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IARC Standards

RECOGNITION

Any institution which has achieved IARC recognition will have been judged unanimously by the Executive Committee (comprising representatives from recognised members), to satisfy a minimum of 25 points in each of following four areas.

1.     Administration
2.     Course content
3.     Course delivery
4.     Assessment

In addition, ongoing recognition is reviewed annually, based upon a submission of updated information (annual audit). Any member who is found by the committee to fail to satisfy the minimum criteria at a later point in time will immediately have their IARC recognition suspended.


Administration

Successful operation for 1 or more years* You can claim 1 point and up to 5 per year.

1 point per year (Maximum of 5)

A structured and documented mechanism for dealing with administrative errors, mistakes or non compliance

 5 points

References supporting administration (specifically) supplied by two successful past students

5 points

Documented procedures (staff manual, job specifications, etc)

 5 points

A Quality Control System that is externally audited and endorsed

 5 points

Membership in a reputable professional association and compliance with requirements for membership

 5 points

Financial soundness and financial management attested to by a letter from the Organisation’s Chartered Accountant

 5 points

** A Provisional Membership option is available for new institutions.

Course content

Documentation of the institution’s courses (e.g. curriculum documentation, study guides or comprehensive outlines). These must be official documents showing the organisation’s contact details and logo.

 5 points

Documented procedure for input from industry in course content (evidence of consultation with industry in course development).

5 points

Documented procedure to continually update course materials (updating policies; forms for obtaining student feedback, evidence of previous updates).

5 points

Documented procedure to review courses at least every 3 years based upon inputs from students and/or industry (review policies and procedures; documents that support them)

5 points

Recognition or accreditation of a course by a reputable professional body or articulation established for main courses with another member of this body

5 points

References supporting content (specifically) supplied by two successful past students.

5 points

Documentary evidence that courses are developed by competent professionals with at least 5 years industry experience (copies of their qualifications, references from colleagues, statutory declaration from staff).

5 points
Course delivery

Documentary evidence of physical resources needed to service the quantity and kinds of students being serviced, such as a library, computer data base, classroom facilities.

5 points

Exemplary references specifically supporting delivery supplied by two successful past students

5 points

Exemplary references from two successful employers in a relevant industry attesting to quality delivery (not past or present students)

5 points

All teaching or tutorial staff with 5 years or more continuous and recent industry experience

5 points

All teaching or tutorial staff with a qualification at or above the level they teach plus industry experience exceeding 3 year

5 points

Unrestricted access to staff by students during office hours or class times

5 points

Teaching staff have a teaching or training skills qualification

5 points

Flexibility in the delivery that allows student to choose the location from where they study

5 points

Flexibility in the delivery that allows student to choose the times of study

5 points
Assessment

Flexibility – the student has a variety of ways in which they to prove themselves (e.g. written and practical assessments)

5 points

All Assessors have 5 years or more experience in the areas where they assess, outside of education

5 points

All Assessors have an average of 10 years or more experience in the discipline that they are assessing, but outside of education

5 points

More than one person is involved in assessing a student

5 points

Opportunity is provided for the student to repeat assessments (eg. supplementary examinations)

5 points

Procedures for assessment are well structured and documented

5 points

Evidence of industry input in the development of assessment techniques

5 points

A mechanism for students to submit feedback for improving assessment which is seriously considered for action

5 points

 

RULES OF RECOGNITION

By submitting an application for recognition by the Council, an organisation is deemed also to be applying to become a member of the Council, with equal rights and responsibilities as all other recognised members.

Before an organisation's recognition and membership can be official, the following conditions must be satisfied:

  1. Only organisations which are legal entities in their own right may join. Membership is not available to individual persons at present.
  2. All recognised members must adhere to an acceptable, written code of practice and ethics in their dealings with the public, students, and any other organisations; which provides for fair and equitable dealings in line with quality education and training institutions around the world. A sample code can be supplied if requested.
  3. All recognised members must agree with and support the Mission Statement of the Council.
  4. All organisations recognied by IARC will be obliged to adhere to a flexible, yet stringent set of standards that ensure a high standard of content, delivery and assessment within education and training courses.
  5. Standards will be maintained by simple threat of removal of recognition if an organisation is found, after investigation of complaints, to contravene standards.
  6. Recognised members must provide documentary evidence that they satisfy minimum requirements with respect to administration of their institution; content of the courses provided; delivery of the courses provided and assessment of students.
  7. Signatures from two existing recognised members, one nominating and the other seconding the application, must support new applications for recognition.
  8. All organisations must agree to implement the IARC system of complaint arbitration. Where the necessity arises for IARC to act as arbitrator of a complaint, the recognised organisation and the complainant must accept the IARC's decision as final and binding.
  9. All recognised members must agree to make their students and/or trainees aware that they can complain to the Council under certain conditions.
  10. For recognition to continue, recognised members must provide a documented Annual Audit. Audit requirements will be specified by the IARC executive and must be conducted by a person in authority, such as a Justice of the Peace, who is approved by the IARC Executive Committee.
  11. Every five years, recognised members are required to submit documentary evidence to the IARC Executive Committee as though making a new application for recognition. Recognised members must agree to make such a submission at any other time, at the request of the IARC Executive Committee.
  12. A recognised member must also pay the initial joining and registration fee, as specified, at the time of joining.
Any organisation accepted as a recognised member may advertise their organisation as:
  • Internationally Recognised by IARC.
Organizations which are Recognised Members, will be graded according to a *star award system* and will be entitled to advertise themselves accordingly.

ASSOCIATE RECOGNITION

Organisations that provide a combination of secondary and post-secondary or vocational education and/or training may apply for Associate Recognition by the IARC.

The post-secondary and/or vocational education and training must be less than 50% of the education and training provided by the organisation.

IARC Recognition of any organization falling into the category of a mixed provider, as defined above, is limited to Recognition of the post-secondary or vocational education and/or training only.

Thus, any such organization accepted as a Recognised Associate of IARC may advertise their organization as an *Internationally Recognised Associate of IARC, for the provision of post-secondary or vocational education and/or training*.

IARC COURSE ACCREDITATION

A revised IARC accreditation process has been put in place in keeping with general international accreditation requirements. 

Please note that recognition is granted to member schools that meet IARC membership  requirements, whereas accreditation is only granted to specific courses that meet IARC course accreditation requirements. Not all of a school’s courses may be accredited. IARC membership does not automatically confer accredited status of the courses offered by that member school.

See 'Accreditation' for further specific details on course accreditation.

 

 

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