To describe Gryphon Learning’s policy regarding access and equity and the process by which this policy is implemented

Standard 2.4

This policy applies to all Gryphon Learning staff and students

All staff are responsible for implementation of this policy. The Training Manager and Marketing and Advertising Manager have special responsibilities in this area.

• The specific learning needs of current and future clients will be identified and strategies developed to meet them to optimise learning outcomes, irrespective of gender, culture, age, location or any disability or disadvantage.
• Barriers to effective learning and success of our clients and client groups will be identified and progressively removed
• Course requirements will be periodically reviewed to identify any artificial, unfair or unreasonable barriers to learning, and strategies will be developed to reduce these barriers.
• Learners will be encouraged to identify their own learning needs and objectives and preferred strategies and schedule and exercise the maximum possible control over selection of learning materials, learning strategies and timing and type of assessment given the constraints of the course requirements.
• To enable learners to monitor and control their own learning, they will be given

1.       detailed information regarding learning objectives and clear explanations as to how successful achievement is to be recognised

2.       learning materials and activities that cater for a range of needs (including differences in educational backgrounds, life experiences, facility with English, numeracy, gender, culture, age, location and disability.)

3.       frequent, clear and objective feedback as to progress

4.       time and opportunities to fix erroneous concepts and to practice partially mastered skills.

• Where a prospective client has special needs, which, in the opinion of Gryphon staff, cannot be adequately catered for or will significantly affect the likelihood of successful achievement in the proposed course, this opinion will be clearly and appropriately conveyed to the client who will be invited to negotiate a mutually acceptable compromise.

• Curriculum development, particularly with respect to courseware and assessment requirements will take into account the likely needs of a range of client groups and avoid disadvantaging any particular group.
• By delivering courseware and assessments on line, we will ensure each student in a course has access to all necessary learning materials. Assistance in installing and learning to use the material will be available to all students.
• Assessment centres will be organised in a range of locations across Australia to minimise inconvenience and travel time for students. There will be flexibility in assessment times.
• Courseware and assessments will be vetted to identify and remove any inadvertent bias regarding age, gender, culture, location, disability or disadvantage. In examples and the modelling of expert behaviour, course materials will portray a balance of genders, ethnicities, ages and locations. Learning materials and activities will involve a range of contexts rather than concentrating on the experiences or interests of a particular group.
• When describing prerequisite learning for a course, details of the required knowledge and skills will be given, rather than another course, unit or module name.
• To cater for lower literacy levels and numeracy levels, concepts will be explained clearly and simply, using plain, readable English and visual aids. Concept density of diagrams and sentences is to be kept low. Symbols, terms and conventions are to be explained in clear, simple terms. The material will then show increasingly more sophisticated representations.
• To cater for gifted students or educationally advanced students, courseware will be organised to cater for skimming, skipping out parts and non-linear progress. Students will not be penalised for covering material quickly or devising non-standard learning activities providing they can show they have achieved the learning outcomes in terms of skills, knowledge and competencies.
• Assessments will be vetted to ensure that they measure only the competencies they purport to (ie that success does not depend on some extraneous factor related to gender, culture, age, location, disability, disadvantage or lack of numeracy or literacy.)
• To minimise the effects of certain disadvantages (including dyslexia, hearing impairment, visual impairment) important concepts are to be represented by text, audio-visual means and diagrams.