About Us
The College of Health and Fitness
The College of Health and Fitness (RTO #30798) has been operating since June 2002. It is a family owned business with a sole director, Mr Tony Attridge.
As a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) The College of Health and Fitness delivers nationally recognised training in:
BSB30115 Certificate III in Business BSB40215 Certificate IV in Business
BSB50215 Diploma of Business SIS20115 Certificate II in Sport and Recreation
SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness SIS40215 Certificate IV in Fitness
SIS50215 Diploma of Fitness HLT23215 Certificate II in Health Support Services
HLT37315 Certificate III in Health Administration
HLT52615 Diploma of Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation HLT62615 Advanced Diploma of Ayurveda
FSK10119 Certificate I in Access to Vocational Pathways
FSK10219 Certificate I in Skills for Vocational Pathways
FSK20119 Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways
10578NAT Diploma of Ayurveda Yoga Teaching
10859NAT Certificate IV in Weight Management 10698NAT Diploma of Weight Management
HLTINFCOV001 Comply with infection prevention and control policies and procedures
In Australia, only Registered Training Organisations can issue nationally recognised qualifications. Our RTO provider code is 30798.
Our office and training facilities are located at Unit 11, 12 Discovery Drive, North Lakes, Brisbane, Qld, 4509. Our courses are delivered by appropriately qualified and experienced trainers, and through a variety of methods.
We offer training via:
• classroom
• eLearning modules
• webinars, and a combination of the above.
Governance and Administration
Clause 7.1 of the Standards states that the RTO ensures its executive officers or high managerial agents:
• are vested with sufficient authority to ensure the RTO complies with the RTO Standards at all times, and
• meet each of the relevant criteria specified in the Fit and Proper Person requirements in schedule 3.
To meet this requirement the Director of The College of Health and Fitness maintains RTO compliance through a systematic approach and ongoing continuous improvement.
The Director is the legally responsible person and is accountable for the way in which the RTO operates. Responsibility for the day to day operation of the RTO rests with the Manager who regularly provides updates to the Director through weekly discussions and e.mails. Communications are maintained with staff through staff meetings and ongoing e.mail and face to face discussions.
Compliance
The College of Health and Fitness ensures that the highest standards are maintained in the provision of vocational education and training and professional development. The College of Health and Fitness will ensure compliance with relevant policies, legal requirements, codes of practice and national standards, including commonwealth and state legislation that may affect training and assessment in the VET sector and business operations.
The College of Health and Fitness is dedicated to following the provisions in the VET Quality Framework.
Course Information
The College of Health and Fitness will ensure that prior to completing enrolment, applicants receive adequate information regarding the course, LLN requirements, training, assessment and services provided, to enable them to make an informed decision about the suitability of the course and The College of Health and Fitness as their preferred RTO provider.
After enrolment, students will be given access to training materials in digital format. Hard copy resource books will need to be purchased should students require them.
A welcome email will be sent with log-in details so students can access the appropriate College of Health and Fitness eLearning portal. Students will have access to course information, course content, resources, assessment information and support available.
CERTIFICATION - REGISTRATION COURSES
Successful completion of accredited units of competency contribute towards the achievement of learning goals.
Students who have completed an accredited unit(s) are entitled to receive a Statement of Attainment. We will advise the industry regulator that students have achieved this award at the same time as issue of the Statement.
Third Party Agreements
As the RTO, the College of Health and Fitness is responsible for all training and assessment services related to the courses we offer.
In some cases, the College of Health and Fitness will work with, or as, a Third Party for another organization or RTO. When a student enrols in a course in respect of which a Third Party Agreement is in effect, the College of Health and Fitness will ensure all students are made aware of the existence of a Third Party Agreement and any responsibilities of the parties that may affect their decision to enrol in the course.
Disability
Please advise us prior to enrolling for training if you have any physical or other special needs (e.g. English as a second language, literacy or numeracy difficulties, dyslexia etc.) which may adversely affect your ability to complete the selected training course.
The College of Health and Fitness will provide support to those with special needs by:
a. discussing with the student at enrolment the support that will be required.
b. endeavouring to provide the support, or
c. referring the student to a source of support that will then provide a pathway into the selected course of study.
d. reasonable adjustment including use of assistive technology, providing education support, using
alternative assessment methods, extra time to complete a course or assessment.
e. maintaining written records of outcomes and the actions taken for each individual student in the student management system, where reasonable adjustment is required
f. ensuring that reasonable adjustment is provided while maintaining the fundamental components of the course without compromising the learning outcomes.
Support Services
In the event that a student’s support needs falls outside of the skills of The College of Health and Fitness team we will refer the student to an appropriate support service to assist them to acquire the required skills.
Unique Student Identifier (USI)
All students undertaking nationally recognised training, require a USI in order to receive a qualification or Statement of Attainment. If you do not have a USI, The College of Health and Fitness will not be allowed to generate your qualification or Statement of Attainment.
Your USI will give you access to an online record of the training you have done since 1 January 2015. You will also be able to produce a comprehensive transcript of your training. This can be used when applying for a job, seeking a credit transfer or demonstrating pre-requisites when undertaking further training.
A USI must be provided by all students enrolling in accredited training as part of the enrolment process. The USI is stored in and verified via the Student Management System (SMS) in accordance with the Student Identifiers Act 2014 and the Privacy Act 1988.
For more information and to register for a USI visit: www.usi.gov.au . If you have trouble creating your USI follow the instructions to ‘Create a USI’.
Fees and Charges
The College of Health and Fitness is committed to maintaining effective financial management processes for fees and charges, refunds, and transfers in accordance with legislative and regulatory requirements, which include:
• Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015
• GST (Goods and Services) Act 1999
• Competition and Consumer Act 2010
• Fair Trading Act 2010
Our fees and charges policy and associated schedules cover:
a) all relevant fee information including:
• fees that must be paid to the RTO; and
• payment terms and conditions including deposits and refunds;
b) the learner’s rights as a consumer, including but not limited to any statutory cooling-off period, if one applies;
c) the learner’s right to obtain a refund for services not provided by the RTO in the event the:
• arrangement is terminated early; or
• the RTO fails to provide the agreed services.
For further information about our fees and charges policy and associated schedules please read our Fees and Charges document.
Changes to Agreed Services
The College of Health and Fitness agrees to provide services in accordance with the information provided to students at the time of their enrolment. There may be circumstances where this agreement cannot be met. In the unlikely event that The College of Health and Fitness is unable to deliver an agreed service the following process’ will apply:
COURSE CANCELLATION
If we have to cancel a course the below process will be followed
• Provide written notification (via email and SMS) to students as soon as possible.
• Provide alternative options for course attendance or a full refund of fees paid
• Update marketing materials and website
Registration of The College of Health and Fitness ceases
Registration of an RTO may cease if:
• the period of registration expires
• the RTO wishes to cease its operation
• the business is sold
• there are grounds to cancel or suspend registration due to non-compliance with the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015.
In the event that the College of health and Fitness ceases its operation due to:
• being sanctioned due to non-complaince
• the business is sold– Registration cannot be transferred, sold or otherwise assigned to another individual, legal entity or organisation.
The College of Health and Fitness will:
• Provide written notice (email and SMS) to all students that the RTO will no longer be operating, preferably with at least 30 days’ notice.
• The College of health and fitness will ensure that all student information is submitted in line with the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard (AVETMISS) reporting requirements.
• Arrangements will be made for all current students to receive a copy of their student records including qualification documentation for any units of competency completed.
• The College of Health and Fitness will assist all enrolled students to find a training place with another registered training provider.
National VET Data Policy
Why we collect your personal information
As a registered training organisation (RTO), we collect your personal information so we can process and manage your enrolment in a vocational education and training (VET) course with us.
Note: If you do not provide us with the information we require we will not be able to enrol you in any nationally accredited course, nor access any government training funding for which we must submit data report.
How we use your personal information
We use your personal information to enable us to deliver VET courses to you, and otherwise, as needed, to comply with our obligations as an RTO.
The College of Health and Fitness does not intend to disclose your personal information to any overseas recipients.
How we disclose your personal information
We are required by law (under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth) (NVETR Act)) to disclose the personal information we collect about you to the National VET Data Collection kept by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER). The NCVER is responsible for collecting, managing, analysing and communicating research and statistics about the Australian VET sector.
We are also authorised by law (under the NVETR Act) to disclose your personal information to the relevant state or territory training authority.
How the NCVER and other bodies handle your personal information
The NCVER will collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with the law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the NVETR Act. Your personal information may be used and disclosed by NCVER for purposes that include populating authenticated VET transcripts; administration of VET; facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage; and understanding the VET market.
The NCVER is authorised to disclose information to the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE), Commonwealth authorities, State and Territory authorities (other than registered training organisations) that deal with matters relating to VET and VET regulators for the purposes of those bodies, including to enable:
• administration of VET, including program administration, regulation, monitoring and evaluation
• facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage
• understanding how the VET market operates, for policy, workforce planning and consumer information.
The NCVER may also disclose personal information to persons engaged by NCVER to conduct research on NCVER’s behalf.
The NCVER does not intend to disclose your personal information to any overseas recipients.
For more information about how the NCVER will handle your personal information please refer to the NCVER’s Privacy Policy at www.ncver.edu.au/privacy .
If you would like to seek access to or correct your information, in the first instance, please contact The College of Health and Fitness using the contact details listed below.
DESE is authorised by law, including the Privacy Act and the NVETR Act, to collect, use and disclose your personal information to fulfil specified functions and activities. For more information about how the DESE will handle your personal information, please refer to the DESE VET Privacy Notice at https://www.dese.gov.au/national-vet-data/vet-privacy-notice .
The College of Health and Fitness provides data on students and student enrolment to the Queensland Government through Avetmiss reporting. This is a requirement of our contract with the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training. The Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business and Training is regulated in its use of this data by the Information Privacy Act 2009 https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2009-014 .
Surveys
You may receive a student survey which may be run by a government department or an NCVER employee, agent, third-party contractor or another authorised agency. Please note you may opt out of the survey at the time of being contacted.
Contact information
At any time, you may contact The College of Health and Fitness to:
• request access to your personal information
• correct your personal information
• make a complaint about how your personal information has been handled
• ask a question about this Privacy Notice
Contact Information: The College of Health and Fitness, Evergreen Centre, Level 1, 12 Discovery Drive, North Lakes, QLD 4509 Ph: 07 3385 0195 E: admin@cohaf.com.au Web: www.cohaf.com.au
COHAF Privacy Statement: https://www.cohaf.com.au/our-policies/privacy-statement
Privacy Statement
The COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND FITNESS PRIVACY POLICY
Issued June 2015
Your privacy is important
This statement outlines the College’s policy on how the College uses and manages personal information provided to or collected by it.
The College is bound by the National Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act (1988). The College may, from time to time, review and update this Privacy Policy to take account of new laws and technology, changes to Colleges’ operations and practices and to make sure it remains appropriate to the changing VET environment.
The College collects personal, including sensitive, information about students, their parents and people who care for them. The collection of this information is for the primary purpose of the College fulfilling its educational services to the students.
The College will also exercise its right to access the credit history of students, carers and parents of minors under law.
Information is collected through filling out of application forms, face to face interviews and at times third party reports.
The College will endeavour to keep personal and credit information accurate/up-to-date and complete. Students, parents of minors and carers are relied upon to assist the College in keeping information accurate and up to date. Any unsolicited information received by the College will be destroyed unless legal obligations require otherwise.
Some of the information the College collects is to enable the College to discharge its duty of care and legislative obligations.
Full and frank disclosure of information requested is necessary for the provision of services to students and to establish a binding contractual relationship between the parties.
1. If the College does not obtain the information referred to above, the College may not be able to enrol or continue the enrolment of a student.
2. Health Information about students is sensitive information within the terms of the Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act. The College needs this information which will include reports from third parties re medical and other treating professionals and Court Orders.
The College from time to time may need to disclose personal, sensitive or credit information to others for administrative, safety and education or credit purposes. This includes to other training organisations, government departments, state authorities, medical practitioners and people providing services to the College, including specialist visiting teachers, contractors and volunteers.
Personal information such as academic achievements, news and images is published to the College community by way of College Newsletters, magazines, in multi-media presentations and on our website. Similarly, parent or carer identification and photographs/film footage may be published.
Secure measures will be taken for the storing of information with service providers situated out of Australia.
The College will take reasonable steps to secure and protect all information held from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Information held by the College will be either de-identified or destroyed when no longer of use to the College and/or outside the required period of data retention.
Students and/or parents of minors and/or carers have a right to make a written complaint to the Manager if they consider these Privacy Principles have been breached.
Students or parents of students who are minors, or carers, may seek access to personal information collected about them and the student by contacting the College. However, there will be occasions when access is denied. Such occasions would include where access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy, health and safety of others, where access may result in a breach of the College’s duty of care to the student or where access is denied by law.
The College from time to time engages in promotional activities. Information received from students and/or parents and/or carers may be used to make an appeal to these individuals. It may also be disclosed to organisations that assist in the College’s promotional activities solely for that purpose. Students, carers or Parents of minors may, by notice in writing to the College, opt out of direct marketing. The College will not disclose personal information to third parties for marketing purposes without specific consent. The College may include contact details in class lists.
Enquiries
If you would like further information about the way the College manages the personal information it holds, please contact the Manager, The College of Health and Fitness.
Code of Practice
Training and Assessment services
The management and staff of The College of Health and Fitness are committed to providing Training and Assessment services, resources, support and equipment in a condition and environment that is conducive with achieving competency in the units of study undertaken.
Issuance of Qualifications
The Management of The College of Health and Fitness will promptly provide copies of all qualification and statements of attainment achieved by enrolled students and provide ongoing assistance to enquiring students with regard to their record of course progress, achievements and statements of attainment.
Financial Management
The College of Health and Fitness applies sound and accountable financial practices within its day-to-day operations and maintains its adherence to equitable refund policies. (These are explained in the student enrolment form)
Records and Information Management
The College of Health and Fitness is committed to implementing best practice in its records management practices and systems, responding in a timely manner to all requests of information from present and past students. All staff employed by The College of Health and Fitness will be required to apply themselves to the provisions of the Privacy and Protection of Personal Information Act 1998.
Access and Equity
The Management and staff of The College of Health and Fitness provide assistance to all clients to identify and achieve their desired outcomes. The College of Health and Fitness is committed to providing training and assessment services to all clients regardless of race, religion, sex, socio-economic status, disability, language, literacy or numeracy and upholds the principles of equal opportunity.
RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning)
The management and staff of The College of Health and Fitness are committed to supporting The RPL enquiries and requests from potential and enrolled students. Enrolling students are supplied with relevant RPL information at initial contact and orientation events prior to undertaking studies. Further support is provided with relevant RPL tools following RPL application.
Stakeholder feedback
The College of Health and Fitness is committed to securing and reviewing advice and feedback from all its stakeholders involved in the delivery of its Training and Assessment services.
Provision of information
Clear and accurate advice is provided to all enrolling students at The College of Health and Fitness. Initial contact, orientation and the commencement of studies is supported by the provision of timely information concerning enrolment procedures, vocational outcomes, fees, access and equity, guidance and support, complaints and appeals procedures and RPL arrangements or credit transfer.
Legislative Compliance
The Management and staff of The College of Health and Fitness conduct periodic reviews to ensure that it is compliant with all state and federal legislative requirements for RTO’s including but not limited to OH&S, Harassment, Discrimination, Equal Opportunity and Vocational Education and training legislation.
Marketing Accuracy
The Management and staff of The College of Health and Fitness are committed to marketing its training and assessment services in an accurate, ethical and responsible manner ensuring that all clients are provided with timely and necessary information.
Complaints and Appeals
The complaints and appeals policy of The College of Health and Fitness shall ensure that all complaints are dealt with in a constructive and timely manner. All complaints and appeals shall be reported in management meetings and corrective solution forms shall be raised detailing the actions required to arrive at satisfactory resolve of each complaint and grievance.
Fees and Payment Terms
Fees quoted for Courses and Workshops delivered by the College of Health and Fitness are valid for a period of 14 days from the date provided and may be reviewed thereafter. The College of Health and Fitness reserves the right to review and alter prices without prior notice. Any funds paid by a student for training (including deposits and all other fees payable) are not transferrable to any other person or entity.
Course Fees
The following options are available for payment of course fees:
• Payment in full (maximum of $1500 initial deposit and the remaining balance to be paid on course commencement)
• Payment plan provided by Ezidebit
• Students who choose the payment plan option are to ensure they have sufficient cleared funds in their nominated account.
• Students on an agreed payment plan who require alterations to the original payment arrangements must do so in writing. Payment alterations incur a $50.00 service fee.
Deferral
You may apply in writing for deferral from your studies. Deferrals are usually only given for medical reasons. Deferral applications will incur a $100 administration fee for a deferment of up to six months. Recommencement at a later date will be accepted upon confirmation of a new enrolment application. Please note that upon recommencement, you will be required to meet the training package requirements that are current at the time of your return to study. This may mean a change to the units of competency that you study (if they have changed in the training package during the period of deferral) and possible additional costs. Contact College Administration by emailing enquiries@thecollegeofhealthandfitness.qld.edu.au to be sent an application form.
Withdrawal from Course by Student
Eligible withdrawals, that is a written notification of withdrawal received at least 7 days prior to course commencement, for students enrolled in a course/workshop, will receive a full refund of course fees paid minus a withdrawal fee of 25% of the course fee. This withdrawal fee will be withheld to cover trainer and/or administration costs. This fee is payable in all circumstances including payment plan options when the 25% has not yet been collected, and fees will still be deducted until the withdrawal fee has been paid. No refunds will apply to withdrawals made less than 7 days prior to course commencement, where a course has commenced or where resources have been provided and the student will be liable for all payments as per their enrolment and contract. In cases where a student is suffering from a medical condition and seeks to defer their enrolment for a specified period of time, they must put their request in writing, and provide adequate supporting documentation. Upon application, the student’s enrolment may be deferred for a period no greater than 6 months. No refund of course fees will apply and the student will be liable for all payments due under an agreed payment plan (if applicable). The College of Health and Fitness reserves the right to vary fees, curriculum, assessments and dates without notice and liability.
Extension request by the student
Students who are unable to complete their course within the timeframe advised on enrolment have the option of requesting an extension. Extensions must be requested in writing and forwarded to the College through the admin@thecollegeofhealthandfitness.qld.edu.au e.mail address. The following conditions apply to requests for an extension:
• Extension requests must be made in writing prior to the course end date advised on enrolment (e.g. 12 months from enrolment); and
• An administration fee of $100 will be charged for all extension requests; and
• Extensions will initially be granted for a period of three (3) months; and
• Extensions greater than three (3) months are granted at the sole discretion of the College of Health and Fitness; and
• Students who fail to submit any additional work during the three (3) month extension period will be ineligible for any further extensions.
Cancellation of Course by The College of Health and Fitness
Should The College of Health and Fitness be unable to provide all units to meet the student’s course schedule, the following will apply:
• Course fees paid on any unavailable unit will be refunded and a Statement of Attainment will be issued for satisfactorily completed units. NB. Please also read the Refund Policy.
Complaints and Appeals Policy
The Management of The College of Health and Fitness shall ensure that all complaints and appeals are dealt with in accordance with the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness and remain publically available. All complaints and appeals shall be subject to notification within The College of Health and Fitness' management meeting and require the implementation of The College of Health and Fitness complaints and appeals process.
Scope of Complaints and Appeals Policy
The College of Health and Fitness will manage and respond to allegations involving the conduct of:
a) The College of Health and Fitness, its trainers, assessors or other staff;
b) a third party providing services on behalf of The College of Health and Fitness, its trainers, assessors or other staff; or
c) a learner of The College of Health and Fitness.
Complaints and Appeals Procedures
Learners may choose to submit a complaint to The College of Health and Fitness staff via the Informal Process or Formal Process.
(Please note ‘The College of Health and Fitness staff’ will be considered to include third parties or partnering organisation staff)
Informal process
• Learners may submit a complaint (verbally or in writing) directly to staff of The College of Health and Fitness with the purpose to resolve a complaint through discussion and through mutual agreement. All complaints received will be acknowledged in writing by the Management of The College of Health and Fitness.
• The College of Health and Fitness staff are required to explain to the Learner the Informal, Formal and complaints and appeals processes available to them.
• Learners may be accompanied by a third party of their choice to support them in the informal process discussion.
• All informal complaints when finalised shall be reported to the Management of The College of Health and Fitness by The College of Health and Fitness staff (via a stakeholder feedback form) for further review and consideration for potential continuous improvement actions, regardless of whether the complaint was resolved or not.
• All informal complaints that are not resolved with Learners by mutual agreement with The College of Health and Fitness staff will require the completion of the formal complaints process.
Formal Process
• When a Learner wishes to submit a formal complaint or is dissatisfied with the attempt to resolve a complaint informally (directly with staff) the Learner may submit a formal complaint to The College of Health and Fitness management utilising the 'Student Complaint Form'.
• The College of Health and Fitness Management will respond in writing to all formal Learner complaints within 5 days of receipt of a 'Student Complaint Form'.
• When a Complaint is recognised as requiring more than 60 calendar days to resolve the management of The College of Health and Fitness must inform the complainant in writing, including reasons why more than 60 calendar days are required; and regularly update the complainant on the progress of the matter.
• The College of Health and Fitness Management shall respond to formal complaints from Learners in writing proposing a resolution to the complaint.
• The College of Health and Fitness Management responses to the complainant shall include information and procedures concerning the complainant’s right to appeal the proposed solution and request for an independent adjudicator.
• All formal complaints when finalised shall be reported to the Management of The College of Health and Fitness by The College of Health and Fitness staff (via a stakeholder feedback form) for further review and consideration for potential continuous improvement actions, regardless of whether the complaint was resolved or not.
Appeals Process
In the event of a Learner advising that they are dissatisfied with the proposed solution for a formal complaint to The College of Health and Fitness management, the Manager shall provide an additional opportunity to provide a solution and shall apply the External Appeal process.
External Appeals
• The Manager shall advise the Learner that an Independent Third party shall be sought to consider the nature of the complaint and a possible further resolution at no cost to the Learner.
• The selection of the Independent Third party shall be communicated with the Learner and the selection must be with the mutual agreement of the Learner.
• The College of Health and Fitness management shall make contact with the Independent Third party and provide all documentation related to the formal complaint and Learner contact details.
• Independent adjudication responses must be within 7 days from the date that all formal complaint documentation is provided to the Independent Adjudicator.
• When an Appeal process is recognised as requiring more than 60 calendar days to resolve, the management of The College of Health and Fitness must inform the appellant in writing, including reasons why more than 60 calendar days are required; and regularly update the appellant on the progress of the matter.
• On receipt of the formal complaint documentation the Independent Third party shall make contact with the Management staff of The College of Health and Fitness and the Learner and arrange a suitable time for further discussion pertaining to the formal complaint.
• All Independent Third Party proposed solutions shall be final and be reported to the College of Health and Fitness management and the Learner in writing and will require immediate implementation by both parties.
Assessment result appeals
All appeals from Learners relating to assessment results must be received in a period no longer than 3 months following the competency decision.
Assessment Appeals Procedure
Staff delivering training and assessment services on behalf of The College of Health and Fitness will be required to:
• Provide timely guidance to all course participants regarding the assessment appeals procedure.
• Clarify any aspects of the assessment results that a student does not understand.
• Provide each student that requests an assessment appeal with the required 'Assessment Appeal form'.
• Communicate directly via email as soon as possible with the College of Health and Fitness' management on any advice (verbal or written) provided by a student that they are seeking to appeal an assessment decision.
• Schedule a meeting with the student and the management of The College of Health and Fitness when a completed assessment appeal form is received from a student.
• Communicate any outcome decision by the management of The College of Health and Fitness to uphold or overturn an assessment appeal to the student’s by completing the assessment appeal form clearly identifying the reason for the outcome.
• All assessment appeals will be processed by the staff and management of The College of Health and Fitness within 10 days of receipt of an appeal. All assessment appeals must be maintained on the students file.
• Student records will be adjusted to comply with the College of Health and Fitness management appeal outcome decisions.
Complaints and appeals records
The College of Health and Fitness management shall maintain records of all complaints and appeals and their outcomes and reference complaints and appeals in The College of Health and Fitness Management meeting minutes identifying potential causes of complaints and appeals and takes appropriate corrective actions to eliminate or mitigate the likelihood of reoccurrence.
Records of all Informal, Formal complaints and appeals will be recorded in The College of Health and Fitness Review meeting minutes and all written student complaints records will be retrievable through the Student Complaints PCFs.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Policy and Procedure
SCOPE
This policy applies to College of Health and Fitness students and all College of Health and Fitness staff and contractors who deal with matters concerning courses delivered by The College of Health and Fitness.
POLICY
The policy is intended to promote honesty in learning and assessment and respect for the work of others. Contravention of this policy will result in students being penalised as per our student code of conduct.
Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one’s own. You are expected to acknowledge the intellectual property of others used in the preparation of projects and assessment tasks.
Plagiarism is the copying of another person’s ideas or expressions without appropriate acknowledgement and presenting these ideas or forms of expression as your own. It includes not only written works such as books or journals, but data or images that may be presented in tables, diagrams, designs, plans, photographs, film, music, formulae, web sites and computer programs.
The College of Health and Fitness regards plagiarism as an extremely serious academic offence. The penalties associated with plagiarism are severe. Students who submit work identified as plagiarised will be penalised. The penalties are outlined later in this document.
The penalty will depend on the severity of the plagiarism, whether the student is a repeat offender, whether there is evidence of deliberate deceit and whether another student has been coerced into participating in the plagiarism.
PROCEDURES
1. A Trainer or Assessor who suspects plagiarism must report this to the Manager, the College of Health and Fitness.
2. The Manager will decide whether the plagiarism amounts to cheating. In other words, the Manager will determine whether it is more likely than not that the plagiarism was done with the intention of gaining an unfair advantage. This determination will be either:
a. The Manager decides there was no Plagiarism/ Cheating
If the Manager decides that there is insufficient evidence of cheating, the Manager will then ask an assessor to mark the work appropriately. In some cases the Manager may require the Trainer/Assessor to speak with the student about plagiarism and cheating. If this occurs the Manager will send a Student Warning Letter to the student in the appropriate form. A copy of the Warning Letter is to be placed on the student’s personal file.
b. The Manager decides there is a possible case of Plagiarism and Cheating.
If the Manager reaches the conclusion that there is evidence that the student intended to obtain an unfair advantage, the Manager will give the student an opportunity to respond before making a final determination. In addition to more obvious cases of plagiarism (e.g. copying large slabs of information from the Internet), this situation could arise where two students, contrary to instructions, submit substantially the same work.
c. The Manager decides that Plagiarism and Cheating has occurred
If after giving the student an opportunity to respond, the Manager decides that the student has acted with an intention to obtain an unfair advantage, the Manager will disallow a Competency for that unit of Competence and
• inform the student in writing that the marks have been disallowed and advise the student that he/she has a right to appeal as per the College Complaints and Appeals procedures; and
• ask the Administration staff to place a copy of the letter in the students personal file.
d. The Manager decides that Plagiarism and Cheating has not occurred
If, having heard the student’s explanation, the Manager decides that the student’s conduct did not amount to Plagiarism and Cheating, the Manager:
i. Will treat the case as one of unsatisfactory academic work and ask an assessor to mark the assessment appropriately (i.e. not yet competent); and
ii. May, if it is deemed necessary, advise and counsel the student about the rules relating to plagiarism cheating.
If it occurs, Manager will determine whether it is necessary to send a warning letter to the student. If a Warning Letter is sent to the student, the Manager will ask the Administration Staff to place a copy on the students’ individual file.
Penalties of Plagiarism and Collusion
1. Students who are found cheating or guilty of plagiarism on any form of assessment will be deemed Not Yet Competent for the relevant Unit of Competence. The student will then need to re-submit or resit assessment either in part or in full.
2. Students who are found cheating or guilty of plagiarism for a second time will need to repeat the entire Unit of Competence and pay a fee of $50.00*.
3. Students who are found cheating or guilty of plagiarism for a third or subsequent time, will be fined $100*, will need to repeat the entire Unit of Competence and will be required to provide a written explanation for their actions.
4. Students will also be issued an official written warning which will be placed in the students file.
5. Continued behaviour of this kind may result in students being expelled from the College.
*These Fees are charged to help defray the significant costs incurred by the College in identifying cheating and plagiarism, contacting the parties concerned and re-assessing resubmitted material. Failure to pay these fees will result in the student being deemed Not Yet Competent and they will be ineligible to receive their qualification.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Students may not utilise artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to augment their assessment response. The College of Health and Fitness’s assessment system is specifically designed to assess students' ownunderstanding and knowledge of the required competencies. Assessment responses should reflect the "transfer of learning" achieved through the training program. Students are expected to demonstrate their skills and knowledge at the required depth and breadth, aligning with the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) level, without incorporating AI chatbot assistance.
The College of Health and Fitness has implemented measures to identify any responses that may have been generated by AI. In cases where a questionable response is detected, the Plagiarism Policy outlined in the The College of Health and Fitness student handbook may be applied. Repeated incidents may lead to the application of the The College of Health and Fitness Discipline Policy. Additional steps to ensure the student’s course progress is maintained may also be introduced.
It is crucial to adhere to these guidelines to maintain the integrity of the assessment process and ensure that students' capabilities are accurately assessed based on their own understanding, knowledge, and learning. AI chatbots, including but not limited to: ChatSopt, ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Bard, Jasper Chat, Perplexity, Tidio Lyro, Kommunicate, Drift, Infobip, and LivePerson, are examples of AI chatbots that students may not use.