Policies and Procedures

CMBS’ policy and procedures on Assessment Quality Assurance are aimed to provide clear guidelines to students and staff on how they will be assessed and how such assessments will be corrected. CMBS provides a definition of fair assessment to incorporate criteria that are generally expected from CMBS in principle on every assignment handed in by a student. This policy highlights the Code of Practice and Regulations that apply for each of the awarding bodies that are currently offering qualifications through CMBS.

The policy indicates the responsibilities of various CMBS staff members within the remit of Assessment Quality Assurance and provides detailed procedures for corrections and internal verification processes. Guidelines are also provided in order to guide assessors on how to best correct assignments received as well as what is expected from Internal Verifiers in this regard as well as what is expected to be fed back to students. Procedures are also laid out to address situations where there is dissonance between the initial assessor’s outcomes and those of the Internal Verifier.

Reference is also made to the possibility of appeals in the case of disagreement with the results of the assessment as well as indicating the possibility of resubmission for assignments that would need to be revisited.

The Policy and Procedures for Audit Management aim to provide guidance on how external audits are organised and managed by the team within Central Mediterranean Business School. The scope of an audit is clearly defined as well as the different types of audit that the CMBS may be required to undergo. The document provides identification of the roles and responsibilities of all involved in the audit process.

The step-by-step phases that are typical of most audits have been listed including the possible outcomes of an audit and the follow-up processes in this regard.

Accordion Content

CMBS’ cancellation and refund policy highlights CMBS cancellation terms and conditions and refund policy and is made readily available to the public on the CMBS website: https://cmbs.edu.mt/terms-and-conditions/. This policy is also included in the Student Handbook provided during induction.

The Complaints and Appeals Policy and Procedures document serve to provide a mechanism to students to appeal against an assessment and/or certification decision including any escalation processes that may be required in such circumstances.

The document indicates the necessary procedures that are required to lodge a complaint, appeal or dispute, and highlights the way in which this is handled by CMBS. Timelines are defined in order to make the mechanism as fair as possible.

Conflict of Interest is defined to unequivocally ensure that it is clear to all members of CMBS what is considered to fall under the definition of conflict of interest. The procedures clearly highlight how to identify conflict of interest, how it should be reported, and possible ways in which conflict of interest can be resolved.

The policy indicates possible disciplinary action in cases where failure to disclose conflict of interest occurs. The commitments that are required by CMBS are set out in this regard including the requirement for record-keeping.

The Allocation of Credit to Study Units is explained in detail within this policy. The main aims of this system are highlighted both from the student’s point of view as well as that of the business school.

The document describes in detail how credit accumulation is a process through which students can acquire qualifications progressively by successive assessments and validation of learning outcomes.

The typical frequency of cyclical audits is highlighted in this document and a clear explanation of how CMBS manages and ensures the quality and standards of the education offered is included in this document. The detailed processes pertaining to the audit itself and the processes following its completion are indicated in the document.

The policy provides important definitions pertaining to data privacy in order to ensure that CMBS is in line with all of its legal obligations in relation to Data Protection Legislation. The eight core principles of the Data Protection Act are pointed out and are endorsed as being part of CMBS’s commitment vis-a-vis personal data.

The personal data and information which is collected by the CMBS is highlighted whilst providing links to the company’s online privacy policy. Reasons for the collection of information and type of information collected and how they are used are clearly indicated within the document.

The topic pertaining to sharing of information is covered and under which circumstances this is possible.  Moreover, the storage of personal data and the duration of retention are also clearly stated in the document.  In terms of information management, the policy highlights and defines various rights under the GDPR framework which are also endorsed by CMBS.

The policy also provides interested parties with contact details of the Data Privacy Officer as well as that of the relevant supervisory authority in case contact is required by an individual.

The policy highlights the ways in which CMBS is committed to promoting equality of opportunity by fostering an atmosphere of mutual harmony and respect among all its potential and existing students and staff regardless of their age, disability, gender, race, nationality or ethnic origin, marital status, civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, age, learning difficulty, religion, political belief/other personal beliefs, sexual orientation or gender reassignment.

The document also includes the possible actions that may be taken in cases where harassment, bullying or victimisation occurs.

CMBS examinations policy has been created in order to rationalise the various procedures associated with examinations during the academic year. In particular, the purpose of this policy is to ensure that the planning and management of exams are conducted efficiently and in the best interest of candidates and to ensure the operation of an efficient exam system with clear guidelines for all relevant members of staff.

The Financial Statutory Obligations Policy & Audit Management Policy and Procedure describe the obligations of CMBS as an ongoing concern and its policies and procedures when it comes to legal financial obligations.

This is further reconfirmed by the compliance certificates of CMBS’ income tax returns and national contribution submissions. The business school as per CMBS’ audit has generated profits since its inception and all such profits were reinvested by the shareholders in the business to pursue further growth. These policies describe how CMBS keeps comprehensive records of all financial transactions.

This document highlights the ways in which CMBS acknowledges its responsibilities to ensure that there is an effective policy in place to ensure the Health and Safety of students and staff. The policy also includes a special section that covers the specific procedures tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This document provides definitions of malpractice and maladministration in order to clarify what is being considered for these circumstances. A list of possible examples relating to malpractice and maladministration is provided. The policy covers malpractice by both school staff and students.

A procedure is laid out to guide action in cases of suspected malpractice/ maladministration including target timelines in order to go through each process. The possible consequences for malpractice/maladministration by staff and students are indicated in the document.

The Online Learning Platform Policy sets out the generic key features of the tool being used by CMBS, which is currently Moodle. The policy also outlines the services that are accessible to the students, the tutors and the CMBS administration when accessing the online platform.

This policy highlights which information is readily available on CMBS’ marketing collateral and is therefore public information at the pre-enrolment stage and beyond. A checklist is in place in order to ensure that the Public Information is accurate and up to date.

This policy sets out how Central Mediterranean Business School (CMBS) will support students in the event that centre or qualification approval is withdrawn by an awarding body, and the process of removal for students’ records.

The purpose of a Selection & Recruitment Policy is to provide a sound framework for the recruitment and selection of employees based on the principles that are outlined in this policy, which also meet the requirements of CMBS’ Equality & Diversity, Extremism & Radicalisation Policy and Procedure and all other relevant employment legislation.

The primary aim of this policy is to ensure a transparent and fair hiring process that can assist the team to select the right candidate on the basis of merit and relevance with the job. This also ensures that all employees are engaged fit for the role they are undertaking irrespective of whether this is the most junior role or in a headship position.

The policy highlights how CMBS ensures that programmes are delivered in a way that encourages students to take an active role in creating the learning process, and that the assessment of students reflects this approach.

The policy describes in detail that Student-Centred Learning is embraced by Central Mediterranean Business School and is based on 9 principles that were defined within a Toolkit which forms part of the project entitled “Time for a New Paradigm in Education: Student-Centred Learning (t4scl), jointly led by the European Students’ Union (ESU) and Education International (EI).” This is an EU-funded project under the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) administered by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

This policy highlights that all tutors employed by the Central Mediterranean Business School undergo a full induction and Train the Trainer session and are provided with ongoing support, and training.

Because CMBS is not a university, to date by law our tutors are not required to produce academic research which therefore is not something enforced by CMBS however all competent tutors are most welcome to engage in such activity and to share such research with the students.

In fact, the faculty we fly in from Dublin City University are all required by DCU to engage in such activities and such research is often used in the delivery of the MSc in Leadership and Organisational Behaviour qualification awarded by DCU.

Work-based learning (WBL) is a proactive learning, teaching and assessment method that aims to bridge the gap between education and the world of work. WBL provides learners with the opportunity to develop a broad understanding and awareness of industries and possible careers that are available to them.

Work-based learning is a methodology that can support learning for all students through various strategies by integrating the components of education and work. In particular, our policy on WBL seeks to develop the required critical thinking and reflective competencies needed to address challenges that the world of work provides.

The policy includes information related to branding guidelines of CMBS to ensure consistency on how to use CMBS brand. The policy also includes a section which is intended to assist tutors, students, and staff to understand how to go about dealing with copyrighted content.