Studying Online

Online study is ideal for individuals who want to further their skills and knowledge while balancing a busy lifestyle that includes work and personal commitments.

Advances in technology, including faster internet speeds, video conferencing and online forums, have made online study more popular than ever. The many benefits it offers over conventional study methods include:

• Flexibility – You can study at your own pace whenever and wherever you like, and fit your study schedule around your life instead of the other way around.
• Affordability – You can continue to work and earn a salary while you study, and your costs are actually less as you don’t have to incur any expenses related to attending face-to-face classes.
• Access to experts – Online courses can provide access to industry experts and the best minds in your field of study, regardless of their physical location.
• Stress-free study – You can study on your own terms in a distraction-free environment you’re completely comfortable with.
• Valuable secondary skills – As well as gaining knowledge on the subject you’re studying, online learning teaches you other important skills such as self-discipline, time management and the efficient use of technology.

Kaplan Professional are leaders in online education. As well as providing you with the very latest online tools and technology, we also offer ongoing support and are there for our students every step of the way.

During your time studying with us, our Student Advice team will be in regular contact with you. In higher education, they can help you map out your study plan and meet your specific goals, providing a personalised pathway tailored to you and your individual learning requirements. In VET courses, while the subject and study order are pre-defined, our team will still be in touch with you throughout your course to help you meet your goals.

Studying online with us is a holistic experience where everything is geared towards your ultimate success. Visit our contact page now to find out more and to talk with one of our Course Advisers.

Higher education, also known as tertiary education, is provided by various educational institutions. Studying at a higher education level normally leads to a qualification such as a bachelor degree or masters degree.

Private higher education providers like Kaplan Professional must be registered with TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency), which is the governing body for higher education in Australia.

Private Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) like Kaplan Professional must be registered with ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority), which is the regulator for national vocational education in Australia. 

Vocational education teaches real-world knowledge and skills to help individuals train for a job in a particular industry, switch to a new career, or enhance their existing career skills.

Along with teaching specific job skills, vocational education can also encompass generic work-based knowledge such as first aid and workplace health and safety.

Unlike higher education, which tends to be more theory-based and academic in nature, vocational education focuses on providing practical, work-oriented skills.

Competency-based assessment requires an individual to demonstrate their ability to perform a certain workplace task, activity or project (a Unit of Competency). A vocational education qualification is made up of a number of these tasks or activities, which must all be performed to the satisfaction of the assessor and fulfill certain criteria for the student to be deemed competent.

Vocational education is provided for a wide range of industries including trade, retail, hospitality and technology. Kaplan Professional’s vocational education focuses on professional pursuits such as credit management, financial planning, mortgage broking, insurance and real estate.

As well as providing individuals with opportunities to upskill in their chosen professions, Kaplan Professional also offers corporate vocational education solutions for companies. Our courses can be tailored to an organisation’s unique requirements, like teaching employees soft skills or compliance obligations specific to a particular industry.

Kaplan Professional believes studying a higher education course online should be advantageous, so we provide our students with proactive support personalised to your needs.

First and foremost, there’s our Student Advice team. They’re always just a phone call or email away, and will be in regular contact with you from the moment you enrol. They’re highly experienced and knowledgeable, and will work with you to help you create a tailored pathway for your studies to ensure you can achieve your goals within your desired timeframe.

As well as our Student Advisers, there are a number of other forms of support we provide for your studies, including:

• KapLearn –
  This is a virtual classroom where you can access all of your learning resources and activities, as well as connect with industry experts and fellow students.
• Interactive ebooks –
  These are digital versions of traditional subject notes using the latest technology to allow you to fully interact with them, including searching for keywords, highlighting important content, and writing comments on the pages. These can then be printed out and used for study purposes.
• Online presentations –
  We provide additional resources you can access to enhance your learning experience, including lecture presentations, videos and screencasts. They can be viewed online or downloaded as an MP3 so you can listen to them at your own convenience.
• Discussion forums –
  These are interactive online forums facilitated by industry experts where you can have conversations and discussions, as well as debate issues and share knowledge with other students.
• Kaplan Library & Resource Centre –
  This contains a wide range of information, resources and research services to help you with your studies. It includes online databases containing journal, magazine and newspaper articles, Australian company information, and our extensive ebook collection.

The type of assessment used will vary according to the subject being studied and whether it forms part of a higher education or vocational education course.

If you’re studying a vocational education course (teaching practical work-based knowledge and skills), you will be assessed using competency-based assessment, which may include an exam.

Kaplan Professional’s vocational education exams involve multiple-choice questions, where emphasis is placed on the application of knowledge. To learn more about vocational exams, refer to the course curriculum to find specific details.

If you’re studying a higher education course, you’ll be assessed by grading. This is based on a mixture of exams, tasks, assignments or a research proposal, in the case of a Master of Financial Planning or Master of Applied Finance, or Master of Financial Services.

To determine the type of assessment that will be used in your chosen higher education course, refer to the ‘Assessment’ section in each of the subject outlines or webpages.

Higher education
For higher education subjects, you’ll receive a Letter of Results to your nominated email address on file after final results are released. You’ll receive an interim academic transcript four to six weeks later.

Vocational education
For vocational education subjects, you’ll be able to print your own Certificate of Completion from your KapLearn subject room. This is only a record you have completed a subject, as a bookmark of your progress. You need your Certificate or Statement of Attainment to demonstrate completion of your units of competency.

Once you’ve successfully completed your course, you’ll be awarded a qualification certificate or a statement of attainment, listing the units of competency completed. Certificates and statements of attainment are issued within one week of completing a qualification.

This depends entirely on the course and the circumstances involved. If you’ve already commenced a postgraduate study period and you decide to defer before the census date (the last date when you can change your study schedule), this won’t be a problem.

However, if you choose to pause your course and the census date has already passed, you can still defer your study; however, you won’t receive a refund for the subject fees already debited to you.

The benefit of our higher education courses is students can pause and then resume their study during any of the six study periods we offer throughout the year. To learn more, click here.

If you need more information about course deferments, you should contact our Course Advice team on 1300 135 798.

In today’s fast-paced world where mobility and flexibility are highly prized, online study is becoming the method of choice for working professionals looking to start a new career or add to their current skill set.

Studying online offers numerous advantages over traditional classroom study, including:

• Convenience
  It gives those who are time poor and constantly juggling work and personal commitments the flexibility to choose when, where and how they’ll study.
• Mobility
  Students are able to study online from anywhere in the world and have access to industry experts via videos or live webinars; something that wouldn’t normally be available with traditional classroom study.
• Variety
  Online study allows you to learn in a wide variety of formats, including through videos, screencasts, forums, webinars and ebooks, a combination of which can promote active learning, rather than the passive learning often experienced with regular lectures and tutorials.
• Cost effectiveness
  Online study is more affordable than conventional classroom study because it allows you to keep working and earning a wage while you study. It also doesn’t involve any of the costs commonly related to attending face-to-face classes.
• Privacy
  If you don’t do well in a group study environment or would prefer to study without the distractions of traditional university, online study allows you to focus purely on achieving your academic goals.
• Self-development
  Along with acquiring academic knowledge, online study teaches you valuable life skills such as self-discipline, time management and how to use the latest technology.
• Real-time learning
  Because online study allows you to continue working while you learn new skills, you have the advantage of being to apply what you learn immediately in your workplace.

96% of Kaplan Professional students work full time while completing their studies with us; a clear indication online education is the future for professionals wishing to upskill to further their careers.

At Kaplan Professional, we personalise the online learning experience by supporting you throughout the entire time you study with us. We work with you to create a study plan tailored to your individual needs and takes into account your learning style, goals, aspirations and preferred completion timeframe.

The comprehensive support framework we offer at Kaplan Professional includes:

• Our Student Advice team
  Who’ll remain in regular contact with you throughout your studies to keep you informed of developments, and provide course information and expert advice when you need it.
• Our unique six study period calendar (for higher education)
  Allows students to customise studies to suit individual needs, accelerating learning when able to do so and slowing it down when other commitments arise.
• KapLearn
  Your virtual classroom for accessing learning resources and activities, as well as connecting with your tutors, industry experts and fellow students.
• Interactive ebooks
  Your digital subject notes you can interact with in a number of ways, including searching for keywords, highlighting key content, writing comments and printing out for study purposes.
• Online presentations
  Resources to enhance your learning experience including recorded lectures, videos and screencasts. You can view them online or download them as MP3s to listen to later.
• Discussion forums
  Online forums run by industry experts where you can discuss and debate relevant issues and share knowledge with your fellow students.
• Kaplan Library
  Contains a wide range of information and resources to assist with your studies, including online databases, ebooks and Australian company information.

To find out more about the advantages of studying online with Kaplan Professional, feel free to contact our Course Advice team on 1300 135 798 (option 2) or courseadvice@kaplan.edu.au.

All our courses and qualifications are delivered entirely online.  Subject course notes are accessible in your KapLearn subject room under the ‘Learning’ tab. They can be viewed online, downloaded to read offline or printed.

Higher education
Higher education students must achieve a combined weighted grade result of at least 50% overall to pass the subject. If you fail an individual assessment, you can still attain a pass grade, provided your combined result from all assessments is 50% or above. For more information, please view the ’Pass Requirements’ section of our Assessment Policy.

Vocational education
For vocational education courses, you’re assessed as ‘competent’ or ‘not yet competent’; there are no grades. ‘Competent’ means you’ve demonstrated the necessary level of skills and knowledge in your units competency to undertake specified tasks required of an industry professional. ‘Not yet competent’ means you’re yet to demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks as described. You need to meet all the requirements of the units of competency in your assessment to be ‘competent’.

You can find more information on vocational education assessments under the ‘Assessments’ section of our Student Handbook.

To complete your studies with Kaplan Professional, it’s recommended you have the following technology skills and resources:

• Access to a computer or laptop
• Ability to use email to correspond with staff and students
• Internet access
• Ability to browse the internet, including downloading and installing common plug-ins

For specific technology and software requirements for higher education subjects, you can find more information here.

For specific technology and software requirements for vocational education subjects, you can find more information here.

Higher education
Higher education subjects take place over a 12-week study period. Subjects can be accessed four weeks prior to the study period commencing during the early access period. You have until the end of the study period to complete the subject. Please refer to our higher education study dates for more information.

Vocational education
For vocational education courses and qualifications, you’ll have the total subject duration to complete all required assessment requirements. This information can be found under the ‘Duration’ section of the relevant course web page. You’ll be notified of your assessment due date on subject activation and can also find this information in your KapLearn subject room. You must demonstrate competency in all the assessments in your subject to meet all the requirements of the units of competency. 

You can complete more than one higher education subject in a study period. However, we suggest reviewing the subject outline thoroughly to understand the hours of commitment and assumed knowledge. It’s also important to check the assessment timetable to ensure you’re available to sit and submit the individual assessment pieces.

Vocational education students should complete one vocational education subject at a time in the recommended sequence outlined on the course information page.

Vocational Education
Support from your tutor is available in your online KapLearn subject room by selecting the ‘Ask Your Tutor’ tile. Your tutor is a dedicated industry professional and subject matter expert who can answer your queries regarding your subject notes and assignment preparation in the discussion forum.

This is an open forum for communication between you, other students and your subject tutor, so all students can benefit from the guidance when a tutor answers a question. You can post ‘technical’ queries about concepts you don’t understand from your subject notes and clarification about the context of an assignment question. The tutor isn’t contactable by telephone or email.

Students can also join a regular webinar in selected KapLearn subjects to ask questions to a subject matter expert about their course content.’

Higher Education
Higher education students have access to a tutor via the discussion forum in your online KapLearn subject room. The discussion forum is a place to ask questions and for communicating with other students and your tutor.

You’re encouraged to post queries regarding your subject notes and general assignment questions. Your questions must be:

• Related to the content
• Related to a specific concept within the subject that you are unsure of
• Clarification about the intent of an assignment question

Please note your online tutor won’t preview or check your assignment answers and will only be able to address assignment questions that are general in nature.

We’ve also increased the availability of one-on-one tutor sessions across our higher education subjects. This means you can book a time to speak with a tutor on Zoom for up to 20 minutes. You can use this time to seek more clarification on assessments, resolve any issues, or discuss certain theories and concepts in more detail.

A time may be booked by clicking the link in your KapLearn subject room.

For higher education courses, CPD hours are available Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning, Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning and Master of Financial Planning subjects.

Please refer to our CPD mapping document for further information.

CPD hours may be available for vocational education courses, depending on the study area. Please refer to our CPD mapping document for further information.