Your facilitator will guide you to document your existing skills, knowledge and capabilities in a portfolio of evidence, so they can be assessed against the Bachelor of Applied Management graduate profile. You will be granted academic credit for relevant skills and knowledge which you have already acquired through your work and life experiences. Learning is offered through the Independent Learning Pathway (ILP), a unique and world leading approach to degree attainment, offered In Australia by the Otago Polytechnic NZ’s Auckland International Campus.

The ILP is based on an intense process of personal reflection in which you identify relevant learning experiences from your work and life to date, describe the learning from these experiences and draw them together into a cohesive understanding of your professional practice, as required for your degree. You will create a set of case studies (a minimum of two) with a focus on meeting the graduate profile for the Bachelor of Applied Management degree.

As case studies, you can use examples of workplace learnings and practices along with smaller vignettes about examples of practice. These could include an ethical issue, dealing with staff performance, running a session with staff on strategic planning, project managing a build, or working with a client.

The ILP is an alternative pathway to a qualification which complements on campus or online learning. This pathway is managed by the learner, who is supported by a facilitator to reflect on prior and current learning through a set of structured learning tasks. The learner is also supported to assemble a portfolio of evidence of learning that matches the graduate profile of the qualification.

Where there are gaps in prior learning, relative to the graduate profile the learner is responsible for filling these gaps, although their facilitator will assist with identifying suitable learning resources.

Once you have been accepted into the Bachelor of Applied Management, you will be assigned a facilitator who will guide you through the learning tasks for the degree, which are set out in the Learner Guide. You will then be supported to document the learning from your experience and to fill in gaps in your knowledge. Once your facilitator agrees you are ready, they will support you to present a portfolio of evidence which comprises the structured learning tasks set out in the Learner Guide along with other evidence (attestations, examples of work to support evidence e.g. prior training, study, qualifications, job descriptions) to the assessment panel and prepare for an oral articulation of your key learnings and practice frameworks.

All your previous qualifications will contribute to your evidence portfolio so they can be recognised as part of or contributing to the ILP process. It values the learning from your previous life and work experiences. Once you have provided evidence of your relevant knowledge, you won’t need to re-do this learning, as you would in a typical three-year degree, for example, so it makes it possible to fast-track the Bachelor of Applied Management.

This depends on the time you can devote to study. You can discuss this with one of our facilitators prior to enrolment.

This depends on how much time each week you can devote to study and the depth and breadth of experience and relevant learning which you bring to your studies.

As a general guide you will take 10 months as a full time learner or 18-20 months as a part time learner.

If you commence full time you still have the choice to move to part time study if your personal situation has changed and full time study is no longer a realistic option. This option is only available in the same year in which you first enrolled.

If you decided to study part time but then choose to complete your qualification sooner, your facilitator will be able to advise you on how to do this.

How many hours a week will I need to spend working towards my qualification?

Up to 20 hours per week full time or 10 hours per week part time, depending on the depth and breadth of experience you bring to your studies. Very experienced learners will generally complete the course in less time and you can potentially complete some of these hours while you are at work.

As a general guide, seven to ten years of experience in the kind of work/field of practice directly related to the degree is required. This experience must cover both the depth and breadth of the knowledge and skills required to meet the graduate profile for the Bachelor of Applied Management.

I struggled at school, how can I complete a degree level qualification?

If you are admitted into the ILP program for the Bachelor of Applied Management, it means that we believe you have developed the capabilities needed to successfully complete the degree. Your facilitator will support you to develop the necessary skills in academic theory, writing and referencing. Otago Polytechnic have thousands of successful graduates in New Zealand, most of whom did not have a tertiary qualification when they commenced study with them, and many of whom struggled at school. It is not your success or otherwise at school that counts, but your current motivation and commitment.

The qualification is not accredited in Australia but yes, it is equivalent to a university qualification. It is both recognised and quality assured by NZQA in New Zealand, and parity of esteem with other New Zealand polytechnic and university degrees. New Zealand degrees are widely recognised in Australia. The degree has equal status with those earned online or through on campus study.

The ILP program is not a taught program. Rather, the learner is responsible for their own learning, supported by a facilitator whose role is to guide, challenge and critique. This pathway is only suitable for those experienced learners who are highly motivated self-starters who can manage their own time.

Withdrawal and refunds are determined by the Otago Polytechnic Student Withdrawal and Refund Policy summarised as follows:

Final dates for withdrawal are identified on the learner’s invoice. The learner must complete the Otago Polytechnic NZ withdrawal form before a withdrawal and refund can be considered.

• Withdrawal before facilitation commences: 100% fees refund, no administration fee, no academic result recorded
• Withdrawal before one month of the facilitation has occurred: 100% fees refund less an administration fee of $NZ250 GST inclusive.

Make sure you understand the refund policy before enrolling.

Compassionate consideration

If you withdraw after the last dates for withdrawal with a refund have passed, you may be eligible to redraw for compassionate consideration. Compassionate consideration may be considered for the following reasons:

• Medical, supported in writing by a health professional
• Other unanticipated circumstances beyond the learner’s control

After you finish the degree with Otago, no further testing in Australia is required to receive the New Zealand Bachelor of Applied Management. The Level 7 learning outcomes in the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) and Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) are similar. AQF Level 7 and NZQF Level 7 are comparable.