• Section 1 - Background and Purpose
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Section 4 - Procedure
• What is an Articulation Arrangement?
• When an Articulation Arrangement May Be Required
• Approval Processes
• Administration Coordinator, A3P
• The Articulation Agreement
• Articulation Agreement – Proposal
• Articulation Agreement – Preparation
• Consultation and Advice
• Obtaining Signatures on Articulation Agreements
• Record Keeping
• Articulation Tables
• How much Advanced Standing Should Be Given?
• Articulation Table(s) – Preparation
• Two Way Articulation
• Articulation Table(s) - Approval
• Obtaining Partner Signatures on Tables
• Approval of Table(s) With a New Articulation Agreement
• Approval of Table(s) for an Existing Agreement
• Record Keeping
• Websites
• Agreement Life Cycles
• Table Life Cycles
• Reviewing Agreements
• Performance Indicators
• Contacting the Partner Institution About Renewal or Cessation
• Terminating Tables
• Terminating an Agreement
• Renewal of Tables
• Renewal of Agreements
• Record Keeping for Renewed Agreements and Tables
• Record Keeping for Terminated Agreements and Tables
• Section 5 - Definitions

Section 1 - Background and Purpose

(1) Articulation and advanced standing arrangements increase opportunities for students by facilitating mobility between education institutions. La Trobe University is committed to this principle, particularly as it relates to articulation between the University and Australian Registered Training Organisations (including TAFE Institutions) and offshore post-secondary education institutions.

(2) This Procedure covers articulation and advanced standing arrangements to and from TAFE Institutions, other higher education (including private) providers, recognised VET providers and offshore institutions.

Section 2 - Scope

(3) Refer to the Advanced Standing Policy.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(4) Refer to the Advanced Standing Policy.

Section 4 - Procedure

What is an Articulation Arrangement?

(5) Articulation arrangements are formally agreed between the University and another provider and are executed in two parts:

1. An overarching Articulation Agreement between the University and the other provider(s) which provides the conditions under which the arrangement will take place and
2. Articulation Tables which provide full details of the course to course credit arrangements between a La Trobe course and a course from the other provider.

When an Articulation Arrangement May Be Required

(6) Where there is the possibility of many students from an external institution seeking advanced standing in a La Trobe University course for their studies, the University may determine to enter into an Articulation Arrangement to formalize the relationship between the institutions.

Approval Processes

(7) Articulation Agreements and Articulation Tables are subject to different approval processes, reflecting the distinction between the strategic and the academic cases.

Administration Coordinator, A3P

(8) Each Articulation Agreement and/or Table will be facilitated through the preparation and approvals process by the College-based Administration Coordinator, Articulations and Third Party Agreements (the ‘Administration Coordinator A3P’).

(9) This person does not have responsibility for the strategic decision to go ahead with an agreement and is not able to make academic decisions about the credit to be granted to those articulating. Their role is to provide administrative assistance to the strategic and academic decision makers.

(10) The names of the Administration Coordinator, A3P for each College are listed on the Contacts list on the Articulations intranet site.

The Articulation Agreement

(11) There should be only a single Articulation Agreement between the University and another institution. The normal duration of an Agreement is five years. This single agreement may have multiple Tables attached, from either or both Colleges of the University.

(12) If the University already has an Articulation Agreement in place with the provider, new Tables may be prepared and refer to the existing Agreement.

Articulation Agreement – Proposal

(13) Articulation Agreements may be initiated by senior College staff (at the level of Head of School or above), Regional Campus Heads, Director, International Recruitment (La Trobe International) or the Educational Partnerships Office. 

(14) The proposal should be approved in principle before formal discussions with the other party and/or preparation of the formal documents.

(15) To obtain in principle approval, the relevant APVC(AP) will raise the proposal with either the Executive Director, Educational Partnerships and Quality (EDEP&Q) for domestic arrangements or the Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) (PVC(I)) for international arrangements. The PVC(I) should also be consulted if the proposed Agreement includes packaged offers (where a domestic institution recruits international students).

(16) For straightforward cases, the EDEP&Q and/or the PVC(I) may give in principle approval for establishing an agreement. More complex cases will be referred to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for decision.

Articulation Agreement – Preparation

(17) Model agreements for the Local (domestic) Articulation Agreement or the International Articulation Agreement (either with or without packaged offers) are available on the intranet Articulation site.

(18) Once in principle approval has been obtained to establish an agreement, the appropriate model document should be annotated with any relevant details by the College Academic Coordinator (Academic Partnerships) (AC(AP)) assisted by the College Administration Coordinator, A3P and sent to the University’s Legal Services, where the formal document will be prepared.

(19) Either or both College APVC(AP)s, College AC(AP)s and Administration Coordinator, A3Ps must be involved in the preparation of all Articulation Agreements.

Consultation and Advice

(20) During preparation of the amendments of the model document for Legal Services, the Administration Coordinator, A3P should initiate contact with the Manager, TNE and Partnerships (for international agreements) or the TAFE Partnerships Coordinator (for domestic agreements). This provides support for the Administration Coordinator, A3P as necessary and ensures that all necessary parties are aware of the prospective articulation arrangement.

Obtaining Signatures on Articulation Agreements

(21) Two (2) identical Articulation Agreement documents must be prepared for signature. Both copies must be signed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and the Head (or authorised officer) of the other Institution, so that each Institution has an original signed document for their records.

(22) Legal Services will forward the Agreements to the DVCA for signature accompanied by a certifying memorandum.

(23) To finalise the Agreement, the Manager, TNE and Partnerships (for international agreements) or the TAFE Partnerships Coordinator (for domestic agreements) will be responsible for (in order):

1. liaising with the College Administration Coordinator, A3P regarding documentation and approvals;
2. referring the finalised agreement (via Legal Services) to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for signature; and
3. ensuring that the relevant other institution signatures are obtained.

Record Keeping

(24) After signature by both parties, the Manager, TNE and Partnerships (for international agreements) or the TAFE Partnerships Coordinator (for domestic agreements) should send:

1. One original fully signed Articulation Agreement to the University’s Legal Services for record keeping 
2. an electronic copy of the fully signed Agreement to the Office of the Executive Director, Educational Partnerships and Quality for entry into the Articulation database, 
3. an electronic copy of the fully signed Agreement to the relevant College Administration Coordinator, A3P for dissemination within the College as appropriate.

(25) The second signed original of each Agreement must be provided to the other Institution for its records.

Articulation Tables

(26) These are used to map the curriculum between a La Trobe course and a course belonging to an external institution. They must be associated with an overarching Articulation Agreement.

How much Advanced Standing Should Be Given?

(27) Colleges should aim to maximize the credit available to students, ensuring that they do not repeat any curriculum already mastered. At the same time Colleges need to ensure that students will be adequately prepared to achieve the intended learning outcomes of the program. Where possible the amount of credit given into a La Trobe award should be a multiple of 4 subjects – 4, 8, 12, 16 subjects. This is to ensure that students who pass all their La Trobe subjects will be able to complete the award without overloading or being required to attend for an extra teaching period at less than a full load. Normally, a student must complete 120 credit points of La Trobe subjects. See also the Advanced Standing and Credit Transfer Guidelines.

Articulation Table(s) – Preparation

(28) Table(s) mapping curriculum between the courses should be prepared by College or School staff using the appropriate template available on the Articulation Intranet Site. Two copies should be prepared so that both institutions may have original signed copies.

(29) The Course Coordinator must be involved in consideration of the mapping of curriculum between the University course and the other institution’s course, in order to be satisfied that the students receiving credit for prior study are adequately prepared to succeed in the program. This is even more important in the cases where courses are subject to external accreditation.

(30) The Course Coordinator should seek endorsement when necessary for accreditation or recognition from relevant external agencies (eg accounting, pharmacy or psychology).

(31) Additional Tables associated with an Articulation Agreement may be prepared at any time during the life of the Agreement.

Two Way Articulation

(32) In mapping the curriculum between the two institutions’ programs, it is desirable to include as much detail as possible about subject to subject/module matching to facilitate articulation in either direction.

Articulation Table(s) - Approval

(33) Once the Tables are completed and signed by the Head of School, the College Administration Coordinator, A3P should arrange for the Table to be submitted to the College Coursework Committee for approval. Once approved by the College Coursework Committee, Tables are referred to the University Admissions Committee for approval and subsequently to the Academic Board for noting.

Obtaining Partner Signatures on Tables

(34) Subsequent to approval by the University Admissions Committee, both copies of the Table should be sent to the partner institution for signature. This will be facilitated by the TAFE Partnerships Coordinator or the Manager, TNE and Partnerships as applicable on advice from the College Administration Coordinator, A3P.

(35) Tables may accompany an Articulation Agreement or may be sent separately for signature, as required.

Approval of Table(s) With a New Articulation Agreement

(36) If associated with a new Articulation Agreement, the Table(s) should be approved in the usual way. For convenience, signature of the Table(s) by the other Institution may be obtained at the same time as the signature of the Agreement.

Approval of Table(s) for an Existing Agreement

(37) Where the Tables are associated with an existing Articulation Agreement, the Table(s) should be approved in the usual way.

Record Keeping

(38) After signature by both parties, the Manager, TNE and Partnerships (for international agreements) or the TAFE Partnerships Coordinator (for domestic agreements) should send:

1. One set of the original fully signed Tables to the University’s Legal Services for record keeping 
2. an electronic copy of the fully signed Table(s) to the Office of the Executive Director, Educational Partnerships and Quality for entry into the Articulation database, 
3. an electronic copy of the fully signed Table(s) to the relevant College Administration Coordinator, A3P for dissemination within the College as appropriate.

(39) Advice of the relevant Admissions Committee meeting at which the item was endorsed should also be provided with the electronic copies.

(40) The second signed originals of each Table must be provided to the other Institution for its records.

Websites

(41) The TAFE Partnerships Coordinator will ensure that Articulation Agreements or exchanges of letters (both international and domestic) and Tables are shown on the University’s website on www.latrobe.edu.au/pathways 

(42) A list of Articulation Agreements (both domestic and international) will also be regularly updated by the Office of the Executive Director, Educational Partnerships and Quality and posted to the University’s Articulation intranet site or Unite site.

Agreement Life Cycles

(43) The overarching Articulation Agreement is a University level document hence the responsibility for monitoring its status lies with the relevant central units.

(44) The TAFE Partnerships Coordinator will monitor expiration dates of all domestic Articulation Agreements and consult with the relevant stakeholders about its renewal or cessation.

(45) The Manager, TNE and Partnerships will perform the same function for international agreements.

(46) As part of this process, all extant Tables should be considered for renewal or cessation.

Table Life Cycles

(47) Articulation Tables for both domestic and international arrangements are monitored within the College by the Administration Coordinator, A3P and should be reviewed annually.

(48) The Administration Coordinator, A3P should liaise with the relevant Course Coordinators to ensure the currency of the mapping between courses especially after any course revisions by either partner.

(49) The Administration Coordinator, A3P will assist the Course Coordinator to make any revisions to the Tables and ensure that they are signed by the Head of School and taken through the usual approval processes.

(50) This process may change with the introduction of the Advanced Standing and Pathways Management System (anticipated mid-2015).

Reviewing Agreements

(51) The review of an Articulation Arrangement should commence when an Agreement is 12 months from expiration.

(52) Each College Administration Coordinator, A3P will facilitate the collection and analysis of data related to the performance indicators and seek comment from the Director, International Recruitment.

(53) This data will be presented to the Colleges through the Academic Coordinators (Academic Partnerships) for consideration. The Colleges will make the decision as to whether each Table should be renewed.

(54) In the event that the Colleges decide to close all Tables associated with an Agreement, then the Agreement should be terminated.

Performance Indicators

(55) These include enrolments at the University arising from all Tables associated with the Agreement and the success of the participants in their University courses. 

Contacting the Partner Institution About Renewal or Cessation

(56) When an Articulation Arrangement review commences, a letter signed by the SDVC should be sent to the partner institution advising of the imminent expiration of the Agreement and of the process which the University will follow to determine whether a renewal should be sought.

(57) The letter must include statements advising that:

1. unless the University makes further contact, the Arrangement will cease on the original expiration date, and 
2. without active Tables, the Arrangement will cease on the original expiration date.

(58) This letter should be prepared by the TAFE Partnerships Coordinator or the Manager, TNE and Partnerships as applicable and referred to the DVCA for signature via Legal Services. A template for this letter is available on the Articulation intranet site.

Terminating Tables

(59) After discussion with the partner institution about the proposed closure of any or all Tables, if the decision is to proceed with closure, the College Coursework Committee should be advised of any closures for their consideration and approval. Subsequently the closures should be referred to the University Admissions Committee for approval.
A letter from the College APVC(AP) should be sent to the partner detailing the agreed Tables to be closed.

Terminating an Agreement

(60) When an Agreement has no active Tables, it shall lapse automatically. Other provisions for terminating an Agreement are contained within the Articulation Agreement document.

Renewal of Tables

(61) After consideration of the performance indicators for the Tables and discussion with the partner institution about any updates to the Tables, the approval processes for renewing Tables is via signature of the Head of School, College Coursework Committee and University Admissions Committee as is the case for new Tables.

Renewal of Agreements

(62) Where either College determines to continue with any number of Tables, the overarching Agreement will need to be renewed.

(63) If the original Agreement allowed for an extension by exchange of letters, the letters should be prepared by the TAFE Partnerships Coordinator (domestic agreements) or the Manager, TNE and Partnerships (international agreements). After preparation, Legal Services should review the documents prior to arranging for the signature of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).

(64) The letter should include an attachment with copies of any Tables that are to be renewed and a list of any that will not be renewed. It should contain a space for the other party to sign as agreement to the extension.

(65) A full renewal Agreement, if required, would need to be prepared as usual by Legal Services. The signature process would proceed as for new Agreements and Tables, although a list of any Tables to be discontinued should be provided with the other documents. Any new Articulation Agreements must include that extension may be arranged by exchange of letters.

Record Keeping for Renewed Agreements and Tables

(66) After signature by both parties, the Manager, TNE and Partnerships (for international agreements) or the TAFE Partnerships Coordinator (for domestic agreements) should send:

1. One set of the original fully signed Agreements and Tables to the University’s Legal Services for record keeping 
2. an electronic copy of the fully signed Agreements and Table(s) to the Office of the Executive Director, Educational Partnerships and Quality for entry into the Articulation database, 
3. an electronic copy of the fully signed Agreements and Table(s) to the relevant College Administration Coordinator, A3P for dissemination within the College as appropriate.

(67) The second signed originals of each Agreement and Table must be provided to the other Institution for its records.

Record Keeping for Terminated Agreements and Tables

(68) Any correspondence from the DVCA or the College APVC(AP) should be distributed in the following ways:

1. The signed original to the partner institution
2. A second signed original to the University’s Legal Services for record keeping 
3. An electronic copy to the Office of the Executive Director, Educational Partnerships and Quality for entry into the Articulation database, 
4. An electronic copy to the relevant College Administration Coordinator, A3P for dissemination within the College as appropriate.

Section 5 - Definitions

(69) For the purpose of this Procedure:

1. Advanced Standing – Credit granted towards a La Trobe University program of study for prior learning including, but not limited to, any course of study or examination passed in another educational institution. It is intended to minimise the unnecessary duplication of study. Advanced Standing is the outcome of the process of Recognition of Prior Learning.
2. Articulation – the process of linking two or more qualifications together by creating/identifying the content relationships between them.
3. Articulation Agreement – Outlines the broad principles and conditions in an agreement between La Trobe University and a partner institution to match courses or requirements to coursework completed at a partner institution to facilitate advanced standing for students moving between La Trobe and the partner institution.
4. Articulation Arrangement – the combination of an Articulation Agreement and any number of related Advanced Standing Tables.
5. Administration Coordinator, A3P – this person facilitates the Agreement and Tables through the preparation and approvals processes. Academic matters (credit, formal negotiations) are not managed by this person, but by the Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Partnerships).
6. Articulation Table – provides the detail of course mapping, subjects and credit points along with any special conditions such as quotas or prerequisites from the external course to the La Trobe Course(s) indicated on the Table. A Table should be completed for each Approved Other Course. A single Table may be provided from each College which has an articulation with that course, although multiple Tables from each College are permitted. Additional Tables may be created after the original Table(s) for new courses from either College.