Coronavirus (COVID-19) updates

COVID-19 UPDATES

We are receiving a lot of enquiries about COVID-19 from both our education providers and students.

We understand this is an extremely stressful time and we are committed to keeping you up to date and supported via this webpage. Each decision that we make takes into account all government advice and is made in the interests of the safety of our staff, stakeholders and our wider community.
This page will be your resource for all COVID-19 updates and FAQs from APAC. If you have a query that is not covered here please contact us here.

Please refer to the  Australian Government Department of Health and the World Health Organisation for the latest COVID-19 updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

For Education Providers:

• In the current circumstances, is APAC still undertaking accreditation work?
  • Yes.  Much of APAC’s accreditation work and assessments are undertaken remotely and that aspect of our work won’t change.  The main impact of COVID-19 is on our capacity to undertake site visits, which have been suspended at this time.  We are working with education providers to explore ways in which elements of the site visit assessment can be undertaken remotely so that we can progress as much accreditation business as possible. 
• Will scheduled site visits for cycle assessments for 2020 be postponed?
  • In response to COVID-19 and to allow cycle assessments to progress this year, some elements of the site visit schedule for 2020 have been shifted to a virtual platform. APAC will continue to work closely with education providers in order to undertake reviews at this time. Please contact the Accreditation Team if you have any questions or concerns about a site visit scheduled for this year.
• Are education providers required to notify APAC of changes made to an accredited program in response to COVID-19?
  • APAC asks that providers keep us updated on any impact COVID-19 may have on the delivery of accredited programs, including any material changes to the delivery of the accredited program.
• Are education providers able to submit an out of cycle application for a new program?
  • At this stage, APAC will continue to undertake assessments of new programs and request providers to submit a notice of intent at the earliest convenience. A Submission for Accreditation and supporting evidence must also be submitted for review at least 12 months in advance of the commencement of the program to allow sufficient time for assessment of the program through to the accreditation outcome. Should you require any further information, please contact the Accreditation Team.
• Are education providers required to submit an update for the 2020 Annual Report?
  • Pursuant to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, APAC is required to monitor accredited programs of study. Annual reporting for 2020 will continue as scheduled and APAC requests that Annual Reports are submitted by no later than 30 April 2020.
  • As per the standard process, if APAC are undertaking a cycle assessment at the relevant education provider this year, there is no need to submit an Annual Report update. In every other case, all education providers are required to submit an Annual Report and the year a cycle assessment is undertaken is the only exemption to this.
• What changes to an accredited program should we be making to address COVID-19?
  • APAC is unable to prescribe how each provider should meet the Standards and are looking for providers to articulate the ways in which their program(s) meet the Standards. Providers are required to ensure that their students have acquired all the relevant graduate competencies to practice safely upon graduation.
    
    The outcomes focused 2019 Standards and the graduate competencies enable providers to be innovative in delivering the intended learning outcomes and producing graduates who are proficient at the relevant graduate competency levels.
    
    Please continue to inform APAC of any material change made to an accredited program so an assessment of the impact on the program's continued compliance to the Standards can be made.
• Is returning an ungraded pass as a unit outcome permissible under APAC guidelines?
  • Grading is entirely at the discretion of the education provider and in the case of every individual student, it is the provider’s responsibility to determine whether the students meet the relevant unit’s learning outcomes and graduate competencies.
• Are there any potential accreditation issues in moving to a model of all subjects being graded as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory as opposed to students receiving a GPA associated grade, in particular, the progression of students in a program based on the reliance upon GPA and subject-specific electives which are considered as minimum requirements for entrance to higher levels of the degree (Level 2 and Level 3).
  • The Standards set minimum entry requirements to programs and these minimum requirements are only in reference to completing accredited programs as a whole and holding relevant registration as a provisional/general psychologist where applicable.
    The Standards state that entry to a program generally requires successful achievement of the graduate competencies from the preceding levels and they do not stipulate minimum GPA for entry to programs. As such, it would be the responsibility and at the discretion of, the education provider to determine whether the prospective student meets the entry requirements for the relevant program. Further information on entry pathways for each graduate competency level can be found on pages 10-15 of the Standards document.
• Can an existing accredited program offered on campus be delivered online in the short term and what would education providers need to provide APAC with in order to do so?
  Will APAC be releasing guidance for Education Providers in light of the impact of the COVID-19 changes on research data collection?
  • APAC understands and recognises that education providers may need to review their practices for assuring the safety of staff and students and the quality of education and training during this time. We are unable to give you specific direction as every education providers situation is likely to be different and these changes will be reviewed on a case by case situation.
    
    We ask that education providers of accredited programs advise APAC of any proposed significant or material changes to their practices and proposed alternate mechanisms to ensure the quality of education, training and supervision, including wellbeing of staff and students.
    
    APAC does not need providers to advise it of all minor changes, but of any change that is likely to fit the APAC definition of a material change, including a material change to the resources available to support delivery of the program, or to teaching settings.
    As such it would be greatly appreciated if you could please let us know of any changes you will be making and advise us as to how these changes will ensure your program(s) continue to meet the Accreditation Standards.
• In relation to Psychology Honour research project requirements, given the current circumstances, is there any flexibility in students being able to use existing datasets for their honours theses – particularly if the research topic is with participants who are at high risk?
  • Given the thesis component of a program can only be assessed in the context of the program as a whole and with due consideration being given to all Standards, it is up to the education provider to demonstrate that the processes and the arrangements in place are robust and do not have an impact on the program’s ability to meet the standards or an impact on the students within this program to successfully meet graduate competencies 2.1 to 2.5 upon completion of the program.
    
    It’s important to note that while data collection is no longer stipulated in the Standards, there has always been an expectation that fourth-year honours students are exposed to an opportunity to learn to collect data. As such, whilst it is no longer specified in the Standards, it is recommended that Providers ensure that their honours graduates are not disadvantaged should they wish to continue on to postgraduate studies that expect students to have the independence and knowledge base to have previously completed a research project.
    
    Once an education provider has decided on the changes they will be implementing, it would be greatly appreciated if you can inform APAC of the rationale behind making these changes and demonstrate they will have no impact on the program/s capacity to meet the Standards. Upon receipt of any changes, APAC will be in touch if any further clarification is required.
• Would APAC accept an increase in non-invigilated assessments in the current circumstances?
  • APAC’s position on this is that the Standards are designed to be flexible and that while providers are reminded that their programs still have to comply with the Standards, they should make use of that flexibility if they need to do so.
    The Standards refer to multiple assessment tools, modes and techniques being employed but they don’t specify a split between assessment types or numbers/percentages of those assessment types. Each education provider is responsible for demonstrating that whatever approach is taken still meets the standards.
• Are providers required to meet the minimum number of hours for placements and client contact for programs of study at Levels 3 and 4 graduate competencies as stipulated in the Evidence Guide?
  • APAC understands education providers may need to make changes to their programs. APAC are not able to provide parameters around this as the changes made would be reviewed on a case by case basis as every education provider meets the standards in the context of their institution and this may vary from provider to provider.
    
    The education provider must demonstrate that the processes and arrangements in place for placements and supervision are robust and do not have an impact on the program’s ability to meet the standards.
    Please update APAC if you make any changes to an accredited program so an assessment of the impact on the program's ongoing compliance with the Standards can be made. Upon receipt of any changes, APAC will be in contact if any further clarification is required.
• Is it possible for students undertaking placements to include telephone consultations as direct client contact?
  • Yes, as per above

For Students:

As a student, in most cases, your first point of contact for questions about your program should be to your education provider.  This includes questions about placements such as:

• What happens if my program changes from on-campus to online?
• What happens if the practice where I am completing my supervision closes and I can’t complete my supervision hours?
• What happens if my education provider closes and I can’t complete my residential school?