Throughout your course, your Learner Manager will contact you to review your learning and assessment plan and adapt it with you, if required.

At the conclusion of your planned studies they will:

• help you apply for your qualification
• review your learning and assessment process
• help you work out 'where to from here' eg. next career steps, future study options (such as progression to a degree through the Guaranteed Entry Scheme) or combining work and study
• the Transitions Skills Course is also availale for those heading to university to help you develop the study skills required at university.

Swinburne has a number of free services to support your learning.

Swinburne offers all students literacy and numeracy assessment prior to the start of their course through a product called Basic Key Skills Builder (BKSB).

We also provide a unit of study called Prepare to Study, that introduces you to studying at Swinburne and gives you study tips.

TAFE students can access all the information and advice from the university's Student Services. This includes advice on housing, finances and career planning. There are also services such as counselling and disability support.

Group learning

People of all ages study at Swinburne. You can develop networks and learning groups both face-to-face and online. If you are studying:

• on campus, your learning may also involve online discussions, blogs, social activities, group projects and discussions.
• online, you may have some online classroom time or you may need to attend one or two intensive workshops to consolidate and practice your learning, or for assessment purposes.
• in your workplace you will have opportunities to learn with your colleagues in agreed learning strategies that meet your workplace needs.

Project-based learning

Whether you are learning face-to-face, online or in the workplace, some of your learning will be project based, working individually and/or in groups.

Projects offer an opportunity to learn not only about the topic, but also about yourself (how you like to learn, what you need to learn more about, how well you communicate and work with others etc.)

The end result of a project may be a product, a demonstration of a skill, a presentation or even an assignment being written. Whatever the end product, you are likely to be required to research, plan, design, build, construct or implement it. You will also be asked to evaluate both the success of the project and the learning you have gained from the experience.

Online learning

Some courses may offer the option to study some or all the course online. Your unit(s)/course may be self paced or you may follow a fully facilitated learning program online where there is plenty of online classroom time. In some online courses you may need to attend one or two intensive workshops to consolidate and practice your learning or for assessment purposes.

Studying online gives you the flexibility – although your course may offer scheduled classroom learning activity, for much of the time you can – to choose when and where you study, instead of working around a fixed study schedule.

Online study also requires the discipline of independent learning, but you will also have the support and guidance of your teacher and Learner Manager.

Sustainability

Swinburne embraces sustainability principles across all facets of the organisation. Sustainability is embedded in the content and delivery of all courses.

With sustainability issues relevant to every workplace, you will be confident that your work practices will meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Prior learning, existing skills and life experiences may accelerate your training or mean you could already be eligible for a formal qualification.

You will need to demonstrate achievement of appropriate skills and knowledge that apply to your course - your Learner Manager will help you in this process.

Your demonstrated learning and skills may include completed units of study from another course, but may also include work experience, voluntary work, hobbies, leisure activities and other experiences that contribute to the assessment requirements of your course.

RPL processes

• Pre-assessment (a self-assessment with Swinburne's Recognition Access Point)
• Interview and enrolment
• Evidence collection
• Assessment interview and results

Credit Transfer processes

• Identify unit names, codes and outcomes from previous local studies that match Swinburne units
• Identify international qualification units or competencies that match Swinburne units
• Evidence collection (transcripts etc) and verification
• Apply for credit transfer

Assessment is part of every course.

Each course will have a standard range of assessments, but alternative assessment arrangements can be negotiated with your Learner Manager and/or teacher.

Examples of assessment methods include:

• Course-based (assignments, presentations, tests, projects, products, interview etc as required)
• Work-based (relevant project(s))
• Recognition of prior learning (RPL assessment)

Instances where an alternative assessment method might be appropriate include:

• you need support to complete the assessments (due to a disability, disadvantage or for another reason)
• you can suggest an alternative assessment method that meets the criteria but is more suited to your workplace or personal needs (eg. a relevant project at work)
• you already have the knowledge and skills in some units but don't have enough evidence to apply for RPL, in which case it may be possible to do the assessment only, without going through the learning process (discuss with your teacher or Learner Manager)

Industry-engaged learning (IEL) is part of Swinburne's commitment to ensuring our students acquire relevant and recognised workplace skills. Students are encouraged by their Learner Manager to explore options to learn and be assessed at work to make the learning and assessment experience as relevant as possible.

IEL also includes embedding opportunities to participate in structured learning and assessment that involve direct, active involvement with industry.