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Adult and Community Education (ACE)

A Guide to Running Short Courses

 

Background

Continuing Education is an important and valid University activity which operates under the policy guidance of the Summer School and Continuing Education Board of Senate.

The University's Charter and Profile describe our longstanding commitment to Continuing Education, including Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Engagement in lifelong learning strategies forms part of our response to the Government's priorities for the tertiary sector.

It is established practice for the University to access Government EFTS funding for those Continuing Education courses that are of a general community nature. However, this type of funding has become more regulated as the Government acts to curb excessive and in some cases unjustified growth in this area across the wider tertiary education sector (see the section on Government Funding for Adult and Community Education Short Courses below).

Purposes of the policy

What is Adult and Community Education?

Adult and Community Education comprises a wide range of activities, including courses which may be either informal or assessed, but which do not lead to the award of a formally recognised qualification.  These are courses that fall outside of the Ministry of Education's other course classifications and are typically distinguished by their short duration, usually measured in hours.

Generally, Adult and Community Education (ACE) promotes and facilitates all or any of the following:

More particularly, Universities as institutes of higher learning contribute to and encourage lifelong learning by:

  1. Providing specialised and research-informed higher-level learning that contributes directly to the creation of an advanced and rapidly evolving knowledge economy;
  2. Contributing to the knowledge society through the preservation, dissemination and application of university research;
  3. Promoting the development of critical and reflective thinking, and active and informed citizenship locally, nationally and globally;
  4. Facilitating pathways into and through university education; and
  5. Building capability in the wider adult and community education sector (while having regard to the ACE Professional Development Strategy).

In its Guidelines for Adult and Community Education, the Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) states that ACE courses offered by a university should:

Examples of ACE short courses that have been offered by the University of Otago are:

The University must provide clear information for students about the purpose of the course and its relationship, if any, to other papers and short courses we offer. The University should also give students clear information about the relationship that any other participating organisation has in the course.

Government funding for ACE short courses

Tertiary Education Institutions (TEIs) have traditionally been funded for Adult and Community Education provided that the course gains academic approval and meets the ‘community education' criteria.

The community education criteria are outlined in a series of Ministry of Education and Tertiary Education Commission documents. Although there is some room for interpretation in the criteria, to be eligible for funding such courses should have the following characteristics:

Health-related courses aimed primarily at health professionals for training or development purposes, and courses that constitute internal staff training and development are NOT eligible for Government community education funding.

Note: Funding is not normally available for students who are under the age of 16 years and are full-time secondary school students. Funding is also not available for international students. Australian students resident in New Zealand at the time of the course have the equivalent status of domestic students.

In order to be eligible for funding, courses that meet the above criteria must have received appropriate University quality assurance. This involves course approval from the appropriate academic Division, the maintenance of an attendance record and the gathering of a limited amount of statistical data from course participants.

ACE courses are now funded from a special funding pool. The Government tuition subsidy (funding rate) from 2007 is $4,444 (excl GST) per EFTS.

The ACE funding schedule is currently being reviewed by Government.  As first steps: rates per EFTS have been reduced; and a total cap (for ACE programmes) has been set for the University. These and related other changes in Government policy may impact on the level of funding and/or the number of community education enrolments that can be supported by the University in any given year.

EFTS VALUES

The formula used to determine the EFTS value of these short courses is based on tutor contact time with students.

For courses up to 40 hours, each student contact hour is calculated at 0.0015 EFTS (e.g. 12 hours x 0.0015 EFTS = 0.018 EFTS).

For full-time short courses longer than 40 hours, the EFTS value is calculated as 0.03 EFTS units per week (e.g. 4 full-time weeks x 0.03 EFTS = 0.12 EFTS). "Full-time" is defined as 20 or more contact hours per week.

For part-time courses longer than 40 hours, the EFTS value is normally calculated at 0.0015 EFTS per contact hour.

Fees for ACE short courses

Course organisers should, in consultation with the Head of Department, set an appropriate tuition fee for the short course. This tuition fee should take account of the teaching costs of running the course, and should include a clearly stated GST component (12.5% on top of the basic fee).

A separate Accommodation Fee (also including GST) may also be charged to course participants where accommodation and/or meals are provided.

All intended fees must be included on Form A and be approved by Divisional Boards under authority delegated by Council.

Income received should be processed quickly through the University Cashiers Office.

Gaining academic and fees approval

Every short course must gain formal academic approval before it is run. Senate has given delegated authority to Divisional Boards to approve Adult and Community Education short courses. Without Divisional Board approval, the course is not academically sanctioned by the University, and is, therefore, ineligible for Ministry of Education funding. Moreover, tuition fees may not be charged for it.

Every short course must gain formal approval of its fees before it is run. Under authority delegated by Council, Divisional Boards may set fees for Adult and Community Education short courses. Without Divisional Board approval, fees are not sanctioned by the University.

In order to obtain academic and fees approval for a proposed short course, Form A should be completed, signed by the Head of Department, and submitted to the appropriate Divisional Board. Departments are advised to consult their Divisional Administrator, in advance, regarding procedures for putting submissions forward to their Divisional Board.

Once academic and fees approval is granted, Form A should be sent to the Summer School and Continuing Education Office.

Enrolment Information and Verification of Attendance

Ministry of Education regulations require a limited set of enrolment information to be gathered from participants and an attendance record to be taken of every short course. This should be done using Form B which, when fully completed, should then be sent to the Summer School and Continuing Education Office. The Summer School and Continuing Education Office will, on the basis of this documentation, process your funding claim.

Students who enrol in and pay for a course that they subsequently cannot attend will be entitled to a refund in accordance with University policy relating to short courses.

Notes (2)

  1. If attendance is not validated by complete data, Government funding cannot be claimed.
  2. In 2006, open and public lectures could not be claimed for unless names, addresses and other standard statistical data were recorded. For 2007, the Tertiary Education Commission has rescinded that policy.

Consequently, open or public lectures do not require all the attendee information as set out on Form B to obtain Vote Education funding. Where feasible and appropriate to the event, names and addresses of attendees should be recorded. Where it is not practical, however, to record these details, the University may aggregate attendee numbers. These are called Notional EFTS. The total number of attendees must be recorded and verified as correct by two officers nominated by the relevant Pro-Vice-Chancellor. A formal record of Notional EFTS computations must be available for audit purposes. Notional EFTS may not amount to more than 10% of an institution's total annual EFTS claim in the ACE classification.]

University accounting requirements

The host Department will be required to record the income and expenses associated with each course in a separate "N" Activity Centre for Adult and Community Education (entitled "Community Education").

Note: An "N" activity centre is used for all short courses which are not for credit, and are part of the University's teaching outputs. This includes all lectures and short courses where tuition fees are charged and collected. VOTE Education funding should still be collected on these courses.

This is distinct from a "K" activity centre which is used for community service activities, counts towards the University's objectives for community service and for which no fees are charged. VOTE Education funding should still be collected on these courses.

Where the teaching agent of a short course is not an academic Department or Division, the Activity Centre established to record the income and expenses relating to it should be assigned to the Summer School and Continuing Education cost centre.

Overheads

The income from tuition fees (dissection 013) and government funding (dissection 005) should be recorded directly in the respective activity from which 15% will be deducted for Central Overheads. Recovery of any Departmental Overheads (which would include Divisional and School overheads, where applicable) should be confirmed with the Form A approval.

Accommodation cost recoveries (dissection 053) should also be credited to the activity, but no Central Overhead charge will apply to these.

Refunds

Where a refund policy particular to a non-credit short course has not been specified in course promotional/registration material, the following policy shall normally apply:

Procedural guidelines for resolving problems.

A Checklist for setting up an Adult and Community Education short course

Before the course is run

While the course is being run

Ask each member of the audience (or workshop participant) to complete an individual data form (in MS Excel format) and return all the forms to Summer School & Continuing Education, with the name and date of the event clearly marked.

Contacts

Summer School and Continuing Education Board
Contact Dr Claire Matthewson
Email claire.matthewson@otago.ac.nz
Phone 03 479 5191

Funding Analyst
Contact Greg Murray
Email greg.murray@otago.ac.nz
Phone 03 479 3940

This verification procedure is established practice at other institutions in the sector. Its acceptability is being explored with the Ministry.

 

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