ACTL3141 Actuarial Models and Statistics - 2018

Subject Code
ACTL3141
Study Level
Undergraduate
Commencing Term
Semester 1
Total Units of Credit (UOC)
6
Delivery Mode
On Campus
School
Risk & Actuarial Studies

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

​This course covers survival models and their estimation as well as applications in insurance and finance. Specific topics include: the concept of survival models and actuarial notation; estimation of lifetime distributions; multiple state models; maximum likelihood estimation of transition intensities; the binomial model of mortality and its estimation; models with transition intensities depending on age and duration; the census approximation and formulae; statistical comparison of crude rates with a standard table; graduation of crude estimates and tests of fidelity and smoothness; analysis of mortality/morbidity and the main forms of selection; models for projection of mortality. The analysis of data using numerical computer packages developed during the course will form part of the course assessment.

This course covers material in the Subject CT4 Models of the Institute of Actuaries, covering Units 5-13 of CT4.

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

View course Policies and Support

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. Students are assumed to have a good knowledge of ACTL2131 and ACTL2102.

Particularly important is the material on statistical estimation and regression techniques covered in ACTL2131. If your knowledge on this topic area requires revision it is important that you revise this material as soon as possible. The assumed knowledge of the course includes a good understanding of mathematics in calculus and linear algebra.

Student Learning Outcomes

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

The Learning Outcomes in this course also help you to achieve some of the overall Program Learning Goals and Outcomes for all undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students in the Business School. Program Learning Goals are what we want you to BE or HAVE by the time you successfully complete your degree (e.g. ‘be an effective team player’). You demonstrate this by achieving specific Program Learning Outcomes - what you are able to DO by the end of your degree (e.g. ‘participate collaboratively and responsibly in teams’).

For more information on Program Learning Goals and Outcomes, refer to the course Policies and Support.

The following table shows how your Course Learning Outcomes relate to the overall Program Learning Goals and Outcomes, and indicates where these are assessed (they may also be developed in tutorials and other activities):

Program Learning Goals and Outcomes Course Learning Outcomes Course Assessment Item
This course helps you to achieve the following learning goals for all Business undergraduate/postgraduate coursework students:

On successful completion of the course, you should be able to:

This learning outcome will be assessed in the following items:

1 - Knowledge
  • Explain the concept of survival models
  • Describe estimation procedures for lifetime distributions
  • 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
  • Derive maximum likelihood estimators for the transition intensities in models of transfers between states with piecewise constant transition intensities
  • 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
  • Describe how to estimate transition intensities depending on age, exactly or using the census approximation.
  • Describe how to test crude estimates for consistency with a standard table or a set of graduated estimates, and describe the process of graduation.
  • Describe the principal forms of mortality and morbidity heterogeneity in a population and the main forms of selection
  • Describe the main methods of projecting/forecasting mortality rates.
  • Mid-session exam
  • Final Exam
  • R mini-assignments
  • Ethics assignment
2 - Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Explain the concept of survival models
  • Describe estimation procedures for lifetime distributions
  • 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
  • Derive maximum likelihood estimators for the transition intensities in models of transfers between states with piecewise constant transition intensities
  • 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
  • Describe how to estimate transition intensities depending on age, exactly or using the census approximation.
  • Describe how to test crude estimates for consistency with a standard table or a set of graduated estimates, and describe the process of graduation.
  • Describe the principal forms of mortality and morbidity heterogeneity in a population and the main forms of selection
  • Describe the main methods of projecting/forecasting mortality rates.
  • Mid-session exam
  • Final Exam
  • R mini-assignments
  • Ethics assignment
3a - Written communication
  • Prepare written documents that are clear and concise, using appropriate style and presentation for the intended audience, purpose and context
  • Mid-session exam
  • Final Exam
  • R mini-assignments
  • Ethics assignment
3b - Oral communication
–
–
4 - Teamwork
–
–
5a - Ethical, social and environmental responsibility
  • Identify and assess ethical, environmental and/or sustainability considerations in business decision making and practice.
  • Ethics assignment
  • Final Exam
5b - Social and cultural awareness
  • Consider social and cultural implications of business and /or management practice.
  • Ethics assignment
  • Final Exam

2. Staff Contact Details

Position Title Name Email Location Phone Consultation Times
Lecturer-in-ChargeDrAndrés VillegasRoom 645, Business School building – Ref E12+61 2 9385 2647Tuesdays 4pm-5pm
Tutor    Alan XianNA
–
TBA
Tutor    Thomas ZhouNA
–
TBA
Tutor    Ka Wai LauNA
–
TBA
Tutor    Jeffrey KwanNA
–
TBA

Communication with staff

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

Consultation times are on Tuesdays from 4pm-5pm from 27 February 2018 to 22 May 2018 in the area in front of the school (level 6, East wing of Business School building), or by appointment for personal matters. Tutors will hold consultations once the week before any major in-session assessment. The consultation times will be advertised on the course website.

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

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

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 face-to-face 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 Moodle 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 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 and personalised help.

Course materials are organised in 10 modules plus a module on ethics:


​Module
​Topic
​E
​Ethics
​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
​Parametric models: Introduction
​5
​Parametric models: Binomial and Poisson Models
​6
​Parametric models: Markov models
​7
​Exposed to risk
​8
​Graduation methods
​9
​Mortality projection models

​10

​Mortality, Selection and Standardisation


This course consists of:

  • Self-study video recordings available on the course Moodle website and organised in 10 modules plus a module on ethics;
  • 1 hour consultation every week (1 to 12);
  • 1 hour tutorial every week (2 to 13); and
  • 2 hour lectorials every week (1 to 12).

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 Moodle forums.

Lectorials will be held on Tuesdays from 11am to 1pm in Rex Vowels Theatre, in weeks 1-4, 6-12. You must remain available on the Thursday slot of all weeks for additional activities should they be organised, but you do not need to come unless we announce you have to do so.

Timetables and locations are correct at time of editing. A full timetable of lectorials and topics is provided later in this Course outline and on the Course Website . Any alterations to the lectorial times or locations will be advised in lectures and via the Course website.

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 face-to-face tutorials and/or on the Moodle forums. There will be five mini-assignments to assess your understanding of R.

The slides of the ACTL R tutorials and “R U Ready?” module available in the Moodle ACTL all students website are useful resources in case you are unfamiliar with R or need to refresh your knowledge of this software.

5. Course Resources

​The prescribed textbook for the course is:

  • Core Reading for Subject CT4 Models published by The Institute of Actuaries.
  • ActEd Course Notes for Subject CT4 Models.

Additional, 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.
  • 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.
  • Zuur, I., and Meesters, A Beginner's Guide to R, Springer, 2009.
  • Charpentier, A. Computational actuarial science with R, CRC Press/Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL, 2014.

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.

Formulae & Tables

The only text students are allowed to bring into the examinations for the actuarial courses is the text "Formulae and Tables for Actuarial Examinations". It must not be annotated. 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.

Course website

The course Moodle website is available from the UNSW TELT platform.

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 (except for the ACTL R tutorials and the module “R U Ready?” which are available on the Moodle ACTL all students 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

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 Survey.

Following on the positive feedback received over the last years on the use of “flipped and blended” approach, such a learning and teaching strategy has been maintained for the delivery of the course this year. However, upon reflection on the student’s feedback on the “flipped and blended” approach a number of adjustments will be implemented. This include:

  • A new set of quiz questions accompanying the video lectures to help students get immediate feedback on their understanding of the course content
  • Transcriptions and close caption of video lectures

Furthermore, as result of student feedback, industry feedback, and the school Learning & Teaching strategic plan, the software R is now an integral part of the course with an improved set of self-study R tutorials and new R mini assignments.

7. Course Schedule

Week 1: 26 Feb
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Module 1

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Course Introduction

Week 2: 05 Mar
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Module 2

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Module 1

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Module 1

Week 3: 12 Mar
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Module 3

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Module 2

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Module 2

Week 4: 19 Mar
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Revision Modules 1-3

Assessment/Other

R mini Assignment on Module 1 due

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Module 3

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Module 3

Week 5: 26 Mar
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Revision Modules 1-3

Assessment/Other

Mid-Semester Exam covering Modules 1 to 3

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

No Lectorial

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Consultation to prepare for Mid-Semester Exam

Mid Semester Break: 02 Apr
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Modules 4 and 5

Week 6: 09 Apr
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Module 6

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Modules 4 and 5

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Modules 4 and 5

Week 7: 16 Apr
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Module 7

Assessment/Other

R mini Assignment on Modules 1 to 4 due

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Ethics Module and Module 6

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Module 6

Week 8: 23 Apr
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Module 7

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Module 7

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Module 7

Week 9: 30 Apr
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Module 8

Assessment/Other

R mini Assignment on Module 6 due

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Module 7

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Module 7

Week 10: 07 May
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Module 9

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Module 8

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Module 8

Week 11: 14 May
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Module 10

Assessment/Other

Ethics assignment due

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Module 9

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Module 9

Week 12: 21 May
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Revision

Assessment/Other

R mini Assignment on Module 9 due

Activity

Lectorial

Topic

Module 10

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Module 10

Week 13: 28 May
Activity

Self-study

Topic

Revision

Assessment/Other

R mini Assignment on Module 10 due

Activity

Tutorial

Topic

Revision

8. Policies

Information about UNSW Business School protocols, University policies, student responsibilities and education quality and support.

Program Learning Goals and Outcomes

The Business School Program Learning Goals reflect what we want all students to BE or HAVE by the time they successfully complete their degree, regardless of their individual majors or specialisations. For example, we want all our graduates to HAVE a high level of business knowledge and a sound awareness of ethical, social, cultural and environmental implications of business. As well, we want all our graduates to BE effective problem-solvers, communicators and team participants.

You can demonstrate your achievement of these goals by the specific outcomes you achieve by the end of your degree (i.e. Program Learning Outcomes—henceforth PLOs). These PLOs articulate what you need to know and be able to do as a result of engaging in learning. They embody the knowledge, skills and capabilities that are identified, mapped, taught, practised and assessed within each Business School program.

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

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate Coursework
Knowledge You should be able to identify and apply disciplinary knowledge to business situations in a local and global environment.
Critical thinking and problem solving You should be able to identify and research issues in business situations, analyse the issues, and propose appropriate and well-justified solutions.
Written communication You should be able to prepare written documents that are clear, concise and coherent, using appropriate style and presentation for the intended audience, purpose and context.
Oral communication You should be able to prepare and deliver oral presentations that are clear, focussed, well-structured, and delivered in a professional manner.
Teamwork You should be able to participate collaboratively and responsibly in teams, and reflect on your own teamwork, and on the team’s processes and ability to achieve outcomes.
Ethical, social and environmental responsibility
  1. You should be able to identify and assess ethical, environmental and/or sustainability considerations in business decision-making and practice.
  2. You should be able to identify social and cultural implications of business.
Workplace skills (Co-op programs only) You should be able to conduct yourself in a professional manner in the work environment, communicate effectively in diverse workplace situations and be able to apply discipline knowledge and understanding to real business problems with initiative and self-direction.
Related PLO Documents View the Undergraduate Honours PLOs (pdf)
Knowledge You should be able to identify and apply current knowledge of disciplinary or interdisciplinary theory and professional practice to business in local and global environments.
Critical thinking and problem solving You should be able to identify, research and analyse complex issues and problems in business and/or management, and propose appropriate and well-justified solutions.
Written communication You should be able to produce written documents that communicate complex disciplinary ideas and information effectively for the intended audience and purpose.
Oral communication You should be able to produce oral presentations that communicate complex disciplinary ideas and information effectively for the intended audience and purpose.
Teamwork You should be able to participate collaboratively and responsibly in teams, and reflect on your own teamwork, and on the team’s processes and ability to achieve outcomes.
Ethical, social and environmental responsibility
  1. You should be able to identify and assess ethical, environmental and/or sustainability considerations in business decision-making and practice.
  2. You should be able to identify social and cultural implications of business.
Related PLO Documents View the Master of Philosophy PLOs (pdf)
 View the Doctor of Philosophy PLOs (pdf)

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.
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Knowledge
  • Oral communication
  • Research capability
  • Teamwork
  • Workplace skills
  • Written communication
Entrepreneurial leaders capable of initiating and embracing innovation and change, as well as engaging and enabling others to contribute to change
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Knowledge
  • Oral communication
  • Workplace skills
  • Written communication
Professionals capable of ethical, self- directed practice and independent lifelong learning
  • Ethical, social and environmental responsibility
  • Workplace skills
Global citizens who are culturally adept and capable of respecting diversity and acting in a socially just and responsible way.
  • Ethical, social and environmental responsibility
  • Oral communication
  • Written communication

The Business School strongly advises you to choose a range of courses that assist your development against these PLOs and graduate capabilities, and to keep a record of your achievements as part of your portfolio. You could use these records for work or further study. For support with selecting your courses contact the UNSW Business School Student Centre.

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 nine to ten hours per week studying for a course except for Summer Term courses which have a minimum weekly workload of eighteen to twenty 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

Your regular and punctual attendance at lectures and seminars or in online learning activities is expected in this course. The Business School reserves the right to 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.).

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.

Special Consideration

You must submit all assignments and attend all examinations scheduled for your course. 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. Special Consideration is primarily intended to provide you with an extra opportunity to demonstrate the level of performance of which you are capable.

General information on special consideration for undergraduate and postgraduate courses can be found in the Assessment Implementation Procedure and the Current Students page.

Please note the following:

  1. Applications will not be accepted by teaching staff. The lecturer-in-charge will be automatically notified when you lodge an online application for special consideration
  2. Decisions and recommendations are only made by lecturers-in-charge (or by the Faculty Panel in the case of final exam special considerations), not by tutors
  3. Applying for special consideration does not automatically mean that you will be granted a supplementary exam or other concession
  4. Special consideration requests do not allow lecturers-in-charge to award students additional marks

Business School Protocol on requests for Special Consideration

The lecturer-in-charge will need to be satisfied on each of the following before supporting a request for special consideration:

  1. Does the medical certificate contain all relevant information? For a medical certificate to be accepted, the degree of illness and its impact on the student must be stated by the medical practitioner (severe, moderate, mild). A certificate without this will not be valid. Students should also note that only medical certificates issued after physically visiting a registered medical practitioner will be accepted. Medical certificates submitted for Special Consideration should always be requested from a registered medical practitioner that you have seen at a medical practice. Certificates obtained online or via social media may be fraudulent and if relied upon could result in a breach of the UNSW Student Code.
  2. Has the student performed satisfactorily in the other assessment items? To understand what Satisfactory Performance means in this course, please refer to the 'Formal Requirements' section in Part A of your Course Outline

Special Consideration and the Final Exam in undergraduate and postgraduate courses

Applications for special consideration in relation to the final exam are considered by a Business School Faculty panel to which lecturers-in-charge provide their recommendations for each request. If the Faculty panel grants a special consideration request, this will entitle the student to sit a supplementary examination. No other form of consideration will be granted. The following procedures will apply:

  1. Supplementary exams will be scheduled centrally and will be held approximately two weeks after the formal examination period.

    Supplementary exams for Semester 1, 2018 will be held during the period 14 - 21 July, 2018. Students wishing to sit a supplementary exam will need to be available during this period.

    The date for all Business School supplementary exams for Summer Term 2017/2018 is Wednesday, 21 February, 2018. If a student lodges a special consideration for the final exam, they are stating they will be available on this date. Supplementary exams will not be held at any other time.

  2. Where a student is granted a supplementary examination as a result of a request for special consideration, the student’s original exam (if completed) will be ignored and only the mark achieved in the supplementary examination will count towards the final grade. Absence from a supplementary exam without prior notification does not entitle the student to have the original exam paper marked, and may result in a zero mark for the final exam.

The Supplementary Exam Protocol for Business School students is available at: http://www.business.unsw.edu.au/suppexamprotocol

For special consideration for assessments other than the final exam refer to the ‘Assessment Section’ in your course outline.

Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts

The UNSW Business School has set a protocol under which students may view their final exam script. Please check the protocol here.

Given individual schools within the Faculty may set up a local process for viewing final exam scripts, it is important that you check with your School whether they have any additional information on this process. Please note that this information might also be included in your course outline.


Student Support and Resources

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

Business School EQS Consultation Program
The Consultation Program offers academic writing, literacy and numeracy consultations, study skills, exam preparation for Business students. Services include workshops, online resources, individual and group consultations.
Level 1, Room 1035, Quadrangle Building.
BUS.EQS.Consultations@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4508

Business School Student Centre
The Business School Student Centre provides advice and direction on all aspects of admission, enrolment and graduation.
Level 1, Room 1028 in the Quadrangle Building
02 9385 3189

UNSW Learning Centre
The UNSW Learning Centre provides academic skills support services, including workshops and resources, for all UNSW students. See their website for details.
Lower Ground Floor, North Wing Chancellery Building.
learningcentre@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 2060

Educational Support Service
Educational 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. Check their website to request an appointment or to register in the Academic Success Program.
John Goodsell Building, Ground Floor.
advisors@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

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 9385 2650

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).
itservicecentre@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 1333

Disability Support Services
UNSW Disability Support Services provides assistance to students who are trying to manage the demands of university as well as a health condition, learning disability or who have personal circumstances that are having an impact on their studies. Disability Advisers can arrange to put in place services and educational adjustments to make things more manageable so that students are able to complete their course requirements. To receive educational adjustments for disability support, students must first register with Disability Services.
Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building.
disabilities@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


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