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foundation_course_students:whole_handbook [2024/08/20 15:32] lisas [Payment of Course Fees] |
foundation_course_students:whole_handbook [2025/03/05 12:19] (current) jake [Foundation Course: Student Handbook] |
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| ====Foundation Course: Student Handbook==== | ====Foundation Course: Student Handbook==== | ||
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| =====Introduction===== | =====Introduction===== | ||
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| We encourage you to read this handbook carefully as it forms the basis of the learning contract between you and Heartwood.\\ | We encourage you to read this handbook carefully as it forms the basis of the learning contract between you and Heartwood.\\ | ||
| - | The Heartwood Foundation Course is made up of 12 online Units offering a broad introduction to the field of herbal medicine, with an emphasis on the practical use of herbs to alleviate common ailments. The course is assessed using a variety of methods including online quizzes and projects tasks, and an award certificate and online badges are given to those who complete all 12 units within the deadlines. Learners who successfully finish all tasks, quizzes and assignments and achieves at least 60% for their monograph, may apply for a place on the Heartwood Professional Course. | + | The Heartwood Foundation Course is made up of 12 online Units offering a broad introduction to the field of herbal medicine, with an emphasis on the practical use of herbs to alleviate common ailments. The course is assessed using a variety of methods including online quizzes and projects tasks, and an award certificate and online badges are given to those who complete all 12 units within the deadlines |
| All FC units are released on the **14th of the month** in the evening, we usually say by 6pm. If the 14th falls on a weekend then we release the Friday evening before. | All FC units are released on the **14th of the month** in the evening, we usually say by 6pm. If the 14th falls on a weekend then we release the Friday evening before. | ||
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| Academic support is available in a number of ways. General questions can be raised with the course tutors during regular online seminars and text-chat sessions, and in the Unit forums.\\ | Academic support is available in a number of ways. General questions can be raised with the course tutors during regular online seminars and text-chat sessions, and in the Unit forums.\\ | ||
| - | Particular and individual issues can be raised via the LMS direct messaging system | + | Particular and individual issues can be raised via the LMS direct messaging system to their tutors.\\ |
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| - | Nikki can also advise on how to get help with any personal, health or pastoral issues that may arise during your studies.\\ | + | |
| If you have difficulties using the LMS, help is available and you are strongly encouraged to use it as early and often as you like by emailing [[mailto: | If you have difficulties using the LMS, help is available and you are strongly encouraged to use it as early and often as you like by emailing [[mailto: | ||
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| ====== Quality Assurance ====== | ====== Quality Assurance ====== | ||
| - | Heartwood is committed to developing and maintaining quality assurance policies and procedures | + | Heartwood is committed to developing and maintaining quality assurance policies and procedures.\\ |
| - | These may be summarised as follows:\\ | + | |
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| - | ===== 1: Internal quality assurance ===== | + | |
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| - | 1.1 Institutions should commit themselves explicitly to the development of a culture which recognises the importance of quality, and quality assurance, in their work. To achieve this, institutions should develop and implement a strategy for the continuous enhancement of quality. The strategy, policy and procedures should have a formal status and be publicly available. They should also include a role for learners and other stakeholders.\\ | + | |
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| - | 1.2: Institutions should have formal mechanisms for the approval, periodic review and monitoring of their programmes and awards. \\ | + | |
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| - | 1.3 Assessment of learners: Learners should be assessed using published criteria, regulations and procedures which are applied consistently. \\ | + | |
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| - | 1.4 Institutions should have ways of satisfying themselves that staff involved with the teaching of students are qualified and competent to do so. They should be available to those undertaking external reviews, and commented upon in reports. \\ | + | |
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| - | 1.5 Institutions should ensure that the resources available for the support of student learning are adequate and appropriate for the programme offered. \\ | + | |
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| - | 1.6 Institutions should ensure that they collect, analyse and use relevant information for the effective management of their programmes of study and other activities.\\ | + | |
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| - | 1.7: Institutions should regularly publish up to date, impartial and objective information, | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===== 2: External quality assurance procedures: ===== | + | |
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| - | 2.1 External quality assurance procedures should take into account the effectiveness of the internal quality assurance processes described in Part 1\\ | + | |
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| - | 2.2 The aims and objectives of quality assurance processes should be determined before the processes themselves are developed, by all those responsible, | + | |
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| - | 2.3 Any formal decisions made as a result of an external quality assurance activity should be based on explicit published criteria that are applied consistently.\\ | + | |
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| - | 2.4 All external quality assurance processes should be designed specifically to ensure their fitness to achieve the aims and objectives set for them.\\ | + | |
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| - | 2.5 Reports should be published and should be written in a style, which is clear and readily accessible to its intended readership. Any decisions, commendations or recommendations contained in reports should be easy for a reader to find.\\ | + | |
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| - | 2.6 Quality assurance processes which contain recommendations for action or which require a subsequent action plan, should have a predetermined follow-up procedure which is implemented consistently.\\ | + | |
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| - | 2.7 External quality assurance of institutions should be undertaken on a cyclical basis. The length of the cycle and the review procedures to be used should be clearly defined and published in advance.\\ | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | 2.8 Quality assurance agencies should produce from time to time summary reports describing and analysing the general findings of their reviews, evaluations, | + | |
| - | ====== Staff Policy====== | ||
| - | All Heartwood staff recognise their ethical and professional responsibility to protect the interests of learners. In situations where a conflict of interest may arise, particularly where a learner and staff member have a family or close personal relationship, | ||
| - | * Selection for any prize or bursary | ||
| - | * Selection for any Heartwood programme | ||
| - | * Selection/ | ||
| - | * Supervision of theses/ | ||
| - | * Complaints and disciplinary proceedings | ||
| - | * Assessment or academic progress issues. | ||
| - | Staff members must declare to the Trustees of the Education Fund any personal interest with regard to a currently enrolled learner – whether the connection is through family, business or close personal relationship. | ||
| ====== Disciplinary Procedures ====== | ====== Disciplinary Procedures ====== | ||
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| Should a disciplinary issue arise, Heartwood normally adopts a 3-stage procedure with a warning email sent at each stage detailing the nature of the problem, and the steps required by the learner to resolve it. Failure to comply after the receipt of a third warning email may result in a learner being suspended or excluded from the course.\\ | Should a disciplinary issue arise, Heartwood normally adopts a 3-stage procedure with a warning email sent at each stage detailing the nature of the problem, and the steps required by the learner to resolve it. Failure to comply after the receipt of a third warning email may result in a learner being suspended or excluded from the course.\\ | ||
| - | A member of Heartwood staff who identifies, or who is made aware of, the misconduct shall draw it to the attention of the learner. This interaction must be recorded and will be drawn to the attention of the Course | + | A member of Heartwood staff who identifies, or who is made aware of, the misconduct shall draw it to the attention of the learner. This interaction must be recorded and will be drawn to the attention of the Course |
| A learner who is the subject of a complaint of misconduct or against whom a criminal charge is pending or who is subject of a police investigation, | A learner who is the subject of a complaint of misconduct or against whom a criminal charge is pending or who is subject of a police investigation, | ||
| - | No learner will be suspended or excluded unless | + | No learner will be suspended or excluded unless |
| - | Notwithstanding the above, Heartwood reserves the right to summarily exclude students for acts of gross misconduct without the need to follow the above warning procedure. | + | Notwithstanding the above, Heartwood reserves the right to summarily exclude students for non-payment of fees or acts of gross misconduct without the need to follow the above warning procedure. |
| ====== Appeals Process ====== | ====== Appeals Process ====== | ||
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| A student aggrieved by a decision to suspend or exclude shall have the right to appeal to Heartwood within 10 working days of such suspension or exclusion.\\ | A student aggrieved by a decision to suspend or exclude shall have the right to appeal to Heartwood within 10 working days of such suspension or exclusion.\\ | ||
| - | Grounds for the appeal should be sent in writing to the Course | + | Grounds for the appeal should be sent in writing to the Course |
| Following the appeal meeting, a copy of minutes taken and a letter outlining the outcome of the appeal will be sent to the student in writing within 10 days. | Following the appeal meeting, a copy of minutes taken and a letter outlining the outcome of the appeal will be sent to the student in writing within 10 days. | ||
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| ====== Timeliness ====== | ====== Timeliness ====== | ||
| - | You should engage with all learning activities which form part of your course Units subject to medical issues or other personal reasons notified to the Course Administrator, [[mailto: | + | You should engage with all learning activities which form part of your course Units subject to medical issues or other personal reasons notified to the Administrative Coordinator, [[support@heartwoodteam.net|]] |
| You should also be aware that some Units require specific attendance at live webinars and text chat sessions. These will be clearly stated on the LMS page for each Unit.\\ | You should also be aware that some Units require specific attendance at live webinars and text chat sessions. These will be clearly stated on the LMS page for each Unit.\\ | ||
| - | You are expected to become familiar with the use of the LMS as part of the course. If you have any problems in using the LMS, you should contact [[mailto: | + | You are expected to become familiar with the use of the LMS as part of the course. If you have any problems in using the LMS, you should contact [[support@heartwoodteam.net]] at your earliest opportunity. |
| ====== Intellectual Property ====== | ====== Intellectual Property ====== | ||
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| In doing so they must: | In doing so they must: | ||
| * Respect others' | * Respect others' | ||
| - | * Avoid activities which may lead to criminal liability, including use of pornographic material. | + | * Avoid activities which may lead to criminal liability. |
| - | * Avoid keeping of others' | + | * Avoid keeping of others' |
| * Not produce or pass on any material which could be considered defamatory. | * Not produce or pass on any material which could be considered defamatory. | ||
| * Understand that Heartwood will impose severe penalties – up to dismissal or even referral to the police – in order to protect the safety of learners and uphold the reputation of its courses. | * Understand that Heartwood will impose severe penalties – up to dismissal or even referral to the police – in order to protect the safety of learners and uphold the reputation of its courses. | ||
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| ===== Access to the systems ===== | ===== Access to the systems ===== | ||
| - | Learners are provided with access to the Heartwood Learning Management System by means of a username and password. Users must take all reasonable steps to keep their passwords confidential and not disclose them to anyone else. If an enrolled learner believes that his or her password has become known to anyone else, the password should be changed at the earliest opportunity. | + | Learners are provided with access to the Heartwood Learning Management System by means of a username and password. Users must take all reasonable steps to keep their passwords confidential and not disclose them to anyone else. If an enrolled learner believes that their password has become known to anyone else, the password should be changed at the earliest opportunity. |
| Any user who, for whatever reason, comes to know the password of any other user must not attempt to obtain access to the Learning Management System using that password nor disclose it to any other person. Use of a password by anyone other than the authorised person will be treated as serious misconduct.\\ | Any user who, for whatever reason, comes to know the password of any other user must not attempt to obtain access to the Learning Management System using that password nor disclose it to any other person. Use of a password by anyone other than the authorised person will be treated as serious misconduct.\\ | ||
| - | All reasonable efforts will be employed to ensure that Learning Management System will be made accessible to all learners, regardless of disability, who have a legitimate reason for using them. Heartwood seeks to explore the potential of information technology to assist disabled students to engage in their chosen course of studies and, in particular, to carry out any associated course requirements and academic tasks, so far as resources allow. | + | All reasonable efforts will be employed to ensure that Learning Management System will be made accessible to all learners, regardless of disability, who have a legitimate reason for using them. |
| ===== Penalties ===== | ===== Penalties ===== | ||
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| The course remains available in its current form to learners for 6 weeks after the initial 12 month study period. | The course remains available in its current form to learners for 6 weeks after the initial 12 month study period. | ||
| - | * Some activities have deadlines, and you are advised to check submission dates in advance | + | * Some activities have deadlines, and you are advised to check submission dates in advance. |
| * At the close of the course, students will have access to an archived version free of charge for one year. | * At the close of the course, students will have access to an archived version free of charge for one year. | ||
| * That version will not contain interactive features such as glossaries, webinars or forums. It will include all the videos, slides, documents, pages and e-book material you would need to use for reference. | * That version will not contain interactive features such as glossaries, webinars or forums. It will include all the videos, slides, documents, pages and e-book material you would need to use for reference. | ||
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| * Have completed various extra monograph activities involving examining the leaf pattern and flower detail of your chosen plant; completing a drawing (with eyes closed) of your plant; and tasting your plant to identify your 5 key words | * Have completed various extra monograph activities involving examining the leaf pattern and flower detail of your chosen plant; completing a drawing (with eyes closed) of your plant; and tasting your plant to identify your 5 key words | ||
| * Have written 300 words summarising what you feel is important about your chosen plant | * Have written 300 words summarising what you feel is important about your chosen plant | ||
| - | * Have completed your monograph. You have 6 weeks after the release of Unit 12 to submit your final assignment - the herb monograph. | + | * Have completed your monograph. You have 6 weeks after the release of Unit 12 to complete all units and submit your final assignment - the herb monograph. |
| ==== Additional Information ==== | ==== Additional Information ==== | ||
| There is a reference and further reading list. | There is a reference and further reading list. | ||