Courses

PCMS Field Help References

Course Details

Enter the details of all Schools/Divisions that own or part own the Course.

The percent owned must be entered as a whole number (no decimal points).

Do not enter a percentage symbol (%) for the percent owned.

If the overall total percent owned does not equal 100% an error message will be displayed when attempting to save the page. 

If the School/Division selected in the Owner field is the primary owner of the Course, or is the only owner of the Course, select the Primary Owner checkbox.

Field Properties: displays in Medici 

Select the career in which the Course will be available. This is an indicator of the academic level to which a course is attached (for example, undergraduate, postgraduate, non-standard).

Where the Course will be available in more than one career, select the lowest career for the Course (eg. for a third year undergraduate course also available in postgraduate programs, select the undergraduate career as it is the lower career).

If the Course is offered via OUA (Open University Australia), the relevant OUA Career must be selected (OUA Undergraduate or OUA Postgraduate).  Selecting an OUA Career displays the OUA URL field (entering the OUA URL ensures the course link displays the OUA written version of the Course on the OUA website).

Field Properties: Field data will be displayed in the course outline.

Type general comments relevant to the Course (if required).

Field Properties: will be displayed in PCMS approval documentation.

Search for and select the Field of Education.

The field of education (FOE) is based on course content and is the Commonwealth Government’s classification of courses.  The purpose of the FOE is to ensure programs, specialisations and units of study with the same or similar vocational emphasis are classified under the same Field of Education.  

Academic Units will provide an indicative course FOE but the final determination is provided by SAS.  

Related Links:

 Field properties: displayed in Program/Course webpage and Medici

Type the full name of the Course (a course name must be entered to enable the page to be saved).

The Course Name should:

  • have a unique descriptive name of no more than 150 characters
  • adopt an alpha-suffix where a course is offered at a higher level using the same name, for example ‘Biology M’ would indicate Biology offered at Masters level. 
  • The following suffixes are required when a course name is duplicated:

    • B = Bachelor
    • D = Diploma/Associate degree
    • G = Graduate Diploma/Certificate
    • H = Honours
    • M = Masters

    Field Properties:  The course name entered in this field will be displayed throughout the University's systems and documentation, including Medici, UniSA website, and Course Outline.

Enter a short name for the course (limited to 30 characters).

This should reflect the Course Name as closely as possible.

If 'Yes' is selected, the course will automatically be made available as an elective for all programs offered by the University. 

Field properties: Field data will be displayed in the Program/Course Webpage 

Select the Subject Area for the Course from the drop-down list (eg. BUSS (Business)). 

Field properties: data will be displayed in program/course web page, course outline, learnonline (Assessment & Gradebook), and Medici.

Select the Unit Value for the Course from the drop-down list. 

The unit value is a measure of the study load for a year of a student undertaking a program of study on a full-time basis. The University standard unit value for an undergraduate course is 4.5 units.  This enables the development of shared majors, minors and elective streams. The Commonwealth government requires that the University provides programs that a student can complete within the units required (e.g. 108 units for a 3 year undergraduate program).  Within program requirements, there must be patterns of study that will enable students to complete the program in the required time frame and with the required number of units. The equivalent full-time study load is 36 units for a full year.

Field properties: data will be displayed in program and course web pages, course outline and medici.

Select the radio button adjacent to the relevant Work Experience and/or Placement Type for the course.

Please note that Work Experience in Industry (WEI) includes clinical placements, teaching practicums, and may also include courses which involve practice-based learning and service learning.

Courses will fall into one of the following categories:

 

Does not involve clinical/work experience placement

 

The course does not include any work experience.

The standard funding arrangements apply, ie the University charges HECS (or tuition fees, FPOS) and receives Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS) funding.

 

 

Involves clinical/work experience placement, combined with regular timetabled teaching and assessment


The course may include a placement component but there is a range of other teaching and assessment within the course. This teaching may be related to the theory that supports the practical.

These courses are not classified as WEI courses and the standard funding arrangements apply, ie the University charges HECS (or tuition fees, FPOS) and receives CGS funding.

 

 

Involves solely clinical/work experience placement, but the teaching is directed by the provider, ie all “directed learning” criteria are met

The placement is arranged by the University and the University or persons engaged by the University (eg through a contractual arrangement or adjunct status) provides:

  • ongoing and regular input and contact with students (eg workshops that are related to clinical experience)
  • oversight and direction of the work occurring during the actual performance of the work by the student, not just monitoring the progress of the student
  • definition and management of the implementation of the educational content and objectives of the course
  • definition and management of assessment of student learning and performance during the placement, and
  • definition and management of the standard of learning and performance to be achieved by the student during the placement.

Provided that all the above criteria are met, these courses will not be classified as WEI courses and the standard funding arrangements will apply, ie the University charges HECS (or tuition fees, FPOS), and receives CGS funding.

 

Involves solely clinical/work experience placement. “Supported” criteria are met but “directed learning” criteria are not met

The placement is arranged by the University and the student learning and performance is supported, but not directed, by the University. In this category the University or persons engaged by the University (eg through a contractual arrangement or adjunct status) provides:

  • interaction between the supervisor and the student, which may include site visits
  • ongoing monitoring of student work, and
  • assessment of student learning and performance during the placement

Provided that all the above criteria are met, these courses will not be classified as WEI courses and the standard funding arrangements will apply, ie the University charges HECS (or tuition fees, FPOS), and receives CGS funding.

 

Involves solely clinical/work experience placement.  Neither “directed” nor “supported” criteria are met

The placement is arranged by the student and while the outcome of the placement is assessed by the University, the student’s performance and learning during the placement is not directed or supported by the University.

These courses are classified as WEI courses where the student is classified as exempt under the Higher Education Support Act (2003) (HESA), ie the University cannot charge HECS (or tuition fees, FPOS) and receives no CGS funding. These courses are assigned zero units by the University and include the industrial experience component of the Bachelor of Engineering programs.

 

 Field properties: will be displayed in Medici

Select the year that the Course was/will be introduced.

Field properties: will be displayed in PCMS approval documentation.

Select the Course Level of the Course from the drop-down list.

The level of the Course is an indication of its complexity and the nature of the academic skills required for its completion.

      0        Non Standard
      1 - 4     Undergraduate (ie. first year through to year 4 / honours)
     5     Postgraduate (ie. graduate certificate through to masters)
      8   
 
    Doctorate
 

 

 Field properties: data will be displayed in PCMS approval documentation.

If the Course will be offered via Open Universities Australia (OUA), type the OUA URL (https://www.open.edu.au/).

Note:  The OUA URL field is only displayed when an OUA career is selected in the Career field.  If the Course is not offered via OUA ensure the relevant non-OUA career is selected in the Career field.

Where the OUA URL has been entered for a course, the course link will display the OUA written version of the Course on the OUA website (rather than UniSA's version of the course). 

Select the Study Period the Course was/will be introduced (or Full Year if applicable).

Field properties: will be displayed in PCMS approval documentation

Select the Grading Basis for the course.

Refer to the Assessment Policy and Procedures - AB-68 P6 Final Grades and Notations Procedure, specifically section C Grading Schemes and the use of Non-Graded Pass/Fail (NGP/F).

If 'Non-Graded Pass/Fail' is selected, all assessment items will be graded as Pass/Fail.

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Field properties: data will be displayed in learnonline (Assessment and Gradebook) and Medici

Upload any appendices or documents that relate to the proposed course or amendments.

Course Requisites

List any course(s) that must be undertaken concurrently (ie. in the same study period as the course). This may be listed as a general co-requisite for all students or specified according to the relevant program.

 Field Properties:  will be displayed in PCMS approval documentation

Comments relevant to a group of corequisite courses can be entered in the Comments field prior to selecting the corequisite courses within the group.

For example, 'students in program A are required to undertake course x and y at the same time as undertaking this course'.

Comments relevant to a group of prerequisite courses can be entered in the Comments field prior to selecting the prerequisite courses within the group.

Type meaningful comments relevant to the group of prerequisite courses.

For example, 'students are required to complete one of five courses listed in the group prior to undertaking this course'.

Field properties: 1000 characters max. Will be displayed in Program/Course Webpage and Course Outline.

List any course(s) that must be completed prior to taking this course. Only essential courses should be listed. The pre-requisite may be listed as general, applying to all students, or specific to the relevant program.

Field properties: displays in Program/Course Webpage and Course Outline

Enter the relevant Corequisite Comments for the Course (if required).

Field properties: will be displayed in Program/Course Webpage and Course Outline.

Type relevant Prerequisite Comments for the Course (if required).

For example, 'students must have studied 54 units of undergraduate engineering'.

 Field properties: displays in Program/Course Webpage and Course Outline.

Syllabus Statement

Type each objective and select the checkbox(es) adjacent to the Graduate Quality(ies) satisfied by the course objective.

A maximum of 7 course objectives may be entered, however fewer than that is likely to be sufficient for a 4.5 unit course.

Course developers should refer to the guidance developed by the Teaching Innovation Unit (TIU) about how to write course objectives and contact Academic Development staff in the TIU for assistance, as needed.

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Field Properties: will be displayed in Program/Course Webpage and Course Outline.

A succinct 1-2 sentence statement of the intention of the Course.  The statement should reflect the level/qualification of the Course.

Related Links:

 Field properties: 1000 characters max., will display in Program/Course Webpage and Course Outline.

Outline the content and/or key processes (eg. practicum/laboratory based courses) to be covered in the course.

The content should reflect the aims and objectives of the course.

Field properties: 2000 characters max., data will be displayed in program/course Webpage and Course Outline.

Course Offerings

New for 2024: Some changes to offering configuration have been made to support online synchronous delivery. Refer to the dedicated page Adding Course Offerings for examples.

Course offerings are the ways in which the University makes a course available to students. An offering may be delivered once per year or multiple times in different study periods.

The timetabling and scheduling of courses is created and managed via the offerings, and the teaching and learning arrangements as well as assessment in PCMS are linked at the individual offering level, and not at the course level.

Some courses have only one offering, and in other cases there are multiple offerings of a course available. For example, separate offerings are needed when a course is available on two campuses, or onshore and offshore, or externally as well as face-to-face.

For example:

  • Offering 1:  Internal, City West, (no partner), English
  • Offering 2:  Internal, Intensive, City West, (no partner), English
  • Offering 3:  Internal, Mawson Lakes, (no partner), English

Select the mode of delivery from the drop-down list

If the Offering contains a face-to-face component, select 'Internal' as the Mode of Delivery (eg. lecture, practical, tutorial, workshop, seminar).

If the Offering does not contain a face-to-face component, select 'External' as the Mode of Delivery (eg. taught online,  industry placement, directed research). If 'External' is selected, the Teaching Method field will be set as Online.

It is possible to have an External offering with a small face-to-face component, however, when selecting the external mode of delivery the face-to-face components will not be available in the timetabling system. So, the face-to-face component must be noted in PCMS and communicated to students via the course outline.  Academic Units must ensure that the on-campus activity is either manually timetabled, or a venue is booked for the activity.

Field properties: will be displayed on Program/Course Webpage, Course Outline and Medici.

Select whether the course is offered via a partner institution

If 'Yes' is selected, the Partner and Partner Location fields are displayed, and these two fields will need to be populated to enable the page to save.

Field properties: will be displayed on Program/Course Webpage, Course Outline and Medici.

Select the location (campus) of delivery 

For courses that are not offered via a Partner Institution, the delivery location for the Course Offering must be selected from the drop-down list.

For courses offered via a Partner Institution, the Location of Delivery (Campus) field will display 'Offshore' and cannot be updated.

Field properties: will be displayed on Program/Course Webpage, Course Outline and Medici.

Select the language in which the Course Offering will be delivered

Field properties: will be displayed on Program/Course Webpage, Course Outline and Medici.

Select whether the Course Offering is delivered in Intensive Mode

 If 'Yes' is selected, the Intensive Mode offering will be available in the Course Outline.

Field properties: will be displayed on Program/Course Webpage and Course Outline.

Teaching Method

The Teaching Method field is set as Online when 'External' has been selected as the Mode of Delivery. This field is no longer displayed when adding/editing an offering, but will display in the Course Offerings table.

Field properties: will be displayed on Program/Course Webpage and Course Outline. 

Course Staff

Enter the details of the Course Coordinator(s), Course Administrator(s), Marker(s) and Tutor(s) for the Course Offering. Search for and select the relevant staff member for the Course Offering. Select the Study Period in which the staff member will be performing the role being entered (or Full Year if applicable).

The Academic Role assigned to the staff member will determine the level of access the staff member will receive to course materials in learnonline. Once the new course is 'Promotion Approved', the entered staff members will receive the relevant level of access to the course in Course Outline and learnonline.

Field Properties: will be displayed in Program/Course Webpage, Course Outline, learnonline and Medici. Staff added as a 'Course Coordinator' will be displayed on the Course Webpage.

Course Assessment

Enter the details of any additional criteria for successful completion of the course (eg. achievement of a specified minimum level of competence in a particular component of the course, or participation requirements).

Related Links:

 Field properties: 4000 characters max. will be displayed in Program/Course Webpage and Course Outline.

Enter the details of the course assessments, including which course objective(s) are being assessed.

Don't forget to assign the assessment tasks to the relevant offerings after you have created them, in the 'Assign Assessment to Offering' tab.

The assessment should conform to the principles outlined in the Assessment Requirements Procedure. Variations to these requirements must be approved by the Academic Unit Board.

These principles apply to courses where assessment is principally text-based; in courses where assessment is of a different kind, the requirements should be equivalent.

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Assessment Format

Select whether the assessment consists of a Single or Multiple components.
For a Single assessment, select whether the assessment is continuous.

 

Single (not continuous)

Enter the details of the course assessment. This includes, the Domain, Type, Length, Duration, and which course objective(s) are being assessed.

Single (Continuous)

Enter the details of the course assessment, including Combined Assessment Weighting, Domain, Type, and which course objective(s) are being assessed. The Combined Assessment Weighting reflects the overall weighting of the assessment.

For each component (each instance of the continuous assessment throughout the course), enter the Length, Duration, and Sub-weighting of the component. The total percentage of all components must total 100% (for Graded courses).

Multiple Components

Enter the Combined Assessment Weighting, and the course objective(s) that are being assessed. The Combined Assessment Weighting reflects the overall weighting of the assessment.

For each component of the assessment, enter the component details, including Domain, Type, Length, Duration, and Sub-weighting of the component. The total percentage of all components must total 100% (for Graded courses).

 

Assessment Domain

Select the most appropriate assessment type from the drop-down list. Descriptions of each Assessment Domain can be found in Appendix C of the Program Approval Manual.

Assessment Type

Select the most appropriate assessment type from the drop-down list. The approved list of available assessment types can be found in Appendix C of the Program Approval Manual.  If unsure, consult with an academic developer from the Teaching Innovation Unit (TIU) to determine which assessment type best describes the method being proposed.

Group work component?

Select Yes if the assessment/component includes group work.

Length and Duration

Enter the length of the assessment where applicable (e.g. word count, number of questions, etc).

Enter the time required to complete the assessment where applicable (e.g. 3 hours for an examination).

The length and duration fields must be populated to allow the page to save.  If length is not applicable for the assessment, enter 'N/A' and enter the duration of the assessment in the duration field. Meaningful data must be entered in either the length field or duration field.

Weighting/Sub-weighting

Weighting and sub-weighting values must be entered as a whole number (no decimal points).

Do not enter a percentage symbol (%) for the proportion of total assessment.

Select the Course Objectives that are being assessed for the Assessment Type

All course objectives must be assessed but it is not a requirement that any one piece of assessment should examine all objectives.

Authentic Assessment Statement

Enter the Authentic Assessment Statement into the text field.

A key deliverable of the Authentic Assessment Project, which will contribute to and form the basis of the implementation strategy, is Authentic Assessment Statements. These statements will be a form of self-assessment of course assessments led by Academic Unit Program Directors and teaching teams, Academic Unit Teaching & Learning Strategy Groups (TLSGs), with support from Deans of Programs, and the Assessment Design Lab.

Authentic Assessment Statements articulate the authenticity of each assessment, as per UniSA Authentic Assessment definition, within courses across a program, making the connection between assessment and professional competencies explicit to both the student and teaching staff (this includes academics and casuals).

Further detail is available is via an online video.

 

Field Properties: displayed in Program/Course Webpage, Course Outline and learnonline (Assessment & Gradebook)

Select whether all Course Offerings have the same Assessment information.

If 'No' is selected, all course offerings will be displayed, allowing different assessment information to be entered for each offering by selecting the Edit link adjacent to the offerings.  Selecting the Edit link adjacent to an offering displays the 'Add New Assessment' table, and the assessment information entered in the table will only apply to the selected course offering.

If 'Yes' is selected, the 'Add New Assessment' table will be displayed, and the assessment information entered in the table will apply to all course offerings.  The assessment information can then be updated for specific offerings if required. 

Related Links:

All assessments created for the Course are displayed in the Assessment field, and the assessment items selected will be applied to all Course Offerings; however the assessment information can then be updated for specific offerings as required.

For example, if the course has 5 offerings, and 4 of those offerings have the same assessment items, you would apply the same assessment items to all 5 offerings, save the record, and then edit the assessment items for the one offering that differs to the other four.

Related Links:

 Field properties: data is displayed in course web page, course outline and learnonline

Additional notes or rationale for not complying with the assessment policy. The compliance comments field is only displayed when 'No' is selected in response to 'Does this Course Comply with Assessment Policy?'

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 Field properties:  4000 characters max. will be displayed in the Course Outline.

Select whether the course complies with the Assessment Policy and Procedures.

If 'No' is selected, the Compliance Comments field will be displayed, allowing additional comments to be entered in regards to the non-compliance.

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Careful consideration should be given to the provision of Supplementary Assessment as this offers students an opportunity to redeem unsatisfactory performance through extra effort and to complete their studies without disruption.

 If 'Yes' is selected, the 'Is Supplementary Exam Available?' field will be displayed and must be completed to indicate whether a Supplementary Examination will be available.

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Enter any Non-Standard Assessment Requirements for the course (if applicable).

Related Links:

 Field properties: 4000 characters maximum, displayed in the Course Outline.

Select whether an application for variation has been approved by the Academic Unit, and, if 'yes' then record the date of approval and the approving authority.

Related Links:

Field Properties: Response will be displayed in PCMS approval documentation

Select whether an examination will be available for Supplementary Assessment.

Note:  This field is only displayed when 'Yes' is selected in response to 'Is Supplementary Assessment Available for this Course?'.

Related Links:

Field properties: response will be displayed in course outline. 

Teaching & Learning Arrangements

For timetabling purposes, select whether the course is to be timetabled in Syllabus Plus.

Syllabus Plus is the timetabling tool that creates the University timetable.  Selecting ‘No’ indicates that the course and/or its components will not be scheduled in Syllabus Plus and will not be allocated a physical teaching space. An example is if a course is taught by directed study.  

Field properties: data will be displayed in Medici.

This information is used for timetabling purposes.  Only the components entered here will be timetabled.

Teaching and learning arrangements evoke particular kinds of behaviours.  For example, if the graduate quality ‘can work both autonomously and professionally’ has been identified as a priority, then the teaching and learning arrangements should provide opportunities for a student to develop this quality.

Where the teaching and learning arrangements vary between different offerings of the course, details of each of the teaching and learning arrangements must be included.

Teaching and learning arrangements should:

  • Include online forms of teaching and learning.
  • Specify the learning opportunities that the course will provide for students.  The way courses are taught (not just what is taught) contributes to learning outcomes.  
  • Be consistent with and enable achievement of the course objectives.

If the course objectives specify one or more of the following:

  • direct contribution to the overall program Graduate Qualities profile,
  • opportunities for practice-based learning,
  • connections with the research of the University, or
  • opportunities for service learning,

then the teaching and learning arrangements should reflect this.  For example, if the Graduate Quality concerned with 'working as a group' has been identified as a priority, then the teaching and learning arrangements should provide opportunities for students to develop this quality.

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Teaching and Learning Type

The teaching and learning type broadly describes the delivery style of the course content. Consult with an academic developer from the Teaching Innovation Unit (TIU) to determine which type best describes the method being proposed.

Duration

The duration indicates how much time a student will be required to attend each allocated teaching and learning activity. For example, “1 hour lecture” (may be more than once per week) or “2 hours interacting in an online discussion board”.  Practicums and training activities may require a longer time for teaching and learning activities.

The Duration field is a mandatory field that must be populated to allow the page to save.  If duration is not applicable for the teaching and learning method, enter 'N/A' as the duration and then enter the frequency of the method in the Frequency field (meaningful data must be entered in either the Duration field or Frequency field).

Frequency

The frequency indicates how many times in a study period the student is required to attend the teaching and learning activity. For example, if a lecture will be presented once per week over a 10 week period, type '10 Weeks' in the Frequency field; if a lecture will be presented twice per week over a 10 week period, type '2 x 10 Weeks' in the Frequency field.

The Frequency field is a mandatory field that must be populated to allow the page to save.  If frequency is not applicable for the teaching and learning method, enter 'N/A' as the frequency and enter the duration of the method in the Duration field (meaningful data must be entered in either the Duration field or Frequency field).

 

 Field Properties: will be displayed in Program/Course Webpage, Course Outline and Medici

Select whether the same Teaching and Learning methods are applied to all of the course's offerings.

If 'No' is selected, all course offerings will be displayed, allowing different teaching and learning methods to be entered for each offering by selecting the Edit link adjacent to the offerings.  Selecting the Edit link adjacent to an offering displays the 'Add a New Teaching & Learning Type' table, and the teaching and learning methods entered in the table will only apply to the selected course offering.

If 'Yes' is selected, the 'Add a New Teaching and Learning Type' table will be displayed, and the teaching and learning methods entered in the table will apply to all course offerings.  The teaching and learning methods can then be updated for specific offerings if required. 

Textbooks

Enter the details of the textbook(s) used in the course (if applicable).

It is not mandatory to set a textbook. An assigned textbook should be one that will be used extensively throughout the course. By assigning a textbook, students may be required to purchase the resource. Other alternatives include listing reference resources, or uploading resources to supplement teaching directly into learnonline through eReserve. It is recommended that the Library be consulted prior to the setting of a textbook.

For assistance in identifying resources accessible to an unlimited number of concurrent users that can be made freely available to all students, contact the Library.

It is expected that only one textbook will be listed per course. If more than one is required then justification should be provided.

If the textbook is authored by a UniSA staff member, approval from the Academic Unit Board is required to prescribe that learning resource to a course. See A-52 Use of learning resources developed by University staff for more information. 

Field properties: will be displayed in Program/Course Webpage, Course Outline.

References

This field is for recording references that were used to develop the course materials. This field will not be displayed in the Course Approval Report or in Course Outline.

 Field properties: will be displayed in PCMS only.

Enter the details of the references used in the course (if applicable). This field will not be displayed in the Course Approval Report or in Course Outline.

It is assumed that these resources are recommended for sections of the course and will supplement any required text.

When listing references, use the Harvard Referencing System.

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 Field properties: will be displayed in PCMS only