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Academic Related Support Services
PIA offers multiple Academic related support services.
The major resource available to students is the Academic Learning Support Officer. Study skills workshops are conducted throughout the teaching period either on campus or virtually. The Academic Learning Support Officer is available for consultation to provide group or individual academic learning support to students that is not degree specific. The study skills workshop is available to all PIA students to access free academic skills support. Study skills are express workshops that are scheduled for 30 minutes. These cover the same topics each day for a week, to allow students on campus on different days to attend more easily, with a different topic each week.
The topics covered include:
- Academic English
- Reading, research and study skills
- Essay writing skills
- Referencing skills
- Oral presentation skills
- Examination preparation and writing techniques
- There will be ample opportunity to ask and answer specific questions.
Online is an Academic Integrity Module (AIM) (Epigeum from Oxford University Press). Students are provided details on the abovementioned resources during orientation and for the undergraduates the AIM is embedded within the GBU100 unit to maximise the student comprehension and completion of the module.
During a teaching period, students identified as being at risk due to not meeting the progression rules are required to attend academic support meetings to assist with their learning and completing assessments, it is at this time that the student will enter a student learning agreement, where students are found to be at-risk at the end of a study period an Intervention Strategy plan will be put in place. This process is documented in the Student at Risk and Early Intervention Policy and Procedure and shows that intervention support is available as well as progression checking as documented in the Course Progress Policy and Procedure.
Staff who identify students, during the teaching period as having issues in undertaking their assessments refer the students to the Academic Learning and Support Officer.
In both cases, academic support continues until the person providing the support is of the opinion the student should be able to continue without assistance, but their performance (assessment results) is monitored to ensure they are performing in a manner that will see them pass the unit(s).
The Academic Learning Support Officer is available Monday to Friday 9 am to 5pm, please email acsupport@pia.edu.au for further information.
Availability of Teaching Staff for Student Consultation
All teaching staff are available face-to-face, via telephone and by email for consultation, to support students on issues related specifically to units of study they are undertaking in that teaching period. Availability of staff varies from teaching period to teaching period. Lecturers will advise students at the commencement of a unit regarding their availability but if you have any further questions please email your lecture directly for further information.
Online Consultation
Students are encouraged to utilise email to contact teaching staff outside of scheduled consultation times, where appropriate. The contact email address for teaching staff will be published in every unit outline for the units of study that they are teaching.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, teaching staff are required to respond to emails from students within two (2) business days. Where a significant issue arises from email communication the staff member should make every effort to meet the student face-to-face or by telephone as soon as possible to discuss the matter.
Additionally, teaching staff can provide consultation via zoom at a mutually agreeable time.
Availability of Academic Leadership members
The Dean and Discipline Heads are available for student consultation by appointment. In the case of urgent matters, the academic leaders will make themselves available as soon as is practicable to discuss the matter with the student. Support staff are also available to assist students in a range of non-academic matters; this can also be arranged via appointment.
Other Student Support Services
PIA provides a range of non-academic student support services in line with its Wellbeing and Safety Policy and Procedure and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework. The students’ first point of contact is the Student Services and Administrative Officers that are available at the front desk or via email at info@pia.edu.au to assist with all their nonacademic related enquires and direct them to the most appropriate academic for all academic-related enquires. All Student Support Services staff is available Monday to Friday 9-5pm.
As explained within the Student Support Framework all the support services that are external to PIA are accessible through a referral service. Any referrals made by PIA are at no cost to the student, but fees and charges may apply where an external service is used by the student, and when referred students are reminded this should be clarified by the student prior to using such external services. Our Student Services and Administrative Officers can either provide assistance or direct the students to access support during times of stress or pressure during the course. Students may make an appointment for advice relating to study, such as:
- time management issues.
- setting and achieving learning goals.
- motivation.
- ways of learning.
- managing assessment tasks; or
- Self-care.
Where students experience personal or social and emotional issues, they have access to a Student Support Officer during PIA’s hours of operation to gain advice and guidance on personal, accommodation, or family/friend issues. Additionally, PIA has an MOU with ‘Choose Life’ counselling services, which have been promoted to staff and students for Zoom, FaceTime, and telephone consultations while the campus has been shut down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. During the pandemic, academic and administrative staff have continued to make themselves available to support students.
PIA is working with the ‘Harman Foundation’ as an additional external support service to PIA students as it is culturally relevant to the PIA student cohort. The vision of the Harman Foundation is to aid members of the community who are subject to emotional trauma, anxiety, stress, and suffering caused by unforeseen circumstances. PIA promotes Harman Foundation seminars to students and uses the Foundation as a referral service for the following services:
- Support of persons with a disability
- Crisis support
- Bereavement services
- Family support services
- Food support services
- 24 hr help line
- Direct peer support
- Chaplaincy services
If the need arises to seek additional services, the Student Services and Administration Officers maintain a list of the contact details of appropriate external support services. These are also available on the student portal and in the student handbook.
During COVID-19
During COVID-19 PIA has supported its student through various means, this includes operating as a hybrid campus, to support the students, PIA has arrangements with remote mental Health practitioners to ensure that if external support is needed it is accessible, coupled with enhanced academic learning support.
For Academic Learning support please contact acsupport@pia.edu.au
For Moodle, Zoom or issues relating to lectures please contact Mr Mohammad Akbar mohammad@pia.edu.au
For general support, please contact PIA’s support team, via email at support@pia.edu.au
For Emergency matters please contact 0422 462 432, please note this phone number is for emergencies only and all enquiries relating to the above matters will be advised to email the addresses provided.
Additionally, the following support lines are available if you feel the need Lifeline 24-hour Counselling, Advice and Referral Services Phone: 131 114.
Joining the Student Representative Council (SRC)
The institute runs a Student Representative Council – to participate please contact the Registrar on registrar@pia.edu.au to register your interest.
The Student Representative Council (SRC) has a responsibility, delegated by the Board of Directors (BoD) to Polytechnic Institute Australia (PIA) to ensure that students have opportunities to participate in the deliberative and decision-making processes of PIA’s corporate and academic governance.
Overall, the SRC is to contribute to PIA’s boards and committees, especially on issues that impact on students.
The SRC is responsible for the organisation of social events representing the diversity of the student cohorts..
Student Course Transfer
PIA will not knowingly enrol a student wishing to transfer from another registered provider prior to the overseas student completing six (6) months of their principal course of study with the initial provider, except in the following circumstances:
- the releasing registered provider, or the course in which the overseas student is enrolled, has ceased to be registered;
- the releasing registered provider has had a sanction imposed on its registration by the ESOS agency that prevents the overseas student from continuing his or her course with that registered provider;
- the releasing registered provider has agreed to the overseas student’s release and recorded the date of effect and reason for release in PRISMS;
- any approved government sponsor of the overseas student considers the change to be in the overseas student’s best interests and has provided written support for the change;
- the course in which the student is enrolled has ceased to be registered; or
- the original registered provider has provided a written letter of release.
Where a student seeks to transfer to or from another registered provider, they are required to refer to the Student Transfer Policy and Procedure for further details or contact the Registrar on registrar@pia.edu.au
Graduation
Graduation occurs in two phases. The first is the conferral of the Degree which occurs soon after your degree has finished. The second is the in-person Graduation ceremony where you can choose to be present or graduate in absentia.
After you have completed your degree a list of names of all the completed students that have undergone a completion check are recommended by the Academic Board to the Board of Directors for conferral. When your degree has been conferred then the printing of your official Academic Transcripts and Testamurs begins. Once the printing is completed the authorising officers are required to sign the documents prior to the documents being released. This may take up to two-three months after your degree has completed.
Students will be invited to attend the Graduation Ceremony. Once an invitation has been received the student will be required to complete an Application for Graduation, this application will ensure that we have all the correct details of who is attending and the correct academic regalia for you to wear. At the ceremony you will be presented with your testamur by the institute leaders and will have the opportunity to celebrate with family and friends, there will be an institute photographer on-site available to take photos before, during and after the ceremony. If you decide to graduate in absentia, you must still complete an Application for Graduation.
Should you have any further question please email graduation@pia.edu.au
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