ACTL1101 Introduction to Actuarial Studies

Subject Code

ACTL1101

Study Level

Undergraduate

Commencing Term

Term 2

Total Units of Credit (UOC)

Delivery Mode

On Campus and Online

School

Risk & Actuarial Studies

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The course outline is not available for current term. To view outlines from other years and/or terms, visit the archives .

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

This course is designed to provide an introduction to actuarial studies. It covers the fundamental modelling tools used by actuaries (probability, statistics, financial mathematics), as well as some of the basic actuarial models in areas such as insurance, superannuation or financial risk management, which will be studied in great depth during the remainder of the degree. The main areas of actuarial practice and research are also introduced and discussed. Finally, the course provides a foundation in programming, as well as data manipulation and visualisation, with a particular focus on R.

Teaching Times and Locations

Please note that teaching times and locations are subject to change. Students are strongly advised to refer to the Class Timetable website for the most up-to-date teaching times and locations.

View course timetable

Course Policies & Support

The Business School expects that you are familiar with the contents of this course outline and the UNSW and Business School learning expectations, rules, policies and support services as listed below:

Program Learning Outcomes
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Student Responsibilities and Conduct
Special Consideration
Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts
Student Learning Support Services

Further information is provided in the Assessment and Policies and Support sections.

Students may not circulate or post online any course materials such as handouts, exams, syllabi or similar resources from their courses without the written permission of their instructor.

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

This course is offered as part of the first year core in the Bachelor of Actuarial Studies and dual degrees. The course is a prerequisite, along with MATH1251, for the courses ACTL2111 Financial Mathematics for Actuaries, and ACTL2131 Probability and Mathematical Statistics.

Student Learning Outcomes

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) are what you should be able to demonstrate by the end of this course, if you participate fully in learning activities and successfully complete the assessment items.

CLOs also contribute to your achievement of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs), which are developed across the duration of a program for all students. More information on coursework PLOs is available under Policies and Support. PLOs are, in turn, directly linked to UNSW graduate capabilities and the aspiration to develop “globally focussed graduates who are rigorous scholars, capable of leadership and professional practice in an international community”.

For PG research PLOs please refer to the UNSW HDR Graduate Attributes and LearningOutcomes.

The following table shows how the CLOs for this course relate to the overall PLOs and indicates where each CLO and PLO is assessed:

Course Learning Outcomes	Program Learning Outcomes	Course Assessment Item
On successful completion of the course, you should be able to:	This course helps you to develop the following Program Learning Outcomes:	This learning outcome will be assessed in the following items:
Evaluate and apply basic principles of probability, statistics and financial mathematics	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving	Online quiz Final exam
Evaluate the fundamental principles underlying risk management and insurance	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving	Final exam
Evaluate and apply fundamental actuarial mathematics techniques	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving	Final exam
Describe how the actuarial profession is organised, its code of conduct, its main practice areas, as well as its current challenges and opportunities	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 5: Responsible business practice PLO 6: Global and cultural competence	Weekly online questions
Interpret and create basic algorithms and control loops in pseudocode (in R and in pseudocode)	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving	Weekly online questions Main assignment
Communicate data insights effectively	PLO 3: Business communication	Weekly online questions Main assignment
Perform efficient computation, as well as manipulate data, in R	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving	Weekly online questions Main assignment

2. Staff Contact Details

Position	Title	Name	Email	Location	Phone	Consultation Times
Lecturer-in-charge	Mr	Guillaume Boglioni Beaulieu		–	–	To be announced

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Use of your Webcam and Digital Devices: If you enrol in an online class, or the online stream of a hybrid class, teaching and associated activities will be conducted using Teams, Zoom, or similar a technology. Using a webcam is optional, but highly encouraged, as this will facilitate interaction with your peers and instructors. If you are worried about your personal space being observed during a class, we encourage you to blur your background or make use of a virtual background. Please contact the Lecturer-in-Charge if you have any questions or concerns.

Some courses may involve undertaking online exams for which your own computer or digital devices will be required. Monitoring of online examinations will be conducted directly by University staff and is bound by the University's privacy and security requirements. Any data collected will be handled accordance with UNSW policies and standards for data governance. For more information on how the University manages personal information please refer to the UNSW Student Privacy Statement and the UNSW Privacy Policy.

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

We are here to HELP students (you) in the learning process by developing your understanding of course topics and to provide opportunities to reflect on and gain deeper understanding of the applications of the course material. The learning process is collaborative, and the more you interact with us (teaching staff) and with fellow students, the more you will learn and get from the course. Interaction can occur in class, in tutorials, in labs, during consultation, on online forums, etc.

Furthermore, the course will use extensive digital resources, some of which have been tailor made for the course; see Course Resources.

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

Active Learning

As much as possible, we use active learning during lectures, tutorials and pre-recorded videos. This means trying to make you do things, not just sit inactively. We will use different strategies for this, such as:

Use polls and Q&A periods during lectures.
Have discussion questions and group activities during tutorials.
Provide videos about programming which include frequent breaks for you to practice.
Encourage students to reply to each other on the online "Ed" forum.
Have formative weekly online questions whose answers are posted on a forum where students are strongly encouraged to reply to each other.
Have a tutor assisting the lecturer in class to answer live questions in a chat.

For more information about active learning, refer, for instance, to:

Course components

There are three components to this course, with different modes of learning (and assessment):

Theory: students are first exposed to the content through lectures, and the content is reinforced in tutorials.
R programming: students are responsible for going through pre-recorded videos at home. Weekly consultations periods (with tutors), a few Q&A sessions (with the Lecturer) and an online discussion forum will provide students opportunities to ask questions.
Actuarial practice: students are responsible for going through the content at home (readings, videos, interviews, podcasts), and then share and exchange knowledge on an online forum, where other students reply and staff moderate the discussions. A few guest lectures will also cover this component.

Those three components are shown in Green (theory), Orange (R programming) and Yellow (actuarial practice) wherever possible (for instance on the 'course map' and 'assessment map' on the Moodle website).

Theory: Lectures

For the theory (green), we will be teaching materials with detailed slides and examples (lectures). Knowledge is further reinforced and further applied in tutorials. Here the main references will be the lecture notes and tutorial exercises. There may be some readings from the book as indicated on the lecture slides. Unless announced otherwise on the course website or via e-mail, it is not necessary to do any prior reading.

During lectures, a tutor will also be in the chat room to answer questions from students. The main idea is to make it easier and quicker for you to ask questions.

Theory: Tutorials

Tutorials will mostly focus on the application of concepts taught in the theory (green).

Importantly, we invest a lot of resources to offer small group tutorials, and this is to maximise interaction, and for students to get the individualised help they need. This means that tutorials are not meant to replicate (or summarise) the lecture. If the flow of information is unilateral (the tutor talks for 90 minutes) then this could be done with 350 students in the same way. You are meant to make the difference and to make it worthwhile to have 14 groups of 25 instead of 1 group of 350.

To get the maximum from your tutorial, it is your responsibility to be prepared and to come to the tutorial with questions you want the tutor to address. As much as possible (depending on the tutorial topic) we will try to make you work within small teams.

R programming

This component of the course operates somewhat independently from lectures and tutorials: the aim is for you to learn the R programming language. To that end, pre-recorded videos provide a foundation in R programming, with a focus on data manipulation, analysis and visualisation, as well as algorithms. Those videos feature many exercises which students are encouraged to attempt while they are watching them (to enforce active learning).

Students are also encouraged to learn actively by participating in the formative assessment tasks (including homework exercises and quizzes). These tasks review the essential concepts and are designed to identify the loopholes of students learning and provide feedbacks for improvement.

Students will also have plenty of opportunities to ask questions on R programming: tutors will hold weekly consultations periods and the online forum Ed (which allows students to run R code) will be monitored frequently. The lecturer will also hold a few Q&A sessions about R along the Term.

The learning outcomes of the R lab series are validated through online questions (4 in total). Those online questions are created in such a way that students are required to apply concepts and tools they have learnt in an actuarial context. Sample solutions will be provided to students as feedback.

Note that you will develop general knowledge of the R software and language, rather than specific actuarial applications using R. Later in the actuarial degree, students will thus be able to focus on specific actuarial applications using R (such as modelling mortality rates, generalised linear regression, etc.) without experiencing difficulties due to poor knowledge of programming and R in particular.

Actuarial Practice

The goal of this component is to introduce students to the 'real world work' of actuaries. The content will be presented mainly through readings, video interviews and podcasts which students are responsible to review on their own. The prescribed readings and resources will be made clear on the course Moodle website. This component will be assessed through formative online questions (4 tasks in total, including a "introduce yourself" task), in the form of open-ended questions that students answer on an online forum public to every other student enrolled. (Those assignments won't have 'single right answers', and will be assessed on a 'Pass or Fail' basis, so don't panic!) Students will also be strongly encouraged to reply to each others' posts. The purpose of this mode of learning and assessment is to strengthen the sense of community and belonging among students.

How you will receive feedback about your learning

You will receive feedback about your learning in multiple ways:

During lectures, by asking questions and participating in the activities
After lectures, by reviewing your lecture notes and participating in the online forums
Before tutorials, by attempting the exercises to be done prior to the tutorial
During tutorials, by participating in activities and by interacting with your team and tutor
After tutorials, by reviewing your notes, and reflecting on your gaps and how to fill them
By doing the R homework exercises (which have solutions) and quizzes (which are automatically marked)
Throughout, by examining feedback obtained on assessment items; see also Assessment Summary

Your typical week as a student in ACTL1101

The normal workload for a 6 credit course at UNSW under UNSW3+ is about 13-15 hours per week.

In a typical week (but not necessarily in all weeks) you would do the following activities:

[2-3 hours] Lecture: attend Monday & Tuesday lectures (and consultations afterwards if needed)
[1-2 hours*] Before the weekly tutorial: do the homework questions
[1.5 hour] Attend your weekly tutorial
[1.5 hour] Watch videos on R (only weeks 1-5;7) and do any practice exercises that come-up in the videos
[1-2 hours*] After watching the videos: do the lab homework and associated quiz
[1-2 hours] Do the weekly online questions
[2 hours*] Revise lecture, tutorial and lab notes and prepare questions if needed; attempt past exam questions; ask and answer questions on the forums; work on the main assignment.

We strongly suggest that you diarise these activities. We also encourage you to do the starred activities with a team of fellow students you regularly study with (perhaps from the same tutorial group).

Each week, we will send you an e-mail that details what you are expected to do. This does not prevent you from taking responsibility for your own planning, of course.

4. Assessment

Formal Requirements

In order to pass this course, you must:

achieve a composite mark of at least 50 out of 100;
meet any additional requirements described in the Assessment Summary section.

You are expected to attempt all assessment requirements in the course.

Assessment Structure

Assessment Task	Weighting	Length	Due Date
Weekly online questions (8 in total)	30%	–	Weeks 1-4;7,8,10 (exact time TBD)
Online quiz	10%	1 hour	Week 5 (exact time TBD)
Main assignment	20%	–	Week 9 (exact time TBD)
Final Exam (online)	40%	2 hours	As advised by UNSW examinations

Assessment Summary

As a student at UNSW you are expected to display academic integrity in your work and interactions. Where a student breaches the UNSW Student Code with respect to academic integrity, the University may take disciplinary action under the Student Misconduct Procedure. To assure academic integrity, you may be required to demonstrate reasoning, research and the process of constructing work submitted for assessment.

To assist you in understanding what academic integrity means, and how to ensure that you do comply with the UNSW Student Code, it is strongly recommended that you complete the Working with Academic Integrity module before submitting your first assessment task. It is a free, online self-paced Moodle module that should take about one hour to complete.

Weekly online questions (8 tasks in total)

Each week (except weeks 5,6 and 9) there will be online questions to answer. One task (Week 1) will be a simple "Introduce Yourself" tasks. Four of those tasks will be on R Programming (orange content), and three will be on Actuarial Practice (yellow content). Note that in Week 7, there will be both a R task and an Actuarial Practice task due. Those tasks are formative, meaning that full marks will be awarded to any reasonable, coherent and complete attempt. The answer does not need to be 'perfect' to receive full marks.

A task due every week may sound like a lot, but each task will be reasonable in terms of the effort and time needed to complete. The purpose of those tasks is to motivate students to keep up with the content, to allow them to test their learning along the way, and to receive feedback. They are intended as an opportunity to learn, not as a burden.

Warning: while students are encouraged to help each other, those weekly questions are individual assignments and therefore academic misconduct will be treated very seriously. Any academic misconduct (such as plagiarism) will be reported to the School Student Integrity Adviser. It is far better not to submit, rather than doing the wrong thing (which of course you should never do!). Furthermore, the plagiarism software is very good, hence you have very high chances of being caught, if you do something you should not do.

Online quiz

There will be an online quiz held in Week 5, worth 10% of the total mark for the course. The online quiz will focus exclusively on topics related to the Theory of weeks 1-2-3, and associated tutorials. The quiz will be formative: a good attempt (even with minor mistakes) will grant students full marks. The purpose of the quiz is to test knowledge acquired thus far in the term, provide feedback to students in preparation for the final exam, and allow them to adjust their studying strategy if improvements are needed.

Main assignment

The main assignment (attracts 20% of the total mark) will have a focus on R programming (but some "Theory" knowledge will be needed as well). It is meant for students to demonstrate a more extensive knowledge their R programming abilities, with a particular emphasis on the content not assessed through previous weekly online questions.

Final exam

The final exam is intended to test students' knowledge, understanding and application of all the "Theory" component of the course, as well as their ability to concisely express themselves. This final examination will be a two hour online exam.

Assignment Submission Procedure

Please refer to the document 'assessments_map' at the top of the Moodle website of the course.

Assessment Feedback

Feedback on student performance from formative and summative assessment tasks will be provided to students in a timely manner. Assessment tasks completed within the teaching period of a course, other than a final assessment, will be assessed and students provided with feedback, with or without a provisional result, within 10 working days of submission, under normal circumstances. Feedback on continuous assessment tasks (e.g. laboratory and studio-based, workplace-based, weekly quizzes) will be provided prior to the midpoint of the course.

Special Consideration

You can apply for special consideration when illness or other circumstances beyond your control interfere with your performance in a specific assessment task or tasks, including online exams. Students studying remotely who have exams scheduled between 10pm and 7am local time, are also able to apply for special consideration to sit a supplementary exam at a time outside of these hours.

Special consideration is primarily intended to provide you with an extra opportunity to demonstrate the level of performance of which you are capable. To apply, and for further information, see Special Consideration on the UNSW Current Students page.

Special consideration applications will be assessed centrally by the Case Review Team, who will update the online application with the outcome and add any relevant comments. The change to the status of the application immediately sends an email to the student and to the assessor with the outcome of the application.

Please note the following:

Applications can only be made through Online Services in myUNSW. Applications will not be accepted by teaching staff. The lecturer-in-charge/course coordinator will be automatically notified when your application is processed.
Applying for special consideration does not automatically mean that you will be granted a supplementary exam or other concession.
If you experience illness or misadventure in the lead up to an exam or assessment, you must submit an application for special consideration, either prior to the examination taking place, or prior to the assessment submission deadline, except where illness or misadventure prevent you from doing so.
If your circumstances stop you from applying before your exam or assessment due date, you must apply within 3 working days of the assessment or the period covered by your supporting documentation.
Under the UNSW Fit To Sit/Submit rule, if you sit the exam/submit an assignment, you are declaring yourself well enough to do so and are cannot subsequently apply for special consideration.
If you become unwell on the day of – or during – an exam, you must stop working on your exam, advise your course coordinator or tutor and provide a medical certificate dated within 24 hours of the exam, with your special consideration application. For online exams, you must contact your course coordinator or tutor immediately via email, Moodle or chat and advise them you are unwell and submit screenshots of your conversation along with your medical certificate and application.
Special consideration requests do not allow the awarding of additional marks to students.

Further information on Business School policy and procedure can be found under “Special Consideration” on the Policies and Support page.

Late Submission Penalties

Late submission will incur a penalty of 5% per day or part thereof (including weekends) from the due date and time. An assessment will not be accepted after 5 days (120 hours) of the original deadline unless special consideration has been approved. An assignment is considered late if the requested format, such as hard copy or electronic copy, has not been submitted on time or where the ‘wrong’ assignment has been submitted.

For assessments which account for 10% or less of the overall course grade, and where answers are immediately discussed or debriefed, the LIC may stipulate a different penalty. Details of such late penalties will be available on the course Moodle page.

Special consideration and assessments other than the Final Exam in undergraduate and postgraduate courses

For courses offered by the School of Risk and Actuarial Studies, the weight of the mid-term exam for which special consideration is granted is re-allocated to the final exam.

Special consideration does not entitle students to a supplementary opportunity to complete the assessment item. For an assignment, oral presentation and any in-session assessment item other than the mid-term exam, an extended deadline, an additional assessment or a re-allocation of the weight to the final exam may be granted.

Late submission of assessment items

When an assessment item had to be submitted by a pre-specified submission date and time and was submitted late, the School of Risk and Actuarial Studies will apply the following policy.

Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts

UNSW students have the right to view their final exam scripts, subject to a small number of very specific exemptions. The UNSW Business School has set a protocol under which students may view their final exam script. Individual schools within the Faculty may also set up a local process for viewing final exam scripts, so it is important that you check with your School. Further school-specific information may be included below.

Quality Assurance

The Business School is actively monitoring student learning and quality of the student experience in all its programs. A random selection of completed assessment tasks may be used for quality assurance, such as to determine the extent to which program learning goals are being achieved. The information is required for accreditation purposes, and aggregated findings will be used to inform changes aimed at improving the quality of Business School programs. All material used for such processes will be treated as confidential.

5. Course Resources

Course website

The website for this course is on Moodle. The course will use various digital resources (and notably a "Ed Forum" for questions), but they all will be linked from Moodle.

To access the Moodle online support site for students, follow the links from that website to UNSW Moodle Support/Support for Students. Additional technical support can be obtained from itservicecentre@unsw.edu.au (02 9385 1333). It is essential that you visit the site, as well as Ed, regularly (at least weekly) to see any notices posted there by the course coordinator.

Textbooks

The highly recommended (but not prescribed) textbooks for the course are:

[LT] Sherris, M. (2010) Principles of Actuarial Science, Cengage Publishing
[RS] Lafaye de Micheaux, P., Drouilhet, P., Liquet, B. (2013) The R Software, Springer. Note that this book has been translated into Mandarin and other languages.

Additional, useful references are:

Crawley, M. J. (2013) The R Book, Second Edition, Wiley
[A very comprehensive book, but too big and expensive to carry around.]
Heiberger, R. M., Neuwirth, E. (2009) R Through Excel, Springer
[Explains how to plug R in Excel]
Zuur, I., and Meesters, A (2009) A Beginner's Guide to R, Springer.
[A smaller, shorter reference book]

Digital resources

The following resources will be made available on the course website.

Theory Slides

Slides make up the content of the "theory component" (green) of the course.

Industry articles, video interviews, podcasts

A selection of articles, videos and podcasts all around the theme of "Actuarial Practice" will be made available on Moodle. Those will constitute the main resources for the Actuarial Practice (yellow) component of the course.

R programming slides + videos

Slides covering the "orange" content (R programming) of the course will be available on the Ed Forum. Pre-recorded videos which go through the content of those slides will also be made available. The reason why we provide the R slides on the Ed forum is that the Ed forum can conveniently be used to run R code (without having to install anything).

Formulae & Tables

In traditional exams, the only text student are allowed to bring into the examinations actuarial courses is the text "Formulae and Tables for Actuarial Examinations". All students in the actuarial courses should purchase a copy of this text if they wish to use it in tutorials, mid-session exams and the final examinations. The text is available from the UNSW Bookstore, the UK Institute of Actuaries or from ActEd. Visit the ActEd website. This is not mandatory, but highly recommended (as you will surely use it in many other actuarial courses in the future).

The Actuaries Institute

The Actuaries Institute allows students to become University Subscribers free of charge. Full time undergraduates studying at an Institute accredited university who are members of a university student actuarial society are eligible. Click here to sign up.

6. Course Evaluation & Development

Feedback is regularly sought from students and continual improvements are made based on this feedback. At the end of this course, you will be asked to complete the myExperience survey, which provides a key source of student evaluative feedback. Your input into this quality enhancement process is extremely valuable in assisting us to meet the needs of our students and provide an effective and enriching learning experience. The results of all surveys are carefully considered and do lead to action towards enhancing educational quality.

Each year feedback is sought from students and other stakeholders about the courses offered in the School and continual improvements are made based on this feedback. UNSW's myExperience survey is one of the ways in which student evaluative feedback is gathered. In this course, we will seek your feedback through end of semester myExperience responses and other informal forums.

As a result of student feedback, industry feedback, and school L&T strategic plan, the software R is now fully taught and assessed with a new set of labs. R will be assumed to be mastered by students, and will be used and assessed in each of the future actuarial courses. Note that at the same time, a level 3 course, ACTL3142 Actuarial Data and Analysis, has been introduced in the suite of ACTL courses, with advanced data analytics tools. Guest lecturers are invited.

Feedback from 2016 students indicated that they wanted more resources, and a different assessment structure. We have done so in 2017, and in fact have completely rejigged the course to give more emphasis and resources on practice areas, and the “big picture”. Labs are now at their version 2.0 level. All the digital resources described under Course Resources are new.

Feedback from 2017 and 2018 students indicated that they wanted tutorial exercises that were better aligned with new course materials, more time on the "green" lectures, and to develop some resources for assumed knowledge on probability. We have done all that, plus also reviewed again the R Labs which are know at their version 3.0.

Also new in 2019, the team aspects of the course were removed (including the team major assessment) to reduce assessment load and the size of the course. Course outcomes were adjusted accordingly, and more weight allocated to the R mini assignments (which are also now given 1.5 hours every week rather than 1 hour).

In 2020, following comments that the course was overcharged with content, we have reduced and repackaged the R content from 10 Weeks to 6 Weeks of content. To have a more "authentic" mode of assessment, we have added a R main assignment (this is overall not an additional burden for students, since we also go from 10 to 4 "R online question sets"). We have also reduced the content of the "Actuarial Practice" component of the course, and decided to assess this component through an online discussion forum, rather than in the final exam. This aims at increasing the collaboration and sense of community between students.

In 2021, following comments that the 'Laboratories' did not teach exhaustively the R programming content, we have decided to remove Laboratories and replace them with videos which exhaustively cover the R material. We will also provide plenty of R consultation periods to make sure that the students are not 'left alone' to learn R. In addition, following comments that the 'main assignment' caused stress (especially since it was due in Week 10 while students are extremely busy), we have decided to make the assignment available much earlier (so that students can start it early, or at least get familiar with the questions) and to have it due in Week 9 instead.

In 2022, following comments that the Theory lectures do not contain enough practice questions, we have added some "Exam Style" questions at the end of every set of slides.

7. Course Schedule

Note: for more information on the UNSW academic calendar and key dates including study period, exam, supplementary exam and result release, please visit: https://student.unsw.edu.au/new-calendar-dates

Week	Activity	Topic	Assessment/Other
Week 1: 30 May 2022	Lecture	Probability (green)	–
	Tutorial	Probability	–
	Programming Videos	Introduction to R	–
Week 2: 6 June 2022	Lecture	Statistics (green)	–
	Tutorial	Probability + Statistics	–
	Programming Videos	Data structures, mathematical operations, importation and exportation in R	–
Week 3: 13 June 2022	Lecture	No lecture Monday (Public Holiday) Tuesday Lecture: Financial Mathematics	–
	Tutorial	Statistics	–
	Programming Videos	Control flows and functions in R	–
	Actuarial Practice	Readings & videos to watch (see Moodle)	–
Week 4: 20 June 2022	Lecture	Monday Lecture: Financial Mathematics (green) Tuesday Lecture: Guest speaker	–
	Tutorial	Financial mathematics	–
	Programming Videos	Data manipulation and statistical analysis	–
	Actuarial Practice	Readings & videos to watch (see Moodle)	–
Week 5: 27 June 2022	Lecture	Risk and Insurance (green)	–
	Tutorial	Revision (in preparation for the Quiz)	–
	Programming Videos	Data visualisation	–
	Online quiz	Probability, Statistics, Financial Mathematics	–
Week 6: 4 July 2022	Flexibility week	Flexibility week: no lecture, no tutorials, no new content!	–
Week 7: 11 July 2022	Lecture	Life Insurance (green)	–
	Tutorial	Risk and Insurance	–
	Programming Videos	Algorithms and Pseudocode	–
Week 8: 18 July 2022	Lecture	Monday Lecture: General Insurance (green) Tuesday Lecture: General Insurance (green)	–
Week 8: 18 July 2022	Tutorial	Life Insurance	–
Week 9: 25 July 2022	Lecture	Monday Lecture: R revision and/or Guest speaker Tuesday Lecture: R revision and/or Guest speaker	–
	Tutorial	General Insurance	–
	Main Assignment	–	Main assignment is due
Week 10: 1 August 2022	Lecture	Wrap-up + Revision in preparation for the final exam	–
Week 10: 1 August 2022	Tutorial	Revision	–

8. Policies and Support

Information about UNSW Business School program learning outcomes, academic integrity, student responsibilities and student support services. For information regarding special consideration, supplementary exams and viewing final exam scripts, please go to the key policies and support page.

Program Learning Outcomes

The Business School places knowledge and capabilities at the core of its curriculum via seven Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). These PLOs are systematically embedded and developed across the duration of all coursework programs in the Business School.

PLOs embody the knowledge, skills and capabilities that are taught, practised and assessed within each Business School program. They articulate what you should know and be able to do upon successful completion of your degree.

Upon graduation, you should have a high level of specialised business knowledge and capacity for responsible business thinking, underpinned by ethical professional practice. You should be able to harness, manage and communicate business information effectively and work collaboratively with others. You should be an experienced problem-solver and critical thinker, with a global perspective, cultural competence and the potential for innovative leadership.

All UNSW programs and courses are designed to assess the attainment of program and/or course level learning outcomes, as required by the UNSW Assessment Design Procedure. It is important that you become familiar with the Business School PLOs, as they constitute the framework which informs and shapes the components and assessments of the courses within your program of study.

PLO 1: Business knowledge

Students will make informed and effective selection and application of knowledge in a discipline or profession, in the contexts of local and global business.

PLO 2: Problem solving

Students will define and address business problems, and propose effective evidence-based solutions, through the application of rigorous analysis and critical thinking.

PLO 3: Business communication

Students will harness, manage and communicate business information effectively using multiple forms of communication across different channels.

PLO 4: Teamwork

Students will interact and collaborate effectively with others to achieve a common business purpose or fulfil a common business project, and reflect critically on the process and the outcomes.

PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Students will develop and be committed to responsible business thinking and approaches, which are underpinned by ethical professional practice and sustainability considerations.

PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

Students will be aware of business systems in the wider world and actively committed to recognise and respect the cultural norms, beliefs and values of others, and will apply this knowledge to interact, communicate and work effectively in diverse environments.

PLO 7: Leadership development

Students will develop the capacity to take initiative, encourage forward thinking and bring about innovation, while effectively influencing others to achieve desired results.

These PLOs relate to undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs. For PG Research PLOs, including Master of Pre-Doctoral Business Studies, please refer to the UNSW HDR Learning Outcomes

Business School course outlines provide detailed information for students on how the course learning outcomes, learning activities, and assessment/s contribute to the development of Program Learning Outcomes.

UNSW Graduate Capabilities

The Business School PLOs also incorporate UNSW graduate capabilities, a set of generic abilities and skills that all students are expected to achieve by graduation. These capabilities articulate the University’s institutional values, as well as future employer expectations.

UNSW Graduate Capabilities	Business School PLOs
Scholars capable of independent and collaborative enquiry, rigorous in their analysis, critique and reflection, and able to innovate by applying their knowledge and skills to the solution of novel as well as routine problems.	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 3: Business communication PLO 4: Teamwork PLO 7: Leadership development
Entrepreneurial leaders capable of initiating and embracing innovation and change, as well as engaging and enabling others to contribute to change	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 3: Business communication PLO 4: Teamwork PLO 6: Global and cultural competence PLO 7: Leadership development
Professionals capable of ethical, self-directed practice and independent lifelong learning	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 3: Business communication PLO 5: Responsible business practice
Global citizens who are culturally adept and capable of respecting diversity and acting in a socially just and responsible way.	PLO 1: Business knowledge PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 3: Business communication PLO 4: Teamwork PLO 5: Responsible business practice PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

While our programs are designed to provide coverage of all PLOs and graduate capabilities, they also provide you with a great deal of choice and flexibility. The Business School strongly advises you to choose a range of courses that assist your development against the seven PLOs and four graduate capabilities, and to keep a record of your achievements as part of your portfolio. You can use a portfolio as evidence in employment applications as well as a reference for work or further study. For support with selecting your courses contact the UNSW Business School Student Services team.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Academic Integrity is honest and responsible scholarship. This form of ethical scholarship is highly valued at UNSW. Terms like Academic Integrity, misconduct, referencing, conventions, plagiarism, academic practices, citations and evidence based learning are all considered basic concepts that successful university students understand. Learning how to communicate original ideas, refer sources, work independently, and report results accurately and honestly are skills that you will be able to carry beyond your studies.

The definition of academic misconduct is broad. It covers practices such as cheating, copying and using another person’s work without appropriate acknowledgement. Incidents of academic misconduct may have serious consequences for students.

Plagiarism

UNSW regards plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct. UNSW has very strict rules regarding plagiarism. Plagiarism at UNSW is using the words or ideas of others and passing them off as your own. All Schools in the Business School have a Student Ethics Officer who will investigate incidents of plagiarism and may result in a student’s name being placed on the Plagiarism and Student Misconduct Registers.

Below are examples of plagiarism including self-plagiarism:

Copying: Using the same or very similar words to the original text or idea without acknowledging the source or using quotation marks. This includes copying materials, ideas or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document, presentation, composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or software, website, internet, other electronic resource, or another person's assignment, without appropriate acknowledgement of authorship.

Inappropriate Paraphrasing: Changing a few words and phrases while mostly retaining the original structure and/or progression of ideas of the original, and information without acknowledgement. This also applies in presentations where someone paraphrases another’s ideas or words without credit and to piecing together quotes and paraphrases into a new whole, without appropriate referencing.

Collusion: Presenting work as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part in collusion with other people. Collusion includes:

Students providing their work to another student before the due date, or for the purpose of them plagiarising at any time
Paying another person to perform an academic task and passing it off as your own
Stealing or acquiring another person’s academic work and copying it
Offering to complete another person’s work or seeking payment for completing academic work

Collusion should not be confused with academic collaboration (i.e., shared contribution towards a group task).

Inappropriate Citation: Citing sources which have not been read, without acknowledging the 'secondary' source from which knowledge of them has been obtained.

Self-Plagiarism: ‘Self-plagiarism’ occurs where an author republishes their own previously written work and presents it as new findings without referencing the earlier work, either in its entirety or partially. Self-plagiarism is also referred to as 'recycling', 'duplication', or 'multiple submissions of research findings' without disclosure. In the student context, self-plagiarism includes re-using parts of, or all of, a body of work that has already been submitted for assessment without proper citation.

To see if you understand plagiarism, do this short quiz: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism-quiz

Cheating

The University also regards cheating as a form of academic misconduct. Cheating is knowingly submitting the work of others as their own and includes contract cheating (work produced by an external agent or third party that is submitted under the pretences of being a student’s original piece of work). Cheating is not acceptable at UNSW.

If you need to revise or clarify any terms associated with academic integrity you should explore the 'Working with Academic Integrity' self-paced lessons available at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/aim.

For UNSW policies, penalties, and information to help you avoid plagiarism see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism as well as the guidelines in the online ELISE tutorials for all new UNSW students: http://subjectguides.library.unsw.edu.au/elise. For information on student conduct see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/conduct.

For information on how to acknowledge your sources and reference correctly, see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing. If you are unsure what referencing style to use in this course, you should ask the lecturer in charge.

Student Responsibilities and Conduct

Students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to university policies in relation to class attendance and general conduct and behaviour, including maintaining a safe, respectful environment; and to understand their obligations in relation to workload, assessment and keeping informed.

Information and policies on these topics can be found on the 'Managing your Program' website.

Workload

It is expected that you will spend at least ten to twelve hours per week studying for a course except for Summer Term courses which have a minimum weekly workload of twenty to twenty four hours. This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems, online activities and attending classes. In periods where you need to complete assignments or prepare for examinations, the workload may be greater. Over-commitment has been a cause of failure for many students. You should take the required workload into account when planning how to balance study with employment and other activities.

We strongly encourage you to connect with your Moodle course websites in the first week of semester. Local and international research indicates that students who engage early and often with their course website are more likely to pass their course.

View more information on expected workload

Attendance and Engagement

Your regular attendance and active engagement in all scheduled classes and online learning activities is expected in this course. Failure to attend / engage in assessment tasks that are integrated into learning activities (e.g. class discussion, presentations) will be reflected in the marks for these assessable activities. The Business School may refuse final assessment to those students who attend less than 80% of scheduled classes where attendance and participation is required as part of the learning process (e.g. tutorials, flipped classroom sessions, seminars, labs, etc.). If you are not able to regularly attend classes, you should consult the relevant Course Authority.

View more information on attendance

General Conduct and Behaviour

You are expected to conduct yourself with consideration and respect for the needs of your fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or interferes with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and students may be asked to leave the class.

View more information on student conduct

Health and Safety

UNSW Policy requires each person to work safely and responsibly, in order to avoid personal injury and to protect the safety of others.

View more information on Health and Safety

Keeping Informed

You should take note of all announcements made in lectures, tutorials or on the course web site. From time to time, the University will send important announcements to your university e-mail address without providing you with a paper copy. You will be deemed to have received this information. It is also your responsibility to keep the University informed of all changes to your contact details.

Student Support and Resources

The University and the Business School provide a wide range of support services and resources for students, including:

Business School Learning Support Tools
Business School provides support a wide range of free resources and services to help students in-class and out-of-class, as well as online. These include:

Academic Communication Essentials – A range of academic communication workshops, modules and resources to assist you in developing your academic communication skills.
Learning consultations – Meet learning consultants who have expertise in business studies, literacy, numeracy and statistics, writing, referencing, and researching at university level.
PASS classes – Study sessions facilitated by students who have previously and successfully completed the course.
Educational Resource Access Scheme – To support the inclusion and success of students from equity groups enrolled at UNSW Sydney in first year undergraduate Business programs.

The Nucleus - Business School Student Services team
The Nucleus Student Services team provides advice and direction on all aspects of enrolment and graduation. Level 2, Main Library, Kensington 02 8936 7005 / https://nucleus.unsw.edu.au/en/contact-us

Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee strives to ensure that every student is empowered to have equal access to education. The Business School provides a vibrant, safe, and equitable environment for education, research, and engagement that embraces diversity and treats all people with dignity and respect. BUSEDI@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Academic Skills
Resources and support – including workshops, individual consultations and a range of online resources – to help you develop and refine your academic skills. See their website for details.
academicskills@unsw.edu.au

Student Support Advisors
Student Support Advisors work with all students to promote the development of skills needed to succeed at university, whilst also providing personal support throughout the process.
John Goodsell Building, Ground Floor.
advisors@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

International Student Support
The International Student Experience Unit (ISEU) is the first point of contact for international students. ISEU staff are always here to help with personalised advice and information about all aspects of university life and life in Australia.
Advisors can support you with your student visa, health and wellbeing, making friends, accommodation and academic performance.
International.student@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

Equitable Learning Services
Equitable Learning Services (formerly Disability Support Services) is a free and confidential service that provides practical support to ensure that your health condition doesn't adversely affect your studies. Register with the service to receive educational adjustments.
Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building.
els@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services
Provides support and services if you need help with your personal life, getting your academic life back on track or just want to know how to stay safe, including free, confidential counselling.
Level 2, East Wing, Quadrangle Building.
counselling@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 5418

Library services and facilities for students
The UNSW Library offers a range of collections, services and facilities both on-campus and online.
Main Library, F21.
02 9065 9444

Moodle eLearning Support
Moodle is the University’s learning management system. You should ensure that you log into Moodle regularly.
externalteltsupport@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 3331

UNSW IT
UNSW IT provides support and services for students such as password access, email services, wireless services and technical support.
UNSW Library Annexe (Ground floor).
02 9385 1333

Support for Studying Online

The Business School and UNSW provide a wide range of tools, support and advice to help students achieve their online learning goals.

The UNSW Guide to Online Study page provides guidance for students on how to make the most of online study.

We recognise that completing quizzes and exams online can be challenging for a number of reasons, including the possibility of technical glitches or lack of reliable internet. We recommend you review the Online Exam Preparation Checklist of things to prepare when sitting an online exam.

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Accreditation

ACTL1101 Introduction to Actuarial Studies - 2022

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1. Course Details

Summary of Course

Teaching Times and Locations

Course Policies & Support

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

Student Learning Outcomes

2. Staff Contact Details

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

Active Learning

Course components

Theory: Lectures

Theory: Tutorials

R programming

Actuarial Practice

How you will receive feedback about your learning

Your typical week as a student in ACTL1101

4. Assessment

Formal Requirements

Assessment Structure

Assessment Summary

Weekly online questions (8 tasks in total)

Online quiz

Main assignment

Final exam

Assignment Submission Procedure

Assessment Feedback

Special Consideration

Special consideration and assessments other than the Final Exam in undergraduate and postgraduate courses

Late submission of assessment items

Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts

Quality Assurance

5. Course Resources

​Course website

Textbooks

Digital resources

Theory Slides

Industry articles, video interviews, podcasts

Formulae & Tables

The Actuaries Institute

6. Course Evaluation & Development

7. Course Schedule

8. Policies and Support

UNSW Graduate Capabilities

Plagiarism

Cheating

Workload

Attendance and Engagement

General Conduct and Behaviour

Health and Safety

Keeping Informed

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