Students enrol at Central TAFE in order to learn.
The programs and services provided by the College are all directed to this end and students also have a responsibility to assist in this aim.
Students must not act in a way that interferes directly or indirectly with the learning of others or that hinders staff from carrying out their duties.
When you enrol at Central TAFE, you are given access to classes and facilities, such as libraries, computer laboratories, classrooms, studios, canteens, bookshops, and so forth.
You will be sharing these facilities with the staff and with other students. It is therefore expected that you will behave in a manner that is acceptable to this wider community.
If you are unsure about what is the right thing to do in any circumstance, you are encouraged to ask advice from College staff. If they are not able to assist you immediately, or do not know the answer to your question, you can ask them to follow the matter up and get back to you with an answer as soon as possible.
If your behaviour is not in line with the Code of Conduct and the Central TAFE By-laws, there are penalties that can be applied by the College. If you break the law while on College grounds, the matter may be reported to the Police.
Policies have been developed to guide students in the use of some of the facilities within the College. You should make yourselves familiar with these policies, as you are required to comply with them if you use those facilities. They include:
As an enrolled student at Central TAFE, you may be required to attend practical work experience placements as part of your studies. In the course of these placements, you may become familiar with information that is confidential to that workplace. You must not divulge any information that you may become aware of as a result of a placement. Breaches of confidentiality are considered to be an act of misconduct.
You may only copy Central TAFE materials in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 and you must comply with licences for the use of intellectual property, including software. All software loaded onto College computers or provided by the College is licensed and there is no permission to copy software unless permitted by the Licence. Guidelines for complying with the Copyright Act are displayed near the photocopiers in the Libraries.
Students are not allowed on College premises or to use its facilities whilst under the influence of alcohol, where their condition adversely affects their own or anyone else’s safety, damages Central TAFE’s public image or property, or is in breach of drink driving laws. Consumption of alcohol on College premises, other than at an authorised function, is prohibited. No person under the age of 18 may consume alcohol on College premises under any circumstances.
The possession, use and sale of illegal drugs or controlled substances (including stimulants, depressants, narcotics, hallucinogens or marijuana) on College premises are forbidden. Use of prescription drugs should not affect the safety of the student or those around them.
Central TAFE is an adult learning environment that prepares students for business and industry, as well as for further career-related training. Because of this, students are expected to dress in a manner that is neat, clean and safe at all times, as would be expected in the workplace. There is no desire on the part of the college to make dress standards too rigid. However, within the college and while on field practice, students should:
- Be adequately clothed in accordance with occupational health and safety requirements Where appropriate, students must wear all personal protective equipment and/or clothing provided for them in the course of their studies.
- Wear appropriate footwear at all times. Appropriate footwear does not include rubber thongs (flip flops).
- Not wear clothing that is likely to offend others in terms of its lack of decency, modesty or cleanliness.
- Not wear clothing that is likely to offend others because of slogans, cartoons or any symbol or graphic worn to provoke, intimidate, condemn or ridicule others.
- Not wear dark glasses in the classroom unless they are required for medical reasons.
Note: It is not permitted for anyone to enter the College with bare feet.
Eating is restricted to the canteen and communal, uncarpeted areas and is not permitted in classrooms or the Libraries. Drinking from spill resistant sports bottles is acceptable in other areas, but is forbidden in the computing classrooms, stairwells and corridors.
Central TAFE is committed to promoting a safe and healthy work and study environment and recognises its obligation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (OS&H Act) to, so far as practicable, provide and maintain a working environment where its employees and students are not exposed to hazards. The OS&H Act also requires individuals to take responsibility for contributing to their own safety in all circumstances. Under Central’s policies, students are responsible to ensure that they:
- take reasonable care of themselves and others in the workplace
- co-operate with management so that employees of the College can carry out their duties under the OS&H Act
- report all known or observed hazards, incidents and injuries to management.
Research has shown that active and passive smoking is damaging to the health of smokers and non-smokers. It can also increase the danger of fire. Central TAFE has a duty of care to ensure that all premises of the College are safe for students and staff. Therefore, the College is committed to providing a smoke-free environment. Smoking is forbidden throughout Central TAFE premises and facilities, including all outdoor areas. (This includes the areas immediately outside entrances to the College buildings). “No Smoking” signs have been installed around the College buildings and grounds and they must be obeyed at all times. Offenders may face disciplinary/corrective action.
Conduct which disrupts staff and hinders them from delivering education and training programs and services or other services in an orderly manner is a breach of the Central TAFE By-laws. This applies not only in classrooms, but in all parts of the College and during field trips or on work placements. Any individual or group behaviour, which is abusive, indecent, violent, excessively noisy, disorderly, dangerous, offensive or which unreasonably disturbs other groups or individuals is prohibited. Unacceptable behaviour includes:
- failure to comply with the lawful directives of College staff acting in performance of their duties;
- damaging or misusing College property, littering etc.;
- intentionally furnishing false information to the College or to a staff member or providing false or forged documents. Forgery includes unauthorised alteration or misuse of College or other documents, records or instruments of identification, or significant misrepresentation on applications or resumes. (Forgery may be a criminal offence);
Note: lecturers are authorised to suspend classes in which disruptive behaviour is occurring, if the offender does not stop the disruptive behaviour when directed to do so. Students who are disruptive in the Libraries may lose their borrowing rights.
Central TAFE has a diverse, multi-cultural student and staff body. The College welcomes people from a wide range of ethnic groups and followers of many different religions. It expects that all students will respect the lawful beliefs and customs of fellow students and staff. Conduct, which constitutes a danger to anyone’s health, safety or personal well-being, including verbal or physical threats or threatening behaviour, will not be tolerated. It includes:
- Physical abuse of another person, threatening behaviour (including stalking and bullying) that causes any other person to fear physical abuse.
- Harassment (including any unwanted behaviour – physical, verbal, written, electronic or otherwise) directed at an individual or group.
- Any form of discrimination or sexual harassment.
- Creation of a condition which endangers or threatens the health, safety or well-being of themselves or others.
- Unauthorised and/or unsafe use of College equipment and resources.
- Possession of, or use of, firearms or dangerous weapons of any kind.
- Unauthorised possession, ignition, or detonation of any object or article that could cause damage by fire or other means to persons or property.
Any form of verbal or physical threat is deemed to constitute an assault and will be treated according to the full extent of the law.
Any act of misuse, vandalism, theft, malicious or unwarranted damage or destruction, defacing (including graffiti), disfiguring, or unsafe or unauthorised use of property belonging to Central TAFE is a violation of this Student Code of Conduct. It may also be against the law, in which case legal action will be taken against offenders. College property includes but is not limited to buildings, vehicles, computers and software, cameras and other portable equipment, plant and equipment, learning materials, fire alarms and equipment, lifts, telephones, keys, library materials, safety and security devices.
In addition to the general rules of responsible behaviour that are expected of all individuals in the College, there are some sorts of behaviour that are specifically unacceptable in a teaching and learning institution. Generally they relate to behaviour in the classroom, including the online environment, and during examinations and assessments that is not acceptable, either because it distracts other people who are trying to work, or it involves obtaining unfair advantages for yourself or other students. If you are in any doubt about the matters described below, please do not hesitate to ask your lecturer for assistance. Academic misconduct includes:
• Regular lateness in attending classes and lateness in submitting assignments and assessable work;
• failure to attend classes or other contact sessions and failure to submit assessable work according to deadlines;
• using mobile phones or other electronic devices in classrooms. This is discourteous and can hinder a staff member carrying out their duties. Mobile phones must be turned off before entering classrooms or Libraries. Walkmans, or similar devices, and earphones are not allowed to be used in class, other than by students with hearing impairment.
Cheating means gaining an unfair advantage by deception or breaking the rules. It is forbidden by the College By-laws. All of the following actions are considered to be cheating:
- Giving or receiving assistance during an examination or assessment .that has not been agreed to by the lecturer
- Working with other students to produce work when working in groups has not been agreed to by the lecturer. This is called collusion.
- Obtaining information about an examination before it is held, except for information provided to all the class by the lecturer.
- Handing in someone else’s work as your own. This includes anything that you may have obtained from the Internet or from books.
- Submitting the same piece of work for more than one course, without the prior permission of the lecturers involved.
- Obtaining and using experimental data and laboratory write-ups from other sections of a course or from previous studies.
- Using any sources of information during an examination or assessment that have not been agreed to by the lecturer.
- Making up or falsifying data in experiments or other research.
- Altering the record of any grade or result.
- Giving untrue information in order to obtain exemptions from course requirements.
- Bribery in any form. This includes offering or giving a staff member money or any other benefit as a means of influencing them or their decisions.
- Allowing another person to substitute for you in taking an examination.
- Substituting for another person to take an examination.
- Using another person’s online password in order to log on as that person and engage in any academic undertaking, including assessment, on their behalf.
- Giving your online password to another person to enable that person to log on and undertake any academic activity, including assessment, on your behalf.
- Copying from another person’s examination paper.
- Stealing, buying or obtaining in any other way, all, or part, of an examination before it is administered.
The term plagiarism refers to taking and using another person's ideas, writing or inventions as one’s own and failing to acknowledge the source. Even if you put someone else’s work into your own words or images (pictures, tables, diagrams) and you fail to acknowledge the source of this information it is plagiarism. Plagiarism is not acceptable, whether the other person is another student, a lecturer or some other third party. Acknowledgement of another person's work is professionally ethical and, as proper academic practice, you should always acknowledge and wherever possible, reference any material from another source. See the Referencing Guide: Using the Harvard Referencing System available for sale from the College Bookshops or on the College website at www.central.wa.edu.au/library/ for guidelines. The Library also provides tutorials on the subject as part of the Library and Information Skills Training programme. A person whose work is used in this manner may choose to take action against an offender. If you copy the actual expression of ideas without authorisation, as well as the ideas themselves, you could also be liable for breach of copyright.
There are a number of sanctions (penalties) that can be imposed on people who breach the College’s By-laws (see below). If it is considered that you have breached one of the By-laws you will be advised verbally that you are breaching the rules and requested to stop the offending behaviour. Should you continue to breach the rules after having been warned, you will be advised in writing of the allegation that you are in breach of the By-laws and given an opportunity to respond before a decision is taken to apply a penalty. However, for allegations that are considered to be serious, you may be suspended from the College pending an investigation.
If you have any doubts about the matters covered in this Code, you should ask your lecturer or another staff member for assistance. Security staff are also available at some campuses to protect both property and people. They are available to you for assistance in any matter of access or security. Security staff will contact Police and other emergency services if necessary.