AAHE Glossary

Term	Meaning
AAHE community	enrolled AAHE students employees and exchange staff employees of affiliated associations, such as professional bodies  contractors and consultants performing work at or on behalf of AAHE visiting academics or persons with academic status the Board of Directors, Academic Board and their committees a Work Integrated Learning supervisor, and any AAHE volunteer or other person involved in an AAHE project
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander	any person who: is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, and is accepted by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in which they live as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
academic integrity	the requirement that teachers, students, researchers and all members of the academic community act with honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility
Academic Intervention Plan	a plan that is designed to enable a student, whom the Assessment and Academic Progress Committee considers to be at risk of not making satisfactory progress, to improve their performance
academic misconduct	breaches of academic integrity, including plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and fabrication of sources
academic progress	the measure of advancement within a course towards the completion of that course, as set out in the Academic Progress Policy. See https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/
accreditation	a formal process through which a course of study is authorised to be offered by a higher education provider. For providers that are authorised to self-accredit courses of study, the accreditation is granted through a formal internal governance process; otherwise the accreditation must be obtained from TEQSA. A course of study that is self-accredited or accredited by TEQSA may also be ‘accredited’ by a professional body for different and separate purposes. Accreditation of a course of study by a professional body does not of itself entitle a provider to offer the course of study
admission	authorised entry to an AAHE course
advanced standing	a form of credit for any previous learning (Australian Qualifications Framework definition). AAHE uses the term ‘credit for learning undertaken elsewhere’
agent	see education agent
appeal	a formal request to have an AAHE decision relating to a student’s enrolment, academic progress or conduct reconsidered, as set out in the Enrolment Policy, Academic Progress Policy, Student Academic Misconduct Procedure and Student General Misconduct Procedure. See https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/
assessment	a process to determine a student’s achievement of identified learning outcomes and may include a range of written and oral methods and practice or demonstration
Assessment Adjustment Plan	a plan that sets out the modifications that will be made to assessment practices to assist an individual student to complete their assessment tasks
associate	an education agent or other party with whom AAHE has an arrangement to deliver its course or related services
at risk of unsatisfactory progress	as defined in section 2 of the Academic Progress Policy, an AAHE student is considered to be at risk of not making satisfactory progress when: they have failed 50% or more of the credit points of units they attempted in the last semester, or they have failed a core unit once or the same non-core unit twice, or they may not be able to complete their course requirements within the required timeframe, or the Assessment and Academic Progress Committee (AAPC) is concerned about the student’s progress for some other reason; for example, because the student seldom attends classes, repeatedly requests extensions or has failed to submit work or to respond to an invitation to a meeting.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)	Australia‘s national policy for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training, which incorporates the qualifications from each education and training sector into a single comprehensive national qualifications framework. More information is available from the AQF website
AQF qualification	a qualification that is the result of an accredited complete program of learning that leads to formal certification that a graduate has achieved learning outcomes as described in the AQF
award course	a program of study that leads to an award or qualification (such as a Bachelor degree)
bullying	any repeated unreasonable behaviour that causes a risk to the health or safety of another person
cancelled enrolment	a student’s enrolment is cancelled when they permanently withdraw from their course, or when AAHE terminates their enrolment under the Academic Progress Policy, Student Code of Conduct, Student Academic Integrity Policy or Fees and Charges Policy. See https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/
census date	the date on which a student’s unit enrolments are finalised
compassionate and compelling circumstances	circumstances outside the student’s control that have a significant impact on a student’s wellbeing or their ability to complete their academic work, such as a serious illness or trauma, the death of an immediate family member or a major disaster in the student’s home country
complaint	an expression of dissatisfaction about AAHE services, processes and decisions or about the conduct of other AAHE students and staff. Refer to AAHE’s Student Complaints Policy (at https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/) and see also appeal
compulsory study period	a study period in which the student must enrol unless granted a deferment or suspension from enrolment or leave of absence – Semesters 1 and 2 at AAHE
Conceded Pass	a Pass that is awarded under specified conditions to a student where a single failed unit is preventing the student from completing the degree
consent	in relation to sexual offences is defined in the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) as free agreement. The circumstances in which a person does not consent to an act include, but are not limited to, the following— (a) the person submits to the act because of force or the fear of force, whether to that person or someone else; (b) the person submits to the act because of the fear of harm of any type, whether to that person or someone else or an animal; (c) the person submits to the act because the person is unlawfully detained; (d) the person is asleep or unconscious; (e) the person is so affected by alcohol or another drug as to be incapable of consenting to the act; (f) the person is so affected by alcohol or another drug as to be incapable of withdrawing consent to the act; (g) the person is incapable of understanding the sexual nature of the act; (h) the person is mistaken about the sexual nature of the act; (i) the person is mistaken about the identity of any other person involved in the act; (j) the person mistakenly believes that the act is for medical or hygienic purposes; (k) if the act involves an animal, the person mistakenly believes that the act is for veterinary or agricultural purposes or scientific research purposes; (l) the person does not say or do anything to indicate consent to the act; (m) having given consent to the act, the person later withdraws consent to the act taking place or continuing
Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)	a document that is issued by a registered provider to confirm that a student is eligible to enrol in one of their courses and that must accompany an international student’s application for a student visa
course	a program of study consisting of a sequence of ‘units’ leading to the award of a qualification
course map	a course map demonstrates, normally in diagrammatic form, how assessment of the knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills in a course meets the requirements of the relevant AQF level and the learning outcomes and graduate attributes designed for the course
course progress	the measure of advancement within a course towards the completion of that course
credit	a benefit provided to a student by waiving one or more of the normal components required for completion of a course of study
credit points	the unit of measure of workload for units. Credit points are gained by students enrolled in courses when units are passed and, when accumulated, credit points form one measure of the total requirements of a course. As a standard measure at AAHE, one academic year of full-time study is equivalent to 48 credit points
credit transfer	a process that provides students with agreed and consistent credit outcomes for components of a qualification based on identified equivalence in content and learning outcomes between matched qualifications. See AAHE’s Credit for Learning Undertaken Elsewhere Policy at https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/
CRICOS	Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students: the official Australian Government website that lists all Australian education providers that offer courses to people studying in Australia on student visas
critical Incident	a traumatic event, or the threat of such (within or outside Australia) which causes extreme stress, fear or injury and has the potential to threaten AAHE’s assets, operations, environment, and requires urgent attention
cross-institutional studies	studies approved to be undertaken at another institution for credit towards an AAHE course
defer	postpone the commencement of studies
deferred assessment task	an assessment task that is approved to be undertaken later than usual by an individual student
discontinued course	a course that will enrol no further students
discrimination	treating or proposing to treat a person unfavourably due to that person’s protected attribute (see below), or imposing or proposing to impose a requirement, condition or practice that is unreasonable and is likely to disadvantage someone with a protected attribute, is unlawful discrimination
diversity	welcoming and valuing all people equally, irrespective of race, religion, sexual orientation, sexuality or gender, disability or mental health
domestic student	a student who is an Australian or New Zealand citizen or holder of an Australian permanent resident visa (including permanent humanitarian visas)
education agent	a person (whether within or outside Australia) who represents or acts on behalf of AAHE in dealing with overseas or intending overseas students
Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000	the Act that sets out the legal framework governing delivery of education to international students in Australia on a student visa, which governs: the registration process and obligations of registered international education providers the Tuition Protection Service enforcement and compliance arrangements
enrolled	the status assigned to a person who has completed the requirements of the enrolment process for a course or unit of study in the student management system and has not subsequently completed, been withdrawn or terminated the unit or course
enrolment	where the student has been issued with a CoE to confirm acceptance by the registered provider and is occupying a place in the course for which the student was accepted and is progressing towards the completion of the course requirements. The period of enrolment includes scheduled breaks between study periods (National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018)
equity groups	groups of students who have experienced disadvantage, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, people with disability, people from remote, rural or isolated areas, people who are the first in their family to attend a university or other higher educational institution, people from non-English speaking backgrounds, and women (especially in areas of study where they have been under-represented, such as engineering)
Equivalent full-time student load (EFTSL)	is a measure of the study load for a year of a student undertaking a course on a full-time basis. At AAHE, one EFTSL is equivalent to 48 credit points.
examination	a formal, time-limited assessment task that is usually invigilated and undertaken after all teaching in a unit has finished
exclusion	the cancellation of a student’s enrolment in their course for failure to make satisfactory progress
Executive Management	Principal and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), and other members of AAHE’s Executive Management Committee
FEE-HELP	the Australian Government loan scheme available to eligible fee paying students allowing them to defer payment of tuition fees through a HELP loan repayable to the Australian Taxation Office
final academic record	an official statement issued to a student who has completed one or more accredited AAHE units, but does not intend to complete the whole qualification of which the unit(s) form a part
formal learning	learning that takes place through a structured program of learning that leads to the full or partial achievement of an officially accredited qualification. See also informal and non-formal learning.
full-time student	a student who is enrolled in a minimum of 75 per cent of the equivalent full-time student load
graduation statement	a supplementary statement to the testamur and record of results that provides additional information to enhance understanding of the qualification by students, employers, industry, professional associations and internationally
Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF)	the minimum acceptable requirements for the provision of higher education in or from Australia. These requirements span seven ‘domains’ as follows: Student participation and attainment Learning environment Teaching Research and research training Institutional quality assurance Governance and accountability Representation, information and information management
hurdle requirement	a requirement that a student must meet to pass a unit in addition to achieving a minimum number of marks
incidental fee	the money charged for materials and/or services which are not essential to the student’s program of study or where the material or service is in an alternative form to the one that is free of charge. Incidental fees may be academic or administrative or associated with facilities offered by AAHE
informal learning	learning gained through work, social, family, hobby or leisure activities and experiences. Unlike formal or non-formal learning, informal learning is not organised or externally structured in terms of objectives, time or learning support. See also formal and non-formal learning
international student	a student who has citizenship and/or visa status other than as an Australian or New Zealand citizen or holder of an Australian permanent resident visa (including permanent humanitarian visas)
learning	a process by which a person assimilates information, ideas, actions and values and thus acquires knowledge, skills and/or the application of the knowledge and skills
Learning Management System (LMS)	a software application for the content, administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation and delivery of courses, and for online communication and interaction between staff and students
learning outcomes	the expression of the set of knowledge, skills and the application of the knowledge and skills a person has acquired and is able to demonstrate as a result of learning
Learning Plan	a plan that is designed to support students to improve their progress towards achieving their course learning outcomes
maximum period of study	the maximum time that a student is allowed to complete a course, which for a domestic student is twice the normal full-time length of the course plus one year, and for an international student is the course duration on the student’s Confirmation of Enrolment (which must not exceed the CRICOS registered duration)
moderation of assessment	quality assurance, control processes and activities such as peer review that aim to assure:  consistency or comparability, appropriateness, and fairness of assessment judgments the validity and reliability of assessment tasks, criteria and standards
National Code 2018	a legislative instrument made under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 that sets nationally consistent standards to ensure providers deliver quality education and training to overseas students. The code sets the following minimum standards: Standard 1: Marketing information and practices Standard 2: Recruitment of an overseas student Standard 3: Formalisation of enrolment and written agreements Standard 4: Education Agents Standard 5: Younger overseas students Standard 6: Overseas student support services Standard 7: Overseas student transfers Standard 8: Overseas student visa requirements Standard 9: Deferring, suspending or cancelling the overseas student’s enrolment Standard 10: Complaints and appeals Standard 11: Additional requirements.
natural justice	According to the Administrative Review Council’s best practice guide, Decision Making: NATURAL JUSTICE (August 2007) ‘Natural justice requires that administrators adhere to a fair decision-making procedure… There are two primary rules of natural justice. The ‘hearing rule’ is that people who will be affected by a proposed decision must be given an opportunity to express their views to the decision maker. The ‘bias rule’ is that the decision maker must be impartial and must have no personal stake in the matter to be decided’.
nested courses	integrated courses of study that include articulation arrangements from a lower level higher education award into a higher level higher education award. Nested courses also enable multiple entry and exit points
non-award course	a program of study that does not lead to an award but that can comprise subjects and modules within subjects that may potentially be counted as credit towards an award course or meeting entry requirements for an award course (for example pathways, bridging and foundations programs)
non-formal learning	learning that takes place through a structured program of learning but does not lead to an officially accredited qualification. See also formal and informal learning
part-time student	a student who is enrolled in less than 75 per cent of the equivalent full-time student load
personal information	information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether or not the information or opinion is true, and whether or not the information or opinion is recorded in a material form, or as otherwise defined by applicable data protection laws
policy	refer to AAHE’s Policy on Policies. See https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/
principal course of study	the main (and normally the final) course of study to be undertaken by an overseas student where a student visa has been issued for multiple courses
PRISMS	Provider Registration and International Student Management System, which is the system used to process information given to the Secretary of the Department of Education and Training by registered providers
procedure	refer to AAHE’s Policy on Policies. See https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/
protected attributes	age or age group; breastfeeding; employment activity; expunged homosexual conviction; family or carer’s responsibilities; status as a parent or carer; gender identity (including gender expression); disability; industrial activity; lawful sexual activity; marital or relationship status; social origin; parental status or status as a carer; physical features; political opinion, belief or activity; pregnancy or potential pregnancy; race or colour; descent or ancestry; nationality or national origin; ethnicity or ethnic origin; national extraction or social origin; religious belief or activity; sex or intersex status; sexual orientation; personal association with a person who is identified by reference to any of those attributes (Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic))
reasonable adjustment	an adjustment according to the Disability Standards for Education 2005 is a measure or action taken by an education provider to assist a student with a disability to apply for admission to and to participate in a course and to use facilities and services on the same basis as a student without a disability. An adjustment is reasonable if it balances the interests of all parties affected
recognition of prior learning	a process through which eligibility for the award of credit is assessed, through assessment of formal, informal and non-formal learning. See AAHE’s Credit for Learning Undertaken Elsewhere Policy at https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/
satisfactory progress	as defined in section 2 of the Academic Progress Policy, a student is considered to be making satisfactory progress when they: have passed more than 50% of the credit points of units they attempted in the semester under review, including all core units and any units the student was advised that they were required to pass, and are on track to complete their course requirements within the required timeframe (which for a domestic student is the maximum period of study set for the course and for an international student is the course duration on the Confirmation of Enrolment). Conversely, a student is considered to be not making satisfactory progress when they: have not met the progress conditions set for them at the end of the previous semester, or have failed a core unit twice, or cannot or have not completed their course within the required timeframe. See https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/
selection	the process of assessing applications to determine which applicants will be offered a place in a course
sexual assault	is defined in the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) Section 40 as intentionally touching another person and the touching is sexual and the person who was touched did not agree or consent
sexual harassment	is defined in the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) as when a person makes an unwelcome sexual advance, or an unwelcome request for sexual favours, to another person, or engages in any other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in relation to another person in circumstances in which a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated the possibility that the other person would be offended, humiliated or intimidated
special circumstances	are defined in the Higher Education Support Act as circumstances that are beyond a student’s control and affect the student on or after the census date and make it impracticable for the student to complete the unit in which they are enrolled
special consideration	a measure taken to assist a student where unexpected circumstances have prevented them from completing an assessment task or have had a significant impact on their performance in a task
student	a person who has applied for entry to AAHE, has been offered a place, has accepted the offer and any applicable conditions, has acknowledged their obligations as an AAHE student, and is enrolled in an AAHE course
Student Offer and Acceptance Agreement	a document comprising an offer of a place in an AAHE course to a successful applicant and the agreement the applicant must sign before they are enrolled
supplementary assessment task	an additional assessment task that may be offered to a student or group of students to enable them to demonstrate that they have met the learning outcomes
suspend enrolment	put studies on hold temporarily. This may be initiated by the student on the grounds of compassionate or compelling circumstances or by AAHE because of a student’s misconduct
teach-out/transition plan	a written plan that sets out the process for discontinuing a course
TEQSA	Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency
terminated course	a course that has completed teach-out arrangements and is no longer offered
testamur	an official certification document that confirms that a qualification has been awarded to an individual
transition and teach-out mode	the situation where a course is being phased out and no new students are admitted but arrangements are made for existing students to complete their course without disadvantage
tuition fee	the money payable by a student to AAHE that is directly related to the teaching and assessment for a unit in which the student is enrolled
Tuition Protection Service (TPS)	an initiative of the Australian Government that ensures students are able either to: complete their studies in another course or with another education provider; or receive a refund of their unspent tuition fees. If a provider fails to assist an eligible student, the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) will contact the student directly and offer the option to either receive a refund of tuition fees for affected parts of the course, or assistance to move to a similar replacement course.
unit	one of the component parts of a course – a distinct subject within the course
unsatisfactory progress	as defined in section 2 of the Academic Progress Policy. See https://docs.aahe.edu.au/policies/
victimise	is defined in the Higher Education Provider Guidelines 2023 as to act or omit to act towards a person in a way which is intended to cause disadvantage to that person because they have made a complaint, or may make a complaint, or may be or are the subject of a complaint
Work integrated learning (WIL)	a formal, credit bearing feature embedded in AAHE undergraduate and postgraduate courses that can take many forms, each of which has the objective of enabling students to consolidate and practically apply their academic learning in a work environment as part of their course of study

This Glossary has drawn on: TEQSA’s glossary of terms AQF Glossary of Terminology National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 Admissions Transparency Phase Two Common Terminology and Information Sets, July 2018.