Welcome

Welcome to CQU. Congratulations on choosing one of the most dynamic, innovative and diverse universities in Australia to undertake your program of study.

We have well qualified staff, friendly students and offer a wide variety of learning options, services and facilities for you to choose from.

CQU students earn quality degrees and benefit from increased job opportunities. We are rated as one of the best universities in Australia for the overall education experience and graduate starting salary, and our graduates have some of the highest employment rates in Australia.

Your decision to study at CQU represents a significant commitment on your part. Be assured that the University is also making a commitment to guide, support and encourage you.

During your time at CQU, you will have many exciting opportunities to share ideas, and to participate in a rich intellectual, cultural and social life.

I hope that the experience you gain from studying at CQU will equip you with the confidence to develop your career and provide you with a qualification that will bring you many future opportunities.

CQU is delighted to be a part of your learning experience and we look forward to working with you.

I wish you all the very best for your success.

Professor John Rickard BSc(Hons), PhD London, FANZAM

Vice-Chancellor & President

Vision Statement

Our vision is to be a unified university, acknowledged universally as a leader in flexible teaching and learning and well focussed research, contributing strongly to the sustainable development of the regions and communities in which we operate. We will strengthen our essence as a university while operating successfully in an increasingly commercial and competitive world.

Central Queensland University Campuses

Central Queensland University (CQU) is one of Australia's most dynamic, innovative and richly diverse universities. With a network of nine campuses situated along the east coast of Australia, and international operations extending into the Pacific and South-East Asia, CQU gives you a great choice of outstanding locations at which to study.

All campuses feature state-of-the-art facilities to enhance learning, including computer laboratories, electronic library and our innovative Interactive System-Wide Learning lecture facilities which link CQU campus communities.

Our programs are available in a variety of learning modes including part-time, distance education and online courses. This, combined with a wide range of programs, means you can tailor your study to suit your individual needs.

Distance Education at Central Queensland University

Division of Teaching and Learning Services

CQU Rockhampton QLD 4702

Ph: 07 4930 9442

Fax: 07 4930 9722

http://www.dtls.cqu.edu.au

CQU is one of Australia's leading providers of quality flexible learning. The University has conducted many of its programs by distance education for over 20 years, and continually strives to improve its provision of flexible delivery through strategic and directed research in the area of open and distance learning.

The Divsion of Teaching and Learning Services (DTLS) provides bridging programs and learning support to students, academic staff development, and assists Faculty staff in the design, development, production and delivery of flexible learning.

For students choosing to study from a distance, courses are available using a variety of learning approaches. These may include print-based, CD and video courseware, multimedia streaming technology, videoconferencing, teletutorials, residential schools and internet tuition through e-learning courses online. In addition, students choosing to study at a distance have access to the University's on-campus facilties, including libraries and computer laboratories.

Study by flexible delivery enables students to fit study into their lifestyles, as well as remaining enrolled in a tertiary program in the event of moving location. Students may transfer from on-campus to flexible delivery study and vice versa dependent upon program rules. Students may also have the option of enrolling through a mixed mode which is a combination of on-campus and flexible study. While some courses and programs are only available in the flex mode, not all courses are available for students to study by distance. Students should check the mode of offer details in this Handbook.

Each course has a Course Profile that provides important information about the course (e.g. objectives or outcomes, textbooks, other resources, assessments, term schedules, etc). From 2005, students will be able to view all CQU course profiles for the current term through the internet.

Faculty program coordinators are available for students to discuss study schedules, and seek advice about study by distance options for particular programs.

Student Administration

Student Administration is responsible for core administration functions of the University, and is System Owner of the PeopleSoft Higher Education Student System. The key functions of the division are:

Admissions (domestic and international);
Enrolments;
e.rolment (the University online enrolment system);
Student Records;
System Training;
Security Access to PeopleSoft Higher Education
Student Financials;
Timetabling and Room Bookings;
Examinations; and
Graduations.

The Student Service Line provides over-arching information support and assistance to students in the use of e.rolment.

The division has a primary focus on monitoring and quality control of Student Administration & PeopleSoft Higher Education related system processes throughout the University, including those undertaken by Regional and International Campuses.

Student Service Line

The Student Service Line (SSL) has been established to assist students to complete the e.rolment processes online and/or make Tuition, HECS-HELP and/or Student Service Charge payments over the phone via credit card.

The SSL is the first point of contact for all students who do not have access to the web and/or who are experiencing problems or difficulties in the course of conducting their online enrolment transactions.

Students wishing to contact the Student Service Line may do so by telephone: 1300 550 900; fax: 07 4923 2100 or email:prerolment@cqu.edu.au.

CQU Campus Facilities

Bookshops

Bookshops are located at CQU Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Gladstone, and Mackay, as well as Brisbane, Fiji, Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Sydney International Campuses. A bookshop service is provided at Emerald.

CQU Bookshops stock a full range of textbooks, stationery, calculators, software, general reading and reference materials. A special order service is also available for both books and printed music. The Bookshops maintain a global database of books in print, benefiting those students seeking difficult to obtain reference material.

A mail order service is provided for all items sold by the Bookshop and all distance education students receive a catalogue and order forms prior to each term. Distance education students are encouraged to submit their orders early to avoid frustrations caused by delays during the peak period of the first two weeks of each term.

CQU Bookshops are wholly owned by Central Queensland University and all profits are reinvested in the University.

Information Technology

The Information Technology Division (ITD) provides information technology, communications and educational technology services and support for teaching and learning, research and administrative purposes within the University.

The Division has implemented a Service Level Agreement outlining the IT services it provides and a guarantee of quality service and how it works with the University community to maximise the University's investment in information and communication technologies.

You can read the Service Level Agreement at the following website: http://www.cqu.edu.au/itd/sla/SLA1_0.doc.

ITD provides the following client services:

Student and staff modem access;
Student and staff computer accounts;
Student and staff Internet access;
Student and staff printing;
Workstation installation, maintenance and support;
Software distribution and licence compliance;
User information guides and documentation;
Managed Operating Environment (MOE);
University telephone system and voicemail;
ITD computer labs (24-hour student access);
Audio-visual equipment and loans;
Lecture theatre equipment support;
Videoconferencing (ISL) bookings, support and training;
Video Assisted Learning (VAL) tape distribution and support.

ITD is also responsible for the planning, development and support of corporate systems and the physical information and communications technical infrastructure necessary to support CQU core business. Approximately 80 professional, support and administrative staff on campuses at Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Mackay have responsibility for the hardware, software and networking facilities across the University.

The ITD Client Service Centre (CSC) is the coordinated first point of contact for CQU students and staff. The CSC provides frontline support and the interface between clients and ITD technical and specialist staff. Enquiries regarding information technology services or support may be directed to the CSC helpdesk.

The CSC is located on the ground floor of the Ron Young Building (Building 19) at CQU Rockhampton. For walk-in enquiries the CSC is available between 8:45am to 4:45pm weekdays. The CSC is staffed for telephone and email enquiries from 8:00am until 4:45pm Monday - Friday. Submit your enquiry by telephone on 07 4930 9233, or for the cost of a local call (within Australia) 1300 666 620, or by fax on 07 4930 9254, or by email to helpdesk@cqu.edu.au.

International students located at off-shore campuses should contact the local student administration/IT support at their operations centre for advice in the first instance.

International students located at the Australian International Campuses at Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne should contact the IT helpdesk at their local campus for advice in the first instance.

Further information is also available on the World Wide Web at http://www.cqu.edu.au/itd.

Library Services

The CQU Library consists of nine campus libraries located at Planlands (Mackay), Gladstone, Bundaberg, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Fiji and Rockhampton. Each campus library provides access to information resources and services that support the programs of the University.

The Library webpage provides information on library resources and services including a virtual reference desk, whereby staff and students can email queries to a librarian. To view the Library website go to http://www.library.cqu.edu.au.

The collections contain over 300,000 books, software items and videos, which are available for loan. An inter-campus loan service allows students on Central Queensland campuses to obtain material from other Central Queensland campuses.

Distance education students may access resources, attend information literacy classes and borrow material from Central Queensland campus libraries.

CQU Library is a deposit centre for the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Commonwealth Government publications. There are also a number of special collections including Curriculum Materials, Statistics and the Central Queensland Collection.

The Library offers a varied program of information literacy education, including orientation tours, generic skills classes and specialised tutorials in accessing and retrieving information.

To obtain further information about any of CQU's library services call 1300 369 038.

Student Association

The CQU Student Association is nationally recognised as the innovative leader in the provision of student services and support.

The core business of the Student Association is Representation and the Student Association is the first point of call in resolving academic issues.

The Student Association is also your first point of call for Student Support Services, providing a comprehensive range of student services across all campus localities specifically designed to support and assist students through their academic life while at CQU.

In addition, the Student Association provides opportunities for leadership development, internally via its representative structure and externally via its scholarship program. There are also support mechanisms such as emergency loans and free legal advice to assist students should a crisis disrupt their life.

Accessing these services is made EASY with Student Association Offices centrally located on each major campus of CQU, or ONLINE through the Student Association's website at http://association.cqu.edu.au, allowing students to access the Student Association's services regardless of location and at their own convenience.

'Our mission is to ensure that every student member receives the highest quality of student life regardless of geographical location by providing:

representation;
academic support;
welfare support;
activities;
services;
information

without discrimination.'

The aims and objectives of the Student Association are:

to promote interest in the life, activities, and progress of the University and generally to further the aims, objectives and interests of the University;
to promote the interests of all students of the University both within and outside the University;
to represent the views of the students and the University to persons and groups within and outside the University;
to provide services, amenities and facilities to individual students and groups of students as its members determine;
to examine, recommend, and negotiate improvements, wherever possible, on matters concerning the welfare of students of the University;
to encourage students to participate in educational, cultural, social, sporting and recreational activities;
to join with the University in providing such cultural, sporting, recreational, social, commercial and welfare amenities and services to students as its members determine.

Any person who is enrolled as a student in any program at CQU, shall, on payment of the appropriate Student Services Charge, be an Ordinary member of CQU Student Association.

The Student Association is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of elected student representatives from every campus, together with distance education members and a postgraduate appointment. In addition there is one appointment to the Board made by the CQU Council and one made by the Vice-Chancellor. In total there are 21 Board Directors, 17 of whom are students including the President who is Chairperson.

During the third term of each year, an election process is undertaken whereby students elect student candidates to the vacant Board positions. The successful candidates take office in January of the following year for a two-year term. The Board elects executive positions such as the President and Vice-President from the Board at the beginning of each year.

The Board of Directors meets on a monthly basis to review Association operations and to formulate Student Association policies. The Student Association has established committees to advise the Board on finance and strategic development matters, student academic and advocacy issues, to gain feedback from student members to plan and organise student publications and to implement and evaluate sports and recreation activities. All students are encouraged to nominate for a position and vote at the elections.

The Student Association also represents students on University Committees. This function is important as many of the academic procedures, which students have to abide by, are decided at these meetings.

Students who wish to take an active interest in the Student Association, or who have problems, or who just want to see how the Student Association operates, are encouraged to speak with Board representatives or Student Association Staff. Numerous opportunities exist for both on and off-campus students to participate in the affairs of the Association. This participation can range from committee membership to active participation in assisting to organise events and activities.

For more information on the above contact the Student Association on 07 4930 9212 or visit http://association.cqu.edu.au.

Some of the student support services offered by the Student Association are:

dedicated academic, advocacy and support services for students with problems in academic progress or discipline;
specialised support for distance education, international and postgraduate students;
student academic and sporting scholarships;
online student employment referral service;
online student second-hand textbooks referral service;
online student accommodation referral service;
online student discounts;
emergency student interest free loans up to $100;
personal accident insurance coverage for students;
free legal advice referral service; and
free student publications such as the student diary, campus newsletters, student wallplanner and student newspapers.

For a comprehensive list of Student Association services go to http://association.cqu.edu.au or visit your Student Association's Campus Student Services Officer located on the campus closest to you.

Activities organised by the Student Association include Orientation Week, club nights, film nights, band nights, lunchtime events, and cultural and entertainment functions.

The Student Association licenses various food outlets including a refectory at CQU Rockhampton, Mackay, Bundaberg and Gladstone campuses. The Student Association also operates the BirdCage Bar at CQU Rockhampton. The BirdCage Bar is the hub of CQU Rockhampton social activity with live bands and entertainment provided on a weekly basis throughout the year.

The Student Association through the affiliated club network encourages student cultural activity. There are 41 clubs affiliated with the Student Association and are suppported financially in their clubs activities across the campus network.

To obtain further information on developing or joining a club or participating in the many sport, recreational and cultural activities visit http://association.cqu.edu.au or email association-sport@cqu.edu.au.

Student Services Charges

Student Services Charges are levied to pay for an enhanced range of services and facilities for students which are provided by the Student Association. In general, full-fee-paying students have a services charge incorporated in their tuition fee. HECS-HELP paying students are billed per term by the University for their Student Services Charge. Late fees apply for late payment of the Student Services Charge and student debtors sanctions may be enforced for non-payment.

Students who have paid the appropriate Student Service Charge are deemed to be members of the Student Association.

Contact: For a comprehensive list of CQU Student Association staff/telephone listing visit http://association.cqu.edu.au.

CQU Student Association Academic, Advocacy and Support Services

Mackay Academic, Advocacy and Support Office:

07 4940 7413

mackay-advocacy@cqu.edu.au

Rockhampton Academic, Advocacy and Support Office: (also servicing Gladstone and Emerald campuses, distance education students, postgraduate support)

07 4930 9316

association-advocacy@cqu.edu.au

Bundaberg/Pomona Academic, Advocacy and Support Office:

07 4150 7163

bundaberg-advocacy@cqu.edu.au