Base Course
This page will provide you with an overview of how our Base Course records sit in Paradigm and all the available information you can record under each Base Course record in the system.
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Paradigm Knowledge Base
This page will provide you with an overview of how our Base Course records sit in Paradigm and all the available information you can record under each Base Course record in the system.
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Base Courses in Paradigm are the blueprint of all course records in the system. These records can be added with all the required and additional fields needed for a course record to meet your business or institution's requirements and the government's. We used the term "base" as you can always inherit the values on these for cases when you need to schedule them in the future.
When adding a Base Course record in the system, having a Provider record with an Educational Provider Role is required especially if the Course is a government-reportable one, see Provider.
The following are the sections and fields available in Paradigm when you add a base course record to the system. Note that some of the fields are highly customisable to meet your naming convention.
Fields with * denote required fields when adding a new base course record in the system.
Course Code or ID* [E307]
An abbreviation for the course name or an identifier given by the institution to uniquely identify the course e.g. BArts20.
The abbreviation can contain letters and numbers but MUST NOT contain spaces.
This field can be an institution-specific code (e.g. a Course abbreviation) or a system-allocated code.
Refer to your business or institution’s standard naming convention.
Course Name* [E308]
The full accredited name of the course in which the student enrols. This name will appear on the student's official documents, e.g. Transcript, Testamur, reports, letters, AHEGS, etc.
Parent Course
Internal system allocated ID code (no data entry required).
Articulation Options (opt-in)
Course(s) that a student can move into at the end of this course e.g. Diploma of Arts can lead to a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Arts can lead to a Graduate Diploma of Arts.
Early Exit Options (opt-out)
Course(s) that a student can exit with, should they not want or be able to complete the course.
e.g. A student in a Bachelor of Arts can exit after the 8 core units have been successfully completed with a Diploma of Arts.
Course Status*
Set this field as the following:
Active (for a currently used course)
Archived (for a Course no longer in use)
Course Status Items are customisable under the Status Type Id of "PROGRAM_STATUS", see Edit Status Items
Course Major Study
Applicable if the Course has major pathways. Code Items can be added under the Code Type Id of "STUDY_AREA", see Edit Code Items
Course Minor Study
Code Items can be added under the Code Type Id of "STUDY_SPECIALISATION", see Edit Code Items
Course Provider*
Institution / Campus where this course is delivered.
Post Nominal
The letters are placed after a person's name to indicate that that individual holds this particular academic degree e.g. BArts, MBA, etc.
Course Level*
Set this field accordingly as the following:
Postgraduate
Undergraduate
VET
Secondary
Non-Award
This field can be customised under the Code Type Id of "PROGRAM_LEVEL", see Edit Code Items
Course type*
Options: Coursework | Research | Other This field can be customised under the Code Type Id of "PROGRAM_TYPE", see Edit Code Items
TCSI Undergraduate Loan Fee (%)
Applicable if the Course has a FEE-HELP accreditation. Always check the government website for any changes in the Loan Fee Percentage.
25% - the additional fee/percentage charged by the Government to Undergraduate students who access Fee-HELP loans. This is an additional 25% of the unit charge.
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the percentage symbol when entering this data - e.g. 25.0
TCSI Postgraduate Loan Fee (%)
Applicable if the Course has a FEE-HELP accreditation. Always check the government website for any changes in the Loan Fee Percentage.
0% - the additional charge by the Government to Postgraduate students who access Fee-HELP loans.
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the percentage symbol when entering this data - e.g. 0.0
Accredited*
Is this course currently accredited? Yes / No.
Accreditation Date
What date does the accreditation for this course commence? e.g. 01/01/2016
Accreditation Due Date
What date will the accreditation for this course cease? e.g. 31/12/2025
Put a value on this field if the Course is expiring to avoid future academic activities on the Course record once it has expired, otherwise, leave it BLANK.
TESQA Accreditation Date
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Accreditation required accreditation date information
TESQA Accreditation Date Due
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Accreditation required accreditation due date
Standard Unit Fee
The dollar amount for a standard unit within this course of study
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the dollar symbol when entering this data - e.g. 2500.00
International Unit Fee
The fee amount charged to students designated as international students
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the dollar symbol when entering this data - e.g. 3500.00
Admin Unit Fee
Any administration fees payable for a unit of study within the course
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the dollar symbol when entering this data - e.g. 500.00
Course Fee
The total fees payable to complete this course of study
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the dollar symbol when entering this data - e.g. 55000.00
Yearly Course Fee (Full-Time)
The cost of one year of full-time study in this course
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the dollar symbol when entering this data - e.g. 2000.00
Yearly Course Fee (Part-Time)
The cost of one year of part-time study in this course
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the dollar symbol when entering this data - e.g. 5500.00
AQF Registered
Is this course of study AQF Registered? Yes / No
Credit Points required
The number of successfully completed points required to complete this course of study e.g. 144
Unit Grade Type
You have the option to choose or define a grade type/schema for each course:
Grade for ELICOS
Possible grades you receive after completing an assessment
Possible grades you receive after completing a Competency
Possible grades you receive after completing a unit
Progression Level for Course
NOTE: Make sure that your Unit Grade Type items have already been configured and defined accordingly, see Grade Schema
Assessment Grade Type
Choose from the following assessment grade types:
Grade for ELICOS
Possible grades you receive after completing an assessment
Possible grades you receive after completing a Competency
Possible grades you receive after completing a unit
Progression Level for Course
NOTE: Make sure that your Assessment Grade Type items have already been configured and defined accordingly, see Grade Schema
Program Level No
A numerical value to determine the level of this course e.g. Bachelor's could be 7 in line with AQF levels or could be 3 if this is the highest level in a nested suite of awards.
Duration (Weeks)
How many weeks of study does it take to complete the entire course? e.g. 104 (2-year course)
Multi-Program Duration
Applicable if you are running Multi-Program for this course record. Please feel free to contact us if you want to discuss more on how this field would apply to your business or institution’s requirements.
Maximum Course Duration
The maximum allowable amount of time/months/years allowed to complete this course of study.
Maximum Participants
Maximum number of students enrolled into any cohort.
Online Enrolment Tuition Balance
The minimum amount of credit or payment for a student to access the Course Plan when enrolling online.
Maximum Credit Points Enrollable
The maximum number of credit points the student can enrol in one study period.
e.g. If the maximum number of units a student can enrol into in one semester is 4 and each unit is worth 6cp the value required is 24.0
Minimum Credit Points Enrollable
The minimum number of credit points the student can enrol in one study period.
e.g. If the Minimum number of units a student can enrol into in one semester is 1 and each unit is worth 6cp the value required is 6.0
Credit Points Per Semester
The standard number of credit points a student can enrol in one study period.
e.g. If the maximum number of units a student can enrol into in one semester is 4 and each unit is worth 6cp the value required is 24.0
Maximum Elective Credit points
e.g. For a course that has 24 units in total. Of that 24, 8 are core units leaving 16 units as electives. If each unit is worth 6 cp the total is 16 elective units x 6cp per unit = 96.0.
Show Attendance for Course on Student Summary
Display the student's attendance record on the Student's summary screen? - Yes / No
3rd Party Integration Fields:
SMS Entity Id
SMS Entity Type Id
Remote SMS Entity
These three SMS fields are used for 3rd party software integration to Paradigm. Please contact us if you want to discuss more possible integration when it comes to your Course Record.
Field Name
Description
Funding Type*
The types of funding available for this course of Study: This field can be customised under the Code Type Id of "FUNDING_TYPE", see Edit Code Items
Upfront fees
APA
IPRS
MCDPRA
PELS
RTS
ECAF Approved
Is this course approved for the online Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form? Yes / No
Related Page: eCAF
Allow Online Application
If your institution uses the Silverband Online application form, can an applicant apply for this course via that method? - Yes / No
Allow International Students
Can international students apply for this course? - Yes / No
Allow Unit Enrolments from Course Plan
Allow students to enrol themselves via the course plan? Yes / No
Online Application Course Enrolment Required Attachments
Select each of the attachment types that an applicant is required to include as part of their application into this course of study:
Medical
Assessment Results
Student Academic
Historic Transcripts
Historic Records
No Category
Testamur
The items on this list can be customised via the Edit Code Items menu under the CONTENT_CAT_COURSE Course Type Id.
Optional Course Application File Attachments
This field presents the identical list as the 'Online Application Course Enrolment Required Attachments' field. The items you select in this field will be available for attachment in the Applicant Portal, though they are optional
Centrelink Payments Approved
Is this course approved for the student to receive Centrelink payments? Y / N
Audition Surveys
Application Condition Survey
Application Survey
These fields pertain specifically to users of the Online Applicant Portal. We will delve into this field more extensively should you require additional customisation of the application form per Course.
These are additional fields that will be further discussed during the onboarding of your Applicant Portal.
This section of the Base Course record is best explained here.
Field Name
Description
Course Description
A brief description of the content of the course.
Course Long Description
A more detailed description of the course.
AHEGS Course detail
The Australian Higher Education Graduate Statement - is a secondary transcript issued to students when they graduate, and providing a snapshot of their graduate achievements. It aims to enhance graduate mobility and employability in the global marketplace. AHEGS have Government predefined formats in which they can be delivered. This Course detail is the information about the Course of Study displayed in the AHEGS document.
AHEGS Course features
Detailed features of the course to be featured in the AHEGS - details which set this course apart from others in the education market.
AHEGS Course Pathway to further Study
Information about future study that this course can lead to e.g. a Bachelor Course that leads to a Graduate Diploma or Master's degree.
AHEGS Course accreditation
Information about the dates / years that this current instance of this course is accredited from and to.
Entry Requirements / Prerequisites
Any requirements the student must have completed in order to gain entry into this course of study.
The following are optional free-text entry fields:
Primary Course Discipline
Elective Credits
Course Rules
Graduate Attributes
Occupational Functions of Graduates
NOTE:
The formatting you make will all be native to Paradigm or if you plan to integrate the content into a web / HTML format or view. Other ways of importing or rendering the information on these fields, e.g. Excel, PDF, etc. will not inherit the applied formats.
These are all optional fields. You can add all the details of the course on these fields here, as necessary and as required.
Fees
Fee information about the course outlining how many units must be completed, and the approximate costs of completing the course.
Brochure
A copy of the course brochure or outline can be uploaded and saved here.
CRICOS Code
Institutions who are registered with the Australian Government to accept International students are provided with a unique number / code. This code is listed on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
Additional free-text entry fields:
Custom Field 1
Custom Field 2
These two fields are highly customisable, please feel free to edit the labels if you want to add more fields or details to your course record in Paradigm, in addition to all the fields which has already been specified above this section.
The following fields are required to create a base course for a VET Provider. The following definition is taken from the AVETMISS Data Element. Download the file here for more details.
Field Name
Description
ANZSCO Identifier
is a code that uniquely identifies the type of occupation that may be expected for those undertaking a program of study
Nominal Hours
is a value assigned to a program or subject that nominally represents the anticipated hours of supervised training deemed necessary to conduct the training and assessment activities associated with the program or subject.
Qualification / Course Identifier
Program identifier uniquely identifies a qualification, course or skill set.
Qualification / Course Level of Education Identifier
Program level of education identifier identifies the degree of complexity of the program of study.
Qualification / Course Recognition Identifier
Program recognition identifier distinguishes a qualification, course or skill set by its level of recognition in the VET sector.
Qualification / Course Field of Education Identifier
Program field of education identifier is a code that identifies the subject matter that is the ultimate aim of the skills and knowledge gained in a qualification, course or skill set.
VET Flag
VET flag indicates whether the intention of the program or subject is vocational.
Program Unique Supervised Hours
Scheduled hours specify the number of supervised hours, including assessment time, that the training organisation actually allocates for the delivery of a unit of competency or module.
Nationally Recognised
Yes / No
Field Name
Description
DEST Uid3*
An internal code issued by TCSI for this course.
DEST Uid3 Last Submitted*
The date the last submission went to TCSI for this course.
DEST Uid3 Last Submitted Status*
The status for the last submission.
Course of Study Code* [E533]
An abbreviation for the Course Name or an identifier given by the institution to uniquely identify the Course e.g. BArts20. The abbreviation can contain letters and numbers but must not contain spaces.
Course of Study Name* [E394]
The full accredited name of the course in which the student enrols. This name will appear on the student's Transcript, Testamur, reports, letters, AHEGS etc.
HEIMS Course Type* [E310]
A code that indicates the type of Course. Select the code that indicated the course level. The allowable values on the list can be referred to on the TCSI E310 page.
HEIMS Course Load* [E350]
The aggregated EFTSL value for a course of study is summed across all units of study which meet the academic requirements for the course of study.
E.g. if a single unit of study = 0.125 EFTSL and there are 24 units in the course the required answer is 3 entered as 3.0(24 x 0.125 = 3)
00 - Non-Award Course, Cross Provider Program
01 to 99 EFTSL values expressed in tenths (e.g. 4.5 is coded "45")
Combined Course of Study indicator* [E455]
A code that indicates whether a course of study is a combined course of study.
Field Name
Description
DEST UID5*
An internal code issued by TCSI for this course.
DEST UID5 Last Submitted*
The date the last submission went to TCSI for this course
DEST UID5 Last Submitted Status*
The status for the last submission
HEIMS Course Code* [E307]
An abbreviation for the Course Name or an identifier given by the institution to uniquely identify the Course e.g. BArts20. The abbreviation can contain letter and numbers but must not contain spaces.
Course Name* [E308]
The full accredited name of the course in which the student enrols. this name will appear on the student's Transcript, Testamur, reports, letters, AHEGS, etc.
Standard Course Duration* [E596]
The standard duration of the course for a full time student in years and fractions of academic years eg. 2.5 or 3 years
Course Assurance Indicator* [E619]
An indicator that identifies whether the student's enrolment in the unit of study is the result of an approved VET Student Loans course assurance arrangement.
NOTE:
VET institutions inheriting students from another institution as part of course assurance must be coded as belonging to a separate base course record that is dedicated to tracking the inherited student cohort.
This field will be referenced for any unit enrolments that are reported to the government via TCSI.
Field Name
Description
Field of Education Code* [E461]
A code that identifies the field of education to which the course is classified. Select the option from the list that best describes the course.
e.g. Agricultural Science (050101)
Field of Education Supplementary Code* [E462]
A code that identifies the supplementary field of education to which a combined course is classified. If the Course is NOT a combined course then leave it blank or 000000
e.g. Agricultural Science (050101)
Effective From Date* [E609]
The date from which this information is valid from e.g. 01/01/2021
The following are TCSI-generated fields:
Validation Status
DEST UID
Entity Status
Details and statuses issued by TCSI for this course
Field Name
Description
Special Course Type [E312]
A code that identifies courses of special interest for government reporting
NOTE:
If your course is NOT one of the [E312] allowable groups leave this field blank.
Effective From Date [E609]
The date from which this information is valid from e.g. 01/01/2021
Effective To Date [E610]
The date to which this information is valid to e.g. 31/12/2025
The following are TCSI-generated fields:
Validation Status
DEST UID
Entity Status
Data returned from the TCSI system to indicate the validation status
Field Name
Description
Course
The full accredited name of the course in which the student enrols. this name will appear on the student's Transcript, Testamur, reports, letters, AHEGS etc
Provider
The name of the institution/campus that will be offering the course
Location
The physical location where the institution/campus will deliver the course
Postcode
The postcode of the physical location where the institution/campus will deliver the course
Attachment Number
system-generated number unique to an attachment record against the Base Course
Entity Type
EduProgram
Attachment Size
file size of the attachment file
Entity Id
the Base Course code where the attachment is attached against
File Name
system-generated file name unique to the attachment record against the Base Course
Media Type
the type of file being attached
Original File Name
the File Name entered during the adding of the attachment
Purpose
Select from the following options:
Curriculum Outline
Student Letter
Assessment Materials
Reading Material
Audio File
Associated Unit Material
Report Builder Template
Saved AHEGS Report
Assessment Result
Assessment Return
Signature
NOTE: The purpose items are editable via the Edit Code Items menu under the Code Type ID of CONTENT_PURPOSE
Category
Protected File | Public File
NOTE: The category items are editable via the Edit Code Items menu under the Code Type ID of CONTENT_CAT_FILES
Revision Number
applicable if you want to add an attachment similar to the previous one with the intention of keeping track of the number of revisions
Name
the name of the attachment that will be displayed after saving
Description
this will appear when hovering over the name of the attachment. This will allow the user to have more details about the attachment without having to download it.
Status
Select from the following statuses accordingly:
Published - make it available
Deactivated -
Deleted -
Applicable statuses for attachments with revisions
Final Draft
In Progress
Initial Draft
Revised Draft
NOTE: The statuses are editable via the Edit Status Items menu under the Status Type ID of CONTENT_STATUS
Permission Level
the minimum permission level required to view the attachment.
Upload File
select the Choose file button to upload the file attachment
Field Name
Description
TCSI Campus Id
An internal code issued by TCSI for this course/location combination
Id
System Allocated internal id code
Course Id
An abbreviation for the Course Name or an identifier given by the institution to uniquely identify the Course e.g. BArts20. The abbreviation can contain letters and numbers but must not contain spaces.
Course Provider
The name of the institution / campus that will be offering the course.
Campus Operation Type [E569]
Is any part of this course delivered off-shore? If yes is it a standalone arrangement or in partnership. If not, select the "Course is not delivered offshore" option.
Offshore Mode [E570]
Is the Course delivered offshore? If yes what is the Mode of delivery?
If not, select the "Course is not delivered offshore" option.
Offshore Delivery Indicator [E571]
Is this Course delivered offshore at all? Partially offshore? or fully offshore?
If not, select the "Course is delivered in Australia only" option.
CRICOS Code
Institutions that are registered with the Australian Government to accept International students are provided with a unique number/code. This code is listed on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
If your institution only has Australian Domestic students leave this field blank.
Effective From Date [E609]
The date this information is valid from. e.g. 01/01/2021
Effective to Date [E610]
The date this information is valid to. e.g. 31/12/2025
Last Validation Status
Data returned from the TCSI system to indicate the validation status.
Last Validated on
Data returned from the TCSI system to indicate the validation date.
Field Name
Description
Course Fee Code [E536]
HEIMS Code - What funding types can students in this course access.
0 - Course not offered to Domestic students (International students only)
1 - Course offers only Commonwealth Supported places (e.g. HECS-HELP)
2 - Course offers only Domestic Fee-paying places (e.g. Fee-HELP)
3 - Course offers both Commonwealth Supported places & Domestic Fee-paying places (e.g. Both HECS-HELP and Fee-HELP)
Indicative Student Contribution Amount for Commonwealth supported Place [E495]
The average Student contribution dollar amount for a commonwealth supported students in this course.
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the dollar symbol when entering this data - e.g. 2500.00
If this course only offers Fee-HELP places leave this field blank.
Indicative Tuition fee for a domestic fee-paying place [E496]
The indicative cost for a domestic full-time student in this course.
Data Entry Note:
Do not include the dollar symbol when entering this data - e.g. 2500.00
Effective From Date [E609]
The date this information is valid from. e.g. 01/01/2021
Entity Status
Active (for Current records)
Deleted
DEST UID
An internal code issued by TCSI for this course.
Validation Status
Data returned from the TCSI system to indicate the validation status.
Field Name
Description
TAC Offer Code [E557]
Does an Admission Centre handle the applications for this course?
Application not managed by a TAC
Apply through QTAC
Apply through SATAC
Apply through TISC
Apply through UAC
Apply through VTAC
Entity Status
Active
Deleted
DEST UID
An internal code issued by TCSI for this course.
Validation Status
Data returned from the TCSI system to indicate the validation status.
Refer to the Add a Base Course Record Workflow for the instructions on how you can add a Base Course record in Paradigm.
If this field is set to YES, this will show you the Course Enrolment Attendance Summary section directly under the Student Summary screen. You will see a breakdown of the unit enrolment details (Total Hours Enrolled, Current Attended Hours and Percentage, Projected Attendance Hours and Percentage)
