Faculty transitional arrangements for coronavirus (COVID-19)

WAMs will be calculated using the existing practice of ignoring SY grades, advanced standing, exchange and cross-institutional study results. 
 
However, if you have completed a Level 4 course or higher (core or elective) in Term 1, we will calculate an alternative honours WAM for you in which thesis will be calculated twice the normal weight. Whichever WAM is higher (the standard WAM calculation or the alternative WAM calculation) will be used to determine a student’s class of honours. 

Overseas placements: The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has increased its travel advice to Level Four (Do Not Travel Overseas), which is the highest advice level. Consequently, the University is not approving any future overseas WIL Placements, including Industrial Training, for the time being.  

We appreciate that this news will be very disappointing and frustrating for you. We are committed to finding a way for you to meet your program requirements with a minimum of disruption. If you were intending to apply for an overseas placement to start in the next 6 months please contact the Industrial Training office(for further advice on what other options are available for you. 

Domestic placements: UNSW is closely monitoring the outbreak of the COVID-19 and is following the advice from the Department of Health and NSW Health, which are both updating information regularly. The circumstances continue to change, and the University will continue to prioritise the wellbeing of students.  

Currently, we will continue to assess paid placements with onsite or at home work arrangements and unpaid onsite placements, where the placement meets all requirements including health and safety and insurance. This assessment is only tentative, as we are currently unable to approve any placements due to the evolving COVID-19 situation. Students are advised to check in with the Industrial Training office just prior to their start date for an update. 

As industrial training is a mandatory requirement for completion of many of our Engineering programs we are committed to finding a way for you to meet your program requirements with a minimum of disruption. 

The following addresses some frequently asked questions for UNSW Engineering Industrial Training students: 

 1. Should I continue to attend my WIL placement?  

Yes, if you can still attend your host organisation’s workplace, undertake your agreed placement activities, and receive appropriate supervision. However, you must comply with any Government directives, including advice from their Department of Health. 

2. Should I work from home if my host organisation asks me to? 

1. If you are a paid employee of the host organisation and the host organisation has confirmed you will be covered by their insurance then you must gain written confirmation from your Supervisor/Employer that they have the appropriate insurance coverage and email us the written confirmation. 

2. If you are unpaid and/or not an employee of your host organisation then working from home will not be appropriate. You should contact UNSW Engineering Industrial Training office for advice on your options. 

3. What if I am unable to continue my WIL placement? 

 
If you are unable to continue your WIL placement, the days you have completed already will count towards the 60 days requirement; email the UNSW Engineering Industrial Training office and include the following information: 

• How many days you have already completed and how many days left uncompleted for your placement. 

• If you have completed an Employer Evaluation form, send it along with your confirmation of the days worked from your employer. 

 
4. What if I am due to graduate this year and I am worried that I will be unable to complete the required 60 days of Industrial Training? 

 
Please email UNSW Engineering Industrial Training office if you have any questions or concerns. You can also contact the Engineering WIL team on the UNSW COVID-19 helpline (+ 61 2 9385 8500) or visit the UNSW Coronavirus website. 

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has increased its travel advice to Level Four (Do Not Travel Overseas), which is the highest advice level. DFAT has also advised that Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents who wish to return home should do so as soon as possible. 

Consequently, the University is cancelling its approval of all overseas WIL Placements, including Industrial Training, currently underway or scheduled to occur during Term One 2020. We appreciate that this news will be very disappointing and frustrating for you. 

UNSW Engineering would like to assure you that the days you have already worked will be assessed and counted towards your requirements to ensure you are not unfairly disadvantaged by the change in circumstances. 

You’ll already have been sent an email with further information on what you should do next. Please read this email and then reply the Industrial Training office if for advice specific to your situation on how you might meet your remaining IT requirements. We are committed to finding a way for you to meet your program requirements with a minimum of disruption. 

Please email UNSW Engineering Industrial Training office if you have any questions or concerns. You can also contact the Engineering WIL team on the UNSW COVID-19 helpline (+ 61 2 9385 8500) or visit the UNSW Coronavirus website. 

After considerable deliberations, consultations and advice from students and staff, the Dean of Engineering has decided that, due to the significant disruption for many of you and your fellow students, the faculty will adopt an ungraded system for this term, with some exceptions.  

All UNSW undergraduate and postgraduate engineering courses, other than thesis courses, and the courses listed below, have had their grading basis changed to an ungraded pass or fail. Where students fail a course, this fail will not appear on their academic transcript.