Academic matters

Academic integrity and academic misconduct

Academic integrity means being honest in academic work and taking responsibility for learning the conventions of scholarship. Scholarship involves research which builds on the work of others and requires appropriate acknowledgment of this work.

La Trobe University regards academic honesty as the foundation of teaching, learning, and research. .Academic staff and students must observe the highest ethical standards in all aspects of academic work. Proven cases of academic misconduct can attract a broad range of penalties.

The University’s framework for academic integrity includes:

the Academic Misconduct Statute available from www.latrobe.edu.au/legalservices/index.html [note that the Statute is under review as at the date of publication]; and
the Academic Integrity Policy, Procedures and Guidelines available from www.latrobe.edu.au/policy/.

Students should also visit the Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism website at www.latrobe.edu.au/learning/integrity.html.

When submitting work for assessment, students are required to complete a declaration that the work is their own work or the work of the group (if a group assignment) and that they understand and agree to the academic integrity rules of the University. It also includes an agreement for the University to reproduce and/or communicate (make available online or electronically transmit) the work they have submitted.Students also grant to the University or to the third party authorised by the University, Turnitin, (see www.latrobe.edu.au/text-match/), the right to reproduce and/or communicate (make available online or electronically transmit) the work they have submitted.

Types of academic misconduct

Plagiarism means reproducing someone else’s words, ideas or findings and presenting them as one’s own without proper acknowledgment. For more information about plagiarism, see www.latrobe.edu.au/plagiarism/.

Inappropriate collaboration or assisting another person to engage in academic misconduct is also deemed to be academic misconduct.

Violating examination rules or taking unauthorised material into examinations are other forms of academic misconduct. Allowable materials are listed on the examination timetable, at the entrance to the examination venue and on the cover of the examination paper. For more information on examination rules see http://www.latrobe.edu.au/students/exams/sitting/rules.

Academic progress monitoring and intervention requirements

IMPORTANT: International students should also read the section on 'Academic Progress requirements' in the International section of this Handbook.

The University recognises that early identification and support of students who may be at risk gives them their best chance of academic success. Every student is entitled to monitoring of their academic progress and supportive intervention where the student is at risk of unsatisfactory academic progress.

At the completion of each progression period, each faculty will take intervention action in accordance with the Academic Progress Monitoring and Intervention Procedures. The intervention action will apply to each student whose progress is at risk or is deemed to be unsatisfactory. Appropriate notices of intervention action will be sent to affected students.

Students who do not satisfy academic progress requirements over at least two progression periods may be required to make a case ('show cause') why their enrolment should be allowed to continue.

For full information, students should read the Academic Progress Statute 2010 available from www.latrobe.edu.au/legalservices/index.html. and the Academic Progress Monitoring and Intervention Policy and Procedures available from www.latrobe.edu.au/policy.

Research students should consult the Handbook for Candidates and Supervisors for Masters Degrees by Research and Doctoral Degrees provided at enrolment; this document also can be accessed on the web at www.latrobe.edu.au/rgso/assets/downloads/Handbook-INFOSUPCAND-JUly-06.pdf.

Academic advice

Advisers of studies

In each faculty there are advisers of studies who help students plan their courses. Consult your School or Faculty office for a list of advisers of studies.

Academic Language and Learning (ALL) staff

The Academic Language and Learning unit works closely with teaching staff in all Faculties and on all campuses to ensure that all La Trobe students – including those from non-English-speaking backgrounds – receive the support they need to develop core academic skills required to succeed. Those high-level, core academic success skills include speaking and writing in English, numeracy, and study strategies. The Academic Language and Learning staff assist in course and subject design, advise on teaching strategies, and teach/co-teach special subjects, tutorials and workshops. The Academic Language and Learning unit also produces online learning resources, provides professional development for academic staff, trains student academic mentors, and supports student learning success in many other ways.

For more information about study skills, please visit www.latrobe.edu.au/learning/

Class timetables

Class timetables are administered by Academic Services Division for the University. Timetabled subjects offered by all campuses of La Trobe University are available by subject, department, or student ID selections via: www.latrobe.edu.au/timetable/.

Students have the opportunity to view their own personal timetable by entering their student ID number and password.

Examinations and assessment

2012 official examination/assessment dates


Supplementary/special examination period for 2011	9 January – 13 January 2012
Summer examination period for 2012	14 February - 17 February 2012
Semester 1 mid-year examination period	8 June – 28 June 2012
Mid-year supplementary/special examination period for 2012	30 July – 3 August 2012
Semester 2/all year semester annual examination period for 2012	2 November – 22 November 2012

Students are required to be available for the entire duration of all formal examination periods, including supplementary and special examinations. Students should also note that they may be required by Faculties, to undertake examinations that are not conducted within the formal examination period.

Examination timetables

Official examination timetables for centrally administered examinations are usually published approximately five weeks prior to the examination period commencing for mid-year and end of year examinations and approximately two weeks prior for supplementary hurdle/special examinations. Timetables are published on the web via the University’s homepage and on noticeboards, together with formal examination rules and other important information regarding examination conduct. The University provides no information regarding examination dates, time and/or locations over the telephone.

In the event of a student being unable to be present for an examination, the candidate must notify the relevant course authority of details within 72 hours of the examination, and in the case of medical incapacity, a medical certificate must be supplied. See 'Special Consideration' below.

If a candidate has two examinations set down for the same examination session, they will be contacted by their local Student Administration Centre approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the examination period with details of their alternate examination arrangements.

Further information for all campuses is available at www.latrobe.edu.au/students/exams

Alternative examination arrangements

Alternative examination arrangements may be made for semester, annual, special or supplementary examinations for students who have:

medical reasons;
some non-medical reasons (refer to www.latrobe.edu.au/students/exams/sitting/alternative for details);
examination clashes.

For example, candidates may be given breaks during examinations, be provided with additional time to complete their examination or be allowed to sit their examinations at an alternative time or in an alternative venue.

Medical Reasons: Students with a permanent or long-term disability, mental health issue and/or temporary or ongoing medical condition should consult the Equality and Diversity Centre in the first instance.

Non-Medical Reasons: Students who are not able to sit their exam on the officially timetabled day due to non-medical reasons should contact their Student Administration Office directly to obtain relevant application details. Note - only applications that comply with the strict criteria as defined in the Examination Clash or Alternate Exam Application Form will be considered a valid reason for sitting an examination at an alternate time. Requests for alternative examination arrangements must be submitted to Student Administration Offices at least three weeks prior to the commencement of the examination period.

Special consideration

Special consideration may be granted to students on the basis of extenuating circumstances that may have adversely affected their ability to undertake their studies. Further information is available from local Student Administration Offices.

Applications relating to special consideration for performance at an examination must be submitted to the relevant Student Administration Office within 72 hours after the commencement of the examination. In some instances it may be appropriate to discuss the matter with an adviser of studies in the relevant Faculty or School before lodging an application.

Applications for special consideration relating to performance during an academic period must be submitted to the relevant Student Administration Office prior to any of the assessment to which such application relates. It is important that you communicate with your lecturer as early as possible for assistance with issues related to missed work.

Throughout the year valuable teaching support services are also available to you at various campus locations. For further information, see:

Equality and Diversity – www.latrobe.edu.au/equality/
Counselling – www.latrobe.edu.au/counselling/
Academic Language and Learning (ALL) Unit –http://www.latrobe.edu.au/learning/all-units.html

Note: At the time of publishing this Handbook a new policy and procedures on special consideration were under development. These are expected to come into effect in 2012. Queries about special consideration policy should be directed to academic_policy@latrobe.edu.au

Examination results

Examination results will be emailed to all students via their official La Trobe student email account as results are finalised. Examination results are also available via StudentOnLine. Scheduled result release dates are established each year and generally occur mid-July for first semester results and the second week in December for second semester. Results from non-standard teaching periods will be released progressively throughout the year. Personal records are available from local Student Administration Offices. A charge of $5 applies for personal records. Official academic transcripts can be ordered through local Student Administration Offices. A charge of $15 applies for a weekly service and $30 for a daily service. Additional copies cost $2 per copy. [Note: these are the 2011 charges and may be indexed for 2012.] Students can print an unofficial transcript from StudentOnLine free of charge.

Assessment procedures for coursework subjects

Work presented by students during their studies is assessed in a variety of ways. It is important to understand the methods used and the expectations of the examiners. Students who have queries relating to assessment for a particular subject first should approach the examiner for clarification.

The most commonly used methods of assessment at La Trobe are described briefly below – in almost every case, a student’s performance in each method is measured and contributes to the final mark and grade awarded at the end of the year.

The expectations of examiners will reflect the nature of the subject and the method of assessment. The general principle, however, is that the student is expected to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the topic being examined rather than an ability for rote learning, although there are many occasions on which the latter is also necessary.

Written examinations

Written examinations are normally of one to three hours’ duration. They may consist of multiple-choice questions requiring minimal response, many questions requiring brief response or a few questions requiring extensive response. Frequently they are set in formal examination periods (end of semester one (mid-year) and end of semester two (end-of-year)), but this is not always the case.

Essays

These are normally a few hundred to several thousand words in length, and may be set at any time of the year.

Clinical and social work placements

Most Education and Health Sciences students and some other groups of students are required to undertake placements for various periods of time in relevant practical environments which test their skills and knowledge and impart new skills.

Work experience

Students in agriculture, engineering and some science courses are required to undertake up to 12 weeks of relevant work experience during their courses, which does not always contribute to the final mark.

Projects

Projects may be specified or left to the student’s choice – they range from minor to major.

Practical classes

Normally of one or more hours’ duration, these are generally task-oriented, supervised and conducted at regular intervals (e.g. weekly).

Continuous assessment

This combines some of the above methods and may be an alternative to end-of-semester or end-of-year written examinations. The marks for many individual pieces of work are aggregated to give a final mark.

Class attendance and submission of written work

Attendance at lectures is not normally recorded, but may be recorded at tutorials and is often monitored for practical classes. In many subjects satisfactory attendance at tutorials or practical classes is compulsory and essential for a pass in the subject.

The submission of essays, assignments and other written work is recorded, and failure to submit without an acceptable reason may lead to the award of a fail grade.

Examination grades

The Schedule of Current Assessment Grades and Administrative Codes used by the University is available from the University's policy website (http://www.latrobe.edu.au/policy) .

Additional assessment for failed hurdle requirements

An eligible student who has obtained 50 per cent or more in a subject but who has failed to meet a compulsory (hurdle) requirement shall be offered additional assessment. Upon successful completion of the additional assessment, the original mark will stand. Further information is available from http://www.latrobe.edu.au/policy/ (search for Hurdles Procedures - Additional Assessment).

Conceded passes

A conceded pass will be awarded in an eligible undergraduate or postgraduate coursework subject where:

the mark obtained in the subject is at least 47% but less than 50%; and
the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) for the progression period is at least 50%.

For details, including information about subjects that are not eligible for a conceded pass, refer to the Conceded Passes Policy and Procedures available from http://www.latrobe.edu.au/policy.

Additional assessment for failed last subject

The Faculty will offer an additional assessment to a student who, in their final progression period, fails the subject that would be the last subject required to complete their course of study. The result for that final subject must fall within a certain range of marks which is under review for 2012. To be eligible for the additional assessment:

the subject concerned cannot be workplace-based; and
the student must have completed all the required assessment tasks; and
the student does not qualify for a conceded pass for the subject concerned (see above).

For more information, refer to section 4 of the Conceded Passes Procedures available from http://www.latrobe.edu.au/policy.

Review and re-mark of students’ academic work

The University's Policy and Procedures for the Review and Re-mark of Students' Academic Work are available from http://www.latrobe.edu.au/policy. These contain full details, including provisions for appeals where students are dissatisfied with decisions.

Reviews: All students have the right to request a review of individual pieces of assessment worth 20% or more of the final result for a subject. The request is directed first to the examiner concerned. These timelines for applications apply:

assessment tasks returned to students with a grade -within ten working days of the release of the result for that assessment task;
assessment tasks not returned to the student with a grade - within ten working days of the release of the final results for the subject for which the task was completed.

Re-marks: Students who are unsatisfied with the result of a review may request a re-mark by applying to the Head of School. Re-marks may be requested only on the grounds that the original assessment was biased or failed to follow the published assessment criteria or grading scheme for the assessment task. A student may have no more than one review and one re-mark of any individual piece of assessment or subject result.

Graduations

Graduation ceremonies are generally held in March, April and May at Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Melbourne (Bundoora), Mildura and Shepparton.

Ceremonies for mid-year qualified students are generally held in October at the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus.

Graduation information packages are sent to students in January (end-of-year qualifiers) and August (mid-year qualifiers). For further information regarding graduations go to www.latrobe.edu.au/students/graduations

International students who require an official document from the University regarding their graduation for visa purposes can apply to Student Administration using an ‘Application for a Letter’ form and pay the corresponding fee. See www.latrobe.edu.au/students/forms/letters.

Working with Children Check (WWC Check)

The University has a policy and associated guidelines on practices to be followed by faculties and academic administration which ensure that all students who are involved in child-related work as part of their course of study comply with the Working with Children Act 2005. The Act affects students who undertake practical training in clinical or professional placements (for example, a student teacher). The Department of Justice does not impose a charge for students applying for a WWC Check.

Full information on the Working with Children Act 2005 is available from the Victorian Department of Justice website at www.justice.vic.gov.au (go to the Working with Children link).

The Working with Children Policy and the Students Working with Children Guidelines can be accessed at the La Trobe University policies website at: www.latrobe.edu.au/policy/ .

Each faculty conducting courses which have a component of child-related work includes statements of the working with children requirements in faculty and course publications.

Alumni and Advancement Office

Website: www.latrobe.edu.au/alumni

Email: alumni@latrobe.edu.au

Telephone: +61 3 9479 6601 or 1300 737 133

The Alumni and Advancement Office provides a link to a network of over 140,000 graduates living in 100 countries around the world.

The University's alumni relations program offers graduates the opportunity to develop their career, continue their learning and to contribute to the future of La Trobe University, through mentoring and other support initiatives.

Key events in the alumni calendar include the Annual Lecture, presented by a notable alumni, the Alumni Awards, an annual opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our graduates, as well as other discipline-specific events.

La Trobe alumni are eligible to enjoy the benefits and services within the Lifestyle Benefits Program, offering a range of discounts, privileges and special offers.

The Alumni and Advancement Office keeps alumni up-to-date with the latest La Trobe University developments through the monthly Alumni e-news which delivers news, profiles, events, postgraduate study opportunities and more.