DEFINITIONS

Some terms used in this Handbook may be unfamiliar to new students. The explanations listed here relate to these terms as they are used by James Cook University.

Academic Board:: the Board is a committee of the Council and the principal academic body of the University.

academic record:: an official statement, issued by authority of the Registrar, of a student’s subject results obtained at the University and showing any credit granted for prior study.

academic year:: the period beginning on the first day of the first study period of a calendar year and ending on the last day of the last study period of a calendar year.

adjudicator:: an additional assessor appointed to examine academic work where consensus has not been reached between the examiners. The adjudicator is frequently external to the University.

admission:: the process by which a person received a formal offer, from an authorised officer of the University, to enrol in a particular academic year for a particular course or particular subject, which has been formally accepted by that person, whether by ordinary admission, alternative entry or miscellaneous admission.

assessment:: includes all forms of assign�ments and examinations set as part of a program of study. Assessment exercises may be in the form of essays, project reports, laboratory reports, practical work, field trip reports, artistic or creative performances, teaching practice, placements, tutorials, tests or examinations etc.

assignment:: a piece of academic work to be completed by a student and submitted for assessment.

award:: a degree, diploma or certificate contained in the list of approved Awards of James Cook University.

block mode:: subjects offered via block mode require attendance at classes conducted via block teaching sessions and may be held on or off campus. For example: classes may be held from 9.00am - 5.00pm Saturday and Sunday for three consecutive weekends, or may be held three nights per week for, say, four weeks.

candidate:: a person enrolled for an award of the University who is pursuing a course of study in accordance with the requirements which apply for the award.

census date:: the date on which a student’s enrolment in a subject is taken to be finalised.

certificate:: an award of the University at Certificate, Graduate Certificate or Postgraduate Certificate level.

certified copy:: a photocopy of an original document which has been certified by a Justice of the Peace, Commissioner for Declarations, Police Officer or staff member of a tertiary institution, as a true copy of the original document sighted by the certifier. The certification must be original; photocopies or facsimiles of certified copies are not acceptable.

Chancellor:: the person who presides at meetings of the University Council, and at graduation ceremonies.

commencing student:: a person who has been admitted and enrolled for the first time at the University for a course and whose enrolment for that course has neither lapsed nor been cancelled.

Commonwealth assisted student:: a student who is a Commonwealth supported student or who is in receipt of a HELP loan or a Commonwealth Learning Scholarship.

Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support number (CHESSN):: a unique identifier for each student who accesses Commonwealth assistance for higher education.

Commonwealth supported place:: a higher education place for which the Commonwealth makes a contribution towards the cost of the student’s education.

Commonwealth supported student:: a student who occupies a Commonwealth supported place.

continuing student:: a person who has been admitted to the University and has been enrolled for a course, whose enrolment for that course has neither lapsed nor been cancelled, and is not a commencing student.

Council:: the governing body of the University.

course:: a combination of subjects the successful completion of which, together with any credit transfers in accordance with the relevant requirements, will fulfil the prescribed requirements for a particular award.

credit transfer:: as a consequence of study successfully completed at this or another approved tertiary institution, or in recognition of prior learning, credit may be granted towards an award of the University. This may be unspecified credit or for specified subjects.

cross-institutional enrolment:

the procedure by which:

a student enrolled for an award course at the University is granted approval to undertake subjects at another tertiary education institution for credit towards a James Cook University Award.
a student undertaking a course at another tertiary institution is approved to undertake units offered at James Cook University for credit to the student’s course at the other institution.

deferred enrolment:: the approved postponement of study for a specified period prior to the first enrolment in a course.

degree:: an award of the University at Bachelor, Master or Doctoral level.

diploma:: an award of the University at Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Graduate Diploma or Postgraduate Diploma level.

discipline:: an area of study capable of being identified and of being system�atically developed eg Geography.

dissertation:: a substantive description of the research undertaken for the purpose of obtaining a coursework higher degree (research component less than two-thirds of the degree requirements) together with any associated material that is also subject to examination.

EFTSL: (equivalent full-time student load): a value representing the student load for a subject or part of a subject expressed as a proportion of the workload for a standard annual enrolment for a student undertaking a full year of study in a particular year of a particular course.

elective:: a subject which is not part of the core subjects of an award, but which may be undertaken as prescribed by the requirements of the course and credited towards that award.

enrolment:: the process whereby an applicant submits an application for enrolment to the University for a year or part of a year. It includes the completion of required documents, the payment of appropriate fees and, for coursework students, the nomination of subjects. Enrolment must be completed at a time specified by the University. Conditions may be imposed on a student’s enrolment.

examination:: a formal assessment by the University of the level of attainment in a particular component of a subject or a complete subject. Examinations are normally written but may be oral or practical. Such examinations are con�ducted by the University in accordance with the Examination Requirements.

exclusion:: termination by the University of a student’s enrolment, and of the right to re-enrol, in a subject or course.

Executive Dean:: the academic officer responsible for the provision of academic and management leadership in all aspects of a faculty’s activities.

external mode:: subjects offered via external mode are offered via flexible delivery and require no on-campus attendance for classes. Flexible delivery may incorporate the delivery of teaching material wholly or in part via the Internet, print material or CD Rom.

faculty:: the organisation of several schools into an academic area responsible for the administration of courses.

field trip:

an activity which:

involves a student’s travel to and work at a place or places away from the University; and
relates to, and is a requirement for a course being undertaken by the student at the University; and
is carried out under the general control of a University staff member.

full-time student:: a student who has enrolled for 18 or more units in one academic year. A normal full-time load is 24 units spread over an academic year. A student enrolled for 9 or more units in a teaching period may be classified as full-time for that teaching period.

graduand:: a candidate who has fulfilled the requirements of an award but has not yet had the Award conferred.

graduate:: a person who has had an award conferred following the completion of a defined course of study.

higher degree:: an award at Master or Doctoral level.

Higher Education Loans Program (HELP):: a Commonwealth Government loan program to help eligible students pay student contributions (HECS-HELP), tuition fees (FEE-HELP) and overseas study expenses (OS-HELP).

honours degree:: an undergraduate award at a higher level of study which may contain a high level of research.

inadmissible combinations:: two or more subjects with substantially overlapping content where enrolment in and credit for may be given in respect of a single subject and only once towards the same course.

internal mode:: subjects offered via internal mode require regular attendance at classes over most weeks of a study period and are usually held on campus. Internal mode subjects offered during Semester 1 (Study Period 1) or Semester 2 (Study Period 2) are generally of 13 weeks duration.

joint degree:: an award involving the combination of two courses of study.

lecturer-in-charge:: the academic staff member who is either solely responsible for the assessment in a subject, if he or she is the only person involved in teaching, or who is responsible for the coordination of assessment in the subject if more than one staff member is involved in teaching.

limited attendance mode:: subjects offered via limited attendance mode are offered via flexible delivery and require some on-campus attendance for classes. Flexible delivery may incorporate the delivery of teaching material wholly or in part via the Internet, print material or CD Rom. Practicum subjects are sometimes also recorded as limited attendance mode subjects.

major:: an approved sequence of subjects in a discipline or cognate group of disciplines. A major forms part of a course structure and may be included in undergraduate or postgraduate courses eg BSc in Ecology.

Master Schedule of Subjects:: a list of the subjects offered by the University in any year, together with their unit value, prerequisites, inadmissible subjects, study period and mode of delivery.

Masters degree by coursework:: a Masters degree in which more than one-third of the student load for the course is required as coursework and less than two-thirds of the load is required as research.

Masters degree by research:: a Masters degree in which at least two-thirds of the student load for the course is required as research work and not more than one-third is required as coursework.

miscellaneous student:: a candidate enrolled in one or more subjects but not in a course leading to an Award.

part-time student:: a student who has enrolled for fewer than 18 units in one academic year. A student enrolled for fewer than 9 units in a teaching period may be classified as part-time for that teaching period.

plagiarism:: reproduction without acknowledgement of another person’s words, work or thoughts from any source. Refer to page 68 for further information on plagiarism.

postgraduate:: of or pertaining to a course of study undertaken following completion of a Bachelor or Bachelor with Honours degree, a diploma or certificate.

prerequisite:: a subject which must be successfully completed before a specific subsequent subject can be studied.

program:: a set combination of subjects which comprises an entire course structure. Completion of this set combination of subjects is compulsory in order to fulfil the award requirements. The term ‘program’ can be used in conjunction with courses at any level.

quota:: a limit set by the University on the number of students who may be admitted to a course or subject in a particular year.

re-enrolment:: the process by which continuing and returning students complete re-enrolment procedures for the following year and pay the appropriate fees. Re-enrolment must be completed at a time specified by the University.

Registrar:: the member of staff who is Secretary to the Council of the University and Academic Board.

returning student:: a person who has been admitted to the University and has been previously enrolled for a course, but not in the preceding year, whose enrolment for that course has neither lapsed nor been cancelled, and is not a commencing student.

school:

a unit of academic organisation within a faculty, usually containing several disciplines which have related teaching and research responsibilities.

Note: The College of Music, Visual Arts and Theatre falls within this definition.

semester:: a principal study period of the academic year, generally consisting of 13 weeks of teaching, one week of lecture recess and one week of study vacation followed by an examination period. There are two semesters: in 2005 Semester 1 (Study Period 1) runs from Monday 21 February to Friday 17 June, and Semester 2 (Study Period 2) from Monday 8 August to Friday 2 December. Semester 1 is sometimes used to mean Teaching Period 1 - that is, the first six months of the year, and Semester 2 is sometimes used to mean Teaching Period 2 - that is, the second six months of the year.

show cause:: the process whereby students, who do not attain a level of academic achievement prescribed for this purpose by the Academic Board on the recommendation of the relevant faculty, are required to submit in writing a statement supporting an application for continued re-enrolment in that course. Students are referred to page 58 of this publication.

statement of reasons:: a written statement submitted by a student to support an application to re-enrol, when a student has been denied permission to enrol for a course and/or subject for a period determined by the Executive Dean. Students are referred to page 59 of this publication.

student:: a person who has been admitted to the University and has enrolled for a course or a subject, and whose enrolment for that course or for that subject has not lapsed or been cancelled. (See also commencing student, continuing student and returning student.)

student academic misconduct:

any improper action taken by a student to gain an advantage when having academic work assessed.

Students are referred to the University’s policy on Student Academic Misconduct.

Academic Misconduct includes:

cheating in an examination;
plagiarism;
falsification of research results;
falsification of an academic record;
any other acts or omissions not included in the above which in the opinion of the Chair of the Academic Board reasonably represent Academic Misconduct.

student learning entitlement (SLE):: an entitlement that gives eligible students access to a Commonwealth supported place. There are three types of SLE: ordinary SLE, additional SLE and lifelong SLE.

student load:: student load is expressed in EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load) values.

study period:: the period of time in which a subject is undertaken. Each study period has a designated start and end date, census date, last date by which students can add or substitute subjects without prior approval of subject coordinator, date for withdrawal without academic penalty, and date for release of subject results. In exceptional circumstances, the start and end date of a study period may vary for an individual subject.

subject:: a discrete portion of a course, identified by a code, title and unit value.

teaching period:: an academic year is divided into two teaching periods. Teaching Period 1 is the first six months of the year and Teaching Period 2 is the second six months of the year. Subjects with a census date prior to the 1 July are classified as Teaching Period 1 subjects and subjects with a census date on or after the 1 July are classified as Teaching Period 2 subjects.

termination:: the cancellation by the University of a student’s enrolment.

testamur:: the official document signed by the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar as confirmation of the conferral of an award, or the award of a diploma or certificate.

thesis:: a substantive description of the research undertaken for the purpose of obtaining a research degree (research component more than two-thirds of the degree requirements) together with any associated material that is also subject to examination.

undergraduate:: of or pertaining to courses of study offered for a Bachelor degree, Bachelor with Honours degree, diploma or certificate.

unit value of subject:: a measure of workload; three or four unit subjects represent the normal value of a subject at the University although multiples of three or four unit subjects are possible. A three unit subject represents 25% of a full-time student’s normal workload during a teaching period. Each subject is awarded a unit value by the appropriate faculty.

Vice‑Chancellor:: the chief executive officer of the University.

withdrawal:: the formal cessation by a student of enrolment from a subject or course. Depending upon the timing, the withdrawal may appear on an academic record as a “withdrawal without failure” or as a “failure”. Students are referred to page 153 of this publication.