Australian College of Theology Office Covid-19 Response Plan

ACT response

All the information contained in this response section and the finances section will also be distributed to colleges directly.

From 19 March 2020 until further notice, the ACT office is closed to visitors. This is in response to the current Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic and a dedication to the safety of our community. Please the video below for a message from the acting Dean, Rev Dr Graeme Chatfield.

The majority of ACT staff members will be working remotely during this time, while senior staff will maintain a presence in the office.

Contacting us

Email or web forms on this site are the preferred contact method. However, phone calls will be directed to a senior staff member for any calls received at the office between 9am and 5pm on weekdays AEST.

Community Prayer

Prayer of the Day

We are stopping our other work tasks every day from 10:15-10:30 am (in your local time) to pray for the ACT and wider communities.  We would love our affiliated colleges to join us.

Prayer of the Day

Adapted from today’s prayer in an Easter COVID devotional series put out by Queensland Baptists:

Father,

We praise you that you hear our prayers. Please pour out your grace upon us as we
pray. We are weak, and in difficult times, so we pray for strength to walk obediently in submission and love. We pray for your power to work through our struggle and stress.

Amen

 

ACT Prayer Points

Pray for our students and other theology students, as they seek to remain focussed on their studies amid the stress.

Pray for our federal and state leaders, making difficult decisions day after day.

As we come towards Palm Sunday, pray to be reminded what the Kingdom of God is like.

 

College Prayer Points

Give thanks for the dedication of all the staff of our colleges, as they have had to adjust so quickly to new ways.

Please send any prayer points to Megan Powell du Toit. mpowelldutoit@actheology.edu.au

Direction for ACT meetings and staff

  1. Attending meetings in person to be avoided where possible
  2. All ACT meetings (Board of Directors, Audit and Risk Management Committee, Academic Board and its committees, the ACT Annual General Meeting, and ACT staff meetings) to be undertaken in virtual mode rather than face-to-face
  3. No domestic or international travel for any ACT purpose (except with the express permission of the Acting Dean)
  4. ACT staff to work from home where feasible, except for senior staff as directed by the Acting Dean.

Resources for Learning and Teaching

After reviewing the incident response plans from Affiliated Colleges, the ACT Academic Board endorsed the following statement resource extra concessions for the delivery and assessments for units in semester 1 2020, available to all ACT college staff and board members: Guidelines for Assessments, Extensions and  Withdrawals, Semester 1, 2020.

Ian Hussey, on faculty at Malyon and an expert in online delivery is offering his assistance to any college needing assistance in the changes to delivery methods. Please contact Ian via his email: ian.hussey@malyon.edu.au

Many institutions are making resources available free for a time:

Oxford University resources on teaching remotely/online

Bloomsbury Digital Resources

US National Emergency Library for online learning 

Important information

National Coronavirus Hotline: 1800 020 080

For general advice about COVID-19 including how to protect yourself and others, symptoms, and when to get tested, visit the Australian Government’s Department of Health.

Factsheets for tertiary students and staff are regularly updated by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

For information and responses particular to independent higher education providers, please also see IHEA.edu.au (ACT is part of the IHEA network and our response has been informed by their publications).

Finance

Graduation documents

Certified transcripts

  • All graduates will be sent a physical certified transcript on conferral of their award.
  • Students who request a certified transcript while the office is closed will, by default, have their transcript digitally encrypted and sent to them electronically. Physical transcripts can be distributed by the Registrar where required but will take some time to produce and post.

Australian Higher Education Graduation Statements

  • All graduates will be sent a physical certified Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) on conferral of their award.
  • Students who request a reissue of their AHEGS while the office is closed will, by default, have their AHEGS digitally encrypted and sent to them electronically. Physical copies can be distributed by the Registrar where required but will take some time to produce and post.

Testamurs

The production of testamurs has been temporarily paused. This is because testamurs need to be produced by the ACT’s Academic Services team, physically signed by the ACT Dean, distributed to the graduate’s primary sponsoring college for co-signing, and then physically presenting the document to the graduate.

Given the intention to increase social distancing between individuals, and the processes involved in preparing these documents, production of testamurs is paused. All graduates, and their current or potential employers, and any education institution, can contact ACT to verify that a graduate has been issued with a particular qualification. We understand that this is not ideal, but is a temporary measure to maintain the ability to verify the conferral of qualifications while at the same time protecting our staff. Graduates can contact ACT to verify their awards by choosing the “student enquiry” option on the contact page.

When the ACT office re-opens, all testamurs in waiting will be produced and distributed.

Event announcements

  • The ACT Consortium Conference and Principals’ Day 2020 which was due to be held 12-13th June 2020 in Sydney, has been postponed to a later date in 2020 (exact date TBA).
  • Being and Belonging: Disability, Church, and Community, our conference which was due to be held on 16-17 April 2020, has been postponed.
  • The Registrars’ Conference, which was to be held on 3 April 2020, is changing format. A series of interactive video conferences will be held with ACT Registrars to facilitate professional development and provide updates and information for ACT college Registrars.
  • All upcoming scheduled meetings of the Academic Board, Coursework Committee, and Research & Research Studies Committees will be held by Zoom video conference.