An A-Z guide covering information on common topics and terms.
If you have a question about a service that is not listed here, please get in touch with your local Student Adviser.
This varies from unit to unit. In some cases you may need to submit both a hard copy via an assignment drop box located in your school/ faculty and an electronic copy through Turnitin or through your units MyLO shell. In other cases you may just need to submit an electronic copy. Check your unit outlines for individual unit assignment submission requirements.
This is one of the most important dates in the academic calendar, as this is the last date that you can withdraw from units without any academic or financial penalties. As a general rule it usually falls 3 weeks after semester 1 and 2 commences. However for spring, summer or winter school units it is usually within a few days of the unit commencing. Be sure to check the census date for each of your units. It's important that you check that your enrolment is correct before the census date and make any changes well before then. If you wish to enrol in a new unit you may only be able to do so within the first few weeks of semester but this will be up to your individual faculty.
The timetable is usually accessible up to a few months before semester commences, but can be subject to change until just a few weeks out from the start of semester, so always make sure you check closer to the start of semester for any changes. To look up your class timetable you can either enter your unit codes and the relevant campus and semester, through the class timetable link on the Current Students page or you can log in to your eStudentCentre, once your units have been added and the system has updated overnight. Your timetable will be automatically provided for you through the Class Timetable link within your eStudentCentre. In both cases you are given two options - lectures only or all classes. It's useful to print out lectures only first so you can more easily identify the classes you must attend from the classes you can choose from.
Medical and Conservatorium students please note, you will be given your timetables by your School/Faculty.
Every unit has different requirements and it's important you know exactly what these are. In some cases you may need to submit/sit every internal assessment task to be eligible to sit the exam. In other cases you may need to attend every practical or tutorial class to pass the unit. Be sure to check your unit outline carefully.
This is an online source of information on individual units and courses currently offered by the Uni. It provides a brief description of each individual unit (including the assessment, teaching pattern and required textbooks), when the unit's offered and any pre-requisite requirements. It also outlines the various course structures and specifications to help you in your enrolment planning or choice of course. You will find the Course and Unit Handbook on the Current Students page.
If you have completed relevant or equivalent study to the course you have enrolled in you may apply for credit, so that you do not have to repeat those units and can shorten the time it takes to complete your degree. Where possible you should apply for advanced standing (credit) before you commence your studies, so that an accurate study plan can be drawn up for you. Contact your faculty for further information.
Enrolling in or withdrawing from units is done online by logging in to your eStudentCentre. For help choosing the correct units you can either: check your faculty/school degree structure through their webpages; look up individual units through the online Course and Unit Handbook or contact your Faculty Office for advice.
This is your personal webportal where you can: manage your enrolment; look up your personalised class timetable; update your contact details; view your fees invoices; access your exam timetable; and see your end final results. To log in you will need to use your UTAS username and password. Access is available from the Current Students homepage.
Most units have an end of semester final exam that is worth a significant percentage of your final mark. Exams for Semesters 1 & 2 are held during a 2 week exam period, which is scheduled one week after the last teaching week of semester (week 13), to allow for a study break. The exam timetable is released 1 month before the exam period starts and is accessible through your eStudentCentre. It is not uncommon for students to have all of their exams within a few days of each other, so you will need to plan ahead if this is the case for you. Exams for spring, summer or winter school units are also at the end of the teaching period, with a short study break in between.
Fees are calculated according to your degree and whether you hold a commonwealth supported place or not. Your payment options will therefore differ accordingly. All students however receive a Fees invoice at the start of each semester. This can be found in your eStudent Centre. If you have a commonwealth supported place you have the option of accumulating a HECS debt (i.e. deferring your fees through the Australian tax system). To do this you need to make sure you complete an eCAF form before the relevant census date. If you change degree or have a break from your studies you will need to fill in a new eCAF form. Be sure to check that any payments have been received before the fees due dates, or your eCAF form has been submitted before the census date, otherwise your enrolment could be cancelled. For further info. go to Fees.
IT support is provided through the IT Service Desk which is accessible online or by phone. IT Help Desks are located in the main library on both the Sandy Bay and Newnham campuses for drop in assistance accessing university systems. Information and self-help sheets on a number of common IT queries, such as email, MyLO, CAPs printing, wireless connections and computer labs can be found on the UTAS Service Desk website. For contact details and further information go to Service Desk.
There are a number of key dates that you need to be aware of and you should write down on your calendars/in your diaries. These include orientation week, start of semester, census date, mid-semester break, the exam timetable release date, end of semester, study week, the exam period, results release date, etc). Access key dates
Lectures are the main avenue for your teaching staff to present the on campus unit content to you in person using a variety of means (PowerPoint presentations, YouTube clips, etc). First year lectures are commonly held in large lecture theatres where students listen to the lecturer speak and take notes. Lectures are commonly held as 1 or 2 hour blocks each week at one set time.
MyLO refers to My Learning Online and is the university's learning management system. Many units taught on campus are supported by an online component, to supplement the face to face teaching, while most units offered online use MyLO as the main way of delivering the content. Resources available on MyLO for your unit might include: lecture notes; recorded lectures; unit outlines; assessment information and online submission drop boxes, blogs; past exam papers. For more information go to Learning and Teaching with MyLO.
PASS sessions are free Peer Assisted Study Sessions offered for certain first year units. They are run by trained senior students, who have previously done well in the units, who lead group discussion and activities on each week's content. Check if any of your units are PASS supported.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating and is taken very seriously at the university. Plagiarism is taking and using someone else's thoughts, writings or inventions and representing them as your own; for example, using an author's words without putting them in quotation marks and citing the source, using an author's ideas without proper acknowledgment and citation, copying another student's work. As students you are expected to maintain academic integrity by correctly referencing scholars work and not copying others work. It's important that you familiarise yourself with the rules surrounding this to avoid failure or possible exclusion. If you have any doubts about how to refer to the work of others in your assignments, please consult your lecturer or tutor for relevant referencing guidelines, and the resources on the Academic Integrity website.
Practicals are usually small to medium size classes (approx. 30 - 60 students) run in labs under the guidance of a prac demonstrator or your lecturer. They are designed to give you an opportunity to gain practical experience in the area of study you are enrolled in, and encourage you to apply some of the theory you have learnt in lectures (e.g., if enrolled in a computing unit, you will be undertaking tasks on a computer). Depending on the type of unit, practicals are sometimes in place of tutorials and workshops. Some practical classes do start during your first week, while others may not start until Week 2 of semester, this will be clearly stated on your class timetable.
This is a specific requirement that is needed to gain entry in to a unit or course of study. It could be of an academic nature, such as completion of, or a certain level of, pre-tertiary studies or successful completion of a university unit, or equivalent studies, that gives you the specific knowledge you need to undertake the unit. It could also be of a non academic nature. Some units in Education or Medicine for example require a health or police check. To check if any of your units have "pre-reqs" go to the online course and unit handbook and enter your unit codes or check with your Faculty or School.
Scholarships are offered for a wide range of disciplines and/ or for particular groups of students or backgrounds. They are funded by external individuals, organisations, government departments or UTAS faculties and schools. They may either provide a one off payment, ongoing financial support or a discount on university fees. To search for scholarships or awards that you may be eligible for go to Scholarships. Be sure to check the eligibility criteria carefully before applying.
The main semesters (Semester 1 & 2) of the academic year are 13 teaching weeks long, with a one week study period and a 2 week exam period. Semester 1 commences in February and semester 2 commences in July. Additionally there are shorter, more intensive, semesters run on either side of these semesters, with limited unit availability that may be an avenue for you to fast track your degree, catch up on a unit or 2 you failed or were unable to enrol in due to other commitments. Semester 3 is summer school (January-February), Semester 4 is winter school (June-July) and Semester 5 is spring school (November- December), so the academic calendar is 3, 1, 4, 2, 5.
Student Services and Amenities Fee is an annual compulsory fee that all students must pay, when enrolled in university studies. The funds this fee generates are put towards the provision and improvement of UTAS services and amenities for all students. How much you need to pay varies according to whether you are fulltime or part time. You will be invoiced through your eStudent Centre for this. For further information refer to Student Services and Amenities Fees FAQs.
This is a photo identification of you as a student of UTAS that lists your course and whether you are fulltime or part time. It is used to borrow books from UTAS libraries, necessary when sitting your exams and gives student discounts. There are usually set times during orientation week when you can get your Student ID card made. Please refer to the Orientation timetable. Outside of Orientation Week contact the Student Centre.
Most units have a required/requisite text book and recommended texts. These are available for purchase through the Co-op bookshop and for reading/lending through the UTAS libraries. You may find 2nd hand copies advertised for sale on your faculty's noticeboards. Check the edition. Your unit outline, and unit information available through the course and unit handbook, will list the texts for your unit.
This is a text-based matching service that some teaching staff use for assignment submission. It compares the written text in any electronic document submitted for assessment with all the other documents stored in its databases. This is to check for originality, correct paraphrasing and any attempts at copying the work of others.
Tutorials are smaller classes (approx. 20 students) in a more traditional classroom setting. Tutors (or the lecturer) run these classes and promote discussion about the current topic/issue/subject. This is a good chance for students to clarify information and engage in discussions. Tutorials commonly run from the second week of semester as tutorial registration usually does not open until the first week of semester. Depending on the size of the unit you may have a number of tutorial classes to choose from, but you may not get your first preference if it is a particularly popular time. Once you have registered for a particular tutorial you are expected to attend that same tutorial time and day each week of semester.
UConnect is a service which helps you get connected to learning resources and course materials on and off campus. It will help you to:
For further info refer to UConnect.
This is the lecturer in charge of the unit who is responsible for planning the unit, setting the assessment tasks, producing the unit outline and coordinating the teaching staff for the unit. In small units the unit coordinator may be your lecturer as well as your tutor. In larger units, they may not be lecturer. Your unit coordinator's contact details are listed on the unit outline and in the course and unit handbook.
Every unit has a unit outline. This important document contains information about the structure of the unit, learning outcomes, assessment details, referencing requirements, and relevant policies as well as having the contact details of the Unit Coordinator and teaching staff. You can either receive a copy in the first lecture, source one from the School reception, print one off MyLO or the school's website. It's important to constantly refer to this document throughout semester to ensure you following the unit requirements.
Your UTAS username and password is assigned to you when you accept your offer. If you applied online you will be able to view these details in your eApplication. If you applied by paper you will be sent your details by post and to the personal email address listed in your application. You will need to use your username and password to log into 3 important university systems: your webmail account, eStudentCentre and MyLO. You can personalise your password by going to Service Desk.
This is the University's main email service for staff and students. As a UTAS student you are automatically assigned your own UTAS email address when you accept your offer. This is the University's main form of communication with you and you are therefore expected to check it at least every few days. When corresponding with UTAS staff you are required to email from your UTAS email account so that we can verify your identity.
Some units run workshops in addition to, or in place of, lectures and/ or tutorials & practicals. If you have a workshop it will be listed in your class timetable and stated in your unit outline. How a workshop is conducted varies from unit to unit. It may be a combination of teaching (lecture style) and group discussion/practical tasks (tutorial style). Be sure to check your unit's attendance requirements carefully.