Glossary of terms

The glossary provides a useful explanation of common terms used at university.

» Admission	allows a person entrance to undertake a course of study at the university.
» Advanced Standing	recognition of prior learning and is displayed as credit testament.
» Assessment	method by which a student's academic progress and performance is measured in a unit.
» Blackboard	online learning management system used by CBS
» Census date	date set by Department of Education and Training that academic and financial penalties are applied.
» Class	any scheduled teaching activity involving face-to-face contact and includes lectures, tutorials, laboratory sessions and seminars.
» Conditional	an academic status determined by the Board of Examiners. A student is permitted to re-enrol but will be subject to conditions determined by the Head of School and to the statutes and rules of the university.
» Contact time	time students are expected to spend in lectures, tutorials, seminars and workshops where they have direct and organised contact with staff and other students.
» Course code	number allocated to each individual course.
» Core Unit	compulsory unit specified in the course outline.
» Course weighted average	calculation of a students average of results (given as a final percentage mark) for all units in a course. The calculation is based on the mark and value of the credit weighting.
» Credit	used in two ways in the university: credit is recognition of study or work experience that you have already completed. For example, you may have completed a similar course at another institution a credit can also refer to a grade awarded for a piece of assessment. View Curtin's grading system.
» Credit transfer	the principle of accepting a student's academic record, in whole or in part, as either identical to or the equivalent of a part of a Curtin course.
» Deferred Examination/Assessment	any component of assessed work within a unit of study completed at specified later date.
» Distance education delivery	covers print, audiovisual, computer or telecommunication based, materials, tutorial support, assignments, assessment and feedback.
» Double degree	approved combined study program leading to two awards (eg, Bachelor of Social Science, Bachelor of Commerce).
» Double major	two full majors within one course (eg, Bachelor of Commerce - Marketing and Information Systems).
» Elective unit	unit of study chosen by a student not specified in the course structure.
» English competency requirements	essential literacy provisions for admission to courses at Curtin. Competency requirements are published and reviewed annually.
»Enrolment	registration as a student in a Curtin degree course and the associated units to be studied.
» Enrolment transaction advice	statement acknowledging the receipt and acceptance of initial enrolment and any enrolment amendments.
» Examination	formal, supervised assessment activity used to assess student learning outcomes, which comprises at least thirty percent (30%) of the overall mark for a unit and which normally takes place at the conclusion of a formal teaching period.
» Exempt	when a student is not required to undertake a part of a unit of study, a unit or units of study because of prior studies or work experience.
» Extension studies	provides for matriculated and non-matriculated applicants to undertake study in a limited number of units. These units are available on a fee-paying basis, not for degree basis and may subsequently be used as a basis for applying to a degree course.
» Field assignment study	field assignment or experience is completed in a company, organisation or environment outside the university. The focus in field assignments is on linking what is learnt in class with what is seen, collected and tested in the field.
» Full-time study	full-time study is at least 4 units each half year and 8 units each year Visa regulations require international students to be enrolled in 100% of a full-time study load but 75% in exceptional circumstances.
» General credit	process where previous studies exempts a student from having to complete unspecified units in a course.
» Good standing	academic status determined by the Board of Examiners, a student is permitted to re-enrol in that course, subject to the statutes and rules of the university.
» Grade	alpha-numeric code used to signify a range of percentage marks or status of a result.
» Graduate	a person who has had their award conferred by the university.
» Graduate attributes	key generic skills identified as important by employers embedded and integrated in all Curtin courses.
» The Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS )	scheme under to the official Higher Education Funding Act 1988 to which the University and all students must comply. Continued enrolment at the University is conditional upon full compliance with the associated regulations.
» Honours award	earned either as the outcome of a year of study that is additional to a bachelor degree in a discipline; as the outcome of an honours program that is studied concurrently with a normal pass degree of four years or more in a discipline; or in limited instances based on academic performance in those studies following completion of a specified program.
» Student fees and charges invoice	university’s request for payment of tuition and other fees for a given study period.
» Letter of course completion	official document, issued by the Director, Student Services, stating that all academic requirements for the course have been met.
» Liability notice	university’s official notification of a student's financial liability as at the census date for the relevant study period.
» Major	series of units combined to satisfy the university’s requirements in an area of specialisation and includes at least two units at final year level. There must be more components that constitute the major than components that constitute any other single area.
» Mature age candidates	for the purposes of admission to the University are those who will be twenty (20) years of age, or over, before 1 March of the year of admission to the university.
» Minor	series of four units in the same subject, including at least two units at second year level or higher.
» Optional unit	unit chosen, by the student, from a specified list provided by the School(s).
» Part-time study	part-time study involves the study of 2 units or less a semester.
» Plagiarism	the use of other people's work, ideas, theories, diagrams, tables, audio visual materials without acknowledging the original author (presenting the ideas as your own).
» Postgraduate Education Loans Scheme (PELS)	interest free loan facility for eligible students who are enrolled in fee-paying, postgraduate non-research courses.
» Practicals	learning opportunities in which there is usually a brief presentation by the lecturer or tutor followed by students participating in various exercises or experiments. In some courses, it could mean teaching time spent on computers.
» Prerequisite	required subject/unit deemed necessary for entry to higher level studies in a particular area.
»Re-enrolling	if you have completed a semester of study and are continuing in the same course at Curtin, you are considered to be a re-enrolling student.
» Sanction	warning put on the students record, to alert the student of outstanding requirements and which may withhold certain privileges.
» Significant unit	unit of study in an approved specified course in which failure twice may lead to the termination of a student’s enrolment.
» Standard semester	comprises the following elements - an orientation week immediately preceding the start of classes, twelve (12) teaching weeks, two tuition free weeks, a study week, and a two week examination period.
» Statement of Academic Record (SAR)	official record of the students advanced standing, grade and mark obtained for units studied within a course.
» Study period	period of time in which a unit is available eg, Semester 1, Trimester 3, etc.
» Study plan	overview specifying a students advanced standing granted, past, present and intended enrolment.
» Study week	week before the commencement of the examination period during which students are expected to prepare for examinations or practical assessments.
» Seminar	small group of students meeting for 1-3 hours with a lecturer or tutor. Some of this time will involve a presentation of information by the lecturer or tutor or by a student or group of students.
» Supplementary examination/assessment	may be approved by the Board of Examiners, for students who have not met the requirements for successful completion of a unit.
» Tutorial	class of generally between 5-30 students in which students discuss key topics, concepts and ideas with tutors. They are closely linked to lectures and assessment.
» Tuition pattern	different types of learning environments eg, lectures, tutorials, practicals, laboratories, fieldwork, etc.
» Unit	the hours of student work required for that course. One unit represents approximately thirty five hours of student work, including both contact and non-contact time.
» Unit outline	summary of essential information relating to the unit being studied and must be made available to students enrolled in the unit prior to but no later than the date of the first scheduled class contact.
» University academic calendar	standard university academic calendar comprised of two (2) standard semesters, Semester 1 and Semester 2.
» University examinations office	located within Student Central and is responsible for scheduling and the coordination of centrally scheduled examinations and the issuing of final results.