Distance education - subclass 500 (schools) visa procedure

Audience

Education Queensland International (EQI) staff, school staff, overseas students, parents or Department of Home Affairs (DHA) approved guardians of overseas students and their agents.

Purpose

This procedure outlines the roles and responsibilities for school and EQI staff, and the steps they follow to facilitate overseas students studying one or two subjects through a state school of distance education that is EQI accredited.

Overview

Overseas students attending secondary school may, in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of their base school principal, study up to two subjects through the Brisbane School of Distance Education or the Cairns School of Distance Education.

Any distance learning must be in addition to minimum face-to-face learning requirements approved by the Department of Education and meet satisfactory course progress requirements according to the Course progress procedure.

Base schools will be required to cover the distance education costs where the school of distance education has accepted the EQI student to study via distance education after day 20. The cost is set at $250 per subject per term. This cost includes all subject curriculum resources and administration charges. Refer to the Distance education enrolment and fees procedure for further information.

EQI students are not charged additional tuition fees to study subject/s by distance education.

This procedure is in alignment with standards 8 and 11 of the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code).

Responsibilities

Overseas student

• request approval from base school staff to study up to two subjects through distance education
• adhere to the obligations in the International Student Programs (ISP) standard terms and conditions and Enrolment Agreement including to maintain satisfactory course progress
• acknowledge and return all distance education school documents in a timely manner.

Base school staff

• identify requirement and/or manage overseas student requests to study through distance education
• support overseas students studying subject(s) through distance education
• maintain accurate and up-to-date records in OneSchool and any supporting overseas student management systems.

Distance education school staff

• assess overseas student requests to study subject(s) through distance education
• monitor and support overseas students studying subject(s) through distance education.

Business manager

• support school staff to organise payment of invoices to the distance education school.

EQI staff

• provide advice and support to school staff implementing this procedure
• ensure EQI is meeting its obligations under the Commonwealth legislation and legislative instruments in respect of distance education
• maintain accurate and up to date EQI electronic documents and records management system records.

Base school principal (or delegate)

• ensure sufficient and suitable staff (school staff) are available to facilitate overseas students to study through distance education
• decide on overseas student requests to study through distance education
• ensure the overseas student’s progress in the subject is monitored in accordance with the Course progress procedure and the ISP entry and course progress standards.

Distance education school principal (or delegate)

• oversee the overseas student’s enrolment in the subject(s) studied through distance education
• ensure the overseas student’s progress in the subject is monitored in accordance with Course progress procedure and the ISP entry and course requirements standards.

Process

Image 1 : Distance education process

1. Identify

• Overseas student identifies the requirement to study a particular subject as part of their application or enrolment. Where a subject is required as a pre-requisite on the overseas student’s home country study requirements, the overseas student indicates the subject/s required and submits one of the following:
  • documentation from the school in the overseas student’s home country
  • email from parents stating the requirement
  • tertiary prerequisite information (essential and recommended study).
• Base school staff identify the requirement for the overseas student to study up to two subjects through distance education by observing one or multiple factors as follows:
  • the course the overseas student is enrolled, that is, Senior High School, Junior High School, Study Abroad or Regional Study Abroad
  • subject availability and class capacity at the base school
  • study requirements in the overseas student’s home country
  • academic outcomes that may be supported by distance education studies, for example, Queensland Certification of Education (QCE) and Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).
• Base school staff liaise with the overseas student and parent or DHA approved guardian to seek agreement for the overseas student to study one or two subjects via distance education.

2. Assess

• Base school staff gather information to support the assessment of the request to study a distance education subject and:
  • assess each request on a case-by-case basis, for example, the overseas student may need to study a language to enable seamless transition back to their home education system
  • liaise with the overseas student’s teacher(s) and guidance officer
  • collect evidence to support the request, for example, documentation from the school in the overseas student’s home country.
• Base school staff assess the request and determine if distance education is in the overseas student’s best educational interests by considering:
  • the overseas student has a requisite to study a particular subject
  • the base school does not offer the subject required, or does not have capacity
  • it would not be reasonable or possible for the overseas student to transfer to another school that offers the required subject
  • compatibility of the distance education subject timetables with the overseas student’s base school timetable
  • in each compulsory study period for a course, the overseas student is studying at least one unit that is not by distance learning, unless the student is completing the last unit of their course
  • whether overseas student will, or is likely to incur additional costs or other enrolment requirements from undertaking distance learning
  • whether the overseas student will be unable to access the resources and community offered by the base school or opportunities for engaging with other students while undertaking online or distance learning.
• Base school staff liaise with relevant distance education school staff regarding the overseas student studying up to two subjects at the school of distance education that has availability in the subjects requested, and emails the following information:
  • overseas student identification number
  • overseas student name
  • year level
  • proposed distance education subject/s
  • proposed term start and end dates
  • reason for request to study a subject via distance education.
• Distance education school staff assesses the request for overseas student to study via distance education by considering:
  • subject availability
  • capacity, that is, staffing and resourcing requirements
  • prerequisites to study the subject requested, that is, language and age suitability.
• Distance education school staff notify base school staff via email of acceptance or non-acceptance of the overseas student into the subject pending base school principal (or delegate) approval. Where there is non-acceptance, include the reason/s for the decision.

3. Approve

• Base school staff request approval from the base school principal (or delegate) where the overseas student and parent or DHA approved guardian and distance education school staff agree with the distance education study proposal. The approval request must include all information obtained while identifying and assessing the request to study via distance education.
• Base school principal (or delegate) considers the information provided by base school staff and decides to either approve or not approve the overseas student’s study through distance education
  • where it is decided to approve study through distance education, advise school staff
  • where it is decided not to approve study through distance education, propose an alternative course of action and provide instruction to school staff to support the overseas student in their subject selection.

Where study by distance education is not approved:

• Base school staff notifies overseas student and their parent or DHA approved guardian, including the reason/s for the decision, refer the EQI students and parent or DHA approved guardian to the Complaints and appeals procedure, if required, and:
  • follow the base school principal’s (or delegate's) instructions to support the overseas student in their subject selection
  • notifies distance education school staff that the request has not been approved by the base school principal (or delegate), including the reason/s for the decision.

Where study by distance education is approved:

• Base school staff notifies overseas student and parent or DHA approved guardian in writing of the decision, and:
  • liaises with the school of distance education to formalise the arrangement
  • updates the overseas student file in OneSchool.
• Distance education school principal (or delegate) invoices the base school to cost recover the applicable distance education costs (that is, $250 per-subject per-term fee for accepting EQI students to study via distance education after day 20) as per the Distance education enrolment and fees procedure 
• Base school staff verifies the invoice received from distance education school staff and requests the base school business manager to organise payment of the invoice
• Base school business manager organises payment of the invoice
• Distance Education school staff issues all enrolment forms, third party Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and parental consent forms, and subject guidelines to the base school staff to assist the overseas student and provides the deadline by which the overseas student must return the completed documents
• Overseas student completes the required documentation and consent forms provided by the distance education school, and:
  • seeks assistance from base school staff if necessary
  • submits within a timely manner according to the deadlines outlined by the distance education school.

4. Monitor and support

• Base school principal ensures sufficient support is available to facilitate overseas students to study through distance education
• Base school staff facilitates access to learning support services and:
  • provides a suitable study location
  • supervises distance education lessons and examinations
  • monitors overseas student’s progress in the subject/s
  • liaises with school of distance education staff regarding the overseas student’s study and progress in the subject – refer to the Course progress procedure.
  • ensure that overseas student does not study more than two subjects online or via distance education.
• EQI staff
  • provide advice and support to school staff implementing this procedure 
  • ensure EQI is meeting its obligations under the Commonwealth legislation and legislative instruments in respect of distance education 
  • maintain accurate and up to date EQI electronic documents and records management system records.

Definitions

Legislation

• Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cwlth) 
• National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 

Delegations/Authorisations

• Nil

Other resources

• Brisbane School of Distance Education 
• Cairns School of Distance Education 
• ISP entry and course requirements standards 
• ISP standard terms and conditions 
• Student visa conditions

Superseded versions

Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.

2.0 Distance education

3.0 Distance education – subclass 500 (schools) visa procedure