Student Information Guide
Student Information Guide
2010
INTRODUCTION
Purpose
This booklet has been prepared as a general guide for students. We believe students will find
the contents useful as a major source of information for both their academic life and in their
day-to-day activities while undergoing study programs at Singapore Institute of Commerce
(SIC).
Welcome to students
RMIT University, in conjunction with SIC, is pleased to have the opportunity to welcome you as
a student and we are proud of our ability to provide you with practical and accessible education.
Both RMIT University and SIC provide high quality education programs and pride themselves on
their client focus, innovation and enterprise, ethical behaviour and responsibility as well as their
technological and professional orientation.
As RMIT University students, your academic progress is governed by the rules, regulations,
statutes and ordinances of the University. We therefore request that you familiarise yourselves
with the summary of the information contained within this information guide.
As an RMIT University student you are able to access the RMIT University Library and online
learning resources. Information about the RMIT University Library and services available to
offshore students can be found on the Library’s offshore student information page
www.rmit.edu.au/library/offshore. Country-level restrictions may apply to accessing some of
the resources.
In developing this information guide, consideration has been given to the most common issues
and problems raised by students. It provides most of the information you need to know about
your study program and the services available to you. However, we do encourage you to
communicate with SIC and RMIT University about any concerns you may have as they arise.
We look forward to your participation in your chosen program and thank you for choosing to
study with us. We wish you every success in your studies.
June 2010
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is accurate and current at the date of printing.
For the most up-to-date information, please refer to the RMIT University website.
Prepared June 2010 by the Academic Registrar’s Group. www.rmit.edu.au/academic-registrar
RMIT University Provider Code: 00122A.
5.5.3 Assignment due dates and extension of time (up to seven days) .............. 18
Since its beginning, RMIT University has demonstrated a continuing commitment to providing
technical, vocational and professional education through the use of distance education
designed to meet the needs of learners for whom traditional face-to-face learning at set times
and set places was not appropriate.
RMIT University offers education for employment, personal and community development and
the resolution of real-world problems. The University’s strong local and international reputation
is based on the quality of its teaching and it’s academic and research programs, which are
renowned for being technologically oriented, client focused, creative, innovative and practical.
Students and staff put a high value on creativity, cultural diversity, environmental care, ethical
behaviour, fairness to all and a global outlook. These values underpin links with industry,
community organisations and other education institutions and are expressed in the teaching and
learning activities.
RMIT University has more than 70,000 students undertaking university and vocational award
programs in Australia and overseas and a further 40,000 clients through industry-focused
training. More than 25,000 international students study in Melbourne, with a further 11,000
studying offshore. The University has agreements with more than 190 institutions internationally,
which facilitate student and staff exchange and collaborative research. There is an extensive
international alumni network that includes in excess of 120,000 RMIT University graduates.
There is a vibrant research community attracting funding from a range of government and
industry sources. The college has an annual budget of approximately $290 million and employs
nearly 1,000 staff providing on and offshore programs to approximately 20,000 students.
RMIT University Business prides itself on its educational contribution to the global business
community. The Melbourne campus is a popular destination for international students and the
college is involved in educational partnerships throughout South East Asia including in China,
Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. A wide range of offshore programs,
including articulation arrangements, are offered in collaboration with local institutions.
The program has a generic core with specialisation in the following main areas:
The program also includes an optional one semester work and research experience in overseas
automotive companies through the RIIERP program. It provides students with an in-depth
understanding of engineering disciplines of the automotive production life-cycle. It exposes
students to state of the art infrastructure and different work ethics by providing the opportunity to
carry out work experience or research projects at multinational automotive companies
worldwide.
1.5 Accreditation/certification
RMIT University accredits the programs listed and provides graduates with an RMIT
University transcript of results, RMIT University graduation/certification and an RMIT
University award according to the level achieved i.e. Diploma, Bachelor degree or Masters.
The course guides indicate clearly how the assessments are related to the development of
various capabilities and the acquisition and application of knowledge.
They contain details of assessable tasks and the respective weightings for each assessable
piece of work. They will also set out the syllabus details, the objectives and expected outcomes,
and a list of recommended texts and references.
1. all course handouts and other additional course materials, including those
from the RMIT and local lecturers are uploaded via myRMIT.
2. should the course coordinator agree to release their past exam papers, they
would be available via myRMIT.
2.0 ENROLMENT
Please accurately complete and sign your enrolment forms. Enrol using your names as they
appear in your official identification documents (for example, identity card or passport). The
name on your degree certificate will be the name you have written on your enrolment form.
When you enrol with RMIT University it is important you provide RMIT University with all the
information required to administer your enrolment and graduation. The personal information you
provide is also used to fulfil statistical reporting requirements for the Australian Government.
During your studies at RMIT University you will receive a number of important communications.
As agreed to in the Statement of student responsibilities when you enrolled, you need to log in
to myRMIT at least twice a week to check your announcements and RMIT student email
account. (Please refer to Section 2.8 for online log in access details)
Your RMIT University student email account is an important way for RMIT University to
communicate with you about your studies. RMIT University will use your student email account
to send you official communications related to your enrolment, fees or academic progress.
Four to six weeks prior to the enrolment period, SIC will send you a letter outlining the date and
time of your enrolment. Late enrolment is discouraged, however, if you are unable to attend at
that time, you must contact SIC regarding enrolling at a later date prior to the scheduled
enrolment (you may be required to pay a late fee).
You are required to attend at SIC for enrolment on the date specified in the enrolment
notification. You must enrol by completing official RMIT University enrolment documents. The
RMIT University enrolment documents consist of a pre-printed RMIT University official
enrolment form and a statistical data form that details all your pre-printed information.
You are also required to fill in the course selection form for all courses that you are intending to
study in that year. All forms must be filled in correctly, signed and dated by you and date
stamped by SIC at the time of enrolment.
If you do not attend the specified enrolment session and do not make alternate arrangements,
you may not be able to enrol and you may lose your place in the program.
If you owe fees you will not be permitted to enrol until all debts are cleared.
Proxy forms are only valid for the documentation to which they are attached, and do not
represent an ongoing authority to act on your behalf.
All forms requiring a student’s signature must include the student’s or proxy’s signature in order
to be valid. Staff cannot sign forms or act as a proxy on behalf of students.
If you intend to take leave of absence you must have enrolled or applied for leave of absence by
the relevant enrolment or census date for your program. Failure to enrol or officially take leave
may result in the cancellation of your enrolment. To avoid receiving any academic penalties,
submissions for leave of absence must be made prior to the relevant census dates (see section
2.10).
If you wish to take leave of absence you should obtain an Application for leave of absence form
from SIC. Please complete and submit this form to SIC. SIC will forward the request to RMIT
University where the decision to approve or deny your application is made by the program
director.
Note: Once LoA has been approved all enrolments will be dropped for courses not completed at
the time leave commences. Once your leave of absence period ends, you are required to enrol
for your next semester/term of study by the relevant enrolment deadline for that semester.
If you have missed your scheduled enrolment session you must make immediate contact with
SIC to apply for late enrolment.
To apply for late enrolment students, must submit a letter/email along with an Application for
late enrolment (available from www.rmit.edu.au/offshore) to SIC within two weeks of your
official enrolment date. Students must address to the head of school the reasons for being
unable to enrol and present a case as to why they should be offered a place in the program.
Students should ensure that the letter includes their RMIT student number and contact details. If
the application is successful, SIC will send a letter to inform the student of a date and time to
enrol. If a late enrolment is accepted, a late fee may be imposed.
Continuing students who owe fees will not be permitted to enrol until all debts are cleared.
Late enrolling students must submit their signed RMIT University enrolment form and course
selection template to SIC who will forward it to the relevant RMIT University school
administrator. Late enrolment processing at RMIT University may take considerable time, and
students may experience significant delays in gaining access to online learning materials.
Shortly before the start of the semester in which you are expected to commence, SIC will send
you a letter of offer for the next intake which will include the date, time and venue of enrolment.
Note: Students can not defer once they have completed the RMIT enrolment process. (Please
see Section 2.4 relating to an Application for leave of absence)
Once you have logged onto enrolment online using the above link, click on the ‘Academic
History’ tab under the heading ‘Results’. This will allow you to view your currently enrolled
courses.
If any details are incorrect please notify SIC immediately so that the necessary changes can be
made as soon as possible.
Note: Any enrolment changes or variations must be actioned before the appropriate course
census date. See Section 2.9 for further census date information and Section 2.11 for adding
and dropping procedures.
2.8 RMIT University student number, student email account and online
services
On enrolment, you will receive your RMIT University student number from SIC. Your RMIT
University student number consists of the letter ‘s’ followed by a seven-digit number. Students
are required to use their student number for all assessment tasks and examinations.
Your RMIT University student email account is an important way for RMIT University to
communicate with you about your studies. RMIT University will use your student email account
to send you official communications related to your enrolment, fees or academic progress.
NDS is a multiple-platform, distributed database that stores information about hardware and
software resources available on the RMIT University network. It provides network users,
administrators and application developers with seamless, global access to all RMIT University
network resources.
A Student NDS account is required by RMIT University students to authenticate their use of the
University's central IT systems.
A student’s login user name is the letter ‘s’ followed by the seven-digit student number (e.g.
s3001234). When logging in for the first time, the NDS password is set to a default format,
which includes the letter ‘p’ followed by the student’s date of birth backwards. For example if a
student’s date of birth is 8 April 1984, their initial password is p19840408.
Students are advised to change their password after first login as per the password policy.
For further information, please refer to the Library web site www.rmit.edu.au/library/offshore.
The RMIT University Library’s online information resources are extensive and include
databases, e-books and e-journals. You can access these anytime, from anywhere, via the
Library web site at www.rmit.edu.au/library/offshore using your RMIT University student
(NDS) login.
You can learn how to make the most of the library and the Internet when looking for information
for your assignments by working through the online tutorial Info-trek: researching in the Library
and on the Internet at www.rmit.edu.au/library/info-trek/preparing.
For further information, please refer to the library web site www.rmit.edu.au/library/offshore.
myRMIT is an important and valuable communication tool for all students and staff.
You can log in (using your NDS login. See Section 2.8.2) to myRMIT to:
Census dates are specific to each course and to each teaching period. The census date for
non-intensive courses is after 20% of the course has been delivered. For intensive courses
If you wish to drop a course and fail to do so prior to the relevant census date, an academic
penalty will apply.
You must seek academic advice prior to making changes to your enrolment. If you want to add
or drop courses, an enrolment variation form can be obtained from and submitted to SIC. If you
wish to drop a course you must do so prior to the relevant census date.
You cannot add a course if you have already missed a significant amount of course
content/teaching sessions. (Please see Sections 2.10.1 and 2.10.2, for further details).
Varying your enrolment after the census date will result in academic penalties.
The cancellation of enrolment form can be obtained from SIC (or via myRMIT).
On request and in exceptional circumstances you may be given approval to over-enrol by one
course in your final semester if you have an excellent academic record (e.g. GPA over 3) and if
by overloading, you are able to avoid the need to return to undertake a single course in a
following semester/teaching period.
If a single course exemption is granted, you may find that your courses become out of sequence
and therefore you may not have a full course load and may not complete the program any
earlier than the minimum time.
To apply for additional course exemptions, you should complete the application form available
from SIC or via (www.rmit.edu.au/students/enrolment/credit/he) during your first enrolment
into the program. If successful, additional course exemptions will be confirmed after enrolling in
the program and will be shown on your academic transcript. You are able to view approved
course exemptions via enrolment online www.rmit.edu.au/myrmitstudies (please see 6.1.1
Transcript replacements as how to access hard copy academic transcripts). Course exemptions
will be confirmed after you enrol in the program and will be shown on your academic transcript.
2.14 Attendance
You are urged to attend all classes. Classes help you meet the educational objectives of the
courses by providing information regarding the application of concepts and theories, clarifying
important ideas and guiding reading while providing opportunity for discussion. Classes may
also include practical exercises and case studies. Absence from class will seriously limit your
ability to pass or achieve good results. If you are having your progress reviewed, a good record
of class attendance may be helpful in showing evidence of commitment to your studies.
4.0 FINANCE
Students are required to follow the rules and regulations regarding fees at SIC.
Note: all fees are subject to review and may be changed from time to time.
You are advised to refer to course guides or contact your course coordinator for guidelines for
the presentation of written work.
A copy of the assignment coversheet form can be obtained from SIC or from your course
lecturer.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating in assessment. Plagiarism is the presentation of the work, idea
or creation of another person, without appropriate referencing, as though it is your own. This
can also include previously submitted or currently submitted work for any other course/unit.
Plagiarism is not acceptable at RMIT University and is considered to be academic misconduct.
If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism please ask your lecturer to explain.
At the scheduled hearing, if the head of school, or their nominee, is satisfied that the student is
not guilty of the charge/s no further action is required. If the head of school, or their nominee, is
satisfied that the student is guilty of the charge/s the head of school, or nominee, may impose a
penalty on the student.
• a reprimand;
• a fine;
• failure of assessment module/s;
• failure of course/s;
• cancellation of program/s;
• suspension;
• exclusion;
• expulsion.
Details of the penalty imposed will be recorded on a student’s record. A student may appeal the
decision.
Information relating to plagiarism and misconduct can be viewed on the RMIT University
Policies and procedures web site at www.rmit.edu.au/polices.
If you are suspected of such inappropriate activity you will be required to appear before a Head
of School – or nominee – or discipline panel under the general misconduct provisions of RMIT
University to explain your conduct.
• You may not sit for assessment or examination for courses in which you are not
currently enrolled;
You must bring your own pens, pencils, rulers and erasers with you to your exam.
You should ascertain from your lecturer and the course guide in advance what material will be
authorised for the exam. During an exam, you must not have in your open possession, book/s,
notes, paper, calculator, pencil case, mobile phone or other material/items which are not
authorised for the exam or specifically permitted and described on the examination cover sheet.
Any items specified as being allowed to be used in the examination as prescribed on the
examination cover sheet must not be enhanced or tampered with in any way that provides an
additional advantage to you or any other student.
English language dictionaries are not permitted in an examination unless specified on the
examination cover sheet.
Hard copy bi-lingual dictionaries are permitted in an examination unless otherwise specifically
excluded by the relevant academic on the examination cover sheet. Permitted dictionaries such
as an English-Chinese dictionary, (direct translation only) must not contain any notations or be
otherwise tampered with in any way.
To lodge an appeal against a special consideration determination with the University Appeals
Committee, you must complete an Appeal against special consideration determination form
available from SIC or via RMIT www.rmit.edu.au/students/forms within 10 working days of
notification of the outcome.
Note: if you are permitted to resit an exam or assessment the result of your second attempt will
replace the result obtained on your first attempt, irrespective of whether it is identical, higher or
a lower mark. You should carefully consider your decision to resit an exam or
assessment.
5.5.3 Assignment due dates and extension of time (up to seven days)
Once assignment due dates have been set, assignments are required to be submitted by, or on
that date.
Short Extensions: If you are unable to meet the set due date then you must seek permission
for a short (maximum of seven calendar days) extension of time by completing a program
specific Application for Extension form prior to the original submission date.
You can obtain an Application for Extension of Time for Submission of Assessable Work form
from SIC (or via www.rmit.edu.au/students/forms). Your request should give your reasons for
seeking the extension of time and relevant supporting information, such as a doctor’s certificate,
and it must be lodged at the SIC office no later than one working day before the original
submission due date. You will be notified within no more than two working days of the date of
the application whether your application for a short extension has been granted
Longer extensions: An extension of time of longer than seven days is a major concession that
can only be granted as an outcome of an application for special consideration. (Please see
section 5.5.1 for procedure for special consideration)
If you submit work late (beyond the original or any new due date) penalties will be imposed, (as
outlined in the relevant course guide), and in some circumstances late assignments will not be
marked.
Distinction DI 70 - 79%
Credit CR 60 - 69%
Pass PA 50 - 59 %
Fail NN 0 - 49 %
50 - 100
Pass PX
No higher grade available for this
assessment
Interim Grades
The following are interim grades that will change to a final grade either as a result of further
action by the student or the lapse of a predetermined time period.
To be eligible for the award of degree with distinction, you need to achieve a Grade Point
Average (GPA) of 3.0 or above in your undergraduate program.
A GPA is a numerical calculation, weighted by credit points for higher education programs, of
the means of the results received over a defined study period (e.g. a term/semester) or over an
entire program. GPA is an internationally recognised measure of a tertiary student’s academic
performance. For further information, please refer to
www.rmit.edu.au/students/gradingbasis/gpa/
Academic support is available to help you maximise your study success. A range of useful
online learning resources are available which are designed to improve your general academic
• study skills;
• writing skills;
• assessment tasks;
• maths essentials.
Some students may also benefit from non academic support such as counselling to address
personal issues which may be affecting their study.
If you are identified as at risk you are strongly urged to seek advice, use the online resources at
www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/ and follow up on your Academic Performance Improvement Plan
to improve your results.
If you are deemed to have established unacceptable academic progress, you will be required to
show cause why you should not be excluded from RMIT University.
If you have been identified as having unacceptable academic progress you must provide a
written submission within 10 days of the date that the email (or other communication) is sent
asking you to show cause why you should not be excluded from your program. This submission
is your opportunity to explain why you have made poor academic progress and what changes
you will make to improve your academic performance. All documentation in the written
submission must be in English or a notarised translation into English must be provided.
The SPC may award a pass by compensation result for a failed course only where:
• the failed course is taken in the final semester of study and is the final requirement for a
student to qualify for an award; and
• the failed course is weighted no more than 12 credit points or equivalent; and
• the student has a pass result for all other courses in the teaching period and the failed
course has a result in the range 45-49%.
Some programs are exempt from the provision of pass by compensation due to legislative or
external accreditation requirements.
The decision to award a supplementary assessment is taken by the student progress committee
(SPC) during SPC meetings on academic progress every Semester. (Students do not apply).
The Supplementary assessment policy can be viewed on the RMIT University policies and
procedures web site at www.rmit.edu.au/policies.
Appeals against individual assessment task results are not permitted, except as part of an
appeal against a final result for a completed course.
• an error has occurred in the calculation of the grade e.g. in the transcription or
addition of marks to generate the final grade (not a difference of opinion about the
grade awarded).
Note: where a course requires a pass in the exam to pass the course (i.e. the exam is a
hurdle requirement), if the student fails the exam then their final grade will be recorded as
a fail grade. This does not constitute an error in the calculation of the grade. Students
should check their course guide to see if there is an exam hurdle requirement before
seeking a review of a final awarded grade;
• The assessment did not comply with criteria published in the course guide;
• The criteria published in the course guide do not meet the requirements of the
relevant training package or accredited course (TAFE only);
If you wish to seek a review of your grade you should submit a request by email to your course
coordinator at RMIT University using your RMIT student email account (a form is not used for
this step) You must identify the basis on which you seek this review (must be one of the three
circumstances listed above) as soon as possible.
You are strongly advised to initiate this step immediately and within five days of the release of
final results in order to meet the timelines outlined in step 2 of the process.
Appeals against individual assessment or task results are not permitted, except as part of an
appeal against a final result for a completed course.
If you wish to lodge an appeal you should obtain an Appeal against assessment form from SIC
and lodge it with SIC as soon as possible. If the application does not provide evidence to
establish that one of these three circumstances exists, the appeal will not be heard.
You can view your results online or print a copy of your unofficial transcript by visiting
www.rmit.edu.au/myrmitstudies and logging into enrolment online. Details of the grading
table are reproduced earlier in this information guide (see section 5.6).
This document confirms you have completed your program, whereas a transcript printed upon
completion of a program but prior to graduation does not contain completion or conferral details.
SIC and RMIT University are committed to maintaining a positive relationship between students,
the University and its staff. Where a student has a concern or a complaint they will attempt to
resolve the matter initially through SIC.
SIC commits to acknowledge complaints promptly and investigate and quickly resolve concerns
where possible.
If a student’s concern is not able to be resolved through SIC the matter will be drawn to the
attention of the relevant school administrator at RMIT University in Melbourne who will manage
the issue within the policies, procedures and guidelines for receiving, managing and resolving
complaints. Information on student complaints can be viewed on the RMIT University web site
at: www.rmit.edu.au/students/complaints and the RMIT University policies and procedures
web site at www.rmit.edu.au/policies.
2. You may complete a Change of personal information form available from SIC and submit
it along with any relevant supporting documentation to RMIT University via SIC. You
may at any time change your personal details with SIC
Important note: Any change of name must also be accompanied by documentation such as a
passport, deed poll or a marriage certificate. If your change of personal information is a change
of name, you must complete a Change of personal information form available from the partner
institute and submit it along with any relevant supporting documentation to RMIT University via
the partner institute.
Please ensure that this information is provided very clearly on a Change of Personal Information
form available from SIC and submit it along with any relevant supporting documentation to RMIT
University via SIC.
Your personal information is critical to the accuracy of the information appearing on your
transcript and testamur. Please ensure that this information is provided very clearly. The partner
institute will ensure that your updated personal information is communicated to RMIT University
who will update your student record.
7.0 GRADUATION
If the online Application to Graduate is not submitted by the closing date - usually mid-June
each year - your name cannot be included on the graduand list and you will have to wait until
the next year to attend a graduation ceremony and receive your testamur. Alternatively you can
choose to be conferred in absentia and not attend a ceremony.
The graduation ceremony involves a procession of all graduating students and the wearing of
appropriate academic cap and gown. Normally offshore RMIT University graduation is held
around August/September of each year and all SIC -RMIT University students are encouraged
to attend their local graduation.
If you have been approved to graduate at this ceremony you will receive further details from
RMIT University approximately six weeks before the ceremony. Attending the graduation
ceremony involves a fee which includes the hire cost of the academic dress. In addition, a
deposit is payable which will be returned to the student upon return of the academic dress after
the ceremony.
Further information on how to apply to graduate at one of the offshore ceremonies is available
from www.rmit.edu.au/graduation/offshore. There are also opportunities for eligible offshore
students to participate in the annual RMIT University Graduation Ceremony held in Melbourne
in December.
Note: you can only graduate at one ceremony of your choice. For more information about the
Melbourne Graduation Ceremony visit www.rmit.edu.au/graduation.
If you do not wish to attend a graduation ceremony you must still submit an online Application to
Graduate by logging in to the graduation database to ensure you can graduate in absentia and
receive you testamur by mail. There is no fee to graduate in absentia.
8.0 ALUMNI
RMIT University has more that 40 alumni representatives to assist graduates link with other
alumni in their location, profession or interest area. Through these representatives, members
can participate in social and career networking activities and take on leadership roles.
On completion of their studies, graduates will automatically become RMIT University Alumni.
There is no application process to join the RMIT University Alumni and membership is free. The
RMIT University Alumni web site provides further information at www.alumni.rmit.edu.au.
Currently the Course Experience Survey (CES) is administered in paper form after each exam
for courses at SIC.
You can be confident that your ratings and comments are confidential. Survey results are
summarised prior to being provided to the lecturer/teacher so that ratings and comments cannot
be attributed to any individual student.