Further Education and Training Awards Council, East Point Plaza, East Point Business Park, Dublin 3

FETAC Certification

Learning Waves is a FETAC Registered Centre

1. General Information
Learning Waves has agreed their quality assurance system with FETAC and can offer programmes leading to FETAC awards at levels 1 to 6 of the National Framework of Qualifications.

Learning Waves currently offer the following FETAC programmes:

Train the Trainer
Communications

Business Management

Libel and Defamation

News and Current Affairs for Radio

Sales Presentation

FETAC - The Further Education and Training Awards Council is the national awarding body for further education and training providers in Ireland. Organizations that come under its brief include both public and private sectors including FAS, Teagasc, Fáilte Ireland, VEC, Institutes of Technology, BIM, private training providers and many Skillnets networks such as Learning Waves, SLM, ISIT Skillnet, IASC.

FETAC (www.fetac.ie) has been encouraging the registration of private course providers as one of its main objectives. To achieve registration, Learning Waves had to demonstrate our capacity to monitor, evaluate and improve the quality of Programmes and Services to learners, which we achieved first time through the formal submission of our Quality Assurance systems by FETAC.

Learning Waves now has access to the National Framework of Qualifications. This means that SQT can now offer our customers existing FETAC Awards aligned to our course areas, where learners will be able to get recognition or "credits" for training completed.

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2. Assessment Information for Learners

The following sections are covered.
a) Learner assessment responsibilities
b) Assessment deadlines
c) Assessment malpractice
d) Reasonable accommodation
e) Compassionate consideration
f) Policy on repeats
g) Learners appeals

a) Learner assessment responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the Learner to do the assessment as per the instructions given.

b) Assessment deadlines
Learning Waves instructions on assessment deadlines will make it clear to the learner his/her responsibility to present evidence for the assessment activity within the deadline specified and the resulting consequences should a learner fail to do this.  In majority of cases learners will be given all information relating to assessments upon commencement of Training Programmes by the Trainer or the Learning Waves Project Manager.

Learning Waves will facilitate and give due consideration to a learner who provides evidence of extenuating circumstances. See below on compassionate consideration.

Any consequences for late submission of evidence will not however interfere with the marks awarded. Once learner evidence is accepted by Learning Waves it will be marked and graded in accordance with the standards for the award. The actual marks and grade awarded are determined solely on the basis of the evidence submitted in accordance with the standards for the award.

c) Assessment malpractice
Learning Waves will investigate and deal with any form of assessment malpractice which could impact on the validity of the assessment. Learners must sign that work submitted by them is their own work. If any evidence of plagiarism/assessment dishonesty is found, it will result in the disqualification of the learner.

d) Reasonable accommodation
The Equal Status Acts, 2000 to 2004, requires Learning Waves to provide reasonable accommodation to meet the needs of a learner who has a disability.

In the context of assessment, reasonable accommodation is the term for the adaptation of assessment as necessary to cater for the needs of learners whose personal situation means that the assessment would otherwise be unfair e.g. learners with a disability, and/or other learners covered by equality legislation.
Any adaptation of the assessment by the tutor will facilitate the learner to demonstrate their achievement of the standards without significantly altering the standard.

Special assessment arrangements/adaptations are not intended to and will not reduce the validity and reliability of the assessment or compromise the standard.

The adaptation will seek to amend the aspects of the assessment technique or instrument which prevent a learner’s participation in the assessment. It will be used where the particular assessment technique(s) or instruments disadvantages the learner in assessment.

These adaptations may include the following and/or other reasonable adaptation:

modified presentation of assignments/examination papers e.g. enlargements
scribes/readers
use of sign language
practical assistants
rest periods
adaptive equipment/software
use of assistive technology
extra time.
The implementation of these adaptations will ensure that all learners are assessed on an equitable basis. SQT is responsible for their implementation and any associated costs incurred.

e) Compassionate consideration
Learning Waves will enable learners to apply for compassionate consideration in relation to their assessment. Leanring Waves will enable learners who have been prevented from undertaking a specific assessment activity or who feel their performance is seriously impaired because of exceptional circumstances to apply to defer the assessment i.e. to be allowed to complete the assessment activity on another occasion.

The following are examples of circumstances under which Learning Waves may consider giving compassionate consideration to the learner:

a physical injury or emotional trauma during a period four to six weeks previously
a physical disability or chronic or disabling condition such as epilepsy, glandular fever, or other incapacitating illness of the learner.
recent bereavement of close family member or friend
severe accident
domestic crisis
terminal illness of a close family member
other extenuating circumstances.

Learning Waves requires the learner to provide appropriate evidence/documentation e.g. a statement from a medical practitioner.

Learning Waves will consider the severity of the circumstances, the nature of the assessment activity and the quality of past achievement of the learner where appropriate in making the decision to grant compassionate consideration.

f) Policy on repeats
Where a learner is unsuccessful, on a first attempt in an assessment activity, Learning Waves will provide learners with an opportunity to repeat the assessment activity to achieve a higher grade. Opportunities to repeat an assessment activity are dependent on the nature of the activity and the practical and/or operational issues involved. It is acknowledge that there may be specific constraints on Learning Waves which prevent us from offering repeat assessment opportunities to learners.

Learning Waves will inform learners of whether opportunities are available or not to repeat assessment opportunities and the associated procedures if applicable.

g) Learners appeals
Learning Waves has put in place an Appeals Process. An Appeals Process will enable the learner to appeal

a) the Assessment Process, if they perceive there to be irregularities/inequality in its implementation
b) the assessment result.

Only approved results can be formally appealed by the learner. Learning Waves will inform the Learner of their approved result.

Delegates must inform Learning Waves of their application to appeal within one month of receiving their approved result.

The appeals procedures will involve a review of the Assessment Process for the specific learner concerned; including where appropriate the review of learner evidence and the assessment results. The tutor who evaluates a learner appeal will not be the tutor who made the original assessment decision.  The only evidence which may be presented by the learner at appeal is that which has already been presented for assessment. New evidence may not be added by the learner for the appeal.

The learner will be informed of the outcome of the Appeals Process within an agreed timescale.

Following the completion of the Learning Waves Appeal Process, the results for the learner(s) concerned will be forwarded to FETAC as the final result. These final results are the basis on which FETAC will issue certificates.

FETAC operates a National Appeals Process. This is only on the basis of;

(a) the completion of the Learning Waves Appeals Process
and
(b) appealing the process, not the result.

FETAC only accepts appeals from Learning Waves, on behalf of learners.

FETAC will not accept an appeal on behalf of a learner until that appeal has gone through ‘due process’ within the Learning Waves Appeals Process and all opportunities to appeal within this process have been exhausted.

FETAC’s National Appeals Process is outlined in the document ‘National Appeals Process’ www.fetac.ie/nationalappealsprocess. This document sets out full details regarding

a) the conditions under which an appeal can be made to FETAC
b) the process
c) the timeframe for processing the appeal.

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3. FETAC Assessment Periods
Learning Waves delegate results are issued at the following Assessment Periods - January, May, August, November