Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies

Higher Education

Unit of Study Outline

CIS24
Human-Computer Interaction

Study Period 3, 2013

Version date (1 August, 2013)

© Swinburne University of Technology, 2013

Except as provided in the Copyright Act 1968, this document may not be
reproduced in any form without the written permission of the University.
Unit of Study Outline
CIS24
Unit of study code
Human Computer Interaction
Unit of study name
Study Period 3, 2013
Study Period & Year
12.5
Contact Hours (hrs/wk) or total contact
hours
CIS11 Information Methods, CIS13 Information
Prerequisites
Systems
None
Corequisites
12.5
Credit Points

Aims
It is difficult to identify any areas of business that have not been materially impacted by computer
based technological innovations. In past decades (70’s, 80’s and even the 90’s), there seemed to
be a prevailing attitude that business information systems were constructed to exploit the
characteristics of computer innovation, and that users would adapt themselves to the technology.
Therefore, most efforts to improve user acceptance and increase individual and organisational
productivity was focused on promoting computer literacy and training (i.e. modifying the person to
suit the system). But, the lack of success of many systems is now forcing developers to recognise
that no matter how technically proficient a new computer-based system might be, it will not be
effective if users will not use it. Human-Computer Interaction (H-CI) is an area, developed in
response to the need to promote user acceptance. H-CI attempts to improve user acceptance by
examining how people perform tasks in real-life settings, it is also about examining social and
cultural aspects and how that can impact the design. While it is still very important to make users
more computer literate, it’s also now just as important to make software and technological
innovations more people literate, in other words more user friendly

As computing attempts to serve more people in more ways than ever before, the human computer
interface is of critical importance. With the increasing ubiquity of technology in our homes, work
and personal lives it has also meant that how we interact with the technology has also changed.
From the traditional mouse and keyboard to touchscreen based and now to gesture based systems
we as users are constantly adapting to newer methods of interaction.

In this unit we will explore the concepts and practices involved in the designing and building of
innovative user interfaces. We will also analyse and critique existing interfaces, while assessing
the appropriateness of alternative interaction methods.

This unit provides students with a series of virtual lecture resources, tutorial exercises and
assignments designed to provide them with the opportunity to explore the fundamental aspects of
Human-Computer Interaction (H-CI) concepts.

Learning Outcomes

After completing CIS24 Human-Computer Interaction you should be able to:

1. Examine the foundations of H-CI including; the human element, the computer element and
how as designers we facilitate the interaction between these elements.
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 2. Critically analyse current interfaces, in terms of their ability to satisfy basic H-CI goals
including; usability, functionality, fit for purpose and safety considerations.

3. Appreciate the relationship between the various contributing disciplines and how they
impact on the development process.

4. Review the H-CI design process through an examination and application of models related
to users, user tasks, information and systems.

5. Investigate the tools and processes surrounding the development and implementation of H-
CI focused systems, such as common computer platforms and management science tools,
implementation and testing procedures and user documentation.

At the end of the unit, successful students should have acquired an understanding of the basic
concepts required to be able to critically analyse existing user interfaces as well as having an
understanding of the basic building blocks required for developing a user friendly interface.
Students should also have gained an appreciation of H-CI from the user’s perspective.

Content

The unit will generally take the user’s point of view in examining H-CI issues, but will also consider
an organisational perspective in relation to systems development and implementation. The unit is
presented via the use lesson themes and individual weekly topics with additional resources called
upon when required.

Overview of the units lesson themes and weekly topics

Lesson: Introduction to H–CI

Topic: What is ID?
Topic: Understanding Interaction
Lesson: Interaction Fundamentals
Topic: Users and Interaction
Topic: Communication and Collaboration
Lesson: Interaction Design Process
Topic: Soft Systems Methodology
Topic: Users vs Interfaces
Topic: Interfaces and Interactions
Lesson: Interaction Design Concepts
Topic: Data Gathering
Topic: The Process of Interaction Design
Topic: Designing and Prototyping
Lesson: Evaluation and Observation
Topic: Types of Evaluations and Evaluation Frameworks
Topic: Usability Testing and Analysis

Lesson: Revision/Summary
Topic: Unit Review

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Key Generic Skills for this Unit of Study
Swinburne University of Technology works to produce higher education graduates who are
capable in their chosen profession. Learners bring to Swinburne University of Technology a
diverse wealth of experiences and graduate with individual understandings, abilities and
attitudes. Within this context it is the intent of the unit CIS 24 Human Computer Interaction that
students develop the following key generic skills:
1. Analysis skills,
2. Problem solving skills,
3. Ability to tackle unfamiliar problems.

Learning and Teaching Structure

The course material (comprising Lessons, Topics, Virtual Lectures and assessments) will be made
available on the first day of the study period on the Flexible Learning at Swinburne Web site:
http://ilearn.swin.edu.au/ or go to the Swinburne home page http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ and
select my.swinburne from the top menu.

CIS24 Human Computer Interaction is a stage two unit available during study periods 1 and 3.
Ideally this unit is taken during your second year of study.
• Students are expected to utilise all of the resources which are available online and
undertake the assigned readings, activities and exercises given in the unit’s learning
materials.
• Students can log on to the course whenever convenient. However, the course does follow a
weekly schedule. In a typical week, you will read the unit webpage (topic) content, complete
activities, complete the prescribed reading and participate in discussions with your peers.
Following the weekly schedule provides students with an opportunity to share their ideas
and interact with their fellow participants and course facilitators about the material.
• Students are required to attempt all formal assessment pieces, that is, the lesson
exercises(x4) and the two (2) written assignments. But we also expect students to
contribute to non-marked activities, like the discussion threads and participating in the
virtual tutorials.
• In total, students should expect to commit at least 12.5 hours of time to this unit, more if
required. (For example, on-campus students typically spend much more than twelve and a
half hours of total time - formal contact time plus independent study time - a week on a 12.5
credit point unit of study).

Flexible learning at Swinburne is designed to assist students to study in their own time, and from
their own homes. Online communication will be available through the use of various online tools,
including; online text chats, Collaborate sessions and the ‘Discussion Board’. By reading the
material and adding your own thoughts, you will be able to contribute to the online discussions and
everyone will benefit.

As an Off-Campus unit you will need to take control of your own learning and learning
environment. While teaching staff will be available to assist when required, it will be up to you to
take the initiative to contact your convenor or appointed tutor by email or phone. Relevant contact
details will be available from the subject website. It will be expected that you will explore all the
resources which are available online and undertake the preparatory reading and exercises outlined
in the unit learning materials.

You should follow the dates provided in your Weekly Schedule (as contained in this document) for
all assessment items and suggested course content sequencing.

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The Lessons Themes
There are six(6) lesson themes in this unit containing an overview of what is covered in the lesson
areas. The main function of the lesson themes is to provide a general overview of the content that
will be covered over a predefined period of time (between 1-3 weeks) and to direct the student to
relevant topics that will focus on the content in much deeper and detailed manner. The lesson
theme will also provide study guidelines, but will not attempt to deal with every relevant aspect
pertaining to that theme.

The Topics
A topic is comprised of an organised collection of learning resources and activities that focuses on
a particular body of knowledge. The topics also contain self assessment opportunities as well as
resources to extend your practical skills at the conceptual and content level. Students will need to
work through these topics in an order specified by the unit schedule (see Unit Schedule). Each
topic will have a number of required readings and specifics resources that you will need to read
and review during those specific weeks. It is important that students understand the content
expressed in these topics as the main assessments and the weekly discussions are based around
these topics.

Study Strategy
Upon login to the unit website successfully, your strategy for studying CIS24 should be to use the unit
schedule as a guide to understand what is required of you each week. The unit schedule will also
provide you with the information about assessment availability and the due dates. Detailed information
about the individual assessments is available from the subject website.

Each topic is comprised of detailed information about that week’s unit focus, while the information
provided may consist of a number of links to external resources including videos, presentations and
articles of interest. It is not a requirement to review every single resource. Use your own judgment to
whether you need to review each resource.
But please note that readings and presentations listed under the ‘Resources’ title (in the website) are
mandatory and should be considered a good starting point for your weekly study habit. Seeking and
reviewing alternative texts is encouraged and you should study at least 1 or 2 other texts while reading
the required text. Similarly assignment tasks are designed to ensure you have comprehended this unit
of study and are fully conversant with the principles and concepts discussed in this subject.

Online Discussion Threads

Some of the concepts discussed in this unit of study may be familiar to you. Others are more
complex and will require time for you to fully understand and comprehend them. Students are
encouraged to develop informal networks with other students, especially when you are studying by
distance. You will find it helpful to discuss the concepts and methodologies contained in the
course with other students, and to facilitate the learning process.

To facilitate peer interaction, discussion threads have been established for this unit. This may be
found by selecting the discussion link on the unit navigation website.

Over the course of this unit questions will appear on the discussion thread site from the convenor
asking for student analysis and feedback. This will assist in understanding the material presented
in this unit of study.

Assistance can be obtained through the use of the discussion threads. By posting your question or
comment other students can also access the message and respond to it. The tutor also checks
these messages on a regular basis.

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Collaborate (Online tutorial) Sessions

Throughout the study period the tutors will be running a series of enhanced visual online tutorial
sessions. The purpose of these sessions is to review the subjects’ content and to provide a venue
for general discussion on matters associated with this subject. The software used to run these
enhanced tutorials is called Collaborate and is accessed from the unit website.
These Collaborate sessions will be announced at least 1 week before the scheduled running time
and the participation link will be provided well before the start time. These sessions are not
assessed and are simply 'value added extras' to the subject that give students the opportunity to
discuss both the course work and any issues arising from the topics.
Collaborate Session requirements: To participate you will need to have access to headphones
or a computer with speakers. You will also need to make sure that your computer has the latest
Java installed and a broadband connection to the internet (ADSL1 or better). A test link is provided
on the unit website to test your computers suitability.

Peer Support
As you study this unit, you will not be alone. You will be participating in a community of students
studying the same unit. Other students can be valuable resource and you could be a valuable aid
to others, so do not be afraid to help other students or to seek the help of others. But, please
remember that all the work you submit for assessment must be your own original work

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Weekly Schedule – Study Period 1, 2013
# DATE LESSON ACTIVITIES ASSESSMENT
1 Introduction to H-C I Familiarise yourself with the
unit’s website.
(check discussion board
for time and location of
26 August
tutorials for the study
Topic: What is ID?
period)

2 Topic: Understanding Start assignment 1

Interaction
2
Introduction to H-C I
September
Online tutorial this week.

3 Topic: Users and Interaction Online Assessment 1

9 will be available from
Interaction Fundamentals th th
September 9 – 16 Sept

16 September Census Date

4 16 Interaction Fundamentals Topic: Communication and
September Collaboration

5 23 Topic: Soft Systems

September Methodology
Interaction Design
Process

Online Tutorial this week.

6 30 Topic: Users vs Interfaces Online Assessment 2

September Interaction Design
will be available from
Process th th
30 Sept - 7 Oct
7 October - Last Day to withdraw without academic penalty (WD)
7 Topic: Interfaces and Assignment 1 Due,
th
Interactions Monday 7 Oct, by
Interaction Design 11:59pm
7 October
Process
Commence
Assignment 2
OUA Examination Services Venue Selection Open 7-27 October
8 Topic: Data Gathering
Interaction Design
14 October
Concepts
Online Tutorial this week.

20 October – Last day to withdraw to receive (WDFP)

Students withdrawing after this date will receive (NLWD)

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9 21 October Topic: The Process of Online Assessment 3
Interaction Design Interaction Design and will be available from
st th
Concepts Needs Requirement 21 - 28 Oct

10 28 October Topic: Designing and

Interaction Design
Prototyping
Concepts

11 4 November Evaluation and Topic: Evaluation and

Observation Evaluation Frameworks
12 11 Topic: Usability Testing and Online Assessment 4
November Analytical Analysis will be available from
th th
11 – 18 Nov

Evaluation and Online Tutorial this week.

Observation Assignment 2 Due,
online tute topics include: th
Monday 11 Nov, by
o Assign 2 Q&A
11:59pm
o Final Exam Q&A
o Online Lesson Exercises
o General FAQ
13 18 Unit Revision
Revision and Summary
November

Exam Date and Time PURPOSE

To be advised by OUA Examination Services Final Examination

# Week number

**All Online Assessments (x4) are to be completed by 11:59pm on the specified due date.

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Teaching Staff

Name Role Phone No. Email Address Consultation

Times
Nelson Vargas Unit of Study 03 9215 7183 nvargas@swin.edu.au Mon-Fri 9 – 6pm
Convenor
TBA Tutor 03 9215 7183 TBA TBA

Email
All emails sent to either your tutor or the unit convener of this unit need to be sent from your
student email account. This will ensure your email is received in a timely manner and not
automatically sent to the SPAM filter used by Swinburne. Swinburne email accounts can be
forwarded to personal accounts. The Swinburne student email system, Outlook Live, is located at
http://outlook.com. See http://live.swinburne.edu.au/faq.html for more information on how to use it.

As part of the email criteria please clearly place in the subject heading the Unit Code and a brief
topic description, also inside your email state your name (first name and last name) so that your
email can be attended to as soon as possible.

Voicemail

If you are leaving a voicemail message, please make sure you leave your name and a contact
phone number, date, time and unit code (CIS24) clearly so your call can be returned as soon as
possible.

Resources and Reference Material

Virtual Learning Guide

The course material (comprising Lessons, Topics, the Virtual Lectures will be made available
on the first day of the study period on the Flexible Learning at Swinburne Web site:
http://ilearn.swin.edu.au/ or go to the Swinburne home page http://www.swinburne.edu.au/
and select my.swinburne from the top menu.

NB: The recommended browser for accessing the I.T. units online via Blackboard is Internet
Explorer Version 7 or later.

Recommended text

The recommended text for this unit is and is available from OUA’s book suppliers:

Preece, J, Rogers, Y & Sharp, H 2011, Interaction Design beyond human-computer interaction
– 3rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons Inc., U.S.A.

Recommended References
See unit website

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 Other Useful References
• Castledine, E, Eftos, M and Wheeler, M 2011, Build Mobile Websites and Apps for Smart
Devices, SitePoint, Australia
• Dix, A, Finlay, J, Abowd, GD & Beale, R. 2004, Human-Computer Interaction, Third
Edition, Prentice Hall Europe, England.
• Baecker, RM, Grudin, J, Buxton WAS & Greenberg, S 1995, Readings in Human-
Computer Interaction Toward the Year 2000, Second Edition, Morgan Kauffman
Publishers, USA.
• Jacko, J A. 2012, Human–Computer Interaction Handbook : Fundamentals, Evolving
Technologies, and Emerging Applications, CRC Press, USA
• Preece, J, Rogers, Y & Sharp, H 2007, Interaction Design beyond human-computer
interaction – 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons Inc., U.S.A.
• Sears, A 2009, Human-Computer Interaction : Development Process, CRC Press, USA
• Stephanidis, C 2009, Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction : Addressing
Diversity, Foundation for Research and Technology, Greece
• Summers, J and Smith, B 2003, Communications Skills Handbook: How to succeed in
written and oral communication, Revised Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Australia

In addition you will be encouraged to access relevant web sites and to research other online
resources.
**Alternative texts to the ones listed text will be accepted upon notification to the convenor.

The list of references above is by no means exhaustive, it is expected that you will be
well read, and have a good depth of knowledge in the areas of Human Computer
Interaction.

Blackboard Site for this Unit of Study

Important information concerning this unit of study is placed on the Swinburne course management
system (Blackboard), accessible via http://ilearn.swin.edu.au/
It is your responsibility to access on a regular basis
• the Blackboard site for your unit of study. Type in your ID number and your password. Note
your ID number is your student ID and your password is initially set to your date of birth in the
format DDMMYY
• the Announcements section on Blackboard, and
• any emails sent by the teaching staff to your student email address via Blackboard.
• If you access your email through a provider other than Swinburne, it is your responsibility to
ensure that your Swinburne email is forwarded to your private email address. To redirect your
Swinburne email, go to http://live.swinburne.edu.au/redirect.html for information on how to do
this.

Please note: Not all internet browsers support Blackboard. The compatible browsers are as
follows:

PC users: Firefox version 3.6 and above, Internet Explorer version 8 and above, Chrome.
Mac users: Firefox version 3.6 and above, Safari version 5, Chrome.
See http://kb.blackboard.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=101285989 for more information.

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Assessment
a. Assessment Task Details:

Assessment Individual/ Related Learning Weighting Due Date

Task Group Task Objective(s)
Assignment #1 Individual 1,2,3,4 15% See website or weekly
schedule for dates.
Assignment #2 Individual 2,4,5 25% See website or weekly
schedule for dates.
Lesson Exercises Individual 1,3,4 10% Online assessment
(x4) available all week.
(Any day or time during
that week)
See website or weekly
schedule for dates.
Final Exam Individual Covering all LO’s 50% TBA

b. Participation Requirements
Self Assessment
As it is necessary for you to take responsibility for your own learning, it is also important that
you find a means of assessing for yourself the stage and quality of learning that you are
achieving.

In Your Own Time

Study Process Suggestion:

1. Consider the Topic exercises. Are you confident you can answer them correctly?
2. Use the materials provided and the references listed to gain a deeper understanding of the
concepts and skills involved for each lesson. This includes working through the
accompanying presentations, readings, links and references.
3. Apply your new skills and knowledge to your own assessments, reflecting on how they
apply in your situation.

c. Minimum Requirements to pass this Unit of Study:

In order to achieve a pass or higher grade in the unit a student must:
• Attempt and submit the written assessment tasks (assignments).
• Complete most of the online assessment tasks.
• Obtain a pass in the exam (greater than 45% of the available marks)
• Achieve a minimum aggregate of all available marks of at least 50%.
A final grade will be assigned, based on the aggregate marks after moderation in accordance with
University Policy.

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d. Assessment Criteria:
Assignment 1 – Individual 15%

Brief Outline: Design a ‘non functioning’ prototype of a H-CI focused product. You are
required to document how your design conforms to the H-CI principles studied in this Unit. You
should clearly state the principles used and how they are manifested in your product. Also
document any new or improved design issues you discover while designing your H-CI product.
It should be noted that your product is to be designed in conjunction with your tutor, who will
direct the product design and approve each stage. This means that you are required to
regularly consult with your tutor during the coming weeks via email and provide evidence of
your progress. Your tutor will approve each stage of your product’s design and sign off
electronically via Blackboard.

(Please refer to the Assignment One Specifications from the units’ website for a detailed
statement of requirements and due date)

Due Date: The report is to be uploaded into Blackboard on or before the specified due date by
11:59pm (EDST 23:59).

Lesson Exercises (x4) –Individual 10%

During the study period you will be required to complete four (4) lesson exercises. These
assessments will be in an electronic online format. They will be made available over a one
week (7 day) period to be advised via the unit schedule.

Assignment 2 – Individual 25%

Brief Outline: Select from one of the provided industry scenarios (Industry examples include:
a restaurant, a motor mechanics, a dental surgery, hair dressers, a vet surgery, and a beauty
salon).
Assume that this industry scenario is to convert from a manual system of recording appointment
bookings and sales to a mobile computerised system.
The staff members within these businesses are not all computer literate and may prefer their
old ‘tried and trusted’ manual system.
It is possible that the staff may resent an outsider coming in and ‘teaching them their business’
as they consider it.
In addition be aware that some staff are likely to be concerned about job security and may feel
they are not capable of, or interested in, learning new methods of operating.
Your assessment requirements are to:
• Develop a detailed mobile application prototype with at least five (5) main screens and a
‘welcome’ screen. The mobile application must include the following features;
• A simple-to-use booking system for a range of jobs/services, varying in length.
• Be intuitive in the design as well as respecting any industry standards associated with
the chosen scenario.
• Provide standard payment options as well as be open to other non-standard payment
options.
• Provide adequate user navigational facilities.
• Provide integration options into other associated systems where needed.
Other Tasks include;
• Present a strategy to induce staff to abandon their manual systems and embrace the mobile
app version.
• Align your physical design with the theoretical concepts of; design principles, usability, user
centered design, evaluation and prototyping techniques
• Expectations are that internal users are able to intuitively interact with your system.

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 In addition to the above requirements you are required to produce a brief user manual (with
illustrations), suitable for staff and management.
(Please refer to the Assignment One Specifications from the units’ website for a detailed
statement of requirements)
Due Date: The report is to be uploaded into Blackboard on or before the specified due date by
11:59pm (EDST 23:59)

Final Exam – Individual 50%

A written exam of 2 hours duration, preceded by 10 minutes reading time, to be arranged for
the examination period, commencing at the time determined by negotiation with the unit
convenor (the date is fixed). It is marked out of 100, and worth 60% of the overall assessment.
A mark of at least 45% of the total possible is required in order to obtain a Pass or better grade
in this unit.

The only materials permitted in the exam are:

• English dictionary (printed only not electronic)
• Other language - English dictionary (printed only not electronic)
• Standard writing material (pens, pencils, rubber and rulers)

NB. The exam marks may be subject to moderation by the teaching panel, based on faculty
guidelines, statistical distribution and comparative assessment tasks from previous study periods.
To Pass the Unit and Final Grade Allocation – A Pass or higher grade in the unit will consist of
a pass in the exam and a minimum aggregate of 50% of all possible marks after moderation
(i.e. Exam (pass) + assignment 1 + assignment 2 + Online Exercises > 50). A final grade is
assigned in accordance with the faculty guidelines.)
NB. Late or unsatisfactory assignment submission, without prior agreement with the unit of study
Convenor, may/will incur a loss of marks in accordance with the Extensions and Late submission
policies.

e. Submission of Assignments:
Where the assessment task requires a formal word.doc report, the assignment work MUST be
submitted online through Blackboard in the Assessment section under the appropriate assignment
heading. Each student should attempt each of the following assessment items in order to gain a pass
or higher grade in the unit.

Do not send any submissions of assessments by email to the online tutor or the convener. However,
emailed drafts of assignments are encouraged and should be sent to the online tutor. When doing so it
is important to note the following:

- General feedback only will be provided indicating if you are on the right track. More explicit
feedback may be sought by asking specific and detailed questions but the online tutor’s role is
not to correct the draft submission.
- Only one draft per assignment may be emailed to the online tutor for feedback.
- The draft should represent an initial outline of what you propose to do in your assignment.

f. Extensions and Late Submissions:

• Extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances on medical or
compassionate grounds. Extensions must be applied for in advance of the assignment's
due date and the convener of the appropriate unit must sign the extension certificate on
the assignment cover sheet.
• Assignments or projects which are submitted after the due date and time will attract a
penalty of 10% of the total marks available per working day late, up to a maximum of
five working days. Assignments submitted after five working days past the published
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 deadline will be graded with zero marks.
• Feedback or comments from the marker will generally not be available on assignments
which are submitted after five working days past the published deadline.

g. Assessment Results:

Feedback on assessments will be handled by the tutor within 10 working days of assessment
submission deadlines. All assessment results will be posted on blackboard grade centre.
Students must retain all assessed material that contributes to the final result up until such time as
the final results are published.

h. Plagiarism:
Swinburne University of Technology defines Plagiarism as the action or practice of taking and
submitting or presenting the thoughts, writings or other work of someone else as though it is your
own work. Plagiarism includes any of the following, without full and appropriate acknowledgment to
the original source(s):
(i) The use of the whole or part of a computer program written by another person;
(ii) The use, in essays or other assessable work, of the whole or part of a written work from
any source including but not limited to a book, journal, newspaper article, set of lecture notes,
current or past student’s work, any other person’s work, a website or database;
(iii) The paraphrasing of another’s work;
(iv) The use of musical composition, audio, visual, graphic and photographic models,
(v) The use of regalia that is objects, artefacts, costumes, models and the like.

Plagiarism also includes the preparation or production and submission or presentation of

assignments or other work in conjunction with another person or other people when that work
should be your own independent work. This remains plagiarism whether or not it is with the
knowledge or consent of the other person or people. It should be noted that Swinburne encourages
its students to talk to staff, fellow students and other people who may be able to contribute to a
student’s academic work but that where independent assignment is required, submitted or
presented work must be the student’s own.
Enabling plagiarism contributes to plagiarism and therefore will be treated as a form of plagiarism
by the University. Enabling plagiarism means allowing or otherwise assisting another student to
copy or otherwise plagiarise work by, for example, allowing access to a draft or completed
assignment or other work.

i. Assessment and Appeals Policy and Procedure

The information outlined in the Assessment sections above is covered in more detail in
Swinburne’s Assessment and Appeals Policy and Procedure. Students must be familiar with the
Policy and Procedure, found at:
http://www.swinburne.edu.au/corporate/registrar/ppd/docs/AssessmentandAppealsHigherEducatio
n.pdf
The Policy and Procedure provides details about:
• Assessment issues such as the conduct of examinations, plagiarism policies and details
explaining how to apply for a review of results and other appeals, and
• Student progress issues such as unsatisfactory academic progress and early intervention
procedures, and
• Information for students with disabilities and special needs and procedures for applying for
special consideration.

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Students should make themselves familiar with all aspects of the Policy and Procedure, as failure
to do so is not grounds for appeal.
Students are advised to seek advice from the staff at the Swinburne Student Amenities Association
SSAA (http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ssaa/) if they require assistance with advocacy for Sections
12 (At-Risk and Progress Review) and 13 (Appeals) of the Policy and Procedure.

Student Feedback:
Swinburne seeks student feedback in a number of ways, including through periodic “Student
Feedback Survey”, as part of the university’s approach to quality assurance and improvement.
Possible improvement based on both student and staff feedback is considered by Unit Convenors,
Unit Panels made up of relevant teaching staff, Course Panels and Faculty Academic Committees,
as appropriate.
Recent updates and improvements made to this unit of study include:
• Revised questions in the lesson exercises.
• Additional support resources for the assignments.

Safety Standards and Conduct Requirements:

Student misconduct is an action by a student which is in breach of the policies specified by
Swinburne in the student General Misconduct policy. This extends to publishing on websites even
where those sites are not set up or managed by Swinburne. Swinburne accepts no responsibility
for unauthorised material posted in social networking sites (such as Facebook).

If you have any issues resulting from the behaviour of other students, you should immediately
contact the Swinburne Student Amenities Association (SSAA)
http://www.myssaa.com.au/Advocacy/About-academic-advice-and-advocacy

Relevant links:
Student General Misconduct policy
http://policies.swinburne.edu.au/ppdonline/showdoc.aspx?recnum=POL/2007/29
Information Technology (IT) Systems Acceptable Use Policy
http://policies.swinburne.edu.au/ppdonline/showdoc.aspx?recnum=POL/2008/34

All students are expected to respect the rights and sensibilities of their fellow students and
teaching staff. This also applies in respect of the content of video and audio work submitted for
assessment. The University has rigorous anti-discrimination and harassment policies and
procedures. Students should refer to Swinburne Anti Discrimination Policy & Procedure, at
http://policies.swinburne.edu.au/ppdonline/

Special Needs

If you have special needs you should advise your Faculty and the Unit of Study Convenor by the
end of the second week of the teaching period. In addition, you are recommended to notify the
Equity Office if you have not already done so.
Students should also notify the unit Convenor (Australia) by e-mail, fax or phone. See also the
“Students with Disabilities and Special Needs” Section of the Assessment Policy & Procedure, at:
http://policies.swinburne.edu.au/ppdonline/

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Open Universities Australia
Withdraw from a unit
If you need to withdraw from a unit the date of the notification is very important. See below for
further information.
From week 1 - 6
Please advise Open Universities Australia, of your intention to withdraw up until the end of week 6,
the unit(s) will be removed from your record. From weeks 1 – 3 you will, however, incur an
administration fee. Please refer to the OUA website https://www.open.edu.au/public/student-
admin-and-support/changing-your-study/withdrawingfor these details. You will not incur a FEE
HELP debt for the unit(s).
Financial penalties are based on the date that Open Universities Australia receives your withdrawal
request.

From weeks 4-6 you will incur your fee help debt.

Weeks 7-13
Please submit a withdrawal form http://www.lilydale.swinburne.edu.au/oua/withdrawal.pdf , to
advise Swinburne University of Technology, Higher Education Lilydale, of your intention to
withdraw from week 7 and no later than eight weeks after the start of the Study Period, the unit(s)
will receive a WDFP – Withdrawn, Fee Payable grade on your academic record. You will retain the
FEE HELP debt for the unit(s).

If the notification of withdrawal is received after Week 8 of the Study Period, the unit(s) will receive
a NLWD – Not Pass, Late Withdrawal grade on your academic record. You will retain the FEE
HELP debt for the unit(s).

If you do not formally withdraw and you have submitted work, it will be assessed and a grade
awarded accordingly. If no work for assessment has been submitted, a “Not Assessed” grade will
be awarded.

Refunds for withdrawal after the Census Date are available under Special Circumstances for
students who have paid their registration fees upfront. Please refer to the Special Circumstances
section of the Refund Guidelines in the Open Universities Australia handbook or the website
www.open.edu.au for further information.

Contacts
Swinburne University of Technology Student Advisers - Open Universities Australia
Learning Pathways Unit (H100) GPO Box 5387
PO Box 218 Level 1, 131 Queen St.,
Hawthorn VIC 3122 Melbourne VIC., Australia 3001
ouald@swin.edu.au http://www.open.edu.au/contactus
Phone: (+613) 9215 7206 Phone (+61) 1300 36 36 52
Fax: (+613) 9215 7254 Fax (+613) 8628 2955

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