1999 Medicine Handbook - Academic progress and exclusion

Academic progress and exclusion

Progress
Attendance
Warnings
The exclusion process
Exclusion criteria

Progress

Each student in the faculty must maintain satisfactory academic progress throughout her or his course. Failure to do so may result in the student being referred to an academic progress/exclusion committee to show cause why she or he should not be excluded from the course

Attendance

Each subject offered by the school or centre makes certain requirements of students in terms of attendance and written work. Attendance at clinical practicum and practical classes is compulsory, and students are also expected to prepare assignments and to study in their own time. Students may be refused admission to the examinations or clinical practice in a subject if the requirements for attendance and written work have not been satisfied.

Warnings

The school or centre issues warnings to students whose progress in a particular semester is sufficiently poor to suggest that, unless significant improvement occurs, they will be at risk of being liable for exclusion when liability is next assessed. Students receiving such a warning letter are encouraged to take warnings seriously and to follow any instructions given about discussing their progress with an academic adviser.

The exclusion process

Liability for exclusion is assessed at the end of each academic year and exclusion hearings take place in December or January. Any student referred to an academic progress/exclusion committee is entitled to an opportunity to be heard, and in the event that the student is excluded provision exists for an appeal to the Exclusion Appeals Committee of the Academic Board. Information about academic progress or exclusion may be obtained from the school or centre administration offices.

Exclusion criteria

In the case of unsatisfactory progress the board of examiners may recommend:

that the student be allowed to repeat the failed subjects;
that the student be recommended for possible exclusion from the course.

The academic performance of a student may be deemed to be unsatisfactory if: the student fails for the second time to pass a subject; or the student in the two most recent semesters during which the student was enrolled failed to pass subjects amounting to 50% of the student's workload.
For information on unsatisfactory progress and on appeal procedures, students are referred to the Monash University Calendar Statute 6.2 - Exclusions for Unsatisfactory Progress, and the regulations associated with this statute.