Student Essentials & ELISE Quiz

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Begin your UNSW journey with confidence

As a new student at UNSW, you might not be familiar with our resources, support services, rules and policies. The Student Essentials module and the ELISE quiz cover these important topics to get you up to speed and ensure you have a smooth start to your academic journey at UNSW.

You will only need to complete one of these programs, and the completion will be valid for the duration of your degree. Completion is mandatory for all commencing students in order to proceed with future enrolment.

Which one do you need to complete?

Student Essentials Module

If you started at UNSW in or after the below academic periods, you will need to complete the Student Essentials Module:

  • Term 3 2024
  • Hexamester 6 2024
  • Semester 1 2025

ELISE Quiz

If you started at UNSW in or before the below academic periods, you will need to complete the ELISE quiz:

  • Term 2 2024
  • Hexamester 5 2024
  • Semester 2 2024

Newly launched for Term 3 2024 onwards, the Student Essentials module consists of 3 self-paced lessons that are fundamental to being part of the UNSW community. From developing academic skills, learning where to get academic and personal support, all the way to enforcing respect and safety, these lessons have been redesigned to ensure they address the wide range of needs of current students. 

Time required: approximately 1 hour
 

  • There are 3 lessons in the Student Essentials module, including:

    • Library essentials - foundational library skills including referencing, the use of AI in submissions, how to break down an educational task and research strategies.
    • Academic integrity - proper and improper academic behaviour, and how to avoid academic misconduct. 
    • Respectful behaviour and preventing gendered violence - identifying inappropriate behaviour, their consequences, and ways to report and seek support. It also provides details for support services as well as actionable strategies for students in the event that they witness gendered violence.
  • All new students starting in Term 3 2024 onwards should be automatically enrolled in the Student Essentials module on Moodle. 

    If you are living with a health condition that might hinder your completion of the module, reach out to our Equitable Learning team for assistance and educational adjustments.

  • The module must be completed by Sunday, Week 3 of your first teaching period (i.e. term or semester). Failure to complete this by the deadline will result in a block being placed on your account that will limit your usage of university services to assist with ensuring completion.

  • If you receive the error block below on myUNSW, you will not be able to access several services on myUNSW, including enrolment, until you have completed the module:

    Our records indicate that you have not completed the mandatory Student Essentials course, and a block has been assigned to your record preventing course enrolment and/or course variation. Visit unsw.to/essentials for the steps required to lift the block.

    You need to successfully complete the Student Essentials course before the block can be removed. See below for the steps to do this.

      1. Select “My courses” at the top of your page,
      2. Select the course titled “Required-Student Essentials”, and
      3. Follow the instructions within the course to complete it. Once the course is completed, the enrolment block will lift automatically within 24-48 hours (often sooner).
      1. Contact The Nucleus: Student Hub noting the block on your enrolment and variation because you have not completed the Student Essentials course. You’ll have to request enrolment into an award course to enable access to Moodle. Within 24-48 hours (often sooner), you will have access to Moodle.
      2. Follow steps 1 to 3 above to log into Moodle and complete the mandatory Student Essentials course.
  • UNSW Sydney

    If you are a student at UNSW Sydney, contact The Nucleus: Student Hub for any issues on completing or accessing the Student Essentials module on Moodle. 

    UNSW Canberra City

    As a UNSW Canberra City student, you can contact the City Central team for assistance with the Student Essentials module. 

    CIT Library, Building E, 37 Constitution Avenue, Reid.
    P: 02 5114 5241 (Monday to Friday, 9am-4:30pm)
    E: students@canberra.unsw.edu.au

    UNSW Online

    If you are a UNSW Online student, reach out to a Student Success Advisor for support with the Student Essentials module. 

    P: 1300 501 037 or book an online appointment (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm)
    E: current-students@studyonline.unsw.edu.au

With a focus on equipping you with the necessary skills for tertiary study, the ELISE quiz covers topics like finding, using and evaluating information, the academic writing process, plagiarism, time management, and campus services to get you started at UNSW. A score of 80% or more is required to successfully complete the module and multiple attempts are permitted. 

Time required: approximately 1 hour
 

  • If you have received an ELISE block on myUNSW, you must complete the ELISE quiz in order to regain access to certain university services, including managing course enrolment and class registration. 

  • Completing the ELISE tutorial and quiz will enable you to:

    • analyse topics, plan responses and organise research for academic writing and other assessment tasks
    • effectively and efficiently find appropriate information sources and evaluate relevance to your needs
    • use and manage information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
    • better manage your time
    • understand your rights and responsibilities as a student at UNSW
    • be aware of plagiarism, copyright, UNSW Student Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use of UNSW Information Resources Policy
    • be aware of the standards of behaviour expected of everyone in the UNSW community
    • locate services and information about UNSW and UNSW Library.
    1. Optional ELISE lessons
      When you access the ELISE course in Moodle, you will see four optional lessons: Define, Discover, Organise and Check. You can explore the lessons to learn more about studying at university. The pages in this ELISE tutorial are also available for more guidance.  
       
    2. Mandatory ELISE quiz
      Once you feel comfortable with the content, you will complete the mandatory ELISE quiz. You must score at least 80% to pass. You will be prompted to keep attempting the quiz until you achieve a pass mark. 

      In the quiz, you will answer 21 randomised questions. Each multiple-choice question allows 2 attempts to answer correctly. For true/false questions you have 1 attempt. You can leave the quiz at any time to review the lessons or tutorial, and the quiz will save your progress and take you back to where you left off. 
       
    3. Give your feedback
      Once you have completed the ELISE quiz, please complete the short feedback survey to help us improve ELISE. 
  • The quiz is accessible on Moodle and should already be available in your course list. If you are unable to find it in your course list, contact the IT Service team for assistance.

    If you have already completed the quiz and would like to revisit its content, you can access the resources available from here

  • The deadline to complete the ELISE quiz varies based on your academic period. If you are in:

    • Term-based period: Sunday Week 3 of your first Term
    • Hexamester-based period: Sunday Week 1 of your first Hexamester
    • Semester-based period: Sunday Week 3 of your first Semester
  • If you have not completed the quiz by the deadline, you will be blocked from accessing the UNSW Enrolment service which will affect your ability to enrol in classes and drop subjects. You will need to complete the ELISE quiz before the block can be lifted from your account. 

    A congratulatory message will appear on your screen once you pass the quiz. The pass grade will then be transferred to your student record. Once the transfer is complete, ELISE will disappear from your Moodle course list and the block will be removed from your account. This process may take up to a week. If after this time the course is still showing in Moodle please email elisequiz@unsw.edu.au with all your details including zID.


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