Business Systems Development Unit

SIS

Glossary of Terms

The following simple glossary incorporates terms commonly used in SIS:

A

Advanced Standing

Recognition for study taken elsewhere or relevant work Experience, also known as credit, toward a La Trobe award.

AEGO

Admissions, Examinations and Graduations Office.

Allowable Materials

Information about materials that students are allowed to take into an examination.

Alumni

Any student who has graduated From La Trobe.

Application Status

Describes the process of the application within the admissions process. There are 4 status updates – Entry Qualification, Documentation, Outcome, Offer Response.

APESMA

Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia. APESMA is the largest national non-profit organisation representing professional employees. Members may achieve La Trobe qualifications through specialised programs.

Articulate

The student has articulated (or surrendered) the award for a higher one (see Surrender).

Assessment Item

A single piece of assessment that a student may be required to complete as part of, or as the entire requirements of, a Unit.

Assessment Type

Is assigned to each assessment item in order to classify the item. Can be examinable or non-examinable.

Attendance Mode

Indicates whether the student is studying Internal = I, External = E or Multi Modal = M.

Attendance Percentage Variation

APV is used to monitor the attendance of Research Candidates and calculate the number of days used toward candidature.

Attendance Type

Indicates Full Time = F or Part Time = P or Undefined = U.

Award

A Degree or Diploma conferred upon a Graduand. May also be used to describe prizes awarded to individuals by the faculties or Academic Board.

B

Block

Titles area of form – delineated by lines.

BSDU

Business Systems Development Unit – the area which maintains and supports all the university computer applications.

C

Callista

The web browser-based software used for La Trobe University's student system – NewSIS.

Candidature

The term used to describe a research student's study programme.

Child Organisational Unit

The term refers to an Organisational unit, for example a department, that is a division of a larger organisational unit, for example a faculty.

Completed

Satisfied the Course requirements.

Conceded Pass

Is awarded to students who achieve a mark of 48% or 49% and meet specified criteria.

Conferral

This is the term used when a student is given (conferred) their award at a graduation ceremony.

Consideration

(See Special Consideration)

Control Sheet

Used for tracking Mark Sheets. Mark sheets may be produced for collecting student results.

Convocation

Also known as Graduation: the conferral of an award (for example, a Bachelors degree or Diploma) upon a student (known as a graduand at this time) in recognition for the completion of prescribed study, assignments and examinations.

Course

A course of study e.g. Bachelor of Arts, comprising of prescribed study, assignments and/or examinations and any other requirements and regulations as stipulated by the faculty or academic board.

Course Attempt

This was Course Enrolment in the old SIS.

Course Stage

The stage in the course that the student has completed, for example, first year, second year etc.

CP

Credit Point – students need a certain amount of Credit Points to pass/complete the Course.

D

Database

SISPROD is the NewSIS production database.

Deferral

This was a Reserved Place in old SIS – a postponement of the commencement of studies.

Derived Completion

A calculation estimating a student's period of completion of a course, based on requirements met and those yet to be achieved and determined by part time or full time enrolment.

Discontinuation of Course

This was Withdrawal from a course in the old SIS. Usually student initiated, but may also be applied by the University due to an encumbrance.

Discontinuation of Unit

This was Withdrawal from a subject in the old SIS.

Documentation Status

See Application Status.

E

EFTSU

The fraction of an Equivalent Full Time Student Unit. From 2005 this will now be known as EFTSL however the field name in NewSIS will not be changing for some time.

Encumbrance

Penalty. There are 2 types of encumbrances in NewSIS; Academic – for unsatisfactory academic progress and Administrative – for failure to comply with certain administrative requirements (eg, non payment of fees).

Entry Qualification Status

See Application Status.

F

FEE-HELP

From 2005 the PELS (Postgraduate Education Loan Scheme) has been replaced by FEE-HELP. FEE-HELP (Fee – Higher Education Loan Program) is available to Australian citizens and holders of a permanent Humanitarian Visa in full fee-paying, eligible higher Education courses. It allows students to borrow their course fee and repay the debt via the Australian Taxation Office when their income reaches a certain bracket.

Field

Category of information

Form

Screen for data display and user input.

Form/Job Code

Unique code for each form or job.

G

Grading Schema

Describes the set of available marks and grades that can be used in the assessment of Student Unit Attempts.

Graduand

A student, having completed all prescribed examinations and requirements of a course of study, eligible to receive a university award.

Graduate

A recipient of a university award.

H

HECS

Higher Education Contribution Scheme (See HECS-HELP).

HECS-HELP

From 2005, HECS has been replaced by HECS-HELP which stands for Higher Education Contribution Scheme – Higher Education Loan Program. Students in a Commonwealth Supported university place can defer their student contribution through HECS-HELP. Under this scheme, students repay their accumulated debt via the Australian Taxation Office when their income reaches a certain bracket.

HESA

Higher Education Support Act: refers to the government reforms to the way Higher Education is offered at Australian Universities. To take effect from January 1, 2005.

HONOURS INV

Honours Invitation Enrolment Category

I

In Absentia

An award is conferred upon a graduand “in absence” (not attending the ceremony).

Inactive

Accepted an offer and enrolled, but has no currently enrolled Units. May have enrolled in Units that have not yet commenced.

Intermission

This was Deferral in the old SIS – an approved leave of absence.

INTNL CWK

International Coursework Enrolment Category

INTNL RES

International Research Enrolment Category

ITS

Information Technology Services

L

Lamp

Red text indicating the mode of the form or other important information

Lapsed

Failed to confirm Unit enrolment in the allowable time.

LOCAL CWK

Local Coursework Enrolment Category

LOCAL RES

Local Research Enrolment Category

M

Menu Code

Unique code for each menu

Menu Bar

Path to access Callista's drop-down Application Menu.

Menu Path

A list of menu names to guide navigation.

Module

In NewSIS, a group of related applications, for example Progression Reports.

Multi Modal

means that the student is studying in a range of modes – external as well as internal.

N

Navigate

To move around from screen to screen in a module by using menus and buttons.

Navigation Buttons

Shortcuts to aid navigation

NON REPORT

Non Reportable Enrolment Category

O

OFF CWK

Offshore Coursework Enrolment Category

OFF RES

Offshore Research Enrolment Category

Offer Response Status

See Application Status

OS-HELP

Overseas - Higher Education Loan Program. A loan available to eligible students based in Australia, to undertake some of their study overseas.

Outcome Status

See Application Status

Owning Organisational Unit

The Organisational unit responsible for the administration. Eg, the owning organisational unit for a course, would be the faculty.

P

PELS

Postgraduate Education Loan Scheme. From 2005 this has been replaced by FEE-HELP (See FEE-HELP).

Posthumous Awards

Enables the family of the deceased student to receive their award.

Preclusion

The student is prevented from enrolling in the Unit and may be required to enrol in one or more alternative Units.

Predictive Course Completion

Used to identify a bulk group of students who will potentially complete their course requirements should they pass all units for which they are enrolled.

Primary Set Indicator

Identifies the Unit Set or Sets which form the major part of the Course Attempt.

Progression

Progression is the module in NewSIS that handles both Academic Progression (students failing to progress through course to satisfactory standard) and course completion (previously known as Qualifiers).

R

Rank

The relative ranking (1 being highest) of the Unit Set categories.

Record

Item of information about an individual thing such as a specific Course

S

Security Role

Each user is associated with one or more Roles which determine the menus, forms and reports which can be accessed along with their privilege to view/change records etc.

Session

Each use of NewSIS, commencing with logging on and ending with logging off.

SOE

Standard Operating Environment

Statement of Account

This was a Statement of Enrolment in the old SIS.

Surrender

Student is articulating the current award for a higher award (see Articulate). For example, the Bachelor of Arts degree is articulated (or surrendered) for the Bachelor of Arts with Honours Degree.

System Assessment Type

The assessment type defined by La Trobe can be mapped to a system (Callista) reference of either Assignment or Non-Central. This is required in some cases to enable System functionality to apply. For example, Assessment items are recognised for assignment tracking purposes only where they are of an Assessment Type mapped to the System Assessment Type ASSIGNMENT.

T

Testamur

This is the term used to describe the actual degree or award. It is a testament from the university that the student has achieved the requirements of the degree or award.

Toolbar

Buttons located at the top of the Form.

U

Unconfirm

Admitted (pre-enrolled or offered a place) but yet to enrol.

Unit

This was a Subject in the old SIS.

Unit Attempt

This was a Subject enrolment in the old SIS.

Unit Location

Specifies campus where studies undertaken eg BU= Bundoora, AW = Albury/Wodonga.

Unit Set

Describe majors, minors, streams or specialisations.

User Defaults

Default settings can be set for features such as Printing and once set, these settings apply to all future NewSIS sessions.

Username

Personal user identification used to log into NewSIS.

W

WAM

Weighted Average Mark can be used to calculate potential honours students.

Wildcards

Special characters which can be used to substitute unknown single or multiple characters in a search.