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ADMISSIONS AND REGISTRATIONCOP-CH-01-02-031. ScopeThis policy applies to all types of courses and programmes at BIBF, delivered by all learning centres.The Policy covers the processes of admission and registration of learners into a programme or course.2.2.1Policy StatementDefinitions2.1.1The student Recruitment Recognising the wide range of offerings at the BIBF, thefollowing general definitions shall be applied, wherever applicable. Where additionalvariation of terms might exist, the alternative or additional term shall be indicatedalong with the applicable standard term suggested from the below list. Such variationsmight arise from the varying definition used by the external qualification body,academic partner, or some additional breakdown of terms that the RegistrationDepartment might use in their systems and operations.2.1.1.1 Academic Programme: The Academic Programmes consist of a combination ofcourses and/ or requirements leading to an undergraduate or postgraduateAcademic degree, awarded by BIBF or by our partners from variousinternational universities. (Alternative Term(s): University Degrees)2.1.1.2 Professional Programme: The BIBF offers a wide variety of professionalprogrammes covering various specializations, knowledge areas and industries.The Professional Programmes consist of a single course or a combination ofcourses and/or requirements leading professional certification awarded by BIBFor an internationally recognized professional body. Such offerings includecategories of programmes that are awarded by the BIBF on part time ordistance learning basis, preparatory programmes for international examinationsand programmes offered through partnerships with internationally recognizedawarding bodies. (Alternative Term(s): Professional Qualification)2.1.1.3 Standard Offering Course: Standard Offerings are skills-based courses thatare essential to meeting the core training needs of various sectors. These coursesare designed to develop the human capital’s competencies and knowledgerequired in the workplace and the duration spans over a period of one tofourteen days. Standard Offering Courses are offered according to a fixed yearlyschedule, which is published in the BIBF’s Annual Training and DevelopmentCatalogue. The standard offerings are considered within the annual traininglevy; thus, the pricing structure is based on the sponsor’s membership type andnationality of the candidates. (Alternative Term(s): Internal/Public Courses)Copyright of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) - BIBF 2020

ADMISSIONS AND REGISTRATIONCOP-CH-01-02-032.1.1.4Special Offering: Special offerings are course or professionalprogrammesconducted for a specific client according to specified training needs. Allspecial offerings require a contractual agreement between the client and BIBF.The Special Offering contract may be for a single course, variety of differentcourses, series of courses that are bundled together leading to a certainqualification or a professional qualification. Clients may select any range orcategory of courses that are offered at the BIBF. The selected course(s) may bestraight off-the-shelf, slightly modified to be in line and compatible with therequirements of the client or customized as per the specification set out by theclient within the capabilities and expertise of the concerned centre.Based on the location of the client, special offerings could be conducted oneither BIBF premises or the client’s premises. The timing and duration of specialofferings are initially set by the client and are flexible, but with consideration tothe effective delivery of the course and the availability of the resources.(Alternative Term(s): Customized Courses/Customized Programmes2.1.1.5 Masterclass: The Masterclasses are contemporary based courses addressinghigh level and advanced topics related to the current market trends andadvancements. The Masterclasses are not considered within the annual traininglevy and are fees bearing classes to both member and non-memberorganizations. (Alternative Term(s): External Courses/Workshops)For the purpose of this Policy, the term “programme” might refer to any training oreducation provision that might consist of a stand-alone unit, or multiple of units.2.22.2.1ReferencesThe student Recruitment and Admissions at BIBF are consistent with the requirement andbroad principles laid down by the Higher Education Council (HEC) of Bahrain, Education andTraining Quality Authority (BQA) of Bahrain, as well as the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)of the UK (for the relevant academic programmes offered in partnership with UK-basedhigher education institutions).2.2.2As for the BQA referencing, BIBF observes the broad principles laid down by the relevantframework set by the Directorate of Vocational Reviews, Directorate of Higher EducationalReviews, and/or the General Directorate of Qualifications.2.3Equal Opportunities2.3.1BIBF is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of its business relationships. To thisCopyright of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) - BIBF 2020

ADMISSIONS AND REGISTRATIONCOP-CH-01-02-03end, BIBF acknowledges the following basic rights of all those with whom it interacts:its staff, students and organizations: 2.3.2To be treated with respect and dignity;To be treated fairly with regard to all procedures, assessments and choicesTo receive encouragement to reach their full potential.BIBF further acknowledges that these rights carry with them responsibilities; it consequentlyexpects all staff, students and other stakeholders to recognize these rights and act accordingly.2.3.3The underlying principle of BIBF’s Equal Opportunities Policy is to ensure that no group orindividual receives more or less favourable treatment. BIBF will therefore seek to ensure that allare treated solely on the basis of merit, ability and potential, regardless of gender, colour, ethnicor national origin, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, religiousor political beliefs, family circumstances or other irrelevant distinction.2.3.4All qualifications, products and services offered by the BIBF, legal or contractual requirementspermitting, will be available to all those who are able to achieve the required standard and freefrom barriers which restrict access and progression; Free from overt or covert discriminatory practices, Free from inappropriate content, language and images; Free from age or other restrictions; Consistent with BIBF’s values.2.4Special Needs2.4.1Students with special needs such as physical, and educational needs, must be identified early inthe process of admission and registration, in order that appropriate needed support mechanismsare provided.2.4.2The registration process shall prompt the applicant learner to declare any special needs that he/shemight have during the course of study at BIBF.2.4.3Once special needs are identified during the registration phase, the Registration Department shallcommunicate such needs to the relevant learning centre to arrange for the support mechanismsneeded, where possible.2.4.4The head of the relevant learning centre or the programme manager are responsible to assess if thedeclared special needs can be adequately catered for, in coordination with other learning centres,Copyright of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) - BIBF 2020

ADMISSIONS AND REGISTRATIONCOP-CH-01-02-03or other support units in BIBF. The process of catering for special needs is detailed in the BIBFSpecial Needs Guidelines.2.4.5Identified cases with special needs, should be communicated with the concerned programmemanager and the faculty delivering the qualification in advance.2.4.6Where pre-assessments are required, the applicants should be consulted by the relevant learningcentre about the kind of arrangements that the institution could have in place to give them a fairchance for selection.2.4.7BIBF shall do utmost efforts to provide adequate support mechanisms to the learners who havespecial needs. In cases where the support mechanisms could not be reasonably and practicallyprovided, the applicant shall be notified by the Registration Department of the inability to providethe needed support, or to discuss any suitable arrangement that might suit the applicant, incoordination with the pertaining learning centre. In such extreme cases, the Director of BIBF shallapprove any final resolution, and records of communication between relevant parties shall be keptwith the Registration Department.2.5Admission Requirements2.5.1BIBF shall ensure that the entry requirements for each programme are clearly defined andcommunicated to the prospective students and other interested parties.2.5.2Each course or programme must have clear admission criteria whenever applicable includingcredit transfer, attendance requirements and expected academic or prior learning standards. Theserequirements shall be specified clearly for each course/programme, and communicated to studentsand interested parties.2.5.3The Registration Department in coordination with the relevant programme manager and learningcentre, shall ensure that students are properly assessed whenever applicable upon admission to acourse, to establish their conformity with the said course admission requirements, as well asestablishing their prior attainment for subsequent monitoring of their learning progress. The initialassessment may include, but not limited to, language ability if required.2.5.4For externally certified programmes, the admission requirements are normally set by the relevantcertification body. The admission decisions in such cases are either carried out solely by theexternal body, or jointly with the learning centre at BIBF. In all cases, the process needs to beexplained to prospective students, and records of enrolment and admission shall be kept with therelevant learning centre.2.5.5The final decision of the admission shall be made by the learning centre. And then recorded on theappropriate admission application. The learning centre shall communicate the final admissiondecision to the prospective students or their applicant sponsors.Copyright of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) - BIBF 2020

ADMISSIONS AND REGISTRATIONCOP-CH-01-02-032.5.6The learning centre shall identify any need for foundation studies or bridging course(s) in case theadmission requirements are not met, or the APL outcomes are not sufficient to support directadmission to a course.2.6APL and Credit Transfer2.6.1The BIBF recognizes that, in addition to meeting the minimum entry requirements for agiven programme, students may also have demonstrated the academic achievement ofcertain elements of a programme prior to embarking upon it. In such cases, where appropriateevidence can be produced by the student, BIBF may grant the student additional credit againstcertain elements of the programme on the basis of such prior learning. Refer to BIBF APLGuidelines for more details2.6.2Applicant can claim prior learning that has been achieved either:2.6.2.1 As part of a formal course of education previously taken which has beenindependently certificated and is recognized by BIBF’s APL committee. Theaward of credit on this basis is known as Accreditation of Prior CertificatedLearning (APCL); or2.6.2.2 Through prior experience and practice which is recognized by BIBFthrough an assessment process designed for this purpose. The award of crediton this basis is known as Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).2.6.3Requests for APL shall be submitted to the Registration Department and shall then be consideredby a sub- group of BIBF’s APL Committee. The terms of reference of the APL Committee,together with its membership and mode of operation, are set out in the BIBF APL Policy.Applications must be submitted on the appropriate form, with a portfolio of supporting evidenceand the appropriate fee.2.6.4Credit awarded will be informed to the student and Registration by the QA Department, and theAPL Committee and formally noted on the student’s application, showing details of the nature,level and amount of credit awarded. This information will also be clearly recorded on studenttranscripts.2.7Appeal against Admission Decision2.7.1Students have the right to appeal against any admission decision, including APL outcomes.Copyright of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) - BIBF 2020

ADMISSIONS AND REGISTRATIONCOP-CH-01-02-032.7.2The appeal shall be logged in by the student in the appropriate appeal form and submitted tothe Registration Department, who shall pass it over to the QA Department (refer to the BIBFComplaint, Malpractice and Appeal Policy CH05-2-02).2.7.3The Registration department shall forward the appeal forms against admission decision to theBIBF CMARG for their review and final decisions with regards to the logged appeal. The decisionof the CMARG shall constitute a final decision and no further appeal against CMARG outcomesare allowed, in such cases of appeals against admission and APL outcomes.The terms of reference and modes of operations of the CMARG are mentioned in details in the BIBFComplaint, Malpractice and Appeal Policy.3.Communication & Dissemination3.1This policy shall be made accessible to all employees and available in the publicdomain of the intranet.3.2Furthermore, the admission criteria, requirements and process shall be clearlydefined and made available to all students, prospective students and interestedparties, either in soft copies in the public domain, on the request of students, or inhard copies if need be.3.3The admission information shared with students and other stakeholders shallinclude the requirements of external certification bodies, wherever applicable.3.43.5It is the responsibility of the learning centres to review the available information on admissionto their respective courses and programmes, and to ensure that information in all distributionchannels and forms are sufficient, consistent, accurate and up-to date.The Registration Department shall keep records of history of all review and changes to theadmission information.4.Monitoring and Review4.1BIBF will regularly monitor and review the application of its Equal OpportunitiesPolicy and the implementation of associated procedures and from the informationgained will analyse potential barriers or areas where positive action may be required.The QA Department, in conjunction with the Registration Department, shall carry outa joint review for this purpose. The outcomes of the review shall be discussed in theEducation Standard Committee, and necessary actions shall be taken if appropriate.Copyright of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) - BIBF 2020

ADMISSIONS AND REGISTRATIONCOP-CH-01-02-034.2The Registration Department shall keep records of all applications and their statusthroughout the admission and registration processes. A detailed statistical reportshall be produced once every year to evaluate the performance of admission andregistration processes, analyse trends in the prospective students, applicationstatus and any other information that might be of help to the learning centres orthe BIBF executive Management Team.Document Name:Admission and RegistrationDocument Reference Number:COP-CH-01-02-03Version Number and Date02-03, June 2019Name of DeveloperQAWGName of ReviewerQAWGPolicy OwnerQuality Assurance DepartmentApproved byEducation Standards Committee (ESC)Date approved-Effective fromRelated Policies or DocumentsReview FrequencyFirst IssueLast ReviewJune 2019Guidelines and Forms3 yearsDecember 2008May 2020Copyright of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) - BIBF 2020

DESIGN, APPROVAL, MONITORING AND REVIEWCOP-CH-02-02-031. ScopeThis policy applies to all types of courses and programmes at BIBF, delivered by all learning centres.The Policy covers the processes of course or program design, approval, monitoring and regular review.For the purpose of this Policy, courses and programs are classified into two categories; the first onerequires comprehensive processes of review, approval, monitoring and review, whilst the secondcategory goes through a shortened version of the processes.2.2.1Policy StatementDefinitionsRecognising the wide range of offerings at the BIBF, the following general definitions shall beapplied, wherever applicable. Where additional variation of terms might exist, the alternativeor additional term shall be indicated along with the applicable standard term suggested fromthe below list. Such variations might arise from the varying definition used by the externalqualification body, academic partner, or some additional breakdown of terms that theRegistration Department might use in their systems and operations.2.1.1Certified Programme: A single- or multiple-unit programme that is formally assessed by BIBFleading to NQF credits for NQF-listed qualifications, local completion certification by BIBF,the higher education institution that BIBF hosts; or certification by an external accreditationbody.2.1.2Non-Certified Programme: Any other programmes that are delivered by BIBF and does notlead to a certification as explained. Usually learners in these programmes receive a certificateof attendance only. This includes offerings of certified programmes for learners who do notopt for formal certification or NQF credits.2.1.3Module: A discrete unit of study leading to the award of credit by BIBF. The minimum creditvalue for a module at BIBF is 1 credit ( 10 notional student effort hours). A module may beat any level on the NQF between Level 4 and 9 and may be designed to be free- standing, to bepart of a programme or both.2.1.4Programme: A coherent programme of study comprising two or more modules, designed inaccordance with the Bahraini NQF.2.1.5Transcript: An official statement issued by BIBF confirming the award of credits andcertification. Transcripts will bear the name of the award as validated (module and/orprogramme), the level of the award on the NQF and the number of credits awarded overalland for each module. Transcripts must not be issued in support of certificates of attendance.Copyright of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) - BIBF 2020

DESIGN, APPROVAL, MONITORING AND REVIEWCOP-CH-02-02-032.2References2.2.1The Design, Approval, Monitoring and Review at BIBF are consistent with therequirement and broad principles laid down by the Higher Education Council (HEC) ofBahrain, Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA) of Bahrain, as well as theQuality Assurance Agency (QAA) of the UK (for the relevant academic programmesoffered in partnership with UK-based higher education institutions).2.2.2As for the BQA referencing, BIBF observes the broad principles laid down by therelevant framework set by the Directorate of Vocational Reviews, Directorate of HigherEducational Reviews, and/or the General Directorate of Qualifications.2.3Programme Design2.3.1Module and programme design: All modules and programmes must be presented forapproval using the relevant approved template. Once approved, these completedtemplates will constitute the definitive module and programme documents. Changescan only be made to definitive module and programme documents following therelevant formal review process listed below (Section 2.5 “Major and Minor Changes”)Module and programme definitive templates will be public documents and shouldcontain all information, including descriptive text, to be used externally to promote themodule or programme.2.3.22.3.32.3.42.3.5Intended learning outcomes: All modules and programmes will be expressed in terms of intendedlearningoutcomes (ILOs.) ILOs should follow the conventions established in the NQF to describe achievement atdifferent levels and, where appropriate, describe intended learning outcomes in terms of the five substrands identified in the NQF.Level and credit: All modules will include a statement of NQF level and credit. Credit must be brokendown into components of student effort which should reflect the overall design of the module, theintended learning outcomes and the proposed assessment regime. Programme specification templatesmust include a summary of constituent modules, their levels and credit.Indicative syllabus: All modules must contain an indicative syllabus. The purpose of the indicativesyllabus is not to be exhaustive, but rather to illustrate the principal material that will be covered tosupport the achievement of intended learning outcomes. Approval panels will expect to see a clearalignment between the indicative syllabus and ILOs.Learning and teaching: Module and programme templates need to indicate how their development hasbeen informed by the BIBF Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy. Module templates must clearlyindicate the range of lea

8 CoP -Ch08 02 02 Collaborative Provision December 2008 May 2020 9 CoP-Ch09-01-01 Research and Community Engagement April 2020 10 : CoP-Ch10-01-01 . . CMARG Complaints, Malpractices and Appeals Review Group CoP Code of Practice DAMR Design, Approval, Monitoring and Review Policy