• Section 1 - Purpose of Policy
• Section 2 - Application and Scope
• Section 3 - Policy Principles
• Section 4 - Providing Advice
• General Information on Academic Matters
• Academic Advice
• Administrative Advice
• Section 5 - Record Keeping
• Section 6 - Roles and Responsibilities
• Section 7 - Definitions

Section 1 - Purpose of Policy

(1) The purpose of this Policy is to provide a framework for the provision of advice to students on academic matters and to ensure that staff who provide academic advice are authorised and qualified to do so and that a record of the advice is appropriately maintained. This Policy is designed to support faculties to implement effective systems to ensure that academic advice is accessible, accurate and timely.

Section 2 - Application and Scope

(2) This Policy applies to the provision of information on academic matters and academic advice provided to all current or prospective students of the University, regardless of the location or mode of study, with the exception of students studying at UOW Dubai (UOWD).

Section 3 - Policy Principles

(3) In order to support the student experience, students will have access to timely advice on academic matters that enables them to make informed decisions about their program of study at the University.

(4) Information provided to students on academic matters must be:

1. current, relevant and accurate and informed by the discipline/s or study area within which the subject/course is situated;
2. validated from information in University student systems or relevant year of the Course Handbook;
3. in line with the course requirements so as not to disadvantage the student’s progress;
4. provided as promptly as possible, based on the details provided;
5. based on the information provided by the student (where advice is provided by a staff member to a student);
6. ethical and impartial;
7. provided directly by staff to the student, and not through an intermediary.

(5) Academic advice should only be provided by an academic advisor or persons properly authorised and qualified to provide the advice as outlined in section 4 of this Policy and recorded on a University student system.

(6) Students studying online should have access to appropriate academic advice as provided by electronic means.

Section 4 - Providing Advice

General Information on Academic Matters

(7) General information on academic matters may be provided to students by Professional Services staff whose responsibilities include the provision of information on academic matters. For example, Professional Services staff who support faculties, faculty administration who are within the Dean of Students Division or the Student Services Division, and regional and metropolitan Campus Managers.

(8) Additional staff may also be given authorisation by the relevant Executive Dean of a Faculty, Director of a Division, or UOW College Australia.

(9) All staff listed below as being authorised to provide academic advice may provide general information on academic matters that relate to their areas of expertise.

Academic Advice

(10) The provision of academic advice may be provided by the following staff, known as Academic Advisors:

1. Academic Staff authorised by their Faculty to provide academic advice in relation to specific disciplines and programs of study, including staff authorised by virtue of their role for the Faculty or School, such as Executive Deans, Deans, Deputy Deans, Associate Deans, Heads of Students, Heads of School, Associate Heads of School, Academic Program Directors and UOW College Program Managers;
2. Subject Coordinators and Lecturers (not including Guest Lecturers) in relation to advice on a subject which they teach or coordinate;
3. Supervisors, Deputy Heads of School (Graduate Research), Deputy Deans Research and the Dean of Graduate Research and Research Culture in relation to higher degree research students;
4. Members of University Ethics Committees and the Associate Director, Research Integrity and Ethics on ethics issues in relation to Higher Degree Research (HDR) students; and/or
5. Professional Service Staff within the Student Services Division with specialised knowledge and training. These staff will provide academic advice where clear guidelines, principles and/or precedents exist and will operate under a tiered model with other Academic Advisors. 

(11) Where academic advice is provided to students in relation to double degrees, the Academic Advisor should consult with the relevant Academic Advisor from the other degree.

(12) Other staff must not provide academic advice unless they have received specialist training or have relevant experience and have been authorised by the Executive Dean or a Deputy Dean of the Faculty, General Manager of UOW College Australia or a Deputy Vice-Chancellor. The authorisation should be provided in writing and may include restrictions on the nature or scope of the advice to be provided.

(13) Academic Advisors should liaise with the relevant administrative staff to provide the appropriate advice where administrative or general information on academic matters is also sought.

Administrative Advice

(14) Administrative advice will be provided to current students by staff of the Student Services Division singularly or in conjunction with an Academic Advisor.

(15) Administrative advice to prospective or current international students relating to their pogression and impact on their Certificate of Enrolment (CoE) will be provided by designated staff of the Student Services Division and/or Global Engagement and/or UOW Global Enterprises. UOW is unable to provide visa advice to students. Students should seek such advice from the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) or a registered migration agent. 

Section 5 - Record Keeping

(16) Where academic advice is provided to a student, it should be provided electronically via student email or via a SOLSMail message.

(17) Where academic advice is provided to a student, a record can be made directly on the student’s record on the Student Administration Interface (SAI) or student CRM. If it is not possible to make such a record directly, the record should be made in written form and retained consistent with University record keeping obligations outlined below.

(18) Under the State Records Act 1998, University records relating to academic advice provided to students in relation to academic matters (teaching, enrolment, progression, assessments, disputes, course delivery, complaints, etc.) must be full and accurate, and retained for a minimum period of six (6) years after completion or discontinuation of the student’s course of study.

(19) Faculties, Divisions and Units are required to maintain records of authorisation for staff to provide academic advice, as outlined in section 4 of this Policy.

Section 6 - Roles and Responsibilities

(20) Students are responsible for:

1. seeking academic advice from appropriate sources identified by this policy;
2. familiarising themselves with their degree requirements, relevant policies and deadlines as well as requirements for course completion;
3. being proactive in seeking academic advice from those staff authorised to provide that advice before making significant decisions affecting their academic experience;
4. fully and accurately disclosing all non-confidential background information that they believe is relevant to the issue on which academic advice is sought to the person providing the academic advice; and
5. the actions that students take contrary to academic advice provided, and the consequences of such actions.

(21) The Educational Excellence Division is responsible for ensuring that all information regarding courses and subjects published by the University is:

1. accurate;
2. current;
3. appropriately presented to assist students in accessing and understanding the information; and
4. readily available on the University’s website. 

(22) The Academic Governance and Standards Division, the Student Services Division, the Student Growth and Engagement Division and UOW Global Enterprises are responsible for:

1. ensuring that all information regarding relevant University Rules, Codes, Standards and Policies is:
   1. accurate;
   2. current;
   3. appropriately presented to assist students in accessing and understanding the information;
   4. readily available on the University's website and on relevant systems.
2. taking action to inform students of significant changes to the University’s rules, codes, standards and policies affecting students’ academic experience.

(23) Faculties and Divisions are responsible for:

1. providing accurate and timely information to students regarding how to access providers of academic advice, general advice on academic matters and administrative advice;
2. ensuring that all staff authorised to provide academic advice are provided with appropriate induction, training, resources and support to ensure this responsibility can be carried out;
3. regularly reviewing and updating the staff authorisations to provide academic advice under this policy; and
4. making information readily accessible to students on who they can seek academic advice from within the Faculty.

(24) Staff authorised to provide academic advice are responsible for:

1. familiarising themselves with relevant University Rules, Codes, Standards and Policies, and for providing advice consistent with these University policy documents;
2. maintaining appropriate records of advice given to students, particularly where this advice relates to program rules and/ or course choice;
3. using judgement about what information needs to be kept as a record noting sensitive information related to case management (e.g. disability support, misconduct) are recorded in separate systems. This is to restrict access to personal information to only those who need to know.

Section 7 - Definitions