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This page outlines some of the expectations and responsibilities of students undertaking UOSS courses. It is designed to help you and your tutors establish good working relations and to provide some general ideas about what is expected of tertiary students.
Many new university students assume that university will be a continuation of secondary school. But if your last experience of study was school (or even TAFE) you’ll notice some differences. To study successfully, it’s important to take responsibility for your own learning. While UOSS provides students with an orientation and introduction to university study, ultimately your progress is your own responsibility. This means you (rather than your tutor) takes the most active role in your learning process. You must make adequate time for your studies, work hard and seek help when needed.
At uni, a high degree of independence is expected from students. Studying at university allows you much more control over your work than school did. However, Uni also offers far less supervision and direction. Being independent at uni means that you are responsible for managing your studies, your time and yourself. In high school, you might have experienced teachers reminding you when work is due, telling you what and when to study, and checking your progress. University learning requires you to learn and complete assignments independently, plan your workload, meet deadlines and organise your time. This level of self-managment can be a challenge at first, but many students thrive on it.
At university, attending classes is only a part of completing a course. While classes will provide a framework, much of your learning will occur outside the classroom— reading the assigned material, doing research for assignments, preparing presentations, competing any assigned activities, and writing essays. You will be expected to prepare for your tutorial classes so you can participate in class discussions and activities
You should be doing at least three hours of work outside of class for every hour of class time.
It is your responsibility to read the information provided in the Course Information Booklet (this will be distributed in the first lecture) and to familiarise yourself with all aspects and requirements of the UOSS courses and the UPP program. At uni, it is also your responsibility to be aware of details like the times and locations of your classes, the names of your tutors and their contact details, and assignment submissions dates.
All UNSW students are expected to follow the University Rules and Codes of Conduct. Further information is available from the Policies, Procedures and Guidelines for Students section of the UNSW website: https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/resources/Policies.html. UNSW students are also required to agree to the terms and conditions for acceptable use of UNSW IT resources. More information can be found at the IT@UNSW website.
At UNSW, you are responsible for:
In order to gain access to UNSW online, you need to organise your student ID and zPass. You are expected to manage this yourself. Please see the UNSW UNSW ‘Getting Started’ guide for details.
At university, it is your responsibility to manage your time and schedule work so that you complete all your assignments by the due dates. All assessment tasks are listed in the Course Information Booklet (available from Blackboard) along with the dates they are due.
The demands of other university work are not an acceptable excuse for late assignments. Most students in the UPP program are employed or have comparable commitments. It is assumed that you have taken on your studies after making a responsible assessment of your ability to fulfil the requirements of your job, your university work and any other commitments. Thus the demands of outside employment are not an acceptable excuse for late assignments. However if problems occur, please discuss your situation with your tutor or the UOSS Coordinator. We are here to help you succeed.
UPP students MUST attend 80% of classes. All UNSW students are expected to be regular and punctual in attendance at all classes in the courses in which they are enrolled. Unless specific and formal permission has been granted by the UOSS coordinator, failure to attend 80% of classes may result in failure of the course. See the Course Information Booklet for further details.
All students should receive accurate written information on key aspects of the course, including:
All information will be available by the first class of each semester, but may be changed later with notice.
Every effort will be made to ensure that UOSS assignments that were completed and handed in on time will be returned with a mark, and comments where appropriate, about two weeks after their due date.
Regular times for contact with the UOSS Coordinator are provided and will be confirmed during the first week of classes. Please only telephone during that time. A request for clarification of a mark awarded for an assignment should be addressed to your tutor or to the UOSS Coordinator. However, there is no automatic entitlement to a 'remark' (a rereading and reassessing of material). Remarking is at the discretion of the UOSS Coordinator. You should contact the UOSS Coordinator within one week of the mark having been given.
The University is required not to discriminate against students on the grounds of sex, marital status, pregnancy, race, nationality, national or ethnic origin, colour, homosexuality, disability or religion. Further, the University is committed to course procedures and other aspects of campus life which will provide equality of educational opportunity to all students.