Help and support

Finding your way around

• Your units appear on your Dashboard. Click a unit to open it.
• Each unit has its own space, and every unit has the same parts: a unit home, Start Here, the weeks in order, Assessment, and Help & Support.
• The Orientation course stays available all year.
• Check Moodle a few times each week, since announcements and any changes appear there first.
• After you submit, check that the assessment page shows your work as Submitted.

Having trouble? If you cannot log in or something looks wrong, email studentservices@fairmont.edu.au.

The Academic Studio

The Academic Studio is a place to read, think, write, discuss ideas and connect theory with practice. You will find books and journals there, and also spaces for discussion, displays that provoke new thinking and collections that invite exploration.

Make use of it as a place to prepare for seminars, revisit ideas and work alongside your peers.

Frameworks you will use

During your studies you will work extensively with the key frameworks that guide professional practice across Australia, including:

• The National Quality Framework (NQF)
• The National Quality Standard (NQS)
• Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework
• The Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

How study is organised

You study one unit at a time, in blocks. Each taught unit runs for four weeks. The course includes 60 days of supervised placement.

Assessment

Every unit’s assessment details, weightings, due dates and criteria live in that unit’s Moodle space. Read them in week one of each block, and submit through Moodle by the stated due date and time.

If you are unsure whether something you are about to do is allowed, ask your teaching team before you submit, not after.

Feedback

Feedback is part of learning. Read it carefully, discuss it with your lecturers and use it to strengthen your next piece of work.

Academic integrity

Orientation includes the Academic Integrity Hurdle Quiz. It checks that you understand how to reference properly, what plagiarism and collusion mean, when you may and may not use a generative AI tool, and where to go for help if you are unsure. Passing it unlocks the assessments in your units.

You have unlimited attempts, you need 8 out of 10 to pass, and it does not count towards any grade.

Habits that help

• Establish a regular study routine.
• Complete your readings before each seminar.
• Participate actively in discussions and collaborative learning.
• Ask questions whenever something is unclear.
• Read and apply the feedback you receive on your assessments.
• Make use of the Academic Studio as a place to read, think and work alongside others.
• Learn alongside your peers through conversation and shared inquiry.
• Avoid leaving assessment tasks until the final days before submission.

Student services can help directly with administrative and study matters, connect you with academic guidance and point you to wellbeing support. Your lecturers would always rather hear from you before a problem grows than after.

Extensions and special consideration

If illness or circumstances beyond your control affect an assessment, email studentservices@fairmont.edu.au, before the due date where possible, to ask about an extension or special consideration. Supporting documentation may be requested.

New to study in Australia?

You may be returning to study after many years, studying in Australia for the first time, or meeting approaches to learning that are different from those you have experienced before. Asking questions, contributing your own perspectives and engaging respectfully with different points of view are valued parts of postgraduate learning.

If you need a policy you cannot find, contact student services and we will provide the current version.

Concerns and complaints

If something goes wrong, start by raising it informally with the person involved or with student services. Most matters are resolved this way. If it is not resolved, or you would prefer a formal path, you can submit a written complaint describing what happened and the outcome you are seeking, and we will acknowledge it and explain the next steps. The full process is on the Complaints & Grievances page.

Census dates

Every study period has a census date: the last day you can withdraw from a unit without paying for it, and the date your enrolment is locked in. The census date for each unit is confirmed before the unit starts. You will find it on the Key Dates & Fees page. Put the census dates for your units in your calendar at the start of each block.

Your USI

Every higher education student in Australia needs a Unique Student Identifier (USI) to graduate. Create or retrieve yours at usi.gov.au and give it to us when you enrol.

Fees and FEE-HELP

Tuition and fee details are published on the Fees page. FEE-HELP is not currently available.

Placements

You will need a current Working with Children Check and a National Police Check before your first placement. Apply for your Working with Children Check now if you don’t have one, and we will tell you when to get your police check. Placement requirements and preparation are explained in the relevant units.

Forms and requests

To ask for an extension or special consideration, email student services, as set out under Wellbeing and support. For any other request, email studentservices@fairmont.edu.au.