Commencing Students: What You Need to Know

The start of semester is alway crazy, so sit back, relax and we’ll guide you through it. Imagine you’re going through a pre-flight checklist and you’ve got no idea how to the fly the plane. Also, the plane has no wings, and two buttons for every function. And much like the uni internet infrastructure, the plane is also on fire. But like we said, we’ll guide you through it.

So here is a Tog crash-course on how not to crash your plane (or mess up the start of your semester).

What to Check

1. Make sure you’ve completed your enrolment in eStudent by the end of week one. Since undergrad units often have their first tutorials in week two, if you switch around your units, you’re less likely to get into your preferred tutorial group and the more content you will have missed.

2. But if you do change your mind, you’ll need to withdraw from a unit before the census date (March 22) or else you may have to pay for the unit. If you withdraw after April 15, you’ll receive a failure (NN) rating for that unit. A fail appears in your academic records, and you really don’t want that.

3. You can check your class timetable at student-timetable.utas.edu.au and hopefully your units should be finalised by the end Orientation Week. If you work while studying, you can start planning your availability in advance.

4. Before the onslaught of semester one, check that you are able to log into and know your way around UTAS systems, including your UTAS Webmail, MyLO, UTAS Library and eStudent. We have a guide for these websites that you’ll need to familiarise yourself with on page 12.

5. If you are unsure about your units, contact your unit coordinator. Their names can usually be found in the Course and Unit Handbook: utas.edu. au/courses (under the unit summary, look for coordinator). Once you find their name, look for their email address at secure.utas.edu.au/staff/index

Who to Contact

1. If you are already enrolled in a course (eg. a Bachelor of Science) and need more information, contact the lecturer, tutor or coordinator for a particular unit, or contact the coordinator if you need to change your units. Any lecturer teaching the course should be able to tell you who is the unit coordinator.

2. If you have not enrolled in a course and would like to know more, contact Student Services. They are located in the Morris Miller Library in Sandy Bay, or the Student Centre in Newnham. You can also call them on 1300 361 928, or email them at student.services@utas.edu.au

3. If you are having trouble with your eStudent, contact Student Services.

4. Likewise, if MyLO is playing up, such as not having access to a certain lecture video or module, contact your lecturer or tutor for that unit.

5. If you are unable to log into any of the UTAS systems you can always contact IT services. They’re available at utas1.service-now.com/selfservice from 8am to 6pm weekdays. If you need to report a problem online do so via the self service portal and select ‘Support’ and from there you can create a request or enquiry.

But it Isn’t Working

1. If your computer is not working as it should, have you tried turning it off and on again? You’ll need to turn it off entirely, not just put it to sleep, close the lid or hibernate.

2. If you need to reset your password go to utas.edu.au/mypassword and click on ‘Set your Password’ then enter your username and click ‘Next’. A security code will be sent to your mobile phone. Enter the code and continue in order to set a new password.

3. Make sure you read the prompts on UTAS websites carefully because some sites like MyLO require your email address as a username (example@utas. edu.au), while others may just ask for your generic UTAS username.

4. If you have not been provided with a username or password, or are unable to login after attempting to reset your password, contact IT Services. Have your Student ID number on hand, as well as information such as your date of birth and mobile number for identification purposes.

Did You Know?

1. The Launceston, Cradle Coast and Morris Miller Library offer 24/7 access. You’ll need to obtain a swipe card for the respective library. You may need to go to the Student Centre on that campus to receive one.

2. On the Sandy Bay campus, the Student Lounge is across from Morris Miller. It’s a space for students to relax and/or do their homework, albeit in a rather noisy environment. You can also access the lounge after hours if you have the same swipe card.

3. There are study rooms available to book for groups of at least two people. Visit utas.libcal.com and make sure you double check which room you’re booking. Some people have accidentally booked a room in the Launceston library and then rocked up at a room on the Sandy Bay campus!