This information relates to all courses offered in the School. Students should read this
information together with the Course Outline.
1.
Attendance, Participation and Class Etiquette ............................................................... 2
2.
UNSW Email Address ................................................................................................... 2
3.
Computing Facilities ...................................................................................................... 2
4.
Assessment Matters ...................................................................................................... 3
5.
Special Consideration ................................................................................................... 4
6.
Supplementary Final Examinations ............................................................................... 6
7.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism ................................................................................ 7
8.
Student Equity and Disabilities Unit ............................................................................... 7
9.
Health and Safety .......................................................................................................... 8
10.
Student Support Services ........................................................................................... 8
Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering School Office
Level 1, Mechanical Engineering (Building J17)
Phone: 9385 4093
www.mech.unsw.edu.au
Further Information
A to Z Guide for Student services and resources
1
A fundamental part of your studies is attending classes regularly and participating in class
activities. You are required to prepare for, and actively participate in and contribute to class
activities.
The minimum attendance requirement is 80% of all classes, including lectures, labs and
seminars. You may fail the course if absences of more than 20% are recorded. If you miss a
class, make sure you find out what happened in that class so that you don’t miss any important
information or announcements. Employment obligations, travel arrangements or holiday plans
are not acceptable reasons for missing classes.
You should talk to your Course Convenor if you plan to be, or have been, absent from classes for
an extended period. You should also take note of any announcements made in class, or received
online.
If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what announcements were made, if
assignments were handed out and to obtain a copy of any handouts distributed.
You are expected to show courtesy, tolerance and respect towards other students and teaching
staff.
You should not disrupt classes nor interfere with teaching activities. You are expected to be on
time for classes and to stay for the entire duration of the session.
For more information please see the Code of Conduct (Students).
All students have an official UNSW email address. All School and University related emails are
sent to this email address and it is important that you read your official email regularly so that you
do not miss important messages.
If you need to contact a staff member, the most effective way is by email. You will find the email
address of your lecturer under staff contact details in the course outline. You can also use
classes, face-to-face consulting times with the lecturer and landline telephone numbers.
The School’s computing facilities are provided to you for work associated with your course and
are not to be used for other purposes. You are responsible for ensuring that your use of the
University’s computers is ethical, lawful and considerate.
2
The University has extensive guidelines for the use of computing facilities and email. By logging
on to a University computer you agree to abide by these rules and policies. To make sure you
understand and follow these policies https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/atoz/Computing.html
You are expected to be familiar with University rules and procedures regarding assessment.
Satisfactory progression through your studies depends on how you perform in the assessment of
each course. The information below should be read in conjunction with the course outline which
provides course-specific requirements for assessment tasks.
Assignments should be submitted as specified in the Course Outline. Please make sure you
keep a copy of your assignments.
Single submission or group submission cover sheets may be downloaded from your courses
Moodle page.
The School guidelines recommend that late submissions incur a penalty of 5 marks for each
calendar day the assignment is late. For example, if you received a mark of 40 out of 50 for an
assignment that you handed in 2 days late you would receive a penalty of 10 marks and your
mark would be reduced to 30. If the same assignment were handed in 4 days late the mark
would be reduced to 20. An extension may only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Where
an assessment task is worth less than 20% of the total course mark and you have a compelling
reason for being unable to submit your work on time, you must seek approval for an extension
from the course convenor before the due date. Special consideration for assessment tasks of
20% or greater must be processed through https://student.unsw.edu.au/special-consideration
Please note that late penalties are at the discretion of the course convenor and in some cases
late work may not be assessed. Please carefully check course outlines for more detailed
information regarding late penalties.
It is always worth submitting late assessment tasks when possible. Completion of the work, even
late, may be taken into account in cases of special consideration.
An extension may only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Where an assessment task is
worth less than 20% of the total course mark and you have a compelling reason for being unable
to submit your work on time, you must seek approval for an extension from your Course
Convenor before the due date. For assessment tasks worth more than 20%, students should go
through the standard process for special consideration (please see Section 5).
You will be expected to provide documentary medical or other formal evidence supporting your
case directly to the Course Convenor. Any extension or consideration may be refused if you do
not provide documented evidence of the reasons for you missing the due date.
3
Extensions will not be granted for the following circumstances:





Computer, printer or copier problems
Minor illness such as a head cold
Special events (family, work, church etc.)
Routine demands of employment, family commitments
Poor time management
Please also see the information on Special Consideration below.
You must be available for all tests and examinations. Final examinations for each course are
held during the University examination periods, which are June for Semester 1 and November for
Semester 2.
Provisional examination timetables show the exam dates and times, and final examination
timetables show the exam dates, times and locations. Examination timetables are generally
published on myUNSW in May for Semester 1 and September for Semester 2. Make sure you
check your timetable and advise the Examinations Branch of any problems. For the official
provisional and final examination timetable release dates, please refer to the following website
once the previous semester ends: www.exams.unsw.edu.au.
Further University examination details can be found at https://student.unsw.edu.au/exams
Where a calculator is required for an examination, you will need to provide your own, of a make
and model approved by UNSW. The list of approved calculators is shown at
https://student.unsw.edu.au/exam-approved-calculators-and-computers
It is your responsibility to ensure that your calculator is of an approved make and model, and to
obtain an “Approved” sticker for it from the School Office prior to the examination. Calculators not
bearing an “Approved” sticker will not be allowed into the examination room.
If you believe your performance in an examination or other assessment task has suffered to a
substantial degree through sickness, misadventure, or an unforeseen circumstance of a serious
nature, you may be able to apply for Special Consideration. You are required to follow the
procedures outlined by the University at the following website:
https://student.unsw.edu.au/special-consideration
In addition to the UNSW policy for special consideration, the School has formulated the following,
additional guidelines to determine a student’s eligibility for Special Consideration.
4
Please note that these guidelines apply to students who have suffered specific, acute illness or
misadventure during the semester. Students with long-term problems should first seek the advice
of the Student Services Coordinator before submitting an application for special consideration.
The School guidelines on Special Consideration are as follows:

Students must apply for special consideration following UNSW rules within three (3) days
of the assessment and include a Professional Authority Form as part of the
documentation.

The Professional Authority Form must state the nature of the illness, the dates the
student was affected, the severity of the illness, and the impact on the student's ability to
prepare for or sit for any work for assessment.

Students who sit the final exam (or other assessment task) and request special
consideration must provide documentation which certifies that they have been affected
by serious illness or misadventure in the period leading up to or during the final
examination (or other assessment task) in such a way that their performance is seriously
affected.

Students who did not attend the exam (or other assessment task) due to illness or
misadventure must provide documentation which certifies the circumstances as being
severe enough to have prevented their attendance.

The submission of a Special Consideration Request does not automatically result in the
opportunity to sit a supplementary assessment. If the grounds for the request for special
consideration are thought to be minor (for example a cold, headache) or the doctor views
the effect on performance as mild, then the application for special consideration may not
be accepted.

If the medical or other evidence is clearly of a nature to affect the student's performance
seriously and the application is accepted, a number of outcomes are possible:

o
The marks obtained for completed assessment tasks may be aggregated or
averaged to achieve a final percentage.
o
The deadline for assessment may be extended.
o
A supplementary examination may be offered (see below for more details)
If a student has passed the course and performed close to what would be expected on
the basis of their in-semester assessment and their general student record, then the
special consideration may not be accepted and the existing mark will stand.
5

Requests for special consideration worth less than 20% of the final grade are submitted
to the Course Convenor for consideration.

Requests for special consideration worth more than 20% of the final grade are submitted
to Student Central and are first considered by the School’s Student Services Coordinator
and then may be forwarded to the Course Convenor. In some cases, applications for
special consideration will be considered by a panel consisting of representatives from the
School.

The outcome of an application for special consideration will be entered on myUNSW by
the Course Convenor or Student Services Coordinator. “Under Review” is not an
acceptable final outcome.

Students will be notified of the arrangements of a supplementary examination at least five
(5) working days before the commencement of the supplementary exam period.

If the student's application for special consideration is accepted, then the student will not
be notified of their mark and will be given a grade of WC as their official mark and grade.
To be eligible for a supplementary final examination you must have completed at least 75% of
the assessments tasks for the course (excluding the final exam) during the semester and have
been awarded at least 40% of the total marks achievable for that work.
The form of the supplementary assessment may be different from the original assessment.
However, you can expect it to be of a similar difficulty as the original assessment.
In determining whether an application for a supplementary examination will be granted the
following may be considered:
 The severity of the illness or unavoidable misadventure
 Performance in other assessment tasks in the course to date
 Whether the application follows the University procedures for Special Consideration and
all the documentation meets additional School requirements?
 Whether or not the examination was attempted
Supplementary final examinations will be held in the week commencing three (3) weeks after the
day of the last examinations in each semester.
If supplementary assessment is offered then you must be available for that assessment. No
further supplementary examinations will be offered if you are unable to attend a scheduled
supplementary examination.
Your employment obligations, travel arrangements or holiday plans are not acceptable reasons
for absence from supplementary assessment.
6
You will be advised of the details of the supplementary examination by email to your University
email address.
The result of this assessment will take the place of the previous final examination mark (if
attempted) when calculating a final mark for the course. This may result in a mark higher or
lower than the one previously notified. However, the mark will never be reduced from a passing
mark to a failing mark. If you do not sit the supplementary assessment, then the mark of the final
exam will become the final mark for that component.
Plagiarism is using the words or ideas of others and presenting them as your own. Plagiarism is
a type of intellectual theft. It can take many forms, from deliberate cheating to accidentally
copying from a source without acknowledgement. UNSW has produced a booklet which provides
essential information for avoiding plagiarism
https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/academiclife/Plagiarism.pdf
There are a range of resources to support students in avoiding plagiarism. The Learning Centre
assists students with understanding academic integrity and how not to plagiarise. They also hold
workshops and can help students one-on-one. Information is available on the dedicated
Academic Integrity & Plagiarism website https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism.
You 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 tasks.
If plagiarism is found in your work when you are in first year, your lecturer will offer you
assistance to improve your academic skills. They may ask you to look at some online resources,
attend the Learning Centre, or sometimes resubmit your work with the problem fixed. However
more serious instances in first year, such as stealing another student’s work or paying someone
to do your work, may be investigated under the Student Misconduct Procedures.
Repeated plagiarism (even in first year), plagiarism after first year, or serious instances, may also
be investigated under the Student Misconduct Procedures. The penalties under the procedures
can include a reduction in marks, failing a course or, for the most serious matters (such as
plagiarism in an honours thesis), even suspension from the university. The Student Misconduct
Procedures are available here
https://www.gs.unsw.edu.au/policy/documents/studentmisconductprocedures.pdf
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 Disabilities Unit (9385 4734). Information for students with disabilities is available at:
http://www.studentequity.unsw.edu.au
7
Issues to be discussed may include access to materials, signers or note-takers, the provision of
services, and additional examination and assessment arrangements. Early notification is
essential to enable any necessary adjustments to be made.
UNSW's Health and Safety Policy requires each person to work safely and responsibly, in order
to avoid personal injury and to protect the safety of others. For all matters relating to
Occupational Health, Safety and Environment, see http://www.ohs.unsw.edu.au
All staff and students in the School must undertake mandatory safety training appropriate to their
position and/or activities carried out in the School. The Safety Training section on the School’s
website details these training requirements http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mechanicalengineering/safety-training.
UNSW Security Services has a comprehensive 24 hour security presence on campus. Security
Services is always your first contact point for any incident or emergency on campus (call 9385
6666).
Security Services is also on call to accompany you from your location on campus to car parks,
bus stops, taxi ranks and limited locations surrounding campus. This service is free and available
to you day and night.
Security Services provides a free night shuttle bus for staff and students on the Kensington
Campus. For more information, please see http://www.facilities.unsw.edu.au/securitysafety/about-unsw-security-services.
The University provides a range of services to help you with your learning and living while
studying here. These include:
The Student Equity and Disability Unit at http://www.studentequity.unsw.edu.au/. SEADU
provides educational support and programs for any student who has a disability, health or
learning difficulty, or is studying under difficult personal circumstances.
The Learning Centre at https://student.unsw.edu.au/academic-skills-support-contacts. The
Learning Centre offers academic skills support to all students enrolled at UNSW through
workshops, courses and individual consultations.
UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at
http://www.counselling.unsw.edu.au/ CAPS provides a free and confidential service to help
students make the most of their university experiences. Services include free individual
counselling, specific programs, workshops and seminars for skills development and self-help
resources that promote wellbeing and adjustment to university life.
8
We are committed to providing you with a harmonious work and study environment and will listen
to your problems and concerns and try to resolve them quickly. For more information about
resolution procedures go to https://student.unsw.edu.au/complaints.
9