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Academic Standing
A status the University assigns to you, according to
your level of academic performance during your degree.
Arc@UNSW
The Arc is the student organisation for UNSW students. Their mission
is to make student life outside the lecture hall enjoyable and rewarding.
Argument
At uni, you are often asked to present an argument. An argument is sequence of
linked ideas that supports a particular point of view or 'thesis'. Giving
your opinion is much easier than providing an argument.
Award
An award is a degree, diploma or certificate obtained
when a student graduates from a program.
Bachelor
A Bachelor degree is the formal award a student receives when they successfully
complete an undergraduate university degree program, ordinarily of
three or more years duration.
Bibliography
A list of all the sources you read in order to produce
your assignment. Appears at the end of your assignment.
Campus
A teaching and administrative centre. Programs and students
are both linked to a particular campus.
Commonwealth supported place
A Commonwealth supported place (previously known as
a HECS place) is a higher education place for which the Commonwealth makes
a contribution towards the cost of the student's education. Students pay
a student contribution amount (previously known as HECS charge), which
varies depending on courses undertaken.
More info about Commonwealth Support & HECS-HELP
Convenor
Course
Refers to the session or year-long subject in which
you are enrolled.
Course Reader
A collection of book chapters and journal articles compiled
by the course convenor. A reader is compiled by the course convenor in
order to provide the basic reading material for your course. They are available
from the university bookshop.
Coursework
A mode of study which is largely or wholly constituted
of courses involving face-to-face class instruction. It is a term which
is commonly used with regard to undergraduate and postgraduate study.
The other mode of postgraduate study is research.
Credit Point
See Unit of Credit
Credit transfer
The ability to count subjects completed
as part of another qualification towards a new degree.
Critical Thinking
At university you will be asked to be more critical of your course content
than you may have been at school. Being critical at uni means much more
than just being negative. In a uni context, being critical is all about
asking questions, challenging assumptions, drawing informed conclusions
and making judgements based on evidence.
Dean
Usually the head of a faculty. This term is also
used to refer to the head of an important activity, such as the dean of
research, or the dean of students.
Dr.
Doctor. At university, this title usually refers
to someone who holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), a high level degree.
Deferment
UNSW allows applicants to delay the commencement of courses for a period
of one year. Deferment is granted once an offer has been accepted. Applicants
who defer an offer have automatic entry to the same course in the following
year provided they do not undertake study at a tertiary institution during
the year for which the deferment is granted. Also known as Program
Leave.
Degree
The qualification awarded when a student graduates
from an undergraduate Bachelor program or a postgraduate Masters or PhD
program. A degree program is a program for which a degree is awarded.
Doctorate/Doctoral Degree
A postgraduate research program of three or more years. Requires students
to undertake a substantial independent research project and make an original
contribution to knowledge. Students work under the guidance of a supervisor
to produce a thesis. Also called a PhD.
Essay
An essay is an extended piece of writing that
answers a specific question. Its length may vary between 1,000 and 5,000
words, depending on your level of study; essays get longer as you progress
through your program.
Elective
Some subjects are compulsory, but others you may choose. These subjects
are called electives.
Exams
A formal test that students sit in order to demonstrate your knowledge
and ability in a particular area.
Open Book As their name suggests, in open book exams you may take helpful texts into the examination room. However, in return your teachers require a higher quality of answer.
Closed Book In these exams, like in the HSC, you are not permitted to take any material into the lecture hall. They may take the form of short answers, essays, or multiple choice.
Faculty
The organisation of several schools into an
academic area responsible for the administration of courses.
Field Trip
Sometimes you'll be required to go 'off campus' to further your investigations.
The places that you visit will vary according to your course.
Flexible Delivery
An alternative to on-campus study. Forms of flexible delivery include:
external or distance studies; combination of external study with on-campus
workshops; intensive block studies; the use of new learning technologies.
More information about General Education
Grades
Each course undertaken by a student at UNSW is assessed using a variety
of methods, usually culminating in the award of a single final mark
out of 100.
Graduate
A person who has fulfilled the requirements of an award and has had
the award conferred.
HECS-HELP assistance
HECS-HELP assistance helps eligible Commonwealth supported students
pay their student contributions.
More about HECS-HELP assistance
Head of School
A senior member of faculty who manages a school's teaching and research
activities.
Honours
Either a compulsory or extra fourth year of study in which you will
be able to undertake more extensive research within your chosen area.
Independent Study
One of the things that makes uni study different from high school
is the expectation that you will become an independent learner. Being
an independent learner means being in control of your own learning.
Journal, reflective
An informal mode
of assessment that requires you to keep an account of your developing
relationship with your course, not unlike keeping a diary. Journals
give you a great deal of freedom to express your ideas and thoughts
about the course.
Lab
The labs are usually designed to augment the lecture and tutorial material.
In labs, students run hands-on experiments to validate principles
discussed in lectures.
Late Penalty
All assignments have to be submitted on a particular, or 'due', date.
Submission after this moment normally incurs a reduction in marks.
Lecture
Lectures are methods of teaching that usually consist of a prepared
talk given by a lecturer. Lectures provide the skeleton of most subjects
offered at uni. Lectures vary in levels of formality and may be one
or two hours in length. Most are given in quite large rooms with
anything up to 500 students in the audience. Students are expected
to listen and to take notes.
Lecturer
A Lecturer is a university academic ranking as well as someone
who delivers lectures.
Major
Many programs require students to complete a major. A major is an
area of concentration or specialisation within a program of study
(eg majoring in Anatomy in a Science course or History in an Arts
course). In some courses it is possible to major in more than one
area.
Sometimes also called a plan.
Masters Degree
A program designed to enhance specific skills and equip graduates with in-depth
understanding in a specific area of knowledge or professional practice. Usually
at least 2 semesters duration.
Non-Award
Non-award enrolment refers to all enrolments in courses or a sequence
of courses which do not lead to or count towards a formal award (e.g.
degree or diploma) of the University of New South Wales.
More about Non-Award enrolment
Online Delivery
This indicates that some, a lot, or all of your course will be conducted
through the internet.
For more information, see elearning
O-Week
Orientation week, called O-Week, takes place in Week
Zero, the week before Session teaching periods
begin.
O-week gives commencing students the opportunity to explore the campus, attend faculty welcomes, meet other new students, do heaps of fun activities and learn about the university and campus life before classes begin.
Check out the O-Week website for more information.
Oral Presentation
A spoken-word presentation of a topic delivered by an individual
student. You may be required to give a presentation to your tutorial
class sometime in your first year. Like written work, presentations
vary in length and have a particular structure.
Paraphrase
When writing university assignments you will frequently draw on the
ideas and writings of others, and incorporate them into your own
work. A paraphrase is one method of doing this.
Participation
Some courses assess your participation beyond the production of written
assignments. You'll be marked on your verbal contribution to tutorials,
your engagement with other students, and your reading as it reveals
itself in your discussions.
Plagiarism
The unacknowledged borrowing of other people's words and/or
ideas, with the intention of passing them off as your own.
Postgraduate
Study undertaken for a higher degree (eg. a Masters or PhD
). Usually follows a completion of a Bachelor or Bachelor
with Honours degree.
Plan
A plan is a sequence of study within a program focused on a particular
study area, usually requiring students to complete an approved
sequence of 'core' and 'elective' courses. Majors and co-majors
are examples of plans.
Prerequisite
A requirement that you need to complete before you can proceed
to the next stage of your program.
Program
Study leading to an academic award like a degree or diploma. Also
refers to the degree in which you are enrolled: Bachelor of Arts,
Bachelor of Science.
Reader
See Course Reader
Referencing
When you borrow the ideas and/or words of others, and
use them in your own essays, you have to acknowledge their original
source: you have to reference it. Referencing has two separate elements:
the in-text citation or footnote, and the list of references or bibliography.
Report
A report is a highly structured piece of writing that is presented
in a way different from essays.
Research programs
Research programs are postgraduate programs of study which involve a
student independently researching a specific topic under the guidance
of a supervisor and producing a thesis or report. Some research programs
also involve a coursework component.
School
A unit of academic organisation within a faculty, usually containing
several disciplines which have related teaching and research responsibilities.
Semester/ Session
The academic year is divided into semesters (sometimes also called
sessions). A semester is a
teaching period for which students enrol, and for which they
are charged fees or student contributions. UNSW has two main 12-week
semesters per year, as well as the eight-week Summer Term in December/January.
Seminar
A discussion-based class facilitated by a student of a group
of students.
Study Load
The total number of units of credit (UOC) taken in a term.
Thesis
In an academic context, the word thesis is used in two senses:
Tutorial
Small discussion-based classes where you have the opportunity
to discuss particular aspects of the course in more detail. Tutorials
are structured classes and require students to prepare for them.
Tutor
In taking a particular course you may be taught by a number
of people. Your tutor oversees your tutorial class.
Undergraduate
A student studying for a Bachelor degree, Diploma
or Certificate.
UniPass
UniPass is the Universal Password for online services at UNSW. Your UniPass
and UNSW Student ID provide a way of electronically verifying your identity.
Unit of Credit/ Credit Point
A measure of the workload of a subject.
This is a unit of study in certain UNSW courses. Some courses require
a student to complete a set total of credit points to satisfy the
conditions for the award of the degree or diploma.
Vice Chancellor
The Chief Executive Officer overseeing the University.
WAM
Weighted Average Mark.
The WAM is calculated by multiplying the mark you receive
for each course by the units of credit of the particular course, adding
up the products and dividing by the total number of units of credit for the relevant
courses. A 'Term WAM' is calculated for a semester, and a
separate cumulative WAM is calculated for relevant results over the student's
entire program.
Week Zero
Week Zero is the official first week of Semester 1 and Semester 2 at the
Kensington and COFA campuses. It is the week before the commencement of
the main 12-week teaching periods. All students should ensure that they
are available to attend in Week Zero.
A range of activities is held in Week Zero, including:
While no formal class teaching takes place in Week Zero, many Courses hold a range of compulsory academic activities. Make sure you read Course class notes on myUNSW for instructions regarding course activities in Week Zero. Faculties will make information available to students regarding specific program activities.