Some units have 'clashable activities'. If you see a broken line around one of your activities in your timetable, this means the activity is clashable because it is also available as a recording.

If you find you have not been allocated to an activity (eg. a seminar) because it clashes with another one of your activities, and you are unable to select another time slot, contact Student Central.

How will I know if a unit requires compulsory, on-campus attendance?

When entering your preferences in STAR, you will be able to identify attendance requirements because the activity will show building and room information. Further details will also be available on your unit sites in CloudDeakin, which you will be able to access a week prior to the start of trimester.

Do I still need to select a timetable if I’m not coming to campus?

It’s still important to enter your preferences for campus-based activities and get an allocated timetable. Some seminars and lectures can still be at a scheduled time, even if they are offered wholly online.

Can I see when lectures, seminars and other activities are available, before STAR opens?

Deakin publishes a provisional timetable each trimester. This timetable is subject to change, but it may be useful help plan your studies. It is only through STAR that you can allocate yourself to a lecture and receive a timetable.

When does STAR allocate my activities?

STAR closes to sort preferences and allocates everyone’s activities when ‘preference entry’ mode has closed (refer to the dates above).

What happens if I don’t register for my lectures, seminars and other activities?

At the close of ‘allocation adjustment’ mode, any unallocated students will be assigned to remaining available time slots.

What should I do if STAR says there are ‘no activities scheduled’?

If STAR displays ‘no activities scheduled’ against your unit, you may be looking at a unit in a future trimester. You only need to create a timetable for the current trimester. If there are ‘no activities scheduled’ in the current trimester there are currently no activities scheduled for that unit. You may need to check your unit site for more information.

What is the difference between lectures, seminars, practicals and sections?

Lectures
Previously called classes, lectures are where teaching staff engage you through presentations with student participation. In most, but not all, lectures are recorded and streamed online for you. If you are studying units online, your lectures should be recorded and made available via your CloudDeakin unit site.

Seminars
An educator will guide you in a smaller group of students through highly interactive discussions and activities.

Practical and professional experiences
Your units may also include practical experiences such as laboratory, workshops, clinical skills and more. These hands-on activities typically take place in specialised facilities with industry tools, equipment or technology to allow you to apply your knowledge practically.

Professional experiences can include placements, studio time or field work and focus on preparing you for the workplace.

Please note that your Handbook and unit guide will list the name of practical experiences and professional experiences in full with the type of experience in parentheses, such as ‘Practical experience (Laboratory)’. Your timetable may just list the subtype for the experience; for example, ‘Laboratory’.

Other terms

• If you see a 'meeting' in your timetable, this is an optional drop-in session.
• 'Assessments' or 'team-based learning' indicate an in-class evaluation of your skills or knowledge. A 'pre-assessment practice' could be scheduled to prepare you for these assessments.

Find out more

Take a look at the Learning activities webpage for a full list of terminology changes.

What happens to my timetable if I change my units?

If you change your units or enrol in additional units while ‘preference entry’ mode is open, you will need to login to STAR again and enter preferences for your newly enrolled units.

If you change your units or enrol in additional units during ‘allocation adjustment’ mode you will need to login to STAR and register based on remaining available timeslots.

Please note, changes to your enrolment can take up to two hours to appear in STAR.

What happens to my timetable if I transfer my course?

If you have transferred courses and the units you are transferring to are identical to your original units of study you will not need to register again for your activities.

If you have transferred into new units, you will need to login to STAR and register for your activities.