NMH - Faculty information

Advice to students on good academic practice


Academic integrity Self-motivation and commitment to learning Awareness of requirements Participation Staff responsibilities Respecting the rights of other Acceptable use of information technology facilities at UTS Guidelines for written assignments Students come to university for a variety of reasons including to gain a specific qualification, to pursue their interest in a particular field and to broaden their education. Good academic Practice demands personal integrity and respect for scholarship. For example, academic staff are responsible for marking assessment fairly and consistently, and providing feedback within a reasonable timeframe, and students are responsible for submitting work that represents their own efforts to meet the stated requirements. Students learning will be more effective and enjoyable if basic principles of good academic practice are followed. These include the following: academic integrity self-motivation and commitment to learning awareness of requirements participation respecting the rights of others seeking timely help from appropriate sources acceptable use of information technology facilities at UTS Academic integrity Academic integrity involves a good measure of trust between students, and between students and academic staff. Cheating, whether in the form of plagiarism, bringing unauthorised materials into exams, submitting false requests for alternative examinations or special consideration, or any other form, is a breach of this trust. Cheating also diminishes the aims and value of student's studies. In certain courses, this may have serious consequences for public health and safety. Students should also be aware that cheating diminishes the good reputation of the University. The continuing value of a UTS award in the opinions of potential employers, other institutions and the community at large depends on UTS maintaining its reputation as a university that has utterly reliable credentials. Self-motivation and commitment to learning In general, there is an emphasis at university on developing independent learning skills, understanding ideas, and interacting critically with material and raising questions about it. University requires a level of self-motivation from students. The onus is on students to complete the requirements of each subject. This demands reasonably high levels of personal discipline, self-motivation and organisation. Awareness of requirements It is the student's responsibility to ensure they are fully informed of all aspects of the assessment process. Students need to be very clear about what is required in each subject. These requirements are provided in subject outlines that are given to students at the beginning of each semester (or summer/winter teaching session). Different subjects have quite different requirements. These might include preparation for classes, participation in tutorials or online discussions, completing an independent learning task or working with other students on a collaborative project. Students should also refer to the course outlines in faculty handbooks and the University Calendar for additional requirements affecting assessment. Participation Students are encouraged to participate in those classes that are set aside for discussion. Listening to and considering other views and framing and expressing opinions about a topic assist in developing critical and analytical skills Staff responsibilities Students may expect UTS staff to undertake their responsibilities as academics in accordance with the UTS Code of Conduct, available online at: www.uts.edu.au/div/hru/policy/7_3.pdf Respecting the rights of other All students have the right to: express their views with consideration of others and have those views respected attend classes that are free from harassment, intimidation, discrimination or unnecessary interruption expect that resources such as computing and library facilities will be available to them and not be misused or monopolised by other students. Acceptable use of information technology facilities at UTS The University is bound by legislation and limited resources to ensure appropriate, effective and legal use of its facilities. The policy Acceptable Use of Information Technology Facilities is available online at: www.uts.edu.au/div/publications/policies/select/itfacilities.html The Advice to Students on Good Academic Practice is also published online at: www.uts.edu.au/div/publications/policies/select/acprac.html Guidelines for written assignments To assist students with planning, researching, writing and submitting assignments the Faculty has prepared a publication called Guidelines for Preparation, Presentation and Submission of Written Assignments. Students attempting written assignments are strongly recommended to refer to this document, which clearly outlines the expectations of the Faculty in regard to academic writing. This publication is available online through the Faculty's website and the library's electronic reserve. It is also available at cost from the Kuring-gai campus Co-op Bookshop.