The provisional timetable is a draft timetable which allows you to plan ahead.

It shows you when lectures, seminars and other learning experiences are planned, and can help you to see which options may suit you best. It is not final and is subject to change.

You can view your provisional timetable now in TimeEdit

When STAR opens in ‘preference entry’ mode, you have the opportunity to select your activities so, you have the opportunity to select the activities you would prefer to attend.

It doesn’t matter when you enter your preferences during preference entry, activities are not allocated until after the preference entry period ends.

Activities with an icon require you to enter preferences.

Most seminars are live sessions, and it’s expected that you will be an active participant. Please make sure you enter preferences for a day and time that you will be available.

Watch our short video or our preference entry mode tutorial for an introduction to entering your preferences in STAR.

You may have a timetable that is a mixture of on-campus and online activities.

• If you're able to come to campus, you should select an on-campus option for that activity.
• If you see building and room information in the location column, the activity is on-campus.
• If you see ‘online’ in the location column, the activity is online.
• Some activities have a blended delivery/combination of on-campus and online.

Section preferences

Sections are used when you are required to attend a group of activities. For example, if you allocate yourself to a section that contains a seminar and a practical, you will be required to attend both activities at the given times. This seminar and practical are referred to as a section.

Sections can be quite large, so when entering your preference for sections, ensure you know beforehand what you want to enter to alleviate time-out issues.

To enter preferences for a section, simply select a preference number for the overall group. Sections with a ‘1’ need no action.

Auto allocation

Activities that have a green tick next to them have been automatically allocated. You will be automatically allocated to activities where there is only one option. It doesn't matter in which order you make your other preference selections, e.g. lectures or seminars.

STAR sorts your preferences and allocates your activities when ‘preference entry’ mode has closed. Preferences can be changed at any stage while the preference entry window is open.

Sorting

When preference entry mode ends, STAR closes for a day to sort and allocate preferences.

Allocation adjustment

When STAR re-opens in ‘allocation adjustment’ mode, you can view your new timetable. You can also adjust your allocations if other spaces are available.

View our short video for an introduction to allocation adjustment mode.

Need to change your timetable?

You can add or change your campus-based lectures, seminars and other activities where there is availability. To do this you need to log into STAR and change your allocation.

Remember, once you change to a new activity, your old timetable allocation is then made available to another student!

STAR has a 'swaps' feature that you can use during allocation adjustment mode. With the ‘swaps’ feature you can request a swap to an activity that is currently full. If a place becomes available due to another student's timetable change, you will receive an email to advise that your swap has been successful.

Watch our short video on how to register for a swap.

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.
  

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.

Do I have to enter my preferences on the day STAR opens in ‘preference entry’ mode?

No. You can enter your preferences any time during the preference entry period. There are nine days for you to consider your options and enter your preferences. It doesn’t matter when you enter your preferences during these nine days, the activities will be allocated for everyone after the preference entry period ends.

How many preferences do I need to enter?

You need to enter a minimum of four preferences or a minimum of ten preferences for sectioned activities.

Please note, you will not be allocated to an activity if you have not entered that as a preference.

STAR displays campus-based units (even if the activity is being delivered online) as well as most online units. Some online units will not list their learning activities in STAR and will instead use the unit site to communicate this information.

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

STAR shows all your campus-based units for the year. Units that are not in the current trimester are switched off and therefore unavailable for selection.

You can view your timetable under the 'timetable' link in STAR after the sort is completed and allocation adjustment opens.

When STAR is 'read only' you can still view your timetable, but you cannot make changes.

You need to enter a minimum of four preferences or a minimum of ten preferences for sectioned activities. You may not be allocated if:

• there is a change in one of your preference activities
• the preferences you entered were the most popular times and you were not successful in being allocated one of the time slots in the random sort
• there was a clash with a preference activity.

You will need to select another activity and request a swap if appropriate.

Please note, you will not be allocated you to an activity if you have not entered that as a preference.

You can use STAR to view your scheduled learning activities for most online units, but some units will not appear in STAR. Information for these units will be available on your CloudDeakin unit site one week before the start of trimester.

If all of your activities are full and you are unallocated, please contact Student Central for assistance.

If there is a change to your timetable during allocation adjustment, you may need to allocate yourself to another available activity.

You will receive an email if:

• there is a change in activity start time
• there is a change of day
• the activity has been cancelled.