FAQ

Odyssey schedules three intakes per year for all courses. We promote all intake dates on our webpage and applications can be made for any of the intake dates. Special intakes may be scheduled for employers. Check our   course pages for an up-to-date list of course intake dates.

Alcohol and Other Drugs Skill Set

Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs

Diploma of Alcohol and Other Drugs

Problem Gambling Skill Set

A computer with the following minimum specifications or higher:

Hardware requirements:

• 1.6 GHz CPU, 1GB of memory and at least 1GB of free hard drive space
• An internet connection – broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE)
• Speakers and a microphone – built-in, USB plug-in, or wireless Bluetooth
• A webcam or HD webcam – built-in, or USB plug-in

Software requirements:

• Operating systems:
  • Windows 10 or higher or
  • Apple – OSX (10.15 or later), or
  • Linux – Ubuntu (20.4 or higher), Fedora (32 or higher), etc. Desktop Editions
• Word processing software such as Microsoft Word or Open Office Writer for completing your assignments in.
• A web browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome (102 or higher) or Safari (16.4 or higher). Our Student Portal or Zoom recordings may be incompatible with other browsers.
• Adobe Reader and Flash viewer (latest versions).

It is important to have at least an intermediate level of capability with computers if you are considering studying any course with an online component.

We have had students who have studied on computers other than their own, so whilst it is recommended to have your own computer with immediate access to our Student Portal, it is still technically possible to complete the study with only occasional access and a practical, motivated approach to study!

Adequate internet access is required to access our Student Portal, which is entered via internet browsers such as Google Chrome.

Odyssey delivers out courses via blended online and flexible distance-based modes

Learning and assessment materials can be accessed via our Student Portal.

Delivery methods include weekly live to air Zoom web conference sessions, access to recordings out of hours, one to one scheduled sessions with your trainer assessor, small group study sessions and other catch-up opportunities are also scheduled weekly.

First Aid is Face-to-face, but students have the option to complete First Aid with another provider and obtain a credit transfer for the unit.

We expect all students to meet minimum engagement requirements to build the required skills and knowledge to become effective support workers.  Students may also nominate to set up their own small student group study sessions.

All students are assigned a trainer-assessor who will guide them through their studies and provide a training plan which outlines the start and end dates for each unit of competency.

All students are assigned a secure login to the student portal and are provided with a flexible learning orientation that will guide them in accessing and submitting coursework and assessments via our Student Portal.

Students have access to limited IT support if needed via our Student Coordinator.

Yes, at any time according to their scheduled work hours. Your trainer/assessor will advise you of their availability and work with you to set up a schedule of regular contacts. They will contact you at the beginning of your studies to welcome you and provide regular follow up.

Your trainer-assessor also facilitates the weekly zoom sessions and other contact sessions.

Students may contact their trainer-assessor via the Student Portal, e-mail or by phone to discuss course content, assessment tasks or other issues for support during your study.

Dependent upon your nominated study mode, Odyssey does require that all students adhere to a regular study regime and strongly recommend an 80% engagement rate. This is to include either attendance at live to air zoom sessions (or access recordings after hours) or scheduled one to one or small group study sessions with their trainer-assessor.

Students nominating to undertake their course via blended online mode are expected to participate in weekly live to air zoom sessions or if unable to attend, access recordings after hours.

Students nominating to study via flexible distance mode are required to participate in monthly one-to-one study sessions with their trainer – assessor.

All students may access any of the other contact / study sessions that are offered which are promoted in their individual study calendar in the student portal, or via a global calendar that is distributed to all students quarterly.

Students unable to attend regular scheduled sessions are required to advise their trainer-assessor of their inability to attend prior to the scheduled session and to set another time to meet as soon as possible.

Students who fail to meet regular study requirements will be advised of risk of withdrawal.

Odyssey’s trainers – assessors recommend a self-directed study regime of between 8 to 12 hours per week, over and above the minimum engagement requirements for each study mode. All students are provided with a training plan and have access to an online calendar to assist with keeping on schedule.

Self-directed study time includes conducting research, reading course materials, viewing recordings of supervised training sessions, viewing audiovisual learning materials, practicing skills and completing assessment tasks.

Timeframes for course completions are:

Alcohol and Other Drugs Skill Set                   6-8 months

Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs   8-12 months

Diploma of Alcohol and Other Drugs             22 months

Problem Gambling Skill Set                                6-8 months

Students may defer their studies for up to six months if they are experiencing difficulties during their studies.

Students who are unable to complete may also withdraw from their course and resume studies at another time. However, students’ ability to attract government funding may be affected.

Participants who withdraw from their studies will receive a Statement of Attainment for all units completed.

If you have any other questions about Odyssey Institute or studying with us, our Student Administration team are available on (03) 8537 7112 and at studentadmin@odyssey.org.au; or you can reach out to us via the contact us page.