Skip to content | Change text size
Student Resource Guide 2008 Course and Unit information Other key publications
 

Attending lectures and classes

Attendance modes

Most courses are taught in on-campus mode. This means you physically attend the campus for lectures, tutorials, practical sessions etc and participate in the company of other students. Research students may conduct some or all of their research on or off-campus, depending on the requirements of their course or other factors.

Off-campus learning, sometimes called distance education, is a flexible mode of study. Most commonly it is based on a combination of independent learning materials and learning support systems. Your attendance at a teaching site is either not required or kept to a minimum. Each unit studied has the same content and assessment as the equivalent on-campus unit. A few off-campus units supplement the independent learning materials and support systems with regular group tutorial/study sessions, usually in collaboration with a partner organisation.

Some courses may be taught in mixed, or multi-mode, which means the different units available may be offered in on-campus or off-campus mode. You may also be able to study a limited number of off-campus units as part of an on-campus course.

Further information

Attendance type

Full-time/part-time study load - credit points and EFTSL

For coursework students at Monash and many students in research programs, a full-time study load is 48 points per academic year, which is equivalent to 1.0 EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load). However, you are still considered by the University as a full-time student if you undertake a study load of 0.750 (36 credit points) or above per academic year - your study load is often calculated on a semester by semester basis, which means to be considered full-time you need to be enrolled in between 0.500 and 0.375 EFTSL (24-18 points) in semester one and semester two.

Special note re study load for international students at Australian campuses

Under the conditions of your student visa and the requirements of the Educational Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act), you are required to enrol in a full-time study load, ie one EFTSL for the year or 0.5 EFTSL for each of semesters one and two. In special circumstances and upon faculty approval, you can be given permission to enrol in a reduced load. If you enrol in less than a full-time load you may be in breach of your visa conditions. It is your responsibility as an international student to ensure that you are aware of the conditions of your student visa and the possible implications for your visa should you breach these conditions.

Further information