Assistance
How do I contact the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Team?
You can contact the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Team either by telephone (free call 1800 982 600), or by email (healthy.brain@utas.edu.au).
How do I get assistance with my enrolment?
Contact the Student Centre either by telephone (1300 361 928), or by email (enrolments@utas.edu.au).
How do I get assistance settling into UTAS?
Each faculty has a student advisor who can offer individualised assistance to help you settle into life at UTAS and to help resolve any issues that may be affecting your study. For more information visit First Year at UTAS - Student Advisers.
Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS)
What is the HECS?
The Australian Government provides funding to UTAS to assist with your education costs whilst you are studying in a Commonwealth Supported Place. HECS is your contribution towards your education costs. For more information on HECS please refer to the Going to Uni website.
Have you been given an offer in a Commonwealth Supported Place?
If you have been given an offer in a Commonwealth Supported Place you will automatically qualify for a partial Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) scholarship.
What scholarship do you qualify for?
Participants in the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project who are in a Commonwealth Supported Place are eligible to receive a HECS scholarship for a study load equivalent to a 12.5% unit over the current academic year (re-assessed at the beginning of each academic year).
Are there any conditions attached to my scholarship?
Yes. For you to remain eligible for your scholarship, you must enrol and complete a study load for a minimum of 25% in the current academic year.
What is a study load?
Most units have a study load of 12.5%. There are always exceptions to this case, however you will find that most of the units fall into this category. This means that to be eligible for this HECS scholarship, you will need to enrol and complete two 12.5% units of study (or the equivalent number of units equalling 25%) in a year.
Do units have to be studied in the same semester?
No. Ideally you would study a minimum of one unit per semester for a minimum of two semesters. You may wish to study in a Summer, Winter or Spring School, or the more traditional Semesters 1 and 2. This will depend on the availability of your chosen unit within those semesters.
When will the scholarship be applied to my student record?
Provided you have enrolled in two units for the current academic year in separate semesters, your HECS scholarship will automatically apply to your second unit in that year. For example, if you have chosen to study a Winter School unit that commences in May and a Semester 2 unit that commences in July, then a HECS scholarship will cover the costs of your Semester 2 unit and you will receive a fees invoice for your Winter School unit, which you will be responsible for paying or deferring to the tax system.
Will you continue to be eligible for a HECS scholarship?
Eligibility for the HECS scholarship will be re-assessed at the beginning of each academic year and will be dependent on whether you continue in the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project.
Participation
What does participation in the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project involve?
Participation in the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project involves annual comprehensive neuropsychological assessments. These assessments will examine areas such as memory, language and executive function (e.g. attention) and will take, on average, four hours to complete. These assessments will take place on a day suitable to you at your convenience on a UTAS campus (Cradle Coast, Launceston (Newnham), and the Medical Sciences precinct, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart).
What does it mean to be a volunteer on this project?
Being a volunteer on this project will allow you to give some of your time to this world-first study, assisting us to explore the puzzle of dementia. The results of your cognitive assessments will add to the pool of data which UTAS researchers will analyse to determine whether later-life tertiary education provides a protective effect against dementia associated with ageing.
Do I have to undertake university study to participate?
Yes, UTAS study is required. The project has received enough offers of control participation to not require any more non-studying participants at this point.
Can I study at universities other than UTAS and still participate?
No, unfortunately this is a unique project of the University of Tasmania and inclusion is dependent on studying at the University of Tasmania. The Cradle Coast, Launceston, and Hobart campuses of UTAS as well as by distance, if you live in Tasmania, are all accepted.
What age do I have to be?
To participate in the study you must be between the ages of 50 and 79. If you are turning 80 in the year of your first assessment you may still apply to participate.
What does it cost to do a unit at UTAS?
For information on the cost of specific units please refer to Student Centre Unit Costs.
How much university study must I undertake?
In order to participate you are required to complete a minimum study load of 25% per year. Normally, this is two units per year (12.5% for each unit), with one unit studied in each semester. However, we encourage our participants to complete as much study as possible!
What do I do if I applied for my course before I knew about the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project (i.e. did not indicate interest via the drop-down menu on your course application form)?
As long as you have contacted the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project team your application to the study should be taken care of.
Will I receive feedback from my neuropsychological assessments?
All participants will have the option of having their individual test results reported to them by Dr Mathew Summers. This will be an interpretation provided by an experienced clinical Neuropsychologist who routinely conducts assessments of older adults for dementia. You may choose not to have this information in which case there will be no feedback.