ACS Distance Education

What ACS Distance Education is

ACS Distance Education is an online and correspondence school for adults who want to study a subject in depth at their own pace, with a personal tutor marking every assignment. Its Australian site calls it an "Online Courses & Correspondence School", gives a contact address in Nerang, Queensland, and says the school has been "educating people for over 40 years". A UK site for the same school, with a UK phone number and a Stourbridge postal address, states "Over 600 courses in a variety of disciplines" and describes the range as "Short courses, professional development courses, certificates and diplomas".

The reader it serves is a learner rather than a course creator: a career changer moving into horticulture or animal care, a gardener or farmer who wants the science behind the work, someone building a counseling or coaching practice, a home renovator learning a trade, or a professional adding a certificate. The school also sells to organizations through its ACS for Business and ACS for Teams pages, and offers its content for licensing and resale.

What the catalog covers

Horticulture is the school's deepest area. The UK site says over 120 horticulture courses are available, "many subjects not available to study anywhere else", and the menus split the subject into crops, herbs, home gardening, hydroponics, landscaping, permaculture, turf, trees, nursery and propagation, and plant varieties down to single genera such as acacias, eucalypts, conifers and carnivorous plants.

Around that sit agriculture (animal husbandry, agronomy, aquaculture, beef and dairy cattle, calf rearing, farm management), animals and pet care (dog psychology and training, cat care, animal welfare, equine studies, zoo keeping), environment and wildlife (ecology, marine studies, ornithology, herpetology, wildlife management), psychology and counseling (child, adolescent, abnormal and criminal psychology, counseling skills, life and business coaching), health, fitness and nutrition, business and management (bookkeeping, marketing, entrepreneurship, project management), hospitality and tourism, writing and journalism (creative writing, editing, copywriting, publishing), photography, science, and IT, where titles run from computer servicing and networking to C# programming, cyber security, drone technology and an A.I. Literacy course.

Building trades get their own category. The UK page lists 100-hour courses in carpentry, cabinet making, brick and stone work (masonry), building renovation, furniture making and repair, plumbing fundamentals, painting and decorating, welding and metal fabrication, interior design fundamentals, healthy buildings and mud brick construction, each with 8 to 10 lessons and a Statement of Attainment. The mud brick course page notes that the school built its own office with mud in 1982. At the top of the same category sits a 900-hour Advanced Certificate in Sustainable Construction.

Qualifications climb in steps: 100-hour short courses, then Proficiency Awards, Certificates, Advanced Certificates, Associate Diplomas, Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas, plus foundation diplomas in psychology subjects and a postgraduate category. Learners can also design their own course: the FAQ says short courses can be bundled into "your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates".

How a course works

The Wellness Coaching course (code BPS222) shows the standard format. It is a 100-hour course in 7 lessons leading to a Statement of Attainment. According to the FAQ, a course consists of "course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson" with tutor feedback, and ends in an optional exam, all delivered through the school's own learning management system, Login.Training. Notes can be downloaded or printed, and printed notes or a USB stick cost extra for students without internet access.

Assessment is deliberately gentle. The FAQ says the school is "more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed": coursework is not graded pass or fail, and an assignment that needs more work comes back with directions to resubmit. Practical tasks are written so that "anyone, anywhere" can do them, and a tutor can set an alternative when a task is not possible. Questions go to the tutor through the portal or via the office.

Exams are optional, but a learner who wants the formal award must sit one per module, under the supervision of someone they arrange, at an extra $60 including GST per exam. Complete the coursework and the exam and you receive a Statement of Attainment; skip the exam and you receive a Letter of Completion.

Study is self-paced with no assignment deadlines, and enrollment is open all year. The FAQ gives the time frames: short courses of 100 hours should be completed within 12 months of enrollment, and Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards of over 500 hours would normally be completed within 3 to 5 years, with additional fees possible for an extension. A student who cannot submit work for 6 months should tell the school to avoid cancellation of the registration, and recommencement fees may apply.

Prices, payment and guarantees

Course pages show the price. Wellness Coaching is listed at AUD $781.00, "or pay weekly from $22.14 /week", with a "7 day money back guarantee" and a "30 day course swap guarantee". Payment is by credit card, PayPal, Afterpay or bank transfer; the FAQ says most courses have payment plans, and Afterpay splits a course or a plan into four installments for students in Australia. A lost certificate can be replaced as an electronic copy for AUD$35 including GST. The sites also promote seasonal discount codes and a 5% discount page, and the UK menu links a refund policy.

Organizations can request a bulk enrollment, an invoice or a quote, and the FAQ mentions bulk discounts and students in locked facilities such as prisons and hospitals, who can receive paper notes.

Recognition and entry

The school is direct about accreditation. Asked "Are ACS accredited?", the FAQ answers: "Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies." Students enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate may get credit for previous study or experience through recognition of prior learning, and the FAQ says using ACS studies for credit elsewhere depends on the other institution.

There are no entry requirements, and learners under 18 need written permission from a parent or guardian. Courses are written in English, and the FAQ notes that the academic staff are English speaking. Free course counseling, a free handbook and a course demo help with choosing.

Who it suits and who it does not

ACS suits self-directed adults who want depth and personal feedback rather than video lectures: horticulturists, farmers, animal carers, aspiring counselors and coaches, writers, and anyone who wants to stack short courses into a certificate over time. The testimonials on the Australian site come from students in many countries and keep returning to tutors who mark quickly and comment in detail.

It is a weaker fit for someone who needs a government-accredited qualification, which the school says its courses are not, for learners who want live classes or a cohort, and for anyone who wants a quick credential, since even a short course is 100 hours of reading, research and assignments.