MCIE online service standards 

These standards are the minimum level of support provided and offered to all students of MCIE and Explore English who choose to, or are required to, access their learning and assessments via web based LMS and communication programs. These standards apply regardless of the programs used for specific courses. 

 

Explanatory notes 

Please note: in these standards references to ‘Trainers’ means Teachers and Trainers and references to ‘MCIE’ means MCIE VET and Explore English. 

 

Student support 

MCIE provides students support in various ways, including support provided by:  

  • Trainer/assessors  
  • Administration staff  
  • Information Technology staff  
  • Student Welfare Coordinator  
  • LLN specialist   

Each member of staff holding one of these positions offer support services that are available in person and via our online Student Request system. Students can send a ticket for support at any time of day and receive the support during operating hours. Students are advised via onboarding messages, by their trainer, signage, posters distributed on campus and regular email updates, of the support options available to them and how to access that support.  

See the Domestic student support services policy and procedures 01-1010 

 

Student welcome 

On completion of their enrolment at MCIE, students are sent a welcome email which provides: 

  • step by step instructions to access their online classes 
  • detailed instructions explaining how to activate their MCIE email account 
  • a video tutorial guiding to access and use Microsoft TEAMS which provides a virtual classroom environment 
  • contact details of the Head of Department and IT Support 
  • contact details for wellbeing support 
  • instruction to download the MCIE Student Handbook 

 

Support from teachers/trainers 

Students who require support from their teachers/trainers can contact them directly and can expect a response usually within 48 hours but not longer than 7 days. This may vary according to the teacher/trainer’s workload and hours of work with Explore English/MCIE, trainers will advise their students of the hours they are available to provide support. 

 

Student requests 

MCIE’s standard hours of operation are from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday. MCIE is closed on Sundays. 

Administration staff are contactable during operating hours, via the online student request form and will respond within a maximum of 48 hours during weekdays, and 72 hours when requests are submitted after 3pm on a Friday. 

Technical support, during the Covid-19 pandemic and on weekdays, MCIE aims to respond to student technical support requests within one hour of a request being made. These requests must be made online via the Student IT Support form https://www.mcie.edu.au/student-it-tech-support/. In normal circumstances response to student requests during operating hours will be made within 24 hours. 

Student welfare – in addition, MCIE employs a qualified Student Welfare Coordinator who meets with students by appointment. Students may arrange an appointment with the SWC by emailing wellbeing@mcie.edu.au. 

 

Student entry requirements and induction 

Prior to enrolment students are asked to advise if they use technology, have access to technology, internet and data. Entry requirements and induction, include:  

  • Confirmation of digital literacy 
  • Details of platform/s to access learning materials and resources.  
  • Minimum hardware and software requirements. Students are only enrolled in courses that are suitable and appropriate. Students are aware of the minimum requirements to be able to participate in the course.  

During induction, a member of the technical support team guides students to logon to their class, students are also given information about the support services that are available to them and the ways in which they can utilise these services. 

During their first lesson students are given information about the information technology requirements that apply to their course and their trainer ensures that they understand how to use them. 

In applying to study at MCIE students are required to complete a Language, Literacy and Numeracy Quiz which is conducted on computer.  This enables MCIE to determine if the student has a basic level of digital literacy.  Following this, as part of the Pre-Training Review students are required to self-assess their digital literacy skills in relation to aspects of their course that may involve the use of digital platforms.  As a result of this, recommendations are made to the student about the type of learning that is most applicable to them and if virtual learning is suitable for the student.  Upon enrolment, students are sent detailed information and instructional videos about accessing their MCIE email, how to use Microsoft TEAMS and how to access online content applicable to their course.   

 

Minimum requirements 

For Windows, the processor requirement is 1.6 GHz or greater, and the recommended memory requirement is 2 GB RAM or greater. A minimum hard disk space of 3GB is required. The operating system should be Windows 10, or Windows 8.1 in 32-bit and 64-bit. A standard laptop camera, microphone, and speakers are required. 

For MAC OS, the processor requirement is Intel Core 2 or later, and the recommended memory requirement is 2 GB RAM or greater. A minimum hard disk space of 1.5GB is required. The operating system should be Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later. A standard laptop camera, microphone, and speakers are required. 

 

Learning materials 

Learning materials, including  

  • Online learning management systems such as Coassemble, Canvas and Moodle. Some programs are also delivered on platforms developed by course content owners, such as Cengage, Didasko and Social Media Marketing 

How the high-level principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are met 

MCIE uses a range of formats to enhance the successful delivery of its programs to ensure MCIE’s online learning materials are accessible to a wide variety of learners.  

 

Examples include: 

  • guided content 
  • videos and  
  • audio files 
  • downloadable learner guides 
  • PowerPoint presentations 

These formats enable students to experience different types of learning media and enable students to access information in their preferred learning style which helps students to acquire and consolidate knowledge. 

In addition, virtual classes and discussion forums are utilised to allow students to engage with content provided by trainers/assessors and interact with their peers. This enables students to have the opportunity to ask and answer questions, workshop ideas and consider the opinions of other perspectives. 

MCIE is committed to enabling access to all students and ensures that our website and its content is available to the widest possible audience, including readers using assistive technology. Our website and web templates are designed to meet the required standards of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). 

 

Student engagement 

Student engagement, including:  

  • provision of collaborative learning opportunities with peers and others 
  • the use of online learning games such as Kahoot 
  • provision of ongoing feedback – the Training Provider’s approach to collecting feedback and frequency.  
  • monitoring of student activity or non-participation. Students are engaged in learning and monitored to ensure they continually progress through their program.  

In virtual classes and face to face teaching trainers actively provide opportunities for students to learn collaboratively as part of their normal class schedule.  

Students are given ongoing assessment throughout their course by their trainer who has responsibility for monitoring student progress. Student assessments are marked by trainers and feedback is given to students within 14 days of submission.   

 

How we assess you 

The assessment methods used at MCIE include:  

  • written short and long answer questions  
  • tools and technology used to facilitate assessment of practical skills. Students are assessed against all aspects of a unit of competency and practical skills are assessed using contemporary technology.  

MCIE uses a range of assessment strategies to judge that a student has fully met the requirements of their units and qualification. The tasks selected depend on the context of assessment and the learning outcomes of the unit and may include any of the following:  

  • knowledge tests – written short and long answer, multiple choice, drag and drop, hotspot 
  • projects 
  • presentations 
  • case studies 
  • practical demonstrations 
  • assessor observations 
  • portfolio of tasks 
  • reflective journals 
  • recorded role play 

 

In any case that a student is required to submit an assessment online then the requirements of the assessment are fundamentally the same as if they are submitted in person, the strategy is the same but the submission process is likely to be different: 

  • assessment conditions – if a skill is to be observed in the workplace it may be assessed in some circumstances in a virtual call 
  • students may need to upload videos, photos, and some documents rather than to hand them in, in person 
  • some assessments will be completed and automatically marked by the system – results will be instantaneous 
  • some assessments will be competed and marked manually by an assessor – results will take the usual time to be assessed 

 

Where students are required to demonstrate competency in practical skills, face to face demonstration of skills acquired will normally be required, however suitable video technology including photos and smartphone recording may be used where this is appropriate. 

Professional IT development of our trainers 

MCIE’s Trainers and Assessors undergo regular professional development in online delivery:  

  • they have undertaken professional development in online facilitation of virtual classes and have completed professional development to enable them to deliver an engaging learning experience. 
  • continue to be offered training in the use of effective online learning engagement 

 

All trainers at MCIE are fully qualified to teach their respective courses and are experienced in course delivery.