1. What is a lecture/workshop?

2. What is a tutorial?

3. What is WebCT?

4. Where do I get my lecture material?

5. How do I change my tutorial time or day?

6. Where do I get a unit outline for one of my units?

7. Where can I get some help with writing essays?

8. What do I do about textbooks?

9. Where can I do some photocopying on campus?

10. What is videolink and how does it work?

11. What does "Reserve"; mean?

12. What does "e-Reserve" mean?

13. How can I arrange for an extension on my assignment?

14. I have been sick / have had problems at home and haven’t been able to work on my assignment. What can I do?

15. I have failed a piece of work. Will I fail the unit?

16. I didn’t hand my assignment in. What can I do?

17. What is plagiarism? What are the consequences of plagiarism?

18. What if I can’t attend a lecture or tutorial?

19. Who can I speak to about starting research?

20. What is a unit coordinator?

21. What is a lecturer?

22. What is a tutor?

23. How do I study for exams?

24. How do I take notes in lectures?

1. What is a lecture/ workshop?
A lecture is a class in which the unit lecturer will address the entire enrolment of students for that particular unit (in the Faculty of Arts this may be anything up to several hundred people in attendance).

Lectures cover the core material that you need to know to pass the subject, although this material will need to be supplemented through your required readings. Your lecturer may also discuss assessment such as essay topics, research approaches and exam preparation. The usual format of lectures is that the lecturer addresses the group with the aid of Powerpoint or overhead slides projected onto a big screen. Segments of video may also be shown. There is usually time for some questions, either during the lecture or in the breaks or at the end.

At the Conservatorium, units requiring practical skills are taught in a workshop environment, where students are able to work on specific skills under the guidance of the lecturer or instructor.

Lectures are often supplemented by written lecture handouts which may be available from the Conservatorium's unit webpages.

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2. What is a tutorial?
A tutorial is a class in which students discuss set readings which they have completed in their own time. Students may be required to prepare answers to questions or exercises in order to participate in the tutorial. Tutorials are informal sessions during which students have plenty of opportunities to discuss the course content as well as ask about assessment requirements. I is expected that students will contributed throughout the session. You will find at the Conservatorium your attendance and participation in tutorials is both compulsory and assessable.

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4. Where do I get my lecture material?
The best way is to attend lectures. If you are experiencing difficulties with note-taking, you can talk to your lecturer or your tutor or contact the FEU. Lecture handouts are often made available online (on WebCT or the Conservatorium's unit website) . In some cases they will be posted before the lecture starts, but usually they will be available later that day. Lecture material may include Powerpoint slides or copies of overhead projections, or more detailed materials. Students at the Conservatorium may tape alecture series so long as they have sought and received permission prior to any recording from the lecturer.

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5. How do I change my tutorial time or day?
It is usually not possible to change tutorial or workshops times for Conservatorium units.

For other schools's units: Contact the unit coordinator. Some popular tutorial times are very crowded and you may not get your preferred time. If your attendance is limited due to work or family commitments, you must let the unit coordinator know as soon as possible.

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6. Where do I get a unit outline for one of my units?
You will be given a unit outline in the first lecture in the first week of semester. Conservatorium unit outlines can often also be downloaded from the Conservatorium's Undergraduate Unit Outlines webpage.

If you have any difficulties obtaining a unit oultine contact the unit coordinator and he/she will make sure you reveive a copy.

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7. Where can I get some some help with writing essays?
You can talk to your lecturer about your research and essay plan. You may also need help understanding the University’s rules for acknowledging the work of others, which are designed to prevent plagiarism. Your lecturer can help you with this. You can also get help from the FEU.

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8. What do I do about textbooks?
Wait until after your first lecture before buying any textbooks. The lecturer will discuss subject reading requirements in the first lecture. Usually you will have at least one required (or set) textbook, and, for some units a photocopied book of readings known as a reader. Textbooks are available from the Co-op Bookshop and readers are available from Uniprint.

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9. Where can I do some photocopying on campus?
You can photocopy in the Library. You will need to put photocopying credit on your ID card. At the Music Library you may ask the librarian on duty how to do this. Morris Miller library you need to contact the Service Desk to do this.

The TUU also provides photocopying facilities in their offices.

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10. What is videolink and how does it work?
Some University classes are delivered by video conference from other locations. Your Class Timetable will tell you which special videolink classroom you will need to attend. Videolink classes are indicated by the hash # symbol on the University's timetable system.

NB: No classes at the Conservatorium are delivered by video conference.

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11. What does "Reserve" mean?
Before the start of each semester, the unit coordinator contacts the Library and tells them which items are on the reading list for each unit and are therefore likely to be the most popular. The Library takes these items and physically relocates them in a section of the Library called the "Reserve" section. These items are then available only on short-term loans. This ensures that everyone can get an opportunity to access these key resources. The Library may also put other, very popular items in the Reserve section. For more information about how to access Reserve materials, go to http://www.utas.edu.au/library/libserv/borrow/borrower.html#restrictcoll .

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12. What does "e-Reserve" mean?

E-Reserve is the system by which the Library makes certain articles, papers and book chapters available for free download via the Library catalogue. It's an excellent system and makes it quick and easy to access the most popular readings. Documents are stored as PDF images so if you are downloading them from your home or work computer, you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat reader installed (it is available free on the internet from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html) For more instructions on how to use e-Reserve, go to http://www.utas.edu.au/library/cat/ereserve.html .

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13. How can I arrange for an extension on my assignment?

Complete and submit an assignment extension request to the unit coordinator as soon as possible. You may be able to arrange an extension but it must be done in advance (i.e. 3 days in writing before the due-date!).

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14. I have been sick / have had problems at home and haven’t been able to work on my assignment. What can I do?

Complete and submit an assignment extension request to the unit coordinator as soon as possible. You may be able to arrange an extension but it must be done in advance (i.e. 3 days in writing before the due-date!).

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15. I have failed a piece of work. Will I fail the unit?

Not necessarily. You should talk to the unit coordinator as soon as possible. Depending on which piece of assessment you failed, there may be options for improving your mark. You final result is calculated on the aggregate total of your results throughout the semester. So even if you fail one piece of work, you may do really well on another and balance it out. Many people do well on essays but not very well on exams, or vice versa. That is why we have a range of assessment types.

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16. I didn’t hand my assignment in. What can I do?

The most important thing you need to do is contact your unit coordinator as soon as possible. You will be able to discuss your reasons for not handing in your assessment and your available options.

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17. What is plagiarism? What are the consequences of plagiarism?

Plagiarism is using the work of others without acknowledging it. Whether you do it on purpose or inadvertently (by mistake), the consequences are serious. Plagiarism is regarded as academic misconduct by the University and can result in a range of penalties. You can find out more about plagiarism and academic misconduct at http://www.utas.edu.au/plagiarism/ . You can also talk to your lecturer or tutor about how to properly “reference”, or acknowledge, the work of others when writing your essays.

There are plenty of resources within the University to teach you how to reference your work and maintain your academic integrity. Try http://www.utas.edu.au/library/assist/gpoa/gpoa.html (note that the Conservatorium of Music uses the Chicago referencing system so students should refer to Kate Turabian's Style Guide).

Try also http://www.utas.edu.au/tl/supporting/academicintegrity/index.html.

For general essay writing skills, including referencing, you can contact the FEU.

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18. What if I can’t attend a lecture or tutorial?

At the Conservatorium a record is kept of student attendance at all lectures, tutorials and workshops. Missing a class session may mean you miss something critical for your assessment. You should contact your lecturer to find out what material was covered.

You need to contact your lecturer to let them know that you are going to miss, or have missed, a class session. A medical certificate is a essential if you missed the session because of illness. Students who miss a session due to illness or a compelling personal issue need to complete the Noticication of Absence due to Illness/Compassionate Grounds form, attach the accompanying paperwork and submit it to Heather Monkhouse, the Undergraduate Studies Coordinato.

NB: Unexcused absences will soon impact your final grade as students whose attendance falls below 90% will lose 10% from their final grade in the unit. Students whose attendance falls below 75% will be excluded and so fail the unit.

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19. Who can I speak to about starting research?

You should speak to your lecturer or tutor in the first instance. It’s important not to waste time if you are uncertain about how to go about researching your essays. You can start your research with the reading list, and with the readings contained in the reader. However, to get the best results, you will need to go further. You should also contact the Reference Librarian at the Library if you aren’t sure how to access the resources offered by the Library.

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20. What is a unit coordinator?

The unit coordinator is the lecturer who is responsible for writing and administering the unit for the entire semester. The unit coordinator has final responsibility for unit content and assessment.

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21.What is a lecturer?

A lecturer is an academic staff member who is responsible for delivering the lecture material to students. You may have the same lecturer throughout the semester; however some lectures may be given by other people who are specialists in that particular area.

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22. What is a tutor?

A tutor is an academic staff member who conducts tutorials. Tutors might also be lecturers or they might be post-graduate students. Tutors frequently work on a casual basis and this means they are not always available for student consultation. You may need to make an appointment. This is often best arranged by email. Your tutor will tell you his or her contact details in the first tutorial.

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23. How do I study for exams?

The most important thing is to know what you need to study. In sociology, your lecturer will spend time during the last lecture of the semester (week 13) talking about exam preparation. It’s really important to focus on the areas that your lecturer tells you are likely to be included in the exam. If you have any questions about what you need to study for, contact your lecturer. Some people like to prepare entire paragraphs or essays which they memorise. This can backfire if the exam questions are slightly different to the question you have prepared for. You are better off attempting to understand all the key concepts so that you can respond to whatever question ends up being on the exam paper. If you are worried about your exam preparation or performance in general, you can contact the FEU for assistance.

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24. How do I take notes in lectures?

Everyone takes notes differently. Some people try to write down every word. Others note only key points. Some people take personal recorders into classes and record lectures to replay later. You will gradually work out the style of note-taking that suits you. If you are uncertain about what you need to be writing down, try talking to your lecturer or your tutor. You can also get training in study skills from the FEU.

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