Enrolment and class selection improvements

A message from the Chief Operating Officer Stephen Weller: 

I am very pleased to inform the ACU community that enrolment and class selection have opened this week for 2021 with some significant improvements to the student experience. This is due to the work of the Class Selection and Timetabling (CST) project team, in close collaboration with staff across Student Administration and the faculties. 

Graduations have also been re-imagined in 2020 in response to COVID-19 restrictions.

Class Selection and Timetabling (CST)

Continuing students are now able to submit their class preferences as soon as they have enrolled, and they will receive their timetable in early December, rather than having to wait until February as they have in the past.

A timetable will be automatically generated for commencing students at the point of enrolment. They will be able to adjust their classes from early December. This is a sector-leading initiative that is the result of significant development work. It is anticipated that providing students with a timetable at enrolment will significantly reduce the anxiety experienced by commencing students when planning their timetable, and this will act as an incentive to take up their ACU offer early.

These are the final major deliverables from the CST project, which has been running for the past 18 months. This project has included successfully introducing preferential class selection for Semester 2 2020 and bringing all study periods into Allocate+. 

Graduation

The COVID environment has meant we are unable to run our 2020 graduation ceremonies, but we are offering alternative ways to honour the graduating Class of 2020 to help students celebrate their achievements.

On-campus graduation photography sessions are now open for bookings in Brisbane, Canberra, North Sydney and Strathfield; Melbourne and Ballarat bookings will open in December for the new year. Students can reserve a time to come on campus with small groups of family and friends, and they can dress in ACU regalia for professional photography. Overnight regalia hire, testamur framing, commemorative plaques and other merchandise are also available during these on-campus sessions.

An online graduation celebration for the Class of 2020 will be held on 28 November at 5pm. Informed by insights gathered in partnership with MER’s UX team, this will offer graduates a chance to gather virtually with family, friends and ACU staff, to share messages and photos, and to come together as a community to acknowledge their achievements.