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CDU Express Offering Policy and Procedure

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Section 1 - Preamble

(1) Charles Darwin University (‘the University’, ‘CDU’) is committed to the delivery of accessible and flexible educational experiences. CDU Express offerings supplement and complement the University's accredited and registered units and courses and provide quick and flexible learning opportunities for students, staff, and the public in a variety of topics.

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Section 2 - Purpose

(2) This policy and procedure provide a framework for academic quality assurance in the development of CDU Express offerings. The principles set out in this document guide the development and approval of CDU Express offerings at the University.

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Section 3 - Scope

(3) This policy and procedure apply to all staff involved in the design and delivery of CDU Express offerings and to participants in CDU Express offerings.

(4) This policy and procedure do not apply to accredited HE courses and registered VET Training Programs (VTPs), Statements of Attainment, AQF qualifications or credit-bearing microcredentials.

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Section 4 - Policy

(5) CDU Express offerings are non-award, non-accredited, and non-credit-bearing subjects that are not specific to either the higher education or vocational education and training sector.

(6) Registration for and participation in CDU Express offerings is not enrolment in the University and participants are not students of the University.

(7) The University may charge a fee for participation in a CDU Express offering.

(8) CDU Express offerings are not linked to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and may include: 

  1. Professional practice programs;
  2. Foundation skills in Language, Literacy, Numeracy (LLN), and Digital competencies;
  3. Whole-of-life skills (e.g., problem-solving, social capabilities);
  4. Research skills training; and
  5. Bespoke courses (e.g., 3D printing, Indigenous research).

(9) CDU Express offerings may or may not include assessment recorded on a certificate of completion.

(10) CDU Express offerings are not approved for credit into a HE or VET unit or course. A CDU Express offering that contains assessment evidence may be used for RPL purposes.

(11) The University approves CDU Express offerings in accordance with the principles and practices applied in the learning management system, with quality assurance delegated to the Faculty responsible for delivery.

(12) Once approved, the CDU Express offering will be established in CDU Express, allowing for a corresponding CDU Express site to be established.

(13) Participants register for a CDU Express offering online through CDU Express.

Properties

(14) CDU Express offerings must have the following properties:

  1. Alphanumeric code;
  2. Title;
  3. Language;
  4. Summary;
  5. Instructor;
  6. Course dates;
  7. Price;
  8. Registration;
  9. Modality; and
  10. Learnline site.

(15) CDU Express offerings may have the following properties:

  1. Pre-requisites – pre-requisites for CDU Express offerings may only be other CDU Express offerings available through CDU Express;
  2. Attendance requirements; and/or
  3. Certificate of Completion.

Coding convention

(16) CDU Express auto-generates offering codes using the prefix CXP, with sequential numbers appended to the prefix for each offering.

Level Basic description
000 These CDU Express offerings do not necessarily align with any AQF level.

Title convention

(17) The title should be concise, descriptive, and reflective of the subject's learning outcomes, while clearly distinguishing CDU Express offerings from AQF qualifications.

(18) Titles must accurately represent course content, support effective promotion and marketing, and align with the naming conventions of similar offerings by Australian universities.

(19) The title length should be 2-5 words. The maximum length shall be 50 characters (including spaces).

(20) Abbreviations, acronyms and the ampersand (&) will not normally be used, and punctuation will be kept to the minimum necessary for grammatical correctness.

Certification

(21) Upon successful completion of the CDU Express offering, participants may be issued an online completion certificate.

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Section 5 - Procedure

Fees

(22) The Faculty responsible for running the CDU Express offering shall set the fee at the time of curriculum development.

(23) Participants pay applicable fees at registration. Fees are non-refundable.

Curriculum Development and Approval

(24) To establish CDU Express offerings the Faculty will prepare the curriculum in the CDU Express system and create the course within the Course Catalogue section.

(25) CDU Express offerings are approved by the Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor.

(26) Because CDU Express offering participants are not students they cannot access Library resources. Content and learning materials for CDU Express offerings must be uploaded directly to the subject site in CDU Express or be publicly accessible.

Registration

(27) Participants must provide requested documentation, agree to the terms of service, and pay their fee, if any, when they register through CDU Express.

Completion and Certification

(28) The subject coordinator (instructor) is responsible for allocating the completion certificate once they are satisfied the participant has successfully completed the CDU Express offering. If a final grade (fail/pass only) is awarded this will also be recorded in the Learning Management System.

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Section 6 - Non-Compliance

(29) Non-compliance with Governance Documents is considered a breach of the Code of Conduct - Employees or the Code of Conduct - Students, as applicable, and is treated seriously by the University. Reports of concerns about non-compliance will be managed in accordance with the applicable disciplinary procedures outlined in the Charles Darwin University and Union Enterprise Agreement 2022 and the Code of Conduct - Students.

(30) Complaints may be raised in accordance with the Complaints and Grievance Policy and Procedure - Employees and Complaints Policy - Students.

(31) All staff members have an individual responsibility to raise any suspicion, allegation or report of fraud or corruption in accordance with the Fraud and Corruption Control Policy and Whistleblower Reporting (Improper Conduct) Procedure.