Resources
Student Rights & Responsibilities
A comprehensive list of UNSW policies and guidelines are available at https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/resources/Policies.html
In addition the School requires that you be aware of the following policies:
- Rules for the Use of Computing and Electronic Communications Facilities for Students
- Student Websites: UNSW Acceptable Content Standard
- UNSW Plagiarism & Academic Integrity
Please contact us if you would like to request something be added to this section.
Essential Information for all SAM students
Download this information as a pdf document: ESSENTIAL_INFORMATION_FOR_ALL_STUDENTS (PDF) (95 Kb).
Please also see the SAM assessment policy (PDF) (176 Kb)
YOUR FEEDBACK IS IMPORTANT
Periodically student evaluative feedback on the course is gathered, using among other means, UNSW's Course and Teaching Evaluation and Improvement (CATEI) process. Student feedback is taken seriously, and continual improvements are made to the course based in part on such feedback. Significant changes to the course will be communicated to subsequent cohorts of students taking the course.
EQUITY AND DIVERSITY
Students who have a disability that requires some adjustment in their learning and teaching environment are encouraged to discuss their study needs with the course convenor prior to, or at the commencement of the course, or with the Student Equity Officers (Disability) in the Student Equity and Diversity Unit (9385 4734). Issues to be discussed may include access to materials, signers or note-takers, the provision of services and additional exam and assessment arrangements. Early notification is essential to enable any necessary adjustments to be made. Information for students with disabilities is available at: The Student Equity and Diversity Unit
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS
http://www.gs.unsw.edu.au/policy/documents/ohspolicy.pdf
THE UNSW STATEMENT ON GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
can be found at:
http://learningandteaching.unsw.edu.au/content/LT/course_prog_support/unsw_grad_atts.cfm?ss=2
ESSAY WRITING SUPPORT SERVICES
For information about how to write essays and document your references, consult The Learning Centre’s writing guides at http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/olib.html#1
REFERENCING SYSTEMS
There are two main referencing systems: the footnote/bibliography or ‘Oxford’ referencing system - see www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/refbib.html
and the ‘In-Text’ or ‘Harvard’ referencing system – see www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/ref.html
Whichever system you choose, the golden rule is to be consistent!
The UNSW Library offers many services to students seeking help in how to research for their essays and study skills. See http://www.library.unsw.edu.au/servicesfor/students.html
If you would like further help with your studies, and your essays in particular, please consult The Learning Centre’s services on http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au
CLASS ATTENDANCE
Students are required to attend 80% of all classes: this means you must attend at least 10 of the 12 weeks in this course unless specific and formal permission has been granted. Failure to do so without proper certification will result in failure of the course. Explanation of absences, or requests for permission to be absent from forthcoming classes, should be addressed to your tutor. Explanation of an absence of more than one week should be addressed in writing to the Registrar, and, where applicable, should be accompanied by a medical certificate. See also http://my.unsw.edu.au/student/resources/Policies.html
LATE WORK
If your assignment is submitted after the due date, a penalty of 3% per day (including Saturday, Sunday and public holidays) will be imposed for up to 2 weeks. For example, if you are given a mark of 72 out of 100 for an essay, and your essay were handed in two days late, it would attract a penalty of 6% and the mark would be reduced to 66. If the same essay were handed in seven days late (i.e. a penalty of 21%) it would receive a mark of 51. If your assignment is not submitted within 2 weeks of its due date, it will receive 0 marks.
EXTENSION PROCEDURE
In the case of illness and misadventure you may apply to the Course Convenor for an extension of the due date. The extension procedure is as follows:
1. Collect a yellow extension form from notice board outside the School Office and present it, together with relevant documentation (e.g. medical certificate, special consideration form, letter etc.) to your Course Convenor
2. The Course Convenor will assess the application and if the extension is granted, decide on a new submission date and sign the yellow extension form.
3. A copy of the application will be returned to you to submit with your completed assignment by the new submission date.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION
In cases of illness or misadventure affecting a number of different courses, you may make formal application for Special Consideration. Should you choose to do so, you must apply as soon as practicable after the problem occurs and within three working days of the assessment due date. The application must be made on the Request for Special Consideration form available from UNSW Student Central. Information can be accessed at: https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/atoz/SpecialConsideration.html
PROCEDURES FOR SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS
Unless stipulated by the Course Convenor on the Course Outline, all students must submit both hard and soft copies of their essays. Hard copies should be submitted to the appropriate essay box outside the SAM School Office, Room 312, Level 3 Robert Webster Building by 4pm on the due date. A School Assignment Coversheet (available outside the office) must be attached with your details clearly marked. You must also submit a soft copy of the essay by email to sam.assessment@unsw.edu.au Only hard copies of your work will be marked; electronic versions are used only to verify submission and to check for plagiarism.
THE SCHOOL’S EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS
• it is University policy that students must attend a minimum of 80% of classes (including lectures, tutorials, and seminars) to be regarded as having fulfilled the requirements of the course.
• Communication with staff and other students, by letter, phone, email, or in discussion, should be conducted with courtesy, consideration and discretion.
• The School expects students to read their course outline carefully, to know the name of the tutor and course coordinator, to know the name and number of the course they are doing and to locate the School Office (Webster 312)
• Essays and other assessments must be handed in on time, properly presented and free of any plagiarism.
• The School expects students to be on time for lectures and tutorials, to sit quietly during lecture, to stay for the entire duration of both tutorials and lectures, and to bring assigned texts to tutorials.
ACADEMIC HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the presentation of the thoughts or work of another as one’s own.* Examples include:
• direct duplication of the thoughts or work of another, including by copying material, ideas or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document (whether published or unpublished), composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or software, web site, Internet, other electronic resource, or another person’s assignment without appropriate acknowledgement;
• paraphrasing another person’s work with very minor changes keeping the meaning, form and/or progression of ideas of the original;
• piecing together sections of the work of others into a new whole;
• presenting an assessment item as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part in collusion with other people, for example, another student or a tutor; and
• claiming credit for a proportion a work contributed to a group assessment item that is greater than that actually contributed.†
For the purposes of this policy, submitting an assessment item that has already been submitted for academic credit elsewhere may be considered plagiarism.
Knowingly permitting your work to be copied by another student may also be considered to be plagiarism.
Note that an assessment item produced in oral, not written, form, or involving live presentation, may similarly contain plagiarised material.
The inclusion of the thoughts or work of another with attribution appropriate to the academic discipline does not amount to plagiarism.
The Learning Centre website is main repository for resources for staff and students on plagiarism and academic honesty. These resources can be located via:
www.lc.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism
The Learning Centre also provides substantial educational written materials, workshops, and tutorials to aid students, for example, in:
• correct referencing practices;
• paraphrasing, summarising, essay writing, and time management;
• appropriate use of, and attribution for, a range of materials including text, images, formulae and concepts.
Individual assistance is available on request from The Learning Centre.
Students are also reminded that careful time management is an important part of study and one of the identified causes of plagiarism is poor time management. Students should allow sufficient time for research, drafting, and the proper referencing of sources in preparing all assessment items.
* Based on that proposed to the University of Newcastle by the St James Ethics Centre. Used with kind permission from the University of Newcastle
† Adapted with kind permission from the University of Melbourne.
