• Section 1 -  Overview and scope
• Part A - Design and approval
• Part B - Length and timing
• Part C - Attendance and exemptions
• Part D - Changes and cancellations
• Section 2 - Authority and Compliance

Section 1 -  Overview and scope

(1) These procedures provide guidance to UNE staff and students on the establishment, approval and management of UNE intensive schools.

(2) UNE provides intensive school as synchronous, interactive learning experience through which course and unit learning outcomes may be achieved.

(3) Within these procedures:

1. Part A outlines the design and approval process;
2. Part B outlines length and timing of intensive schools;
3. Part C outlines attendance and exemption requirements; and 
4. Part D outlines the process for changes and cancellations.

Part A - Design and approval

(4) Unit Coordinators or Course Coordinators (in consultation with relevant stakeholders including Head of School or delegate and the School Education Committee Chair or Convener) are responsibile for determining whether an intensive school is requirements in a unit or course. Factors to be considered include:

1. the appropriateness of an intensive school as an option for supporting the achievement of the unit or course learning outcomes;
2. any accreditation or pedagogical requirements;
3. equity issues that may inhibit students from attending or achieving full value from the intensive school; and
4. resource implications (physical, staffing and financial) of the intensive school.

(5) Intensive Schools can be held on campus at a UNE location, online or as a hybrid offering. Requests to hold intensive schools in other locations can be made with the approval of the relevant Executive Dean (or delegate), taking into consideration students’ ability to attend and the availability of physical and staffing resources at that location. All intensive schools requiring attendance at any UNE location must be timetabled (through the Scheduling team) to ensure that students attending have appropriate access to University services and facilities.

(6) Intensive Schools will be designated as either mandatory or non-mandatory. Mandatory Intensive Schools must demonstrate that attendance is required to achieve the learning outcomes. Non-Mandatory Intensive School ay be an option where learning outcomes may be achieved through alternative activities, but intensive schools attendance provides an appropriate opportunity for demonstrating learning outcomes. For non-mandatory intensive schools:

1. where relevant, replacement assessment activities that allow demonstration of the learning outcomes to be assessed at the intensive school must be provided to students who do not attend; and
2. the Unit Coordinator or Course Coordinator should advise students enrolled in the unit or course to book refundable travel arrangement in the event that the intensive school is cancelled. 

(7) Where a Unit Coordinator or Course Coordinator wish to hold an intensive school, a request should be made to the relevant Head of School to determine if adequate resources are available. Subject to the Head of School's endorsement, the request to hold an intensive school is considered as part of the unit or course approval or amendment process as outlined in the Course and Unit Policy. The request should outline how the factors in Clause 4 have been considered. 

(8) Subject to the intensive school being approved as part of the unit or course approval or amendment process, the intensive school will be published on the UNE Course Handbook and unit Learning Management System (LMS) site and the content designed by the Unit Coordinator (in consultation with the Course Coordinator where appropriate) or Course Coordinator. 

Part B - Length and timing

(9) Intensive Schools must be a minimum of one day (for online intensive schools) or two days (for on-campus intensive schools) in length. Intensive Schools should not exceed four days in length, unless a longer duration is approved through the unit or course approval or amendment process on the basis of accreditation requirements or activities that require longer to attain core competencies, such as fieldwork or clinical activities.

(10) Intensive Schools should be structured to allow learning activities to be scheduled for at least five hours of each day of the intensive school, or an equivalent amount averaged over the whole period of the intensive school.

(11) On-campus intensive schools should be scheduled during the intensive school periods specified in the Principal Dates. However, Unit Coordinators or Course Coordinators can make a case through the unit or course approval or amendment process that intensive schools should be provided at alternative times (adequate access to services and facilities must be considered).

(12) The setting of dates for on-campus intensive schools should be discussed within each school and/or faculty to ensure intensive schools requiring access to specialised facilities (such as laboratories) do not overlap.

Part C - Attendance and exemptions

(13) For non-mandatory intensive schools, the Unit Coordinator or Course Coordinator must specify the cut-off date for registration on the unit LMS site, which must be at least four weeks prior to the commencement of the intensive school (or as soon as possible if the intensive school is within the first four weeks of the teaching period) to allow consideration of appropriate staffing and physical resources where relevant. The Unit Coordinator or Course Coordinator, at their discretion, may accept a late registration.

(14) Students are expected to attend and participate in all learning activities at the intensive school. A student who does not attend a mandatory intensive school will receive a NI (fail incomplete) result for the unit, but may be able to apply for special assessment under the Assessment Policy. Where relevant, a student who does not attend a non-mandatory intensive school will be required to complete any replacement assessment activities that allow demonstration of the learning outcomes that were assessed at the intensive school.

(15) Students who can demonstrate, through work experience and/or credentialed learning, that the learning experiences and outcomes obtained through attendance at a mandatory intensive school have already been achieved, may apply for an exemption of attendance at that intensive school.

(16) A student who is repeating a unit and has previously attended an intensive school in the unit is expected to re- attend the intensive school unless they have been granted an exemption or carry forward of marks (see Admission, Credit and Enrolment Policy) by the Unit Coordinator.

Part D - Changes and cancellations

(17) UNE will make all reasonable attempts to ensure all intensive schools are provided in line with the published schedule, location and content, however changes or cancellations may be necessary for reasons such as unexpected staff or physical resource unavailability.

(18) A non-mandatory intensive school may be cancelled if the minimum number of student registrations is not met by the registration cut-off date as outlined on the unit LMS site. The minimum number of student registrations is ten students, unless indicated otherwise on the unit LMS site.

(19) A mandatory intensive school, and non-mandatory intensive schools after the minimum number of registrations have been received, can only be cancelled in extraordinary circumstances, after UNE has considered all reasonable alternatives for providing the intensive school as scheduled.

(20) The process for approval and communication of any changes to or cancellations of published intensive schools is as follows:

1. The Unit Coordinator (after consultation with the Course Coordinator) or Course Coordinator must demonstrate to the Head of School (or delegate) why the intensive school should or must be changed or cancelled, and where relevant, the proposed alternative arrangements for teaching the content and skills that was to be delivered and practised at the intensive school.
2. The Head of School (or delegate) will seek approval from the Executive Dean (or delegate).
3. If a change or cancellation is approved, the Unit Coordinator or Course Coordinator will contact impacted students to advise of:
   1. the change or cancellation;
   2. for changes that impacts a student’s planned attendance, options for either undertaking replacement assessment activities (for a non-mandatory intensive school) or applying for a deferred mandatory intensive school under the special assessment provisions in the Assessment Policy; and
   3. for cancellations of a mandatory intensive, alternative arrangements for teaching the content and practicing the skills that were to be delivered at the intensive school.

(21) If a change or cancellation is approved, the Unit Coordinator or Course Coordinator must advise the Scheduling team of the change or cancellation.

(22) The relevant Executive Dean of Faculty (or delegate) must report all cancellations of intensive schools to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the end of each trimester.

Section 2 - Authority and Compliance

Authority

(23) The Executive Principal Education Futures, pursuant to the Course and Unit Policy, makes these procedures.

Compliance

(24) UNE Representatives, staff and students must observe these procedures.

(25) These procedures operate as and from the Effective Date.

(26) To provide for exceptional circumstances arising from application of these procedures, the Executive Principal Education Futures may relax any provisions of these procedures.