Policies & Procedures

21 Academy will be trading under the limited liability company Advisory 21 bearing Company Registration Number C81866, such company being incorporated with the Malta Financial Services Authority. The company has a fully paid up share capital and shall have audited accounts annually as prescribed by Maltese law. In addition, 21 Academy will utilise the services of a professional accountant to ensure full compliance and fitness of purpose of the accounting system.

The learning process is directed and supervised by the Head of the Academy, the Director of Studies or/and one suitably qualified and competent tutor at the very least.

Students will be able to join live online sessions at a fixed time through an invite they receive via email. Those students who  have a valid reason for not joining the session, will receive a link to follow the recorded session within 24 hours of it being delivered. Students have 24/7 access to all course material which is made available to them electronically.

21 Academy ascertains that its tutors are proficient on how to access, analyse and use new knowledge emerging with technology. Tutors are exposed to the Academy’s ‘Training the Trainer Award’ which has been redesigned to include ‘the process of learning through technology, and the fundamentals of the communication process. Tutors are also exposed to methods of creating and managing online courses. The 5-stage E-Moderator Model and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are also recommended to 21 Academy’s tutors as effective pedagogical scaffolds for online teaching.

All complaints shall be  treated  seriously  and  the Academy  aims  to  deal  with  any  concerns  within  as  short  a  timescale  as  possible.  To facilitate this, the Responsible Person shall co-ordinate the recording and outcome of complaints. Where possible, the Academy will try to resolve the complaint informally in the first instance

21 Academy will provide learning resources and student support to all its students and/or prospective students, irrespective of the method of delivery, their age, physical ability or sexual orientation.

We are aware that learning resources provide important opportunities for students to explore ideas and knowledge, collaborate, solve problems and develop knowledge and skills.  With this in mind, the academy will be equipped with all the necessary learning resources which are commensurate to the type and level of the courses being offered.

Such resources will assist the tutors to deliver courses with improved clarity, enhanced attention and interest and with a higher degree of student motivation. Thus an appropriate and wise selection of learning resources will be made available to the tutors to facilitate the achievement of the teaching objectives.

Students will be informed with the available resources by means of a student booklet given in the induction session.

In the case of an interview process required for the onboarding of students or tutors with the Academy, careful consideration with regards to whom the panelists are in order to avoid conflict of interest. There will at all times be one person who has no prior knowledge of the candidate. Panel members will include the Academy Head who may be assisted by other members who have expertise in the field of teaching.

The level and value of learning credits defined are verified through an analysis of the content being covered in the course/programme. This is achieved  via the assessment for such course and the expectations set for students (for example the reading list provided to the students). Students enrolled for a programme containing multiple modules will accumulate credits upon completion of each module. At the end of the programme these will be transferred to the award that they applied for and this will be conferred.

21 Academy shall ensure the following:

• All courses/programmes achieve the objectives they set to achieve
• The review of website and prospectus content ensuring that all is up to date
• Responding the changing needs of students and society, through Market research and constant updating in professional fields, such as is the case now that the academy feels that it should deliver its short courses online.

The Academy holds a clear personal data handling policy in order to minimise and avoid the risk of breaches. The Academy is registered with the Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner.

Tutors will be expected to be qualified in the field/topic they are teaching. They will be expected to have both existing understanding/practise of the topic area and the skills to deliver the content appropriately. The performance of the tutors will be reviewed through evaluation in the form of feedback from students.

A dedicated feedback form will be disseminated to students at the end of the delivery. The director of studies will review all feedback and discuss this with the Head of Academy. Any necessary changes will be made.

All tutors engaged by the academy will be allowed to work autonomously subject to them adheing to all policies and procedures as defined in 21 Academy’s internal quality assurance document. In addition, the Head of Academy will be monitoring the activity of tutors by conducting in-class observations, including those courses being delivered online,  and one-on-one meetings. In-class observations will also serve to ensure that the procedures and policies for learning, teaching and assessment (as declared in section 4 the  IQA document) are effectively deployed.

21 Academy will not only be equipped with necessary learning resources but will also invest to have the necessary equipment to make such resources available. With this in mind the academy will be equipped with Smart Plasma Screens to facilitate the viewing and use of learning resources available online, updated versions of the Zoom online platform to deliver the online lectures through, and other digital learning resources. In the absence of such screens the tutor will be provided with alternative equipment such as laptops and internet connectivity. Students will also be able to be online via their portable devices. The Academy will provide the suggested course’s text books and make these available for the students for research purposes and will facilitate the acquisition of such text books.

These resources will be available for all students alike and the academy will make the necessary investment in both information and communication technology not only to support and provide available resources, but also to be in a position to update its learning resources in the future. At the end of each course, students will be asked to submit a self-assessment on the pros and cons of the learning resources used for the learning experience.

The Academy is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff, tutors and students. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit.

21 Academy shall keep comprehensive records of all financial transactions and shall do so by using appropriate software. The software will ensure the following:

• Highest security
• Highly advanced computational capabilities
• Fast real-time execution
• An easy-to-use interface
• Cutting-edge & powerful technological features
• Easy categorization different types of transactions.

21 Academy will have sufficient financial reserves to maintain operations in the event of unpredicted circumstances. The financial reserves shall be savings in a bank account as well as income from other branches of Advisory 21.

As mentioned above in view of the fact that 21 Academy will be trading as part of a limited liability company, audited accounts shall be done annually and shall be certified by an auditor.

Planning is crucial in any business organization and budget plans are essential for the smooth running of the academy.21 Academy shall have financial plans that are structured to detail projections on incomes and expenses on both a long-term and a short-term basis. This will entail a detailed budgeted balance sheet, as well as a cash flow budget and addresses the receipt of income and the flow of expenses on a monthly basis.

21 Academy will be changing its method of delivery for most of its short courses which are less than 12 sessions long. All the other accredited courses will still be delivered face to face. The change in the method of delivery is being made to entertain the requests made by our students and trainees who have experienced online training during the pandemic, and have asked to have the courses delivered likewise post pandemic.

Thus, instead of having the students attending physically at the academy’s training centre in Naxxar, students will be able to connect to the lecture through the Zoom platform.

Students will be informed of what constitutes fraud and this also includes plagiarism. This clear explanation shall be part of their joining pack.

Furthermore, students shall need to sign a declaration with every assignment/work they submit, confirming that such is their own. Furthermore, the Academy shall emphasise the importance of proper citation and where necessary it shall assist students with proper citation.

21 Academy shall ensure to publish all the information about the various courses/programmes in a clear, accurate, objective, up-to date manner. It shall also ensure that all the information is readily accessible.

21 Academy shall have all its programmes/courses promoted on its website, and any other advertising material shall make reference to the website containing the detailed information as well as having information on the advert itself.

The Re-Issue of Certificate Policy at 21 Academy outlines the guidelines and procedures for course participants to request a re-issuance of their certificates, including the associated administrative fee and verification process. This policy ensures efficient and reliable re-issuance of certificates while maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the certification records.

Access the Policy from this link.

Administration personnel review  submitted applications to ensure that all requested data is made available as per programme accreditation. Following this check, students are admitted given that all the entry requirements (based on evidence) needed are met.

21 Academy shall offer RPL in two instances:

1. In the case where applicants make a request to transfer previously obtained credits within a formal learning structure; to the study programme that they are applying for. The credit transfer must be of the same MQF level or higher to be considered.
2. In the case where applicants would like to request an exemption for entry requirements for a particular study programme

The 21 Academy RPL Policy can be accessed here

21 academy commits to the minimum eligibility criteria of teaching staff to be the same as those submitted in the ‘Provider Accreditation Application Form’ which has been approved by the MFHEA. In the event that staff is required to work on a full-time basis the following recruitment checklist shall be adopted by 21 Academy:

21 academy has structured processes to include three specific stages throughout the student life-cycle:

Stage 1                        Application

Applicants apply by sending cv and certificates in an email to info@advisory21.com.mt

Stage 2                        Interview Process & Qualification verification

Administration personnel review the submitted cv and certificates to ensure that qualifications and experience meet the requirements.

In the case of foreign qualifications, 21 academy will ask applicants to submit an MQRIC recognition statement.

Stage 3                        Acceptance/ Refusal

Applicants will be informed whether their application has been accepted or refused.

Students will be provided with all the tools they need to increase their knowledge and skills. This will be done via teaching methods that allow them to be leaders and decision makers.

Tutors will be expected to be qualified in the field/topic they are teaching. They will be expected to have both existing understanding/practice of the topic area, and the skills to deliver the content appropriately.

We are aware that learning resources provide important opportunities for students to explore ideas and knowledge, collaborate, solve problems and develop knowledge and skills.  With this in mind, the academy is equipped with all the necessary learning resources which are commensurate to the type and level of the courses being offered.

Such resources will assist the tutors to deliver courses with improved clarity, enhanced attention and interest and with a higher degree of student motivation. Thus an appropriate and wise selection of learning resources will be made available to the tutors to facilitate the achievement of the teaching objectives.

Students will be informed with the available resources by means of a student booklet given in the induction session.