Some students appear to find the university a daunting place and when they experience difficulties are uncertain about how to resolve them. One aim of this document is to encourage students to take advantage of their rights in the interests of efficiently using their study time.
1.0 Basic student rights and responsibilities
1.1 The basic rights of a student of the faculty are:
1.1.1 To be given a fair and objective assessment of their academic achievement. There is no reason for a student to fear that a difference of opinion, excessive questioning of a member of academic staff or any other reasonable action might lead to punitive action such as the award of a lower grade than would be otherwise deserved. The university respects the rights of individuals and encourages free thought and speech.
1.1.2 To gain access to a tutor, lecturer, year or course leader, or head of department, deputy dean or dean within a reasonable time of requesting it, to discuss any matter of concern. It is generally reasonable to expect to gain access within twenty-four hours where the time required of the staff member is a few minutes and within seventy-two hours where half an hour or more may be required. Obviously, the service which can be provided depends on whether many students have problems at the same time. In the case of difficulties with assignments, better service may be provided if students organise themselves into groups when seeking help. Staff are expected to inform their students about the times when they expect to be available for consultation.
1.1.3 To constructively criticise academic staff about their delivery of lectures, organisation of materials and the content of subjects. Academic staff generally appreciate getting feedback from their students. The goal of the academic staff is to have all their students gain sufficient knowledge and skills related to a subject to pass. If they are assuming that most people in a class know things when they do not, then the sooner the lecturer is told, the better for all concerned. Standards of knowledge and achievement are set with a view to meeting the requirements of professional societies and maintaining a quality of education which is widely recognised. This has to be taken into account when deciding whether a student who does not perform well should be granted a pass in a subject. A sensible approach in dealing with a problem situation where the lecturer or tutor is considered at fault, for example covering material too quickly, is to first check to see if other students have a similar view and then talk to the member of academic staff. If that does not solve the problem, then it is appropriate to talk to the year coordinator, then the course coordinator, and then to the head of department. If that does not produce an acceptable result, the problem should be discussed with the dean. It is most unusual for the dean to become involved in such matters. Normally the lecturers, year coordinators, course coordinators, and heads of departments resolve problems.
1.1.4 To be able to participate in a lecture or tutorial without the distraction of noise from other students. All students in a class have the right to hear the lecturer or tutor without there being extraneous noise from other students talking or behaving in a disruptive way. Academic staff try to create a good learning environment but need the cooperation of the whole class.
1.1.5 To be given fair consideration to compensate for illness or personal problems. Where students have been unable to study effectively because of problems beyond their reasonable control, faculty policy is to consider ways to overcome the problem, for example, the granting of deferred assessment. A letter/certificate should be provided to support an application for deferred examination. Students who face difficulties are encouraged to confide in a member of staff or a member of the university's medical or counselling service as soon as possible to try to find a way to overcome them. Faculty staff and people in other services provided by the university respect the confidential nature of what they are told. They convey information to other staff only with the agreement of the students, eg to support the case for deferred assessment.
1.1.6 To have an examiner check the marking of assignments and examination papers and report to the student within a reasonable time. Students can expect marked assignments to be accompanied by informative comments. This service may be requested through the faculty offices or department offices where there is no faculty office on a campus.
1.1.7 To have an examiner discuss the assessment given to a failing student and explain both the weaknesses and the positive qualities displayed in the work.
1.1.8 To be provided at the start of the teaching of a subject (or before) with details of the syllabus, the way in which assessment is to be carried out, details of recommended reading and textbooks which are available through the university bookshop.
1.1.9 To have access to sample examination papers for the subject, or if the examination is likely to be radically different in style, or if it is a new subject for which there has been no previous examination, reasonable information about the style of the examination.
1.1.10 To have fair access to library and computing facilities in a reasonable environment. If a student cannot find equipment which is free to use and finds equipment being used by other students for something which is obviously not part of assignments, a polite request should be made for its use. Rooms with computers should not be used by students as venues for social meetings and noisy conversations. Others should be given the chance to work efficiently.
1.1.11 To attend a meeting of the Unsatisfactory Progress Committee to present their case when their academic progress is considered below standard and they are asked to explain why they should not be excluded from their course.
1.1.12 To appeal to the university's Exclusion Appeals Committee if the faculty's Unsatisfactory Progress Committee excludes the student.
1.1.13 Not to be subjected to sexual harassment or any form of discrimination.
1.1.14 To expect confidentiality in regard to their attendance and results/progress as well as personal problems and illnesses. This includes not providing information to parents without the student's authority.
1.2 The basic responsibilities of a student of the faculty are:
1.2.1 To behave during lectures or tutorials in a way which does not disturb the lecturer, tutor, or other students.
1.2.2 To leave a class when asked to do so by the lecturer or tutor.
1.2.3 To adhere to the highest ethical standards. Students are expected to be familiar with the Australian Computer Society's code of ethics (available from faculty offices). Students are expected not to take any action aimed at trying to convince academic staff that they are more able or competent than they really are. Plagiarism is unacceptable. On the other hand, working in groups to learn and develop skills is quite acceptable.
1.2.4 To devote sufficient time to study to have a high chance of succeeding.
1.2.5 A full-time student is expected to spend a total of forty-eight or more hours per week studying seriously, in formal classes and privately. The faculty is not happy to see students waste their opportunities. Students are advised to make sure that they enrol in no more subjects than they can reasonably cope with.
2.0 Unsatisfactory progress by students
The staff of the faculty attempt to identify students who are not coping with their studies and then help them overcome their difficulties. Nevertheless, students may, for many different reasons, fail examinations.
Where a student fails to meet the satisfactory progress provisions of the faculty regulations, the faculty seeks an explanation and tries to ascertain whether:
* the student's abilities are unsuited to the course and the student's interests would be best served by doing something else or,
* the student has special problems to which a solution can be identified and it is clear that there is a reasonable probability that the course can be completed or,
* the student is not serious about completing the course, is wasting his or her time and money and in the case of Australian students, the government's money.
The faculty prefers to deal with a student's problems before they lead to a formal request to explain unsatisfactory progress to the committee.
3.0 Basic staff rights and responsibilities
Staff too have rights in respect of their interaction with students, which all students are expected to respect. They have other rights, responsibilities and expectations as employees of the university which are not covered here.
3.1 Staff rights which students are expected to respect are:
3.1.1 To decide the way in which they teach the syllabus for a subject (with due regard to the views of colleagues and their head of department);
3.1.2 To have the attention of students in classes and a quiet atmosphere in which they can be heard. It is considered reasonable practice for a lecturer encountering an unruly class to assume that the prepared lecture was given, and the material examinable, even though it was impossible to deliver it fully .
3.1.3 Not to provide personal tutorial assistance to students who fail to attend lectures and formal classes or fail to invest reasonable effort in attempting to understand and learn.
3.1.4 To determine their level of availability to students.
3.1.5 To specify the way in which a student's learning and skills are to be assessed.
3.1.6 To specify when assignments are due and to determine the penalty, including non-acceptance for late submission.
3.1.7 To make assessments of students, by mutual agreement, in such supplementary ways as they see fit, in order to satisfy themselves about the ability of a student and provide evidence to the chief examiner in the subject who makes the final decision about the result.
3.1.8 To have a private off-campus life. Students should not contact staff members at their place of residence, unless invited to do so.
3.1.9 Not to be subjected to sexual harassment or any form of discrimination.
3.2 The basic responsibilities of academic staff are:
3.2.1 To create a positive learning environment in which the subject material can be communicated to the students.
3.2.2 To publish times when the staff member is available for student consultation.
3.2.3 To assess practical work and assignments promptly and provide timely feedback to students.
4.0 Levels of service
The faculty and its departments endeavour to provide good service and good facilities for their students and staff. This section indicates what students can expect and what they are encouraged to complain about when the service is not provided.
Some aspects of the level of service which the faculty aims to achieve are covered in the earlier section `Student's rights'. Here two topics are covered: (a) computing services and access to equipment and (b) services provided by the faculty and department offices.
4.1 Computing facilities
The faculty attempts to have sufficient equipment and software available to students during working hours and after hours for them to be able to complete assignments in a timely way.
Normally, arrangements can be made with the Computer Centre to gain access to computing facilities from 8.30 am to 12 midnight week days and 9 am to 5 pm on weekends. On some campuses access can be gained by using the barcode on an identification card and PIN. Generally, the faculty does not support students working after midnight.
Unfortunately, the way in which students will use equipment is unpredictable and consequently overload situations may happen. The fundamental rule is that computing assignments involving the use of university equipment should be tackled in a timely manner. Failing to do so can lead to severe competition for computing resources.
4.2 Faculty office services
The faculty offices at Caulfield and Clayton provide the following services for which, in some cases, the expected service time is shown in parentheses.
At Frankston and Gippsland these services may be accessed by approaching the Department, seeking advice about who to telephone, E-mail or fax, and then using the facilities provided.
The faculty office makes a commitment to all students of the faculty that their problems and concerns will be dealt with readily.
The prime function of the faculty office administration is to support the teaching and research activities of the faculty. This function includes but is not limited to: selection of students, advice on course offerings, timetabling, assisting students with subjects choices etc.
The faculty office ensures that a comprehensive set of administrative policies and practices that meet the needs of students are in place. The services provided include a coherent set of procedures in relation to, and assistance with, course administration, student administration, student grievance procedures, timetables, secretariat services and student recruitment.
4.2.1 Course administration The faculty office is responsible for the administration of courses of the faculty. In this role the faculty office provides detailed advice, support and when appropriate counselling in relation to:
* enrolment and re-enrolment;
* changes to enrolment;
* course requirements;
* examinations;
* course progression (advice and counselling in relation to course progression, ie what are the available subjects, what must be done to complete the degree, what are the degree rules);
* credit transfer;
* leave of absence and intermission.
4.2.2 Student administration The faculty office provides assistance and advice to students in relation to:
* student records, ie if it is incorrect what should/can be done about it;
* special consideration;
* changes to personal details.
4.2.3 Student grievance procedures The faculty office is responsible for the administration of the student grievance procedures. Advice as to their applicability is available from the faculty registrar.
4.2.4 Timetables Timetables for the courses and subjects for the faculty are produced by the faculty offices on each campus. Timetables are displayed on the notice boards located adjacent to the faculty office on each campus. Timetables are usually available at the time of enrolment and re-enrolment. The revised second-semester timetable is usually available four weeks before the semester begins.
4.2.5 Secretariat services The faculty office provides the secretariat support to the committees of the faculty, including the production of agendas and minutes, the publication of decisions etc.
* Servicing of faculty committees
* Preparation of documents
* Recording and publication of decisions
4.2.6 Student recruitment The faculty office is the principal point of contact for student recruitment and the production of handbooks and other publications.
* Admission to courses
* Publicity
* Entry requirements
For most of these activities the response/action from the faculty office will be immediate. However, some of these may require investigation or further advice and may take up to a week or more to be resolved or processed.
4.3 The services available from all departmental offices
The departments/schools/divisions of the faculty make a commitment to all students of the faculty that in relation to the items listed in this section students will have ready access to staff of the department/school/division and where applicable to the head of the department/school/division.
4.3.1 Assessment
1 Details on assessment procedures and particular items of assessment and the make up of a subject's assessment including submission dates will be available at the first lecture, class or laboratory for that subject.
2 Feedback on items submitted and the opportunity to discuss individual pieces of assessment with the relevant lecturer of tutor will be made available to all students when assessment items are returned. At other times access to staff will be available usually within forty-eight hours by appointment.
3 Students can expect to obtain supervised access to their examination script within forty-eight hours of asking at the department/school/division office. To obtain a copy of their examination script a student is required to pay a fee of $5.
4 The lecturer in charge or examiner will deal promptly with problems experienced by students in relation to the adequacy, amount and timeliness of assessment.
4.3.2 Subject choice
1 Advice and counselling on appropriate subject choices and sequences will be offered by the department/school/division at appropriate stages of the year including at enrolment, pre-enrolment and re-enrolment.
2 Subject handouts will be available both at the department/school/division office and at the lecture or tutorial at which they are distributed.
3 Reading lists will be available for a subject within the first week of teaching of the subject.
4 Cancellations of subjects offered will be notified promptly.
4.3.3 Research
Honours, masters and PhD students will be provided with appropriate support including accommodation, desk, relevant hardware etc, in addition to the department/school/division's responsibilities as detailed in the information handbook for PhD and EdD candidates.
4.3.4 Laboratories and other teaching accommodation
1 Each department/school/division will provide details to all its students on such matters as access to laboratories and other teaching accommodation.
2 Each department/school/division will provide details to all its students on safety precautions and requirements for the use of equipment, laboratories, other teaching accommodation and field trips where appropriate.
5.0 Point value of subjects
The faculty board has agreed that the principles guiding attribution of points to a subject are:
* a student is expected to do a minimum of forty-eight hours per week of academic work including lectures, tutorials, labs, report writing, reading, preparation, etc;
* the number of credit points a subject carries should reflect the proportion of semester load on the student, eg a subject that requires an average of about twelve hours work per week over a semester should have a weighting of six points;
* the ratio of contact hours of a subject to the total contact hours for the year in which the subject is normally offered, and the ratio of the point value of the subject to the total point value of a full year's study (generally forty-eight points) should be roughly equivalent.