Academic Advocacy

The ways in which an advocate might assist will depend on your individual situation but may include: 

• Discussing the situation with you to obtain your perspective, and clarifying any details if necessary. 
• Working out with you what you are hoping to achieve by contacting an advocate. 
• Investigating the situation further. This could include looking at policies and procedures relevant to the situation and may also include gathering further information from the University regarding the situation, always with your permission. 
• Explaining the appropriate procedures that you need to follow in dealing with the situation. 

• Outlining the options you have available, and the potential implications of each of these options. You will ultimately decide which option you wish to pursue. 
• Advocating on your behalf to the University or other organisations. 
• Attending meetings with you, as your support person. 
• Advising you of further avenues for appeal, if required, whether within or outside the University. 

Meetings with advocates are informal and always confidential. You can expect us to help you navigate the University system. We help you identify your options, allowing you to ultimately decide on your preferred course of action. Advocates can also assist you review and edit an appeal and show cause letters, provide advice on grounds of appeal, make enquiries on your behalf, always with your permission, and attend meetings along with you. 

Please bring any relevant documents/letters/emails to the meeting so we can formulate the best way to assist you. 

Complaints are generally based on problems or issues relating to academic matters, course administration and relationships with other students or staff. Non-academic matters can also raise complaints such as remission of fees, credit transfer, etc. Complaints can be made by individuals or by groups of students. 

If you have a complaint and don’t know how to go about it, do come and speak to a Advocate for advice and guidance. 

Academic integrity covers issues such as plagiarism, collusion, fabrication, falsification and submitting the same assignment for more than one topic. 

The University takes academic integrity issues very seriously as it sits at the core of its reputation. As a student, you are expected to present work that is your own, with all sources and references to other pieces of work properly acknowledged. If you are ever involved in an academic integrity matter, talking to Advocacy early in the process is your best option. 

You are highly encouraged to contact the person responsible for the grade (tutor or lecturer) in the first instance, or failing this, the Topic Coordinator. This informal process often produces worthwhile and reasonable educational outcomes. It is also the University’s preferred first step in dealing with your concern. 

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your informal discussions, SAOs can elaborate on your options and provide guidance through the appeal process. 

As part of this process it is very important to reflect on your circumstances, identify your arguments and develop a case as to why you believe the grade is unfair. 

The information that we collect allows us to confirm your student status, get in touch with you and facilitate our internal planning and review processes. The information is held in electronic format and is only accessible by FUSA advocacy staff. We take all reasonable steps to ensure the information is safe and protected from unauthorised access. 

We will not disclose personal information to anyone unless you give us permission to do so or a court order is produced. 

It is important to realise that an Access Plan does not provide an automatic right to extensions. If you have an Access Plan and wish to apply for an extension, you must do this by carefully adhering to the relevant instructions as set out on your Statement of Assessment Methods (SAM). The application needs to be submitted before the due date of your assignment and an alternative submission date must be negotiated by you with your lecturer. 

The University’s approach to student appeals and complaints resolution puts emphasis on resolving grievances as early as possible and as close as possible to the source of dissatisfaction. To apply for a review of a mark of an assessment exercise, it is important that you do first contact the topic coordinator to discuss this as a formal request for review needs to be lodged within 20 University Business Days of the receipt of the grade. 

If you are a continuing undergraduate or postgraduate coursework student and are planning on being away from study for longer than a semester, you need to officially apply for leave from study. You can apply for leave by submitting a request via the Ask Flinders web page as described one the page linked to. Enrolment Services will seek approval on your behalf and notify you via your University email account if your leave request is approved. 

The University tracks every student’s course grades to ensure satisfactory progress towards completing a degree. If you fail a topic more than once, or fail 50% or more of your units in a semester you are likely to receive communication from your College. In some instances you may be required to provide a written response. Our advocates can provide feedback on your response and guide you through this process.