Glossary of terms

Abstract - A brief summary of a work which tells enough to allow a reader to decide whether of not it has the information sought; in many cases, it also contains keywords and/or terms used to index the work so that it can be retrieved.

Academic Adviser - Staff employed to offer students advice about their course of study, changes to their course of study and deal with any problems students may be having associated with their course of study.

Academic Board - The internal body responsible for formulating, approving and monitoring academic standards within a university.

Academic Staff - Staff employed within faculties to undertake research and teach. Examples include professors, associate professors, doctors, tutors and demonstrators.

Academic Transcript - Each student's official record of results.

Academic Year - The academic year is divided into two 13-week semesters, commencing around late February or early March and concluding around November.

Accreditation - Recognition of a college or university by any of the regional or national accrediting bodies, indicating that the institution as a whole has been judged to be meeting its objectives.

AlexanderTheatre - Monash's main performance centre, used by both students and touring groups.

Alumni - The graduates of the university. The Alumni Association provides the opportunity for ex-students to maintain a relationship with the university and with one another.

Ancora Imparo - The university's motto, Ancora Imparo is attributed to Michelangelo and means 'I am still learning'.

Annotation - A note that accompanies an entry in a bibliography, providing explanation of what an item is about. It differs from an abstract in that it need not necessarily be a summary of the contents.

Appeal - The process whereby a student may raise objections regarding results, faculty decisions or other academic matters.

Assistant Lecturer - The most junior rank of academic staff of the university.

Associate Professor - The most senior rank of academic staff of the university which may be gained through the process of promotion.

Authcate - A Monash term for a student computer account that is used to access protected internet resources.

Award - A recognised certification of achievement or competence such as certificate, diploma, degree, graduate certificate, or graduate diploma, which may be conferred upon successful completion of a higher education course and are listed in the university's statute for courses and degrees. Awards are the titles that appear on university testamurs and transcripts.

Bachelor Degree - An undergraduate award usually requiring three or four years of full-time study (or the part-time equivalent). An honours year may be studied with some courses, which usually requires an extra year of full-time study.

Bibliography - An alphabetical list, by author, of all the material consulted regardless of whether the material was used directly or not. Usually this is A list of materials or documents dealing with a particular subject area, specifically a list of sources used in the preparation of academic work.

Browser - Short for "web browser", a software application used to locate and display web pages.

Campus - The University grounds and buildings. Monash has six campuses in Victoria, one in Malaysia and one in South Africa.

Campus Centre - The building at Clayton campus that houses the Monash Students Association, Clubs and Societies, various university services and a number of eateries.

Campus Director - The senior staff member who has overall responsibility for a particular university campus.

Census Dates - The last dates by which students can alter their enrolment. Generally, in first semester this is 31 March, and in second semester 31 August. For full details refer to : Teaching Periods and Census Dates

Chancellor - An eminent public figure elected as the non-executive head of the University. An honorary position, the Chancellor chairs meetings of the University's governing body, and presides over graduation ceremonies amongst other duties.

Change of Course - The official form that must be completed by students who intend to change their course.

Chaplaincy - A member of the clergy who conducts religious services for the university.

Cheating - Gaining unfair advantage in an examination or other piece of assessment. For full details refer to: Monash University Plagarism and Cheating Policy

Citation - Reference to a document or a source regarded as an authority, from which a passage is quoted, usually to substantiate a statement or proposition.

CL Butchers Pharmacy Library - Parkville campus' pharmacy library.

Clubs and Societies - Student-run organisations that can be divided into the following categories: cultural, sporting, religious, political, theatrical, ethnic, faculty and general interest. These organisations provide valuable opportunities for students to interact with each other, have fun and learn new skills.

Combined Course - A course which has been specifically designed to lead to a single combined award or to meet the requirements of more than one award (also called Double Degree course).

Commencing Student - A student who has enrolled in a course for the first time at an institution.

Commonwealth Supported Place(CSP) - a Commonwealth supported place is a higher education place for which the Commonwealth makes a contribution towards the cost of a student’s education.

Community Services - These services are provided by the university for current students. These include sports facilities, financial aid, chaplaincy, housing, counselling, employment, health service, disability liaison, and language and learning. Students having problems while at university are encouraged to seek help by contacting the relevant community services area.

Core - A unit of study that is compulsory for the course or subject area.

Co-requisite - A unit that has to be studied at the same time as the link unit of study (if this has not already completed as a pre-requisite).

Course - A course is a program of study leading to a single award, a double award, a combination of one Monash award and one non-Monash award, or no award at all.

Course Code - A combination of three letters and four numbers assigned by Monash University to all courses offered, e.g., EDF 1301, DTS 3170. The first number in the sequence indicates the year level at which the subject is offered.

Course Completion - The successful completion of all the academic requirements of a course which includes any required attendance, assignments, examinations, assessments, dissertations, practical experience and work experience in industry.

Courses and Careers Day - An information event at the university to help students make decisions about the course that is right for them. Academic advisers and administrative staff are available to answer questions, and there are mini-lectures and some activities offered, including campus tours.

Coursework - A method of completing a postgraduate degree by undertaking several units of work rather than research.

Credit Points - Credit points are weightings given to units of work. Units of work in most faculties (except Engineering) are worth six points each. One credit point is approximately equal in value to one hour's study. A full-time, first year load is 48 credit points, i.e., 4 x 6 point units of work each semester.

Credit Transfer - Recognition of previous tertiary-level study that allows enrolled students to 'skip' some subjects. Credit transfers are awarded at the discretion of the appropriate faculty and are not guaranteed.

Cut-off Score - The minimum Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) for entry to a particular degree.

Dean - The chief academic and administrator of a faculty.

Deferment - An adjournment of the starting date for study. It takes the form of a binding contract which guarantees that a student's place in a particular course is held for a nominated length of time - usually one year.

Deferred Admission - The practice of some colleges of allowing an accepted student to postpone enrolment for one year.

Degree - An academic title awarded on completion of a course of study.

Demonstrator - Like a tutor, a demonstrator runs practical classes with small groups in university laboratories.

Department - An organised unit within a faculty, usually categorised by similar subjects.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor - A senior administrator of the university with a particular area of responsibility.

Diploma - The award granted following successful completion of Diploma course requirements. A Diploma course usually requires less study than a degree course.

Discipline - An area of study.

Discipline Group - A means of classifying units of study in terms of the subject matter being taught and/or researched.

Discontinued - A unit of study that a student has sought to suspend prior to completion. If the suspension occurs after a specified date the unit counts as an unsuccessful attempt at the course concerned and appears as such on a student's academic transcript.

Discourse of the Discipline - The subject-specific manner in which terms are used in a particular area of study.

Discussion Groups/Lists - A means of conducting 'discussion' on a particular topic or interest through the use groups/lists established with the express purpose of facilitating communication through e-mail.

Dissertation - A substantial piece of written work (see also 'Thesis').

Doctor - The title given to the recipient of the postgraduate degree, Doctor of Philosophy.

Double Degree - (see 'Combined Course')

Download - To transfer information from one computer to another, or to disk.

Equivalent Full-time Student Load (EFTSL) - A measure of the student load attributable to a part of a unit of study. The measure indicates the notional proportion of the workload which would be applicable to a standard annual program for a student undertaking a full year of study in a particular year, of a particular course.

Elective - A unit that is not a core subject of the course. Although there is more freedom in selecting these subjects, completion of such units is still a required part of the course and elective subjects are credited to the overall course of study.

Emeritius - The name usually given to a retired academic who retains the title of professor, i.e., emeritus professor.

Endnote - A style of citing that places a number in the body of the text. This number refers to a citation listed at the end of the text. Also known as Vancouver style.

EndNote - A software program used for assembling lists of useful sources.

Enhancement Studies - First-year Monash University subjects studied by Year 12 students for inclusion in their VCE program and for eventual credit at tertiary level.

Enrolment - The time when students formally accept their offer for a place in a course, sign up for tutorials and activities, speak to course advisers and select subjects.

Equivalent National Tertiary Entry Rank (ENTER) - The ranking system devised by VTAC to compare each VCE student with students in the rest of the state. Students' ENTER is the basis for selection into most courses.

Exchange Programs - These involve a student undertaking part of their degree overseas at a foreign university. Monash Abroad is an office that can offer advice on planning an exchange.

Exclusion - Students are required to pass at least 50% of the credit point value of the subjects for which they have enrolled in the relevant semester or year. Failure to pass 50% of the subject credit point value constitutes unsatisfactory progress and results in students facing a faculty committee which determines their right to continue or face exclusion from the university.

Exemption - An exemption is granted by an institution 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. Such exemption is referred to by various names, such as 'credit', 'status' or 'advanced standing'.

Faculty - A collection of academic departments of similar disciplines grouped together. Monash has 10 faculties.

Faculty Adviser - The staff member who can provide comprehensive advice about courses to students. Information about course structure, credit points, credit transfer, specific units of study can be provided by a faculty adviser. Faculty advisers are very useful resources for students to contact, to discuss any course-related (and other) matters that may be of concern to them.

Faculty Office - The area designated as the administrative "nerve-centre" of a collection of academic departments. It is usually centrally located within a faculty to facilitate easy access for students and staff.

FEE-HELP (previously PELS and BOTPLS) - FEE-HELP is a loan facility for to help students enrolled in non-research award courses pay for thier tuition. For more information see:

Fee-Paying Course - A course which requires the full cost of the course to be paid by students.

Fee-Paying Overseas Student - An overseas student for whom a fee is paid to the institution designed to recover the full cost of teaching and related services, administration and capital facilities.

Fee-Paying Postgraduate Student - A non-overseas student who is participating in a course which meets Commonwealth guidelines in relation to postgraduate award courses for which fees may be charged.

Fee-Paying Student - Students who pay tuition fees to the university and are not liable for CSP. Some students may elect to be fee-paying students in order to gain entry to highly competitive courses with a slightly reduced ENTER.

Field of Study Classification - A classification of courses based on similarity in terms of the vocational field of specialisation or the principal subject matter of the course.

Firefox - a web browser by the Mozilla corporation which can be found on many of the university computers.

Flexible Delivery - A method of teaching that is student-directed (where students nominate the style of teaching they would like to receive). This method of teaching is often a mix of on-campus and off-campus subjects.

Footnote - A style of citing (see 'Citation') that places a number in the body of the text. This number refers to a citation listed at the bottom of the page.

Fresher - A first-year student.

Further Education - Post-Secondary study done at a TAFE or other private, non-university provider.

Graduand - A person who has fulfilled the requirements of a degree but is yet to graduate.

Graduate - The recipient of a degree. Also used to describe a course offered only to those who have completed an undergraduate degree.

Graduate Diploma - A postgraduate qualification gained after a student's first degree.

Graduation - Once students have successfully completed their degree or area of postgraduate study, they may graduate from the course. This usually involves dressing in an academic gown and being presented with a testamur, alternately students may elect to receive their testamur 'in absentia' (to be conferred on them in their absence from the formal ceremony).

Halls of Residence (Halls) - Student accommodation, generally on-campus. Renamed recently, now known as Monash Residential Services.

Handbooks - These provide details of the subjects offered in each faculty area. They include information about content, assessment and prerequisite studies.

Hargrave-Andrew - Building 30 on the Clayton campus. The science, technology, engineering and medicine library at the clayton campus.

Health Wellbeing & Development - offer a number of the universitys’ community services to current students including: Chaplaincy, Counselling Service, Family and Child Care Service, Financial Aid & Loans, Health Service, International Student Support, Off Campus Housing Advisory Service and the Religious Centre.

Higher Education - Study undertaken at university.

Higher Degree Research Course - Courses for which at least two-thirds of the student load for the course is required as research work and not more than one-third as coursework.

Home Page - The web page that the browser defaults to when a connection is made to the internet. The term also refers to a main web page, or the main page of a collection of web pages, i.e., a web site.

Honours - An extra year added to most degree programs whereby students can specialise in an area of study and undertake a mixture of coursework and research.

Independent Learning - The manner of learning expected of university students whereby they are self-directed, self-reliant and motivated learners undertaking responsibility for their own learning.

Internet - A network produced via linked common communications protocols, that includes major educational, research, and governmental institutions.

Journal - A publication issued in successive parts that is a collection of work by numerous authors and sequentially numbered. Also known as a 'Serial'.

Krongold Centre - The Krongold Centre for exceptional children is part of the Institute for Human Development and Counselling in the Faculty of Education on the Clayton campus.

Laboratory - A practical session, sometimes also referred to as a "lab".

Law Library - Building 12 on Clayton campus.

Learning Community - A small group of students who get together after class to discuss material covered in lectures, tutorials, practicals, etc. to come to a better understanding of the unit of work being studied.

Leave of Absence - Students who experience difficulties during the year, or who wish to take a year off study for any reason, can obtain leave of absence. By granting such leave the faculty reserves a place in the course in the following year and the period of approved leave will not be counted in the time limit for completion of the course. Leave of absence is normally granted in semester blocks, and cannot be longer than one year.

Lecture - Organised, formal instruction, usually without student participation, delivered by an academic member of staff. The most common form of teaching delivery in the university context.

Lecture Theatres - Large auditoriums in which lectures are held.

Lecturer - The name given to the academic staff member who gives lectures.

Lot's Wife - The name of the Clayton campus student newspaper.

Main Library - See 'Matheson Library', below.

Major/Major Sequence - This is the main subject area of study undertaking in a degree. In some faculties the major may be highly structured, with requirements of units to be completed in a specific discipline area, while other faculties define their majors more in terms of credit points and level of subjects.

MannixCollege - The co-educational residential college affiliated with Monash University.

Master's Degree - A postgraduate award that may be offered by coursework, research only or a combination of coursework and research.

Matheson Library - Building 4 on the Clayton campus. Also known as the Main Library. Formerly known as Humanities and Social Sciences Library.

Mentor Scheme - Mentor schemes are designed to smooth the transition to university for first-year students. Although there may be differences in the ways these schemes operate, essentially the principle remains the same. The mentor - a later year student (or occasionally member of staff) assumes responsibility for first-year students by assisting them to become familiar with faculty operations and the teaching and cultural practices of the university.

MenziesBuilding - Building 11 on the Clayton campus.

Microfiche - A sheet of film bearing a number of microimages in linear array.

Microfilm - A length of film bearing a number of microimages in linear array.

Middle Band - Many courses use a two-stage selection process. When selecting students for these course, there is a group of applicants whose ENTERs are high enough to be 'clearly in'. Another group of applicants will have ENTERs that are too low for them to be considered for a place. Between these two groups there will be a group of applicants that form the 'middle band'. Course selection officers look at other factors published in the VTAC Guide to determine which applicants in the middle band will be offered a place in the course.

Minor/Minor Sequence - though involving a substantial amount of study in a particular subject area, a minor is not studied in the same detail or to the same level as a major.

Modem - An electronic device connected to a computer and a phone line, that allows the computer to talk to other computers through the phone system.

Monalisa - Monash University library's interface for accessing networked electronic databases.

Monash Residential Services - The new name given to the Halls of Residence (see also Halls of Residence).

MonashUniversityEmployment & Career Development - Provides advice and planning strategies for those seeking to join the full-time workforce. It also helps students looking for part-time, casual and vacation work.

Monograph - Literally, a single written item; often used in reference to a book.

Mozilla - A Web-browser produced by the Mozilla corporation.

my.monash - The primary portal for students to access university information, such as email and thier day-to-day timetable.

Netscape - A company that markets the Netscape Communicator suite of products including the Netscape Navigator web browser.

Network - A number of physically separated computers linked to each other to share information resources.

Network database - A database located on a central server so that it can accessed by multiple users.

Novell Account - The name given to student and staff IT accounts, allowing connection to the Monash network servers from laboratory computers or home.

Open Day - Monash Open Day welcomes visitors to all campuses to receive course and career advice, view facilities and resources and meet current students and academic staff.

Open Learning Studies - A unit or units of study offered by the Open Learning Australia which are units of study from a higher education course and which can be counted as credit towards a university degree.

Orientation - Orientation marks the start of semester for first-year and other commencing students. It comprises academic, social and informative activities designed to help all commencing students settle in to university life.

Orientation Week (O-week) - O-Week activities are held in the week prior to the commencement of scheduled classes. For first-year students this period signals the official commencement of the academic year.

Overloading - The practice of undertaking more than the prescribed number of units of study in any given semester.

Paraphrase - An extract rewritten (i.e., not copied verbatim) from another source. Although quotation marks are not used, a citation acknowledging the source is still necessary.

Part-time Student - A student taking less than 75% of a full-time study load in a particular course.

Performing Arts Precinct - The Precinct facilitates opportunities for the development and presentation of performing arts activities.

Periodical - A type of journal/serial, see 'Journal'.

Philosophy, Doctor of (PhD) - Along with other Doctorate awards, the highest award available at the University. A PhD course is normally purely research-based; the candidate submits a thesis that is an original contribution to the field of study. Entry to a PhD course often requires completion of a Master's degree course.

Plagiarism - Taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another. Plagiarism is a very serious academic offence, and can result in work being failed automatically. To avoid it, always acknowledge the work of others and take careful note of where the source can be located. For more details see: Monash University Plagarism and Cheating Policy

Points (credit points) - Each unit of study is weighted a particular point value that contributes to the overall point value required for course completion.

Portal - A private, personalised web page.

Postgraduate - Any higher-level study usually undertaken after completion of a first or subsequent undergraduate degree. Examples are graduate diplomas, masters or PhDs.

Practical Session (practical or prac.) - Some form of practical teaching often run in laboratories, studios or in the field.

Prerequisite - A prerequisite is a unit of study that is required to be completed before another unit can be attempted.

Professor - A staff member with high-level academic credentials.

Program - Generic term usually meaning the individual path to an award or to the completion of a course.

Qualification - An award or some other form of certification of attainment, competence or attendance.

Quotation - Copying an extract of text originally published elsewhere. Direct quotations generally appear in quotation marks and end with a citation.

References/Reference List - A list of all the sources directly quoted or paraphrased in the preparation of an academic piece of writing, in alphabetical order according to authors surname.

Research - Scholarly or scientific investigation or inquiry.

Robert Blackwood Hall - The Clayton campus concert centre.

Rotunda - The round building on the Clayton campus that houses several lecture theatres.

Satisfactory Progress - A minimum standard of performance required for continuation of enrolment.

Scholarships - Financial or other forms of support made available by sponsors to assist Australian and international students to pursue their studies at the university that do not need to be repaid.

School - A grouping of similar departments.

Search Engine - Programs that enable internet searches using keywords which describe the subject being sought.

Secondary Material - Interpretation and commentary of primary material by others.

Selection Officer - A university officer charged with the responsibility of selecting students into courses.

Semester - The teaching time of the university. Usually 13 weeks long and followed by the examination and vacation period.

Seminar - A small group teaching context, similar to a tutorial.

Senior Lecturer - An academic level of promotion.

Serial - See 'Journal'.

Server - The physical location of internet file storage.

Sessional - A teaching member of staff who is employed on a casual basis by the university.

Special Admission - Certain categories of applicants, such as mature-age applicants, students who have experienced educational disadvantage or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicants, may apply for admission to the university under one of several Special Admission schemes.

Special Consideration - The process whereby enrolled students who have experienced significant educational disadvantage may have their assessment deadlines or grades revised.

Specialisation - The field or fields of study in which a student who has completed the academic requirements of a course has specialised.

Standard Semester - A semester with start and end dates that conform with a typical two semester academic year and which have census dates of either 31 March or 31 August.

Stream - A stream is a structured program of study in a specific discipline area, which may be part of single or multiple award course program.

Student ID Card - All students who enrol are issued with an identification card. The card includes the student's name, an identification number, the course code, and a bar code authorising library borrowing rights.

Student Survival Week - Usually occuring in Week 4, semester 1, Survival Week is operated by student associations to assist all students become familiar with the university's services, facilities and resources. It aims to support students who may be experiencing difficulties.

Tertiary - An umbrella term covering all higher education providers.

Testamur - The physical certificate of merit or proficiency given to the graduand at graduation.

Thesis - A substantial piece of written work (sometimes called a dissertation) by a student, normally a candidate for an Honours degree or a higher award (such as Master's or PhD degree).

Transition - Enculturation into the teaching and learning styles, life, procedures, practices and culture of the university. It is also a matter of engagement with the university, a particular course, subjects and people at a specific campus.

Tutor - An academic member of staff responsible for teaching in small group contexts.

Tutorial - A less formal and organised session of instruction than a lecture, usually involving a greater level of contribution and interaction by a much smaller number of students.

Undergraduate - A student who has not yet received a bachelor degree.

Uniform Resource Locator (URL) - A web address used for locating information on the internet.

Unit/Unit of Study - Unit/Unit of Study - The basic unit of a course or program, which a student may undertake and on successful completion of the unit's requirements, gain credit towards completion of the courses or program. Combinations of these comprise streams or courses or awards. Units of study are referred to as 'units'.

University Council - The senior governing body charged with formulating, approving and monitoring the policy and direction of the university.

Unsatisfactory Progress - Inability to meet the university's expectations of achievement in units of study (see also 'exclusion').

User Name - The name you use to log in to the Monash network.

Vice-Chancellor - The academic and administrative head of the entire university.

Virtual Library - Access to electronic information in a variety of remote locations through a local online catalogue or other gateway, such as the internet.

Voyager - The library's online system, Voyager can be used to search catalogues and databases, to check loans information, access library services, and to link to information on the web.

Web Page - An individual page of information to be found on the internet.

Web Site - A number of web pages, usually subject-related that might be linked through hypertext, to be found on the internet.

Wholefoods - A student-run vegetarian restaurant, located on the first floor of the Campus Centre.

Withdrawn - The outcome of formally discontinuing a unit of study. Provided this takes place by the given date, withdrawals do not incur CSP debt and will not be recorded as 'fails' on academic transcripts.

World Wide Web (WWW) - A network of many thousands of servers linked together by a common protocol.