Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years)(Accelerated) Queensland FAQ

1. What career pathways will this course provide me?

After making the big decision to commit to this course I will be a Bachelor trained (four-year equivalent) Early Childhood Teacher. Job ready with confidence and practical experience, there are now more rewarding and inspiring career pathways and professional opportunities available to me, including early childhood teacher, educational leader, early years manager / children's services manager/Director and so much more.

2. What is the course about and what are my commitments?

What is the duration of each Professional Term?

Designed to meet the needs of aspiring early years educators, employers, the sector, the government and the wider community, this course offers 9 Professional Terms with 2-4 units in each term. Units in each Professional Term run for approximately 8-9 weeks, and placement units may take a longer number of weeks.

How many study hours per week are required?

I can expect the workload to be up to 150 hours per unit, per term. However, this number varies depending on the unit and assessments. Designed to be fully online, this course offers me greater flexibility to complete the work at times that best suit me, where I can determine my own study schedule. Furthermore, some assessments may also be completed within the 2-day symposium weekends each term. Ample support will be made available by ACU to assist me to fulfill the requirements of the course.

What types of assessment tasks are anticipated? Will there be exams, or will the tasks be more simulated workplace assignments?

The assessments vary depending on the unit e.g., unit planning, creating parent pamphlets, essays, simulated workplace assignments. While a small number of units have an exam.

Where and when will symposium weekends be held?

Symposium weekends will be held at both Brisbane and Townsville ACU campuses or online. Dates for future symposiums can be obtained by emailing NSE.BEDECA@acu.edu.au.

Face-to-face attendance is recommended for both days however online attendance is available.

Which textbooks do you recommend?

Each unit will recommend different readings, based on the unit focus. Look for the Unit Outline document that is provided for each unit (on the unit information Canvas tile), at the end of the document is a list of recommended readings.

3. Deferral or postponement from the course?

Can I defer from the course?

Deferral is not available for the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) (Accelerated). However, I can apply for an interruption of studies if I have completed and achieved final grades for at least one professional term of the course. If I would like to withdraw from the course, I will need to let ACU know by contacting the Course Coordinator and email NSE.BEDECA@acu.edu.au and studentservicesedqld@acu.edu.au. If circumstances change, I can reapply for the course the following year if offered.

I accepted my offer and enrolled in my units but am no longer able to/ wanting to continue in the program. Can I move my enrolment to the following term or year?

Postponement of enrolment is not available for this course. I will need to withdraw from the enrolled units prior to census date. If I withdraw from units after the census date, I will incur academic and financial penalties.

If I would like to withdraw from the course, I will need to let ACU know by contacting studentservicesedqld@acu.edu.au, NSE.BEDECA@acu.edu.au and the Course Coordinator.

If I withdraw, am I required to pay back any of the contribution to course fees or funding I received?

I will not be required to repay any contribution to course fees or funding received for the studies completed up to the time of withdrawal. However, I will need to withdraw from units prior to census date. Any withdrawals after census date means I may incur academic and financial penalties. I can reapply the following year if the course is offered and there are places available.

I have previously applied for leave. Will I still be able to undertake the course?

If I have already booked a period of annual leave longer than 2 weeks, prior to getting into the course, I will need to contact the course coordinator via email NSE.BEDECA@acu.edu.au to seek advice.

If I plan to take leave, this should not be during placement dates as these have been set and cannot be moved. I should also avoid taking leave over one of the symposium weekends. While on annual leave, it is expected that I will keep up with the weekly content as I will still need to submit the assessment tasks as scheduled in the Unit Outlines (being on leave will not be a valid reason for seeking a due date extension).

If I am struggling to complete an assignment on time, can I get an extension?

Yes, I will be able to apply for an extension if I meet the eligibility criteria.

What happens if I fail a unit of study?

If I happen to fail a unit, and I am eligible for Supplementary Assessment, I will be contacted by the Lecturer in Charge of the Unit. Supplementary Assessment is only offered where a student has failed only one unit in the Professional Term, and that failed unit has a grade between 45-49% and is NOT a unit with a practicum/placement.

If I failed one unit, but I am determined to continue my study in this course. Will there be any academic or financial penalties?

I can continue to study this course; however, I will incur a Commonwealth Support Places (CSP) gap payment or full fee payment for the unit I need to repeat. I can choose to re-enrol in the unit through the mainstream offering (12 weeks semester) or through the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) Accelerated program when the unit is next offered. Once I have successfully passed all the required units, I will be eligible to course complete.

What if I cannot complete the course within 18 months? Are there any options to extend it?

It would be difficult to make up a unit in this program due to the accelerated nature of it. However, the program has been designed so that there is an appropriate amount of support to assist me with achieving the best possible results. If concerned that I am falling behind in any of the units, ACU recommend I reach out to the available supports and course contacts for assistance. There is also an option to apply for interruption of study and return later if there are exceptional circumstances preventing me from continuing.

4. Where can I find the dates for the entire course (study dates and placement dates)?

Please see the course study dates.

The course map can be found here, which shows the terms I will be undertaking placement units (PEP).

If I cannot commit to these placement dates, ACU strongly advises that I withdraw from the course and reapply the following year (if offered). If I choose to proceed with the course and then cannot complete the placement, this will impact course progression.

Each placement day requires 7.6 hours of teaching time, this is a placement requirement (a lunch break is additional to this time). I will be required to mirror supervising teachers shifts throughout the placement.

For all placement days that are not full weeks (e.g., 1 day, 2 days or 3 days), I can choose which days to attend, however it must be within the week specified. Where 5 days of placement is specified, I must complete full time blocks. While any placement days that fall on a public holiday must be made up.

5. What are the costs?

The Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) (Accelerated) program offers Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). Students will be responsible for paying the CSP unit costs for this degree as well as the Student Amenities Fee.

For more information about fees and fee help: https://www.acu.edu.au/study-at-acu/fees-and-scholarships

6. What do I do to enrol?

To enrol in the course please view this video to find a step-by-step guide on how to enrol.

If I experience any difficulty with enrolment, or need assistance, I can contact AskACU, or studentservicesedqld@acu.edu.au

How can I check my enrolment?

The following services are available to support students with enrolment:

Enrolment questions and support: studentservicesedqld@acu.edu.au

AskACU: https://acu.service-now.com/askacu

7. Do I need to apply for credit from my Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care?

No, the accelerated course is designed to take into account the study already completed in a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. Students do not need to apply for credit.

8. Is LANTITE test a compulsory requirement to complete the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) Accelerated course?

No, LANTITE is not a compulsory requirement for this course.

9. What professional practicum experience will I need to complete?

Students will complete 80 days of placement.

10. Can I complete all 80 days of placement at my current workplace?

The first placement (30 days) will be undertaken in my current workplace. The other 3 placements need to be undertaken in other approved early childhood education and care settings.

There are multiple people at my workplace completing this course, how do we manage our placements?

I will need to contact ACU's Project Officer through NSE.BEDECA@acu.edu.au and they will contact my Service Provider to discuss.

Is there flexibility with placements?

The placement dates are fixed, they cannot be changed (the only exception is in the case where there are multiple students completing placement within the same service or for exceptional circumstances such as illness).

What is a placement supervising teacher?

On each placement I am required to have a degree qualified supervising teacher to monitor my progress and complete the final report assessment. It is preferred that my supervising teacher works in the same room where I complete the placement.

11. What support will be provided to help me successfully complete the course?

What supports are there if I am having trouble accessing ACU systems?

The following services are available to support students with system access issues:

ACU system access issues: https://acu.service-now.com/askacu

Canvas system access issues: https://cases.canvaslms.com/liveagentchat

Phone: (02) 8310 8314

Is there a number I can call for support with admissions?

Students can call Ask ACU on 1300 275 228, other than this all enquiries need to be sent via email.