Accredited Degree Program Teach Out Policy

Accredited Degree Program Teach out Policy

Download the Accredited Degree Program Teach out Policy (8 pages, PDF)

When a provider decides to no longer offer an accredited program, the program enters a period of teach out. Teach out continues until there are no longer students enrolled in the program.

This document sets out what accredited providers need to know about how to teach out an accredited program.

1. Overview

The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) accredits pharmacy programs against the Accreditation Standards for Pharmacy Programs 2020 to ensure that program graduates have the knowledge and skills to commence an internship for practise in Australia. The Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA) approves programs of study. Only graduates from a program that is APC accredited and PharmBA approved at the time of their graduation are eligible to register with PharmBA.

Pharmacy programs must meet ongoing APC accreditation and PharmBA approval requirements to remain accredited. This includes reporting submissions and cyclical reaccreditation.

2. Teach out

Providers may decide to close an accredited program to new enrolments and teach out due to a variety of reasons. A program in teach out must continue to meet all of the APC/PharmBA requirements for accreditation/approval for the duration of program delivery, including during teach out.

3. Accreditation Committee (AC) oversight

The APC Accreditation Committee (AC) has oversight of all accredited programs and continues to have oversight while a program is being taught out. This is to ensure that the program(s) continue to meet the accreditation standards for the duration of teach out.

Where applicable, the AC will request reporting from the provider of a program in teach out via an Accreditation Outcome Notification (AON). Satisfactory and timely responses to required reporting for the duration of program teach out are an essential part of providing reassurance to the AC that the accreditation standards continue to be met.

Descriptions of required reporting and due dates will be communicated to the education provider via an AON.

4. Notification of program teach out & teach out plan

When a provider intends to no longer deliver an accredited pharmacy program, they are required to submit a Notification of Change (NoC) to APC. This is managed in accordance with our NoC process.

As part of the NoC submission for the teach out of an accredited program, the provider is required to submit a teach out and/or transition plan which outlines the future plans for both the new (if applicable) and old programs. The requirements for a teach out/transition plan depend on which of the following scenarios applies to the provider (see section 5).

Program teach out plans (including duration of teach out) must align with relevant university-wide and Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) policies relating to program delivery. If the accreditation of a program in teach out is due to expire prior to all students graduating from the program, the provider is required to apply for program reaccreditation via the usual APC process.

Providers are reminded that to be eligible for registration as a pharmacist with the PharmBA, students must complete a program that is APC-accredited and PharmBA-approved at the time of their graduation.

5. Types of teach out

There are two different scenarios for the teach out of a program, depending on if the education provider intends to continue to deliver an accredited pharmacy program after teach out is complete.

The different scenarios require the inclusion of different evidence in their teach out plan.

5.1 Teach out with new/ongoing delivery of another program

Where a program will be taught out in conjunction with new program implementation and/or current program delivery, and the education provider intends to continue to deliver an accredited pharmacy program after the teach out.

There are multiple options for the teaching-out of an accredited program when a new/current program is being delivered as outlined below. All of these options require the submission of a teach out and/or transition plan.

Option 1 – immediate student transfer

Transfer all current students to the new/currently accredited program. The program in teach out is closed to new enrolments and teaching ceases at the time of student transition.

Option 2 – staged student transition

Transfer current students to the new/currently accredited program. Any students who are unable to be transferred to the new/current program due to the nature of the differences between the old and new/current curricula remain in the program in teach out. The program in teach out is closed to new enrolments immediately and teaching ceases when all students have completed the program (within the accreditation period and in line with university policies for the maximum duration of program teach out).

Option 3 – parallel program delivery

All new students enrol only in the new/current program. Already enrolled students remain in the program in teach out. The program in teach out is closed to new enrolments immediately and teaching ceases when all students have completed the program (within the accreditation period and in line with university policies for the maximum of program teach out).

The teach out/transition plan provided to APC must include:

• a description of the plan for current students in the program in teach out, including:
  • any proposal for student transition into the new or current program(s)
  • alignment of the old program(s) with the new or current program(s) and the impact on current student transition
  • an outline of the planned approach to student transition from the program in teach out to the new or current program (if possible)
• a plan for the teach out period duration
• plans for dual program delivery (including the impacts on staff workload)
• a description of the intended communication with students about the planned program changes, including:
  • mechanisms for communication with students (including those who may have lapsed, deferred or experienced disruptions to enrolment)
  • specific support to be provided to students who are impacted by the planned teach out
  • any actions planned to mitigate student financial disadvantage
• involvement and input by the course advisory group (or equivalent)
• staffing levels and the impact of teach out on workloads.

5.2 Program teach out and closure of the discipline

Where an accredited program is closed to new enrolments without a new/current program being accredited and implemented by the provider, and pharmacy education will no longer be delivered by the provider.

The teach out/transition provided to APC must include:

• a plan for the teach out period duration for the program(s)
• plans for program delivery to reducing student numbers
• a description of the intended communication with students about the planned program changes, including:
  • mechanisms for communicating with students (including those who may have lapsed, deferred or experienced disruptions to enrolment)
  • specific support to be provided to current students to allow program completion before the end of the teach out period
  • any actions planned to mitigate financial disadvantage to students
• a description of any arrangements that have been made with other accredited program providers to facilitate student transition including:
  • resources provided to support student transition
  • evidence of mapping of the curriculum to another accredited program(s) delivered by another provider
• involvement and input by the course advisory group (or equivalent) in the program closure decision and teach out plans
• a description of the financial and other resources available to the program and students for the duration of teach out including:
  • academic staff (including expertise and FTE allocation)
    • teaching allocations for units in the teach out program
  • administrative and professional staff
  • facilities, resources and support infrastructure
    • teaching and laboratory spaces
    • learning resources facilities (including electronic reference systems)
    • information and communication technologies
• approved course termination documents.