Helpful tips—Ngā tohutohu āwhina
Read explanations of some common terms that you'll come across when you start your studies with us.
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Adding or withdrawing from a course
Contact your Student Success Adviser (see the Student Success Adviser entry below) to make any changes to your course of study. They will need to know your student ID number, name, and the course(s) that you wish to add or withdraw from.
Assignments
Always read all the way through your assignment or project briefs. Ask questions if you are unsure what is being asked of you. Your tutors are there to help you, so ask for help.
Attendance
Create your own opportunities—whai mātauranga means to pursue knowledge, to be curious. Attending to all lectures, studios, and tutorials is important. If you are not able to turn up, email your course coordinator as soon as possible. Be aware that documentation is required if you need extensions to the submission dates as a result of your absence from classes.
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Change your degree or specialisation
Contact your Student Success Adviser (see the Student Success Adviser entry below) to make any changes to your degree or major/minor.
Conjoint degree
A conjoint degree is a programme of study that leads to two or more qualifications. Conjoint programmes involve special cross-crediting arrangements that allow students to complete two qualifications in a shorter time than that required to complete each separately.
Connect
Studio classes and tutorials are exciting opportunities to communicate with your classmates, share ideas, and discuss your work with others. Whanaungatanga acknowledges the shared experience of the design studio—so make connections and reach out to classmates.
Course finder
Course finder is a publicly available online publication that lists all courses, course prescriptions, and timetabling information. The Course finder is used by students when completing an enrolment application and is a companion document to the University Calendar.
Course codes
Each course has two identifiers. One consists of four letters identifying the subject and field, and the other consists of three numbers that identifies the level—for example, DSDN 103 is a Year 1 Design course.
Course coordinators
Course coordinators are appointed from the academic staff to ensure that courses are effectively run. They are responsible for setting the content and assessment and for ensuring that students have an effective and safe learning experience. In most cases, they will also be main teacher who delivers the course content. In larger classes they will work with a team of tutors or teaching assistants. Course coordinators are usually the first people to approach if you have questions about the course or its assessment.
Course outlines
Course outlines provide the basic details about each course, including its level, points value, any prerequisite requirements, and who is teaching it (including their contact details). It will also provide an overview of the course content, assessments, and how the course will be taught. You will find the course outline in Course Finder (see the relevant entry above) or on the ‘syllabus’ page of the course Nuku.
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Double degree
A double degree is a programme of study that leads to two degrees—for example, BDI and BCom. For more information on double degrees, contact the Faculty Student Success Advisers.
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Extensions
Students experiencing exceptional personal circumstances may request extra time to complete assessments without penalty. Extensions are granted at the course coordinator’s discretion, not simply to give the student more time than other students, but to recognise that they have not been able to use the time allocated to complete the assessment item.
Extension applications are made by completing an Extension Form in the Nuku. If, for any reason, you experience any difficulty accessing or using the form, you may instead download the form provided at the link below, complete it, and attach it to an email to the relevant course coordinator: Extension Request Form
Email notifications
We often send out important email communications. All official email communications sent by Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington (including Nuku announcements) are sent to student email accounts. To keep up to date, you should forward all your email from the Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation to your preferred email account. Include your name and student ID in all of your communications with staff.
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First-year workshop—health and safety induction
All students wishing to use the First-year workshop must complete the First-Year Workshop Student Health and Safety Induction and Basic Machinery training.
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Grades
Grades are posted on Nuku, usually within three weeks of the hand-in date. If you have a question about your grade, you can contact your course coordinator. But before doing that, make sure you thoroughly read their feedback in Nuku.
The grades range in scale from A+ to E.
Passing grades
| Grade | Percentage range | Level of work |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 90–100 | Outstanding performance |
| A | 85–89 | Excellent performance |
| A- | 80–84 | Excellent performance in most respects |
| B+ | 75–79 | Very good performance |
| B | 70–74 | Good performance |
| B- | 65–69 | Good performance overall, but some weaknesses |
| C+ | 60–64 | Satisfactory to good performance |
| C | 55–59 | Satisfactory performance |
| C- | 50–54 | Adequate evidence of learning |
Failing grades
| Grade | Percentage range | Level of work |
|---|---|---|
| D | 40–49 | Poor performance overall, some evidence of learning |
| E | 0–39 | Work is below the required standard |
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Help
In the spirit of whanaungatanga—relationships and collaborations—help us to help you. Let’s appreciate the shared experience of teaching and learning. Talk about your mahi (work) and korero (share your ideas) with your classmates and tutors. And—most importantly—if you don’t know something, just ask!
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Learning
We are here to help you learn. Teaching and learning is a two-way relationship in the spirit of akoranga.
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Mahi
Do the mahi. Within a number of your classes you will also be asked to do small bite-sized weekly exercises, tasks, and assessments that relate to specific skills and course tasks (often called PBAs). These help both you and us keep the coursework relevant and challenging.
Majors
A major is a substantial component of an undergraduate degree, consisting of courses normally worth at least 120 points in a recognised subject area and including at least 40 points at 300-level or above.
At the Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation there is a selection process at the end of first year for entry into the BAS and BDI majors.
Architecture majors
- Architecture
- Architecture History and Theory
- Interior Architecture
- Landscape Architecture
Find out more about Architectural Studies subjects.
Design majors
- Animation and Visual Effects
- Communication Design
- Design for Social Innovation
- Fashion Design Technology
- Game Design
- Industrial Design
- Interaction Design
- Media Design
Find out more about Design subjects.
Minors
A minor is a component of an undergraduate degree, consisting of courses at 200-level or above in a recognised subject worth at least 60 points, and including at least 15 points at 300 level. Minors in Bachelor of Design Innovation.
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Nuku
Throughout the trimester, you will find all your coursework and information on Nuku, our online learning environment driven by the Canvas learning management system. You can log in using your university email address and password.
On most courses in Nuku you will also be able to find your tutorial group and—later in the trimester—your grades. Your course coordinators will also send information updates out to the class using the Canvas announcements feature. It is important for your learning that you keep up with these announcements. These will be sent to your student email address, but you can also add a personal address if you prefer.
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Participate
Let’s practice manaakitanga and respect the places and the people we share space with:
- Please don’t make personal phone calls in class. If you need to take or make an important call, excuse yourself temporarily from the class.
- Engage in sustainable practices—kaitiakitanga. Remember to recycle and don’t be wasteful.
- No food or drink is allowed near any of the computers.
- Be respectful of the space and others that use it. Tidy up after yourself—this includes any furniture you have shifted.
- Check the studio noticeboards for studio culture guidelines.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites are the courses you have to pass before you can take a particular course you’re interested in.
Progress-based assessments
Progress-based assessments (PBAs) are bite-sized weekly tasks used in some courses that relate to specific aspects of your coursework and skill sets. Doing the PBAs will help you succeed in each course. You must complete PBAs within the designated timeframe for the studio, class, or lecture. There are no extensions and no do-overs. PBAs can be worth up to 30% of your total grade in each course, so make sure you do them. It’s pretty clear—do the mahi (work) and you’ll reap the rewards.
Pūaha—student portal
Explore the new student administration space on our website Pūaha, a self-service portal where you can access personalised tools and information for your studies including:
- your personalised timetable, grades, student records, and other academic details
- key dates
- links to news and events
- links to services that support your learning, study, and wellbeing.
All currently enrolled students can login using their username and password. Meaning ‘mouth of a river’, Pūaha connects to the idea of a student journey through university.
If you have any questions about Pūaha call 0800 04 04 04 or email info@vuw.ac.nz.
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Student representatives
At Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation, we enjoy a great relationship between students and staff, and much of this is due to the communication channels. Become a student representative and an active leader who represents the student voice in our Faculty. Nominations will be asked for in classes. Put your hand up!
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Timetables
The timetable for first-year courses offered in this Faculty can be found on the First Step page. You’ll notice that some classes have multiple streams. Streamed courses will provide more information in Nuku about how to find out which stream you are allocated into. If you are having trouble finding that information, or have any other questions about your class allocation, please get in touch with the course coordinator of the course in question. You will find their contact email address in the appropriate Course Outline.
Tutorials
Weekly optional design tutorials, known as 'Dive Deeper: Drop in studio,' are run for students in the School of Design Innovation by both staff and tutors on Wednesdays from 12:40 to 3:30 pm. These optional classes go over important and sometimes more complex tasks covered in the main design studios or tutorials. They give you added time and support to understand and master them.
Each week we let you know in lectures and on the optional tutorial calendar pinned on the studio wall what we will be doing in the next optional tutorial session.
Choosing your degree
Watch a video to learn all about how you can choose your degree. Find out about majors, minors, and courses—and how you can shape your study to match your career goals.