ACTL3141 Modelling and Prediction of Life and Health Related Risks - 2023

Subject Code
ACTL3141
Study Level
Undergraduate
Commencing Term
Term 1
Total Units of Credit (UOC)
6
Delivery Mode
On Campus
School
Risk & Actuarial Studies
The course outline is not available for current term. To view outlines from other year and/or terms visit the archives

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

This course covers the actuarial professional syllabus for survival analysis, providing students with the technical skills for the estimation of survival models and highlighting their applications in insurance, finance, demography and epidemiology. Such models can be used to understand and predict risks associated with contingent events (such as mortality, health status changes, credit defaults), leading to more accurate quantification and management of these risks. Specific topics include: survival models and actuarial notation; estimation of lifetime distributions; maximum likelihood estimation of transition intensities in multiple state models and intensities dependent on age and duration; graduation of crude estimates and tests of fidelity and smoothness; and models for the projection of mortality trends. A particular focus will be placed on the implementation of the concepts using numerical computer packages. Issues around ethics and discrimination will also be considered.

This course covers the survival models component of the Subject CS2 - Risk Modelling and Survival Analysis of the Institute of Actuaries.

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

At the end of the course students should be able to:

  • Assess the properties of a model involving survival or transition intensities and apply to real-life data for insurance and finance applications.
  • Use actuarial statistics techniques to assess probability models and data.
  • Understand and discuss ethical issues and implications of the modelling introduced in the course.

This course covers the development and application of statistical techniques to practical actuarial problems. Examples will be drawn from the insurance and financial markets as well as from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Students are assumed to have a good knowledge of ACTL2131, ACTL3142 and ACTL2102.

Particularly important is the material on statistical estimation and regression techniques covered in ACTL2131 and ACTL3142. If your knowledge on this topic area requires revision it is important that you revise this material as soon as possible. For those students who have not completed ACTL3142 yet, we will provide material on regression techniques which you should complete during week 0 and 1 of the course. The assumed knowledge of the course includes a good understanding of mathematics in calculus and linear algebra.

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. PLOs are, in turn, directly linked to UNSW graduate capabilities. More information on Coursework PLOs is available under Policies and Support. For PG Research PLOs, including MPDBS, please refer to the UNSW HDR Learning Outcomes.

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:

Explain the concept of survival models

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Final Exam

Describe estimation procedures for lifetime distributions

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Final Exam

Describe statistical models of transfers between multiple states, including processes with single or multiple decrements, and derive relationships between probabilities of transfer and transition intensities

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Final Exam

Derive maximum likelihood estimators for the transition intensities in models of transfers between states with piecewise constant transition intensities

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Final Exam

Describe the Binomial model of mortality, derive a maximum likelihood estimator for the probability of death and compare the Binomial model with the multiple state models

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Final Exam

Describe how to estimate transition intensities depending on age, exactly or using the census approximation

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Final Exam

Describe how to test crude estimates for consistency with a standard table or a set of graduated estimates, and describe the process of graduation

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Final Exam

Describe the principal forms of mortality and morbidity heterogeneity in a population

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Final Exam

Describe the main methods of projecting/forecasting mortality rates and discuss their advantages and disadvantages

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Final Exam

Understand and discuss the ethical dimensions and implications of the modelling introduced in the course

PLO 5: Responsible business practice
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Assignment
  • Final Exam

Use computer software to estimate and apply survival models and mortality projection methods

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
  • Weekly formative activities
  • Assignment
  • Final Exam

Prepare written documents that are clear and concise, using appropriate style and presentation for the intended audience, purpose and context

PLO 3: Business communication
  • Assignment

2. Staff Contact Details

Position Title Name Email Location Phone Consultation Times
Lecturer-in-chargeDrAndrés VillegasBusiness School building – Ref E12+61 2 9065 8561TBA

Communication with staff

​The Course Lecturer-in-charge is Dr Andrés Villegas. He is responsible for the teaching of the course as well as of the assessment of the course. All administrative and academic (learning) enquiries to do with the course should be directed to Andrés.

This course has several tutors. The names of the tutors will be announced on the course website. They are responsible for tutorials and grading of the formative activities and assignment tasks. The tutors will hold consultation in the week before any in-session assessment. Their consultation times will also be posted on the course Moodle website.

Students are strongly encouraged to post their questions on the course forum as well.

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

The approach adopted in this course is one of assisted self-study. This approach is called “flipped and blended” classroom and differs from the traditional lecture. While reading this subsection, please refer to the detailed curse scheduled that will be posted on Moodle during the first week of the session.

The main rationale for this “flipped and blended” structure is twofold. First, it frees up class time which can now be used to do in–class exercises and learning-by doing activities, which aim at enhancing students’ long-lasting (deep) learning. Second, it brings a significant portion of the synchronous time later in the learning process, when students are more comfortable with the materials, and more likely to interact and ask questions.

In this flipped and blended approach, the first conceptual encounter with the materials of a given module happens in class through a learn-by-doing activity to spark the students’ interest in the topic and to provide a context for the subsequent video lectures. The second conceptual encounter with the materials happens at home when students watch video lectures. These video lectures are accompanied by online quizzes and discussion forums which provide the students with an immediate opportunity for getting feedback and asking questions on their understanding of the material. Consultation is also available. Then, everyone gathers in the online lecture room for a “lectorial”. The word combines lectures—because they are run by the lecturer, and with the whole group, and tutorial—because their goal is not to “lecture” students. By contrast, in this lectorial, the lecturer first provides a high level summary of the key concepts of the module and then moves on to other activities (such as discussions, advanced exercises, guest lectures, real life applications) that aim to cement students’ learning. Finally, the students move on to practicing their knowledge with tutorial exercises and computer exercises in R. Tutorial sessions aim to provide some additional face-to-face or online and personalised help.

Course materials are organised in 9 modules

​Module
​Topic
1
​Survival Models and The Life Table
​2
​Non-parametric models: Kaplan-Meier, Nelson-Aalen and the comparison of survival functions
​3
​Semi-parametric models: The Cox regression model
​4
Binomial and Poisson Models
​5
Markov models
​6
​Ethics and mortality heterogeneity
​7
​​Exposed to risk
​8
​Graduation methods
​9
​Mortality projection models


This course consists of:

  • Self-study video recordings available on the course Moodle website and organised in 9 modules;
  • 1 hour consultation every week (2 to 10);
  • 1.5 hour tutorial every week (1 to 10, except week 6); and
  • 2 hour lectorials every week (1 to 10, except week 6).

Students are responsible to learn topics with the following materials:

  • Prescribed books (and recommended books for additional support)
  • Topic video lectures available on the course website
  • Tutorial exercises with solutions
  • Self-study R tutorials
  • Past quizzes and exams for advanced exercises

It is expected the students will take a pro-active approach to learning. On average, students have one week to cover the contents of a given module. It is recommended to have read all prescribed readings, watched the associated videos, attempted the tutorial exercises and gone through the self-study R tutorials prior to the associated module’s lectorial.

It is expected that you will spend at least ten hours per week studying this course. In periods where you need to complete assignments or prepare for examinations, the workload may be greater. Over-commitment (to extra-curricular activities) 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. In the past, students have found the amount of contents particularly challenging. Don’t allow yourself to fall behind the schedule!

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

It is expected that the students will take a pro-active approach to learning. The course is organised in the following learning activities.

Video lectures and Self-study

During the time periods of self-study, students should cover the readings, video lectures and tutorials for the associated module. A required learning strategy for this course is to have read all prescribed readings, watched the associated video lectures and attempted the online quizzes and tutorial exercises before lectorials.

Lectorials

Weekly lectorials are there to wrap up modules, to solve advanced exercises and to answer the students’ questions. Students should have read the prescribed books, watched the videos and done the tutorial exercises prior to the lectures. No course contents will be taught during the lectures. Students are encouraged to prepare questions and communicate them to the lecturer in advance via the discussion forums.

Tutorials

The more you read the more you know, but the more you practice the more you learn and understand. So the key to the understanding of this course is problem solving.

Tutorials are planned throughout the time allocated to a module’s learning. Tutorials are for students to ask questions on aspects of the course that need further clarification and to interact with other students in the course. Students need to attempt the tutorial exercises prior to the tutorial classes and identify problems that require closer review during tutorials. They are an opportunity to learn from other students and to develop team skills by working on problems with other students.

The purpose of tutorials is to enable you to raise questions about difficult topics or problems encountered in their studies. Students must not expect another lecture – they and their questions should drive what is discussed during a tutorial.

A good learning strategy for the tutorials is:

  • Prior to make an attempt of the exercises, review your lecture notes and videos.
  • Prior to the tutorial, make an attempt to the exercises you should make before the tutorial.
  • During the tutorial, make an attempt to the exercises you should make in the tutorial.
  • After the tutorial, make an attempt to the exercises you should make after the tutorial.
  • If you have questions about the tutorial exercises, ask them to your tutor. If you think you have a good understanding of the material, you should try and answer the questions of your peers. This will give you feedback on your ability to explain the material and hence how well you know the material.
  • Check your answer using the tutorial solution.

Self-Study R tutorials

For some of the modules in the course there will be an associated self-study R tutorial to develop your skills in implementing the course content using R. You are required to go through each of the R tutorials on your own time and raise any questions during the synchronous tutorials and/or on the discussion forums. There will be five mini-assignments to assess your understanding of R as part of the weekly formative activities.

5. Course Resources

​There is no prescribed textbook for the course. However, some recommended references are:

  • Klein, J. P., and Moeschberger, M. L. Survival Analysis: Techniques for Censored and Truncated Data, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1997 (2nd edition 2003).
    • Chapter 2 Basic Quantities and Models, Chapter 3 Censoring and Truncation, Chapter 4 Nonparametric estimation, Chapter 8 Semiparametric proportional hazards regression and Chapter 9 Refinements of Semi-parametric proportional hazards.
  • Gareth M. James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani. An Introduction to Statistical Learning (2nd edition 2021) . Available at https://www.statlearning.com/
    • Chapter 3 on Linear Regrssion
    • Chapter 11 on Survival Analysis and Censored Data
  • Benjamin, B., and Pollard, J.H., The Analysis of Mortality and Other Actuarial Statistics, The Institute of Actuaries, 1993.
    • Chapter 1 on Mortality Measures, Chapters 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16 on Graduation topics, Chapter 19 on Social and Economic Factors Affecting Mortality, and Chapter 9 on Trend and Forecasting.
  • Pitacco, E., Denuit, M., Haberman, S., and Olivieri, A.. Modelling longevity dynamics for pensions and annuity business, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2009.
    • Chapters 4 and 5 on forecasting mortality.

The course draws on and further develops concepts covered in ACTL2131 (Estimation, Regression) and ACTL2102 (Markov Chains). Students are encouraged to review these concepts as required early in the course.

Course website

The course Moodle website is available from UNSW Moodle Page.

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). All course contents will be available from the course website. It is essential that you visit the site regularly (at least weekly) to see any notices posted there by the course coordinator.

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. 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.

The model of teaching for this course has been sucesfully run for several years with good feedback from the students. However, upon reflection on the student feedback from the previous year we weill imples some adjustments this year. This include

  • A revised tutorial exercise book with exercises for some modules revised to better reflect the current content of the course
  • A much earlier deadlne for the main assignment to allow for more study time for the final exam

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: 13 FebVideo lectures, Lectorial and Tutorial

Module 1: Survival Models and The Life Table

Weekly formative activity

Week 2: 20 FebVideo lectures, Lectorial and Tutorial

Module 2: Non-parametric models: Kaplan-Meier, Nelson-Aalen and the comparison of survival functions

Weekly formative activity

Week 3: 27 FebVideo lectures, Lectorial and Tutorial

Module 3: Semi-parametric models: The Cox regression model

Weekly formative activity

Week 4: 6 MarVideo lectures, Lectorial and Tutorial

Module 4: Binomial and Poisson Models

Module 5 - Part 1: Markov models

Weekly formative activity

Week 5: 13 MarVideo lectures, Lectorial and Tutorial

Module 6: Ethics and Mortality heterogeneity

Weekly formative activity

Week 6: 20 MarNo Lectorial and no Tutorial

Flexibility week

-

Week 7: 27 MarVideo lectures, Lectorial and Tutorial

Module 5 - Part 2: Markov models

Module 7: Exposed to risk

Weekly formative activity

Week 8: 3 AprVideo lectures, Lectorial and Tutorial

Module 7: Exposed to risk

Weekly formative activity

Week 9: 10 AprVideo lectures, Lectorial and Tutorial

Module 8: Graduation methods

Weekly formative activity

Week 10: 17 AprVideo lectures, Lectorial and Tutorial

Module 9: Mortality projection models

Weekly formative activity

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 CapabilitiesBusiness 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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