School Resources for Research Higher Degree Students

The School of Physiotherapy values and welcomes its Research Higher Degree candidates as senior student colleagues in the University. As colleagues we have a commitment to you, as you do to us. The School makes a considerable resource commitment to all its students. In particular, those students who are recipients of all University scholarships have a significant proportion of the scholarship paid for by the School.

Candidates should note that the School and University resources are only available to students whose enrolment is current. Students who are on leave of absence or who have a lapsed candidature or discontinued candidature are, in most cases, not entitled to access the postgraduate facilities and resources listed below.

See also Summary of RHD School Resources (PDF, 47K)

General Resources

Office Allocation

The School of Physiotherapy values the contribution of postgraduate research students to the research and intellectual vigour of the School. To enable research higher degree students to effectively participate in the academic environment and successfully complete their research program, the School will endeavour to provide office space and equipment to support their research activities.

The School will work to ensure that:

• Full time research students are provided with office space, usually on a shared basis.
• All offices for full-time researchers will be equipped with desks and chairs, at least one computer per room, up to 2 drawers in a filing cabinet, storage and a shared telephone.
• Part time students will be provided with an office on a shared basis, where possible. The office will be equipped with desks and chairs, at least one computer and a shared telephone.
• Where students are undertaking the majority of their data collection in one of the University’s Clinical Schools, the School will advocate on your behalf for similar accommodation provisions. It will not normally be possible for you to have dedicated office space for you alone at both sites.
• Postgraduate research students will be able to apply for after-hours access to the School of Physiotherapy building.

The allocation of office space will be prioritised as follows:

- Full time PhD students
- Full tiResearch Masters students
- Part time PhD students
- Part time research Masters students

Office space will be allocated to students with special needs, where available. This will be assessed with reference to the above priority areas. Cases of special need may include, but are not limited to, students who have:

• Demonstrably difficult personal or home circumstances affecting their study, for example child care issues or disruptive home environment.
• Medical condition or disability.
• Specific academic needs.

Conditions of Occupancy and Vacating

Postgraduate research students:

• are expected to make full and proper use of the facilities allocated to them.
• are responsible for informing their supervisor and the Postgraduate Manager of changes to their candidature that may affect their eligibility for an office or if they no longer require an office.

Postgraduate research students will not be eligible for office space:

• if their candidature has lapsed
• if they consistently do not utilise the office space allocated
• once the student has submitted their thesis for examination (arrangements will be made to accommodate students who are required to make amendments to, or resubmit their thesis).

The University of Melbourne’s Graduate Centre also caters for the needs of research students and you are encouraged to make full use of the facilities available – further information can be found at http://www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au/graduatecentre/

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School Research Higher Degree Support (SRHDS)

The aim of this support is to cover recurrent research costs for postgraduate study and should be used as a priority source of funds instead of using School operational funds. Research higher degree (RHD) students are allocated up to $500 pro-rata each year to cover such costs.

Commencing students must prepare a budget for research costs and update this each year of candidature. You should prepare your budget in consultation with your Supervisor/s. You will receive a budget template from the Postgraduate Manager at Induction and the template is also available on the physiotherapy website, http://www.physioth.unimelb.edu.au/resources/pgrad/MResforms.html

SRHDS funding is intended to contribute towards reasonable research costs. These costs fall into two categories:

• Costs arising from internal facilities:
  An automatic yearly deduction of $50 pro rata from each candidate’s SRHDS account will be made to cover the following:
  • Telephone calls
  • *Printing and Photocopying of up to 2000 pages.
  *Up to 2000 pages combined for printing and photocopying will be included in the automatic $50 yearly deduction. Printing and photocopying will be monitored and once a student has reached the limit no further usage will be possible unless an extension is approved. Approval should be requested through the supervisor of the student and Postgraduate Manager.
• Costs arising from external purchases:
  Items that may be claimed include stationery, research equipment, computer hardware or software (see IT Resources). Candidates should keep original receipts for external purchases, and submit them to their supervisor for approval and then forward them onto the Finance Officer. Students who hold a scholarship may have some support for thesis costs provided through their scholarship.
  Candidates should note that:
  • All non-consumable purchases must be returned to the School at the end of the student's candidature.
  • This means items such as computer peripherals, equipment purchased explicitly for the research and any other loaned physiotherapy equipment must be returned to the School.
  • SRHDS is allocated on a per calendar year basis and cannot be carried over into the following calendar year.
  • Thesis binding is not claimable under this fund, except for international students.

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School Conference Support

All of the School’s Teaching and Research (T&R) staff, Fellows and Senior Fellows of the Clinical Schools and RHD students are encouraged to present their research at conferences. The aim of this scheme is to enhance the research experience of postgraduates by providing funds to students who are presenting their research at conferences.
Candidates are required to first present their material to a seminar within the School and subsequently to present their paper or poster at the conference, and are required to submit a report to the School on how this presentation has contributed to their research experience.

PhD Students: The School will contribute toward doctoral student attendance to present their research at (normally 2) conferences per candidature, subject to funding availability. All papers must acknowledge the University of Melbourne and be submitted for inclusion in the School Research Report.

Master by Research Students: The School will contribute toward Master by Research students to attend at least one conference to present their research during their candidature, subject to funding availability. All papers must acknowledge the University of Melbourne and be submitted for inclusion in the School Research Report.

Support Available: A sum of up to $300 will be made available to support each RHD student to attend each conference as outlined above for costs such as registration fees, travel costs. The $300 will be available in the form of a reimbursement direct to the student where they have paid for conference costs, or to the supervisor’s research account if being partially funded by that method. Receipts must be provided to the Finance Officer to ensure reimbursement. The funding support will not be provided in the form of a direct cash payment to the student.

Applicants who are applying for matching or additional funding from other bodies, including the School of Graduate Studies should note that School support will be $300, however the Committee may approve up to a limit of $500 where matching grant bodies require this.

Procedure: RHD students must make an application prior to the conference for which they are seeking support. The application is to be made on the Application for Conference Support for RHD Student form. Their supervisor must endorse the form. The completed form should be submitted to the Executive Committee by the submission date. Students are also required to complete the Approval to Travel form for interstate or international conferences.

Application Submission Dates: Applications for conference support can be submitted to the Executive Committee by 31 March or 31 August each year. The Executive Committee will short-list applicants and will submit a recommendation to the Planning and Resources Committee in April and in September / October of each year.

Reporting: Both RHD students and staff are required to provide a short written report (up to one page) to the appropriate committee within one month of the conference. A reporting framework would generally include the following information. A Conference Report form is available.

• Details of conference (name, date, location)
• Purpose of visit (presentation of paper, invited speaker, keynote speaker)
• Details of paper(s) / posters presented (a copy of the submitted abstract)
• Objectives or outcomes aimed for and achieved
• Opportunities for possible collaboration / development of networks
• Future directions for the research activity presented
• Research report

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Mailboxes

All full-time research higher degree students are allocated a shared mail-box for internal and external mail delivery. The mail-boxes are located in the administration office in the photocopying room. A mail-box can be organised by contacting staff at Reception.

Photocopying & Printing Access

The School of Physiotherapy provides all RHD postgraduate students with access to shared black-and-white laser printers and a photocopier. Printers are located for easy access. Each student will have a print quota set at 2000 pages per year pro rata through the automatic $50 yearly deduction from your SRHDS. Students who exceed this print quota will need to arrange with the Postgraduate Manager to have a new quota set. Students will be emailed a total of their printing on a monthly basis.

To access the school's photocopier a photocopy PIN can be organised by contacting the Physiotherapy Technology Unit. A limited amount of colour printing is available to students and this can be arranged through the Physiotherapy Technology Unit. Depending on the paper used, students will have the costs for printing charged back to support funds.

The shared printer located in the Physiotherapy Computer Laboratory can be accessed from the computers in the Postgraduate Common Room as well as the Computer Laboratory. Access requires a Unicard copier card, which you can get from the basement of the Baillieu Library. Printing is charged at 11 cents per page.

Postage

All research higher degree students can use the mail service of the School for University purposes only. Where particularly large mail-outs are to occur, special arrangements are to be made in advance with staff at Reception to off-set these postage costs.

Building Access / Keys

All research higher degree students will be issued with a key to the postgraduate student common room and an office key on payment of a deposit. Please see the staff at Reception for a a Key Request Form and submit the form to the Finance Officer to arrange keys.

Facsimile Access

The School's fax machine is located in the administration office. RHD students may use the fax for research purposes. It is preferable that large documents be emailed, instead of faxed.

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Consumables

Use of stationery and other consumables such as CD's and floppy discs will be monitored and charged against your SRHDS. Items of stationery located in the stationery cupboard are for staff purposes only and should not be accessed by students.

Data Storage

Research data must be kept in a locked cabinet and on completion of the thesis it must be archived in archive boxes, which are held at the organization which gained ethics approval for the research. Archive boxes must be clearly marked with:

• Name of candidate;
• Names of supervisors;
• Thesis title;
• Data type;
• Date of storage;
• Date for destruction.

Research data in electronic format must be archived to CD or DVD. Upon completion of candidature, data will be archived to DVD, the School will retain one copy and the student will retain one copy.

School Research Seminar Program

The School holds a Research Seminar Program on a fortnightly basis. The dates and program schedule are advertised around the school, in the Physio Weekly Update and via email.
The principles of the program are as follows:

• to facilitate participation by all RHD students (as both presenters and audience members),
• to fulfill the candidature requirements of Masters by Research and PhD students,
• to foster inter-Centre participation and knowledge dissemination,
• to provide a social forum for staff and RHD students to mingle on a regular basis.

These seminars cover a breadth of topics. All RHD students are expected to present and attend the seminar program. Full-time students are expected to attend every seminar and part-time students on a pro-rata basis. Each seminar concludes with wine and cheese.

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IT Resources

Communication

The Education Development & Infrastructure (EDI) Manager and the Research Student Coordinator will meet with a postgraduate representative on a quarterly basis and whenever the need arises. Information relevant to postgraduate research students will be disseminated via email. Postgraduate research students are encouraged to approach the Berkeley Support Serrvice on 8344 4678 or internally extension x44678 or berkeley-support@unimelb.edu.au with any technical support issues they may have.

Network Accounts

School of Physiotherapy LAN Access:
All postgraduate research students are entitled to a network login account to enable them to access the computer laboratories, internet and email. A wireless point is located in the School that students can use for wireless access. Access to the university network is subject to university rules and regulations, details of these regulations can be found at http://www.unimelb.edu.au/ExecServ/Statutes/r81r7.pdf Any postgraduate research student found to be using network services in breach of university or school policy will have their access revoked. Wireless network - A wireless point is located in the School that students can use.

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Computer Laboratories

The school maintains a central computer laboratory of 21 IBM compatible computers. These computers contain the standard Microsoft office software as well as statistical and multimedia applications. The school has also provided a Postgraduate common room that contains 3 IBM compatible computers. All of the computers have access to the internet (as defined above) and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to authorized students. The Learning Resources Room (LRR) contains 3 IBM compatible and 2 Macintosh computers with statistical, multimedia and graphics applications.

Desktop Computers

School owned desktop resources
The School of Physiotherapy will provide full-time RHD students with access to a computer, often on a shared basis . Due to budgetary constraints students in shared spaces may be required to share computing resources within these offices. Higher standard machines for more complex work will be maintained in the LRR and will be available for Postgraduate Research use.

Personal Computers

Postgraduate research students are encouraged to bring in their own computer for use within the School of Physiotherapy, however strict guidelines must be followed:

• Such computers will only be allowed connection to the School's network if they are deemed to be of appropriate quality and running an approved operating system.
• The EDI Manager can disconnect such equipment from the network without notice if it is used in breach of university guidelines or if they are deemed to represent a security threat.
• The school will provide networking support and installation of suitable software as outlined below.
• Hardware provision and maintenance will be the responsibility of the student and The School of Physiotherapy accepts no responsibility for loss or damage of students’ personal equipment.
• Students are responsible for ensuring all software installed on their system is legally licensed and must remove any software provided by the School from their computer at the end of their candidature.
• The School of Physiotherapy will provide computer locks to secure the computer to a desk.
• The EDI Manager can provide information and advice on purchasing a computer and software that is compatible with the School of Physiotherapy IT requirements.
• The School will not take any responsibility for virus, damage or theft associated with students’ personal computers.

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Software

All software purchased with School funds (including research grants) is to be purchased through the EDI Manager and will be audited. The Physiotherapy EDI Unit maintains a database of software licenses owned by The School of Physiotherapy and which computers they are assigned to. The Physiotherapy EDI Unit will remove any commercial software package found on school owned equipment, which has not been assigned a valid license.

Installation of unlicensed software is strictly forbidden and breaches University policy and may result in disciplinary action by the university. Details on software licensing conditions is shown below. Further details on software licensing can be obtained from http://www.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/services/businessunits/it_procurement.html

Students wishing to purchase software should consult with the EDI Manager as the University has a number of educational licensing arrangements that enable students to purchase software at a greatly reduced price.

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Skills Training

Students are advised that they should access the training programs provided through the School of Graduate Studies. These short courses are specifically designed for research students for use in their candidature. Students can find additional information on the courses on offer from http://www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au/prog_services/programs/

IT Support

The EDI Service staff can provide IT support and advice to postgraduate research students. They can be contacted on extension X44678 or berkeley-support@unimelb.edu.au . The EDI Unit also runs a series of IT seminars which postgraduate research students are encouraged to attend. Help cards on a variety of subjects are also available from the EDI Service.

Data Backup

The School's fileservers are backed up on a nightly basis and the backup media rotated offsite weekly. Any file created on the server is added to the backup facility in the evening. In the event of data being lost or accidentally overwritten the turn around time to recover data is 4 hours for data that has been created and lost within the same business week or 24 hours with data that has been lost for longer than a week.

Students should use their individual user folders on the server to backup critical files such as Thesis documents. The server should not be used to backup large research data documents as other alternative forms of media are better suited for this purpose.

Due to limited resources and the vast amount of data that is backed up weekly, the backup facility only has archives of items on the server and staff machines for 6 months. Large files and files that only need to be archived should be backed up via removable media drives such as Zip disks, CD-R or DVD. The Physiotherapy EDI Service can provide advice and services to students on backup strategies and the use of removable media devices for storing data.

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Borrowing Equipment amd manuals

The Physiotherapy EDI Unit maintains a limited amount of equipment and reference material, which is available for loan by staff. Details of resources available can be obtained from the Physiotherapy EDI Unit staff. All equipment to be borrowed should be booked in advance and must be signed out by the person responsible.

Equipment being borrowed must not be removed from The School of Physiotherapy without approval for the Head of School or EDI Manager and the responsible person must complete the necessary Insurance paperwork.

Students who require access to an external storage device can borrow an external USB Floppy drive or USB Zip drive from Reception. These items are for short-term loan only. Staff wishing to borrow an external storage device for longer periods should contact the EDI Service on X44678.

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