistance.
Non-Academic Support: Personal counselling, time management coaching, cultural adjustment support, and health and wellbeing services.
Modified Study Plans: Reduced study load options, alternative assessment arrangements, and course progression mapping.

Warnings and What They Mean

Early Warning

An Early Intervention Letter may be issued if you show poor performance in your first trimester assessment, triggering support service referrals and a required meeting with an academic advisor.

Academic Warnings

Formal notifications of course progress concerns are issued at two levels:

Warning Level 1 (At-Risk): This official warning initiates intervention, support service referrals, a progress monitoring plan, a required meeting with an academic advisor, documentation of agreed actions, and mandatory support program participation.
Warning Level 2 (Unsatisfactory Course Progress): This official warning requires intensive intervention, a case management approach, a “show cause” requirement, mandatory support program participation, and may have potential visa implications for international students.

All warnings clearly communicate issues, required actions, available support services, consequences of continued poor progress, and your appeal rights. We also regularly review and follow up on your progress.

Consequences of Unsatisfactory Course Progress

Show Cause

If you demonstrate unsatisfactory course progress, you will be required to formally explain your circumstances and present a plan for improvement. This involves written notification, specific response timeframes, evidence requirements, and review procedures.

Cancellation of Enrolment

Enrolment cancellation is a last resort, occurring if “show cause” responses are inadequate, you fail to engage with support services, course completion becomes impossible, or multiple intervention strategies have failed.

Reporting

We maintain accurate records and report on academic progress to ensure compliance and continuous improvement.

Appeals Process

You have the right to appeal academic progress decisions if new evidence becomes available, procedural irregularities occurred, or compelling circumstances exist. Our appeal process outlines submission requirements, review procedures, decision timeframes, and outcome communication.

Dedicated Support for FEE-HELP Students

GCA is committed to ensuring the success and well-being of our FEE-HELP students. Our Support for Students Policy outlines a range of services specifically designed to assist you throughout your learning journey. This policy aligns with the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) and the Higher Education Provider Guidelines 2023, ensuring timely and accessible support.

Identifying Students at Risk

We actively identify FEE-HELP students who may be at risk of not successfully completing a unit of study. This includes students who:

Haven’t engaged in required learning activities (e.g., attending classes, accessing the Learning Management System).
Have enrolled late.
Haven’t submitted their first assessment item or failed the mid-trimester assessment.
Failed one or more units in the previous study period or withdrew from units after the census date.
Haven’t previously engaged with support services despite being identified as at-risk.
Have self-identified as needing support.

Accessible and Timely Support

Before each study period, we provide clear information about the census date (when FEE-HELP debt is incurred) and the various support services available to you. This information is communicated through orientation sessions, emails, and our website. We are committed to providing prompt responses to all support requests and ensuring that support is available in a timely manner. If you connect with support services, you will receive written communications.

Categories of Support Services

GCA offers a wide range of support services, grouped into the following categories:

Academic Support: These services are designed to enhance your learning experience. They include:
- Orientation and Transition assistance.
- Learning Support, Numeracy, and Literacy development.
- Pre-Assessment Support, Assessment Completion guidance, and Post-Assessment Support.
- You can find more details in the Academic Support Integration and Assessment Support sections of the Student Support Framework.
Non-Academic Support: We also provide services to assist with your personal, emotional, and career-related needs:
- Mental Health Support and Physical Wellbeing services.
- Opportunities for Social Connection.
- Career Development and Industry Engagement guidance.
- Leadership Development programs.
- Refer to the Wellbeing Integration and Professional Integration sections of the Student Support Framework for more information.
Crisis and Critical Harm Response: For immediate support in crisis situations, such as health emergencies or safety concerns, we have clear guidance on how to report critical incidents. This ensures your safety and well-being.
Specific Supports: We are dedicated to providing culturally appropriate support and specific arrangements for:
- First Nations students.
- Students with disability, including assistive technologies, appropriate facilities, and dedicated academic assistance.
- Students who have experienced family and domestic violence, harassment, sexual harm, or other traumatic events, including reporting to governmental bodies and referrals to professional counselling and crisis intervention.

Quality Assurance

We continuously monitor and review the effectiveness of our support services through regular feedback mechanisms and data analysis. Your feedback, service evaluations, and staff input are crucial for the ongoing improvement of our support services.

Your Rights and Responsibilities

As a FEE-HELP student, you have the right to:

Access clear, comprehensive information about support services and how to access them.
Receive timely responses and support services tailored to your needs.

You also have the responsibility to:

Be mindful of the census date as published on our academic calendar.
Provide accurate information to help us assess your needs.
Follow the procedures for accessing support services.
Adhere to the Code of Conduct when engaging with support services.

GCA’s Responsibilities

GCA commits to:

Ensuring all support services are delivered in accordance with our policies.
Providing adequate resources, including staffing, training, and facilities, to meet your needs.
Maintaining confidentiality in all dealings with students in line with legal requirements and our privacy policy.
Monitoring and improving support services to ensure they meet your needs.
Publishing this policy on our website.

Key Definitions

To ensure clarity, here are some key terms used in this policy:

Academic Progress: Your measurable advancement towards successful course completion.
Academic Warning: Formal notification of unsatisfactory academic progress, requiring specific actions.
At Risk: Status indicating potential academic difficulty, triggering intervention.
Compassionate and Compelling Circumstances: Unforeseen situations beyond your control impacting academic progress.
Course Duration: The approved timeframe for completing your course.
Full-Time Study Load: The standard credit points or units for full-time enrolment.
Intervention Strategy: A formal plan to assist with academic performance improvement.
Learning Support: Academic assistance services provided to students.
Non-engagement: Lack of active participation in academic activities.
Progress Monitoring: Systematic tracking of student academic achievement.
Show Cause: Formal process requiring explanation and improvement plans for unsatisfactory progress.
Study Period: Designated timeframe for completing a unit.
Unit Attempt: Each enrolment in a specific unit.
Unsatisfactory Course Progress: Formal status when minimum academic requirements are not met.
Academic Support (FEE-HELP context): Comprehensive services designed to enhance learning, including study skills, research assistance, and assessment preparation.
Non-Academic Support (FEE-HELP context): Services that assist students with personal, emotional, and career-related needs such as mental health, well-being, counselling, and career advice.
At-Risk Students (FEE-HELP context): Students identified as at risk of not successfully completing their units of study based on academic performance, engagement, and well-being concerns.
Support Services (FEE-HELP context): Any services provided to students to assist them in overcoming academic, personal, or social challenges affecting their studies.

For more information, please refer to our Academic Progression, Monitoring and Intervention policies on:

Click here to view: