Coursework postgrad orientation - online

So you’ve missed orientation, and the next formal session isn’t for another six months. Have a skim through our orientation page for coursework postgraduates to find out what you need to know, with links to more information on each topic.

• Facilities and services

• The academic journey

Facilities and services

Parking

Before you even set foot on campus, yes, you do need to purchase a parking permit to park on any of the campuses during the semesters and yes, you will get fined if you don’t have one. Some courses require attendance at two different campuses, in which case you can apply for a cross campus parking permit. Check this list for qualifying courses. Note that students who select an elective based on another campus by choice are not eligible for a cross campus permit

Study space

Let’s start with the basics, that is, a place to work. Departments don’t have the capacity to provide study space for coursework postgraduates, but there are some postgraduate-only study spaces around the various campuses which you’ll need to know about.

IT

It’s important to make sure you’re connected to the Monash IT network, so you’ll need to get your authcate and email account set up. Once you have your authcate and username, you can log in to the university-wide intranet portal, called my.monash, where you will be able to access all relevant information and resources.

Library

If you haven’t been in a library for a while, you’ll definitely need some help familiarising yourself with the search systems, resources and library services available today.

Attend one of the library's introduction classes and workshops or make an appointment with your subject librarian, who can help you to find and use discipline-specific information. Coursework postgraduates can borrow up to 30 items at a time, and can make use of the docdel service (document delivery service) which can locate and deliver material that is only available from external libraries. Obtain a CAVAL card, which allows you to borrow from other university libraries.

Seminars

Make sure you book into some of the postgraduate-specific seminars run on topics such as academic writing; time management; creative job search, and many more.

Seminars are run on all six Victorian campuses and at off-campus locations - you are welcome to attend any seminar on any campus. If you are on one of the smaller campuses you should know about the free shuttle bus that runs between the metropolitan campuses.

Podcasts on various topics are also produced by the MPA. Visit our Compass Online podcast collection for our complete list. Our podcasts are available in both RealPlayer and Quicktime formats.

Social events and staying informed

After all that intellectual stimulation you’ll need to debrief and share experiences with other postgraduates at the Monash Postgraduate Association (MPA) social events such as free lunches and fortnightly coffee clubs. The best way to keep abreast of seminars and social events is to subscribe to the MPA email news which is sent out fortnightly. For informal, online chats with other postgraduates, join our online postgrad forum, Postgrad to Postgrad.

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The academic journey

You should receive your course outline in the first week of semester. It contains important information about the course content, intended outcomes, assignments, assessment criteria and attendance requirements.

Allocate+

Use Allocate+, the university online allocation system, to submit your preferences for timeslots for lectures and tutorials.

Blackboard

For many courses you will be able to access lecture notes, assessment tasks, grades and unit outlines on Blackboard, a web-based course management system.
You can access Blackboard through your portal.

Missed a lecture?

The library also provides a large number of lectures online as audio recordings.

Stuck for words?

The library has some great online resources about language and learning that are worth a look, and also offer appointments with learning skills advisors. Some faculties employ their own Language and Learning staff to work with postgraduates to improve academic writing skills.

Referencing

It’s important to properly reference and cite
other people’s work used in your assignments. Plagiarism, even when unintended, is taken very seriously and the consequences can be severe.

Concerns?

Your experience at Monash should be academically challenging and stimulating. If you have any concerns or comments about your course you should speak to your course coordinator. Whatever you do, don’t let the situation deteriorate without acting. If you do find yourself in need of some independent, confidential advice, make an appointment with the MPA Advocate.

Advice & advocacy

Finally, if you need some advice or advocacy, drop into one of the MPA offices to speak with the MPA staff or make an appointment to see the MPA Advocate to help get you back on track. You can also check out our advice & advocacy pages and our "Dear Abby" archive of frequently asked questions.

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