• expired

Free Course (after HECS Scholarship) - Sustainability (Online Delivery) @ University of Tasmania

860

Free Sustainability course + students get free edu.au email address plus free download of Office 365!!

https://www.utas.edu.au/college/courses/units/sustainability

and

https://www.utas.edu.au/students/starting-uni/first-steps/pr…

From the website:

100% HECS Scholarships are available for domestic students. If applicable, you will not incur a tuition fee or debt when studying Sustainability.

Domestic students* may receive a full HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme) scholarship for the Sustainability unit in 2019.

The HECS scholarship is applied to your record as soon as possible after you enrol in the Sustainability unit within the Diploma of Sustainable Living. Initially, your invoice in eStudent may reflect the cost of the unit. Sometimes it may take up to a week after your enrolment is processed, but please be assured your correct invoice will appear in eStudent after this time.

You may notice in the University of Tasmania Course and Unit Handbook that the costs of units are explicitly stated. Please be assured that this cost is covered by your HECS Scholarship for the Sustainability unit commenced in December, 2019.

Sustainability is one of many units available to study under the Diploma of Sustainable Living. The first four units studied as part of the Diploma of Sustainable Living will be receive a 100% HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme) scholarship. The second four units you study to complete the Diploma of Sustainable Living will receive a 50% HECS scholarship, the remainder which applicable domestic students may defer under the HECS-HELP Scheme. For further information on HECS-HELP consult the Australian Tax Office (ATO) guidelines.

The Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) - approximately $45.45 per unit in 2019 - is waived for the first four units studied under the Diploma of Sustainable Living. The second four units will attract this fee, which is typically applicable to all units, and is allocated to the improvement of services and amenities for students of the University for both on-campus and online students.

It looks like you need to be enrolled in a course but the website also says:

Is it a requirement that I complete a full course at the University of Tasmania? We realise that students' circumstances change due to financial and family commitments and there is no formal obligation to complete a course if your circumstances make that difficult.

Related Stores

University of Tasmania
University of Tasmania

closed Comments

  • +16

    For anyone interested, looks like each unit is $1,190. You need 8 to get the Diploma - 4 free and 4 @ 50% off. So total cost should be $1,190 x 50% x 4 = $2,380 plus student amenities fee for last 4 subjects = $45.45 x 4 = $181.80

    All up it should set you back $2,561.80 (unless fees increase after you complete first 4 units)

    Source for fees:
    http://www.utas.edu.au/courses/bus/units/xbr117-energy

    Doesn't look like there is a Bachelor option in case anyone was thinking of doing Diploma and then staying on for further study, however looks like you may be able to use the units studied as upto 4 electives in another degree, for example Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Science) (73U)
    http://www.utas.edu.au/courses/cse/courses/73u-bachelor-of-a…
    Worth checking with the university if they can be counted as electives.

    PS: some units are cheaper - eg. $835 for CSP:
    http://www.utas.edu.au/courses/cse/units/xbr102-developing-y…
    http://www.utas.edu.au/courses/cale/units/xbr106-ethics-and-…

    • tyvm for that helpful info!

    • Thanks @oleglap - how did you work out which courses are free/HECS Scholarship?

      I'd look at doing the following 8 subjects:

      Compulsory Core Units

      • KAA106 Introduction to Sustainability Literacy
      • KGA107 Local Lives for a Sustainable Planet

      Resource Use and Design for Living

      • XBR117 Energy
      • XBR101 Engaging with Sustainability
      • XBR111 Big Decisions! Rational belief and action in an uncertain world

      Social Justice, Equity and Diversity

      • ZAS118 Sustainability (assuming this is the link from the OP)
      • XBR106 Ethics and Social Responsibility
      • XBR113 Indigenous Lifeworlds: local to the global
  • +1

    The edu email is not perm,

    • It lasts for the duration of the course?

      • Looks like it's only valid for 12 months from course end date now: https://askus.utas.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1322/~/ive…

      • +2

        You will eventually lose access to it, 1 year time limit. I don't think I can login to mine anymore, and I can't reset either.

        My MS office programs are still active though.

        • Are you sure it’s Not just a password time-out issue?

          Unlike OzB (and so many other web sites), these guys
          use MicroSoft products, that require you to Change
          your password regularly.

          Ring & update p/w

          • @IVI: Actually.. I'm somehow able to login again. All I had to do was login to MyLo, click on Office 365 and then I can access my email.

            E-Student enrolment estudent.utas.edu.au doesn't work though, as expected. I guess that means I need to either enrol in something to access it again or a new one ID gets created at enrolment

    • ofcourse it's not permanent, why would you think it would be permanent????

      • +3

        The edu email is not perm… they never said it was permanent, just a warning!

        Is permanent for graduates!!!!
        (But not for studying 1 course)
        If you have graduated from an award since 2015, you will have lifelong access to your UTAS email account

      • +13

        why would you think it would be permanent????

        Because some universities’ email accounts convert to a permanent alumni account.

      • -4

        Because the 'university' is basically a sham operation, and the least they could do for taking thousands in government money is throw a few perks our way?

      • +1

        Because you may have made friends with other students
        while doing courses there, &

        • it’s unduly Disruptive to lose an eMail address

        VS the uni’s cost of keeping it active, [til you die]

        Of course, it wouldn’t be wise to let the same student
        Accumulate eMail addr’s (eg, 1 / course taken).

        One person, One vote (except in USA)… &
        One student, One eMail addr.

        There’s also a good Business reason Not to kill eMail addr’s:

        There’s a slightly higher chance that a student will sign-up for more
        courses, if they feel like “they belong” to the uTas community.

        Online courses are Low-cost, & bring in heaps more $$
        per course taken than an extra place costs.

        The extra cost of an eMail addr. is negligible.

      • ofcourse it's not permanent, why would you think it would be permanent????

        calm down!!!!

        OP implied explicitly the O365 and EDU email as part of the "deal" (Free Sustainability course + students get free edu.au email address plus free download of Office 365!!). Some Unis do in fact allow alumni "lifelong" EDU emails, some don't. My comment merely pointed out the fact that enrolling in this "short course" does provide an EDU email (for the purpose of coursework facilitation), but it is NOT a perm email address (that people might mistaken it to be). Not everyone is a smarty pants like you, so chill my friend.

  • +1

    This is brilliant, I have a bach of science would love to take on the course for free.

    Could anyone elaborate on what qualifies you for the scholarship? Completion awarded with diploma?

    • +2

      Scholarship for one individual unit that sits within the Diploma. It is not a scholarship for the entire Diploma.

      Basically a feeder to get students to commit to the full Diploma as a fee paying domestic student.

      • +1

        It looks like first 4 are awarded under the 'scholarship' second 4 units are 50% off. Still very cheap for a diploma. Applying in any case thanks OP

      • Another reason Nkt to kill a student’s eMail addr.

        No matter who / what (govt) pays for any course,
        it’s a Win for uTas when an online slot is filled.

        • +1

          BTW, with all the cost-free MOOC’s out there
          (eg, from Coursera, EdX, FutureLearn, etc.) &,
          for High School & Earlier year school courses,
          Khan Academy, etc., not to mention YouTube video
          courses)

          Uni’s have Strong competition for students.

          (IMO, it’s a mistake to charge an online-student
          an Activity Fee, ie, if they don’t live on / near to
          uTus campus to get value fr campus-activities.)

          If you’ve learned & / have skills from self-
          study / MOOCs, you may not Need any
          Degree, certificate (offered at a price by
          MOOC providers), etc.

          Your excellent work products (eg, web
          sites, papers, etc.) can open doors & / or
          win you Business.

      • I’ll just put it as associate studies on my resume then.

  • +4

    You need to enrol into the full diploma, you may get this one unit free. meh

    • +2

      You need to enrol into the full diploma, you may get this one unit free. meh

      4 units receive a full scholarship.

      The remaining units get a 50% discount.

      It's a cheap diploma if the subject matter interests you and you don't have to lock in to the gardening stream.

      All the information is clearly stated on their website.

  • -3

    The sustainability course has to be one of the most boring subjects of all time

    • +22

      Sounds like it couldn't… sustain… your interest?

      • MwBlink87 may be a Climate Denier…

          • @[Deactivated]: For a moment I though you became DisabledUser cuz of your comment. Lol.

      • Yeaaaaaaaaaa

  • With a .edu address you may be able to subscribe to discounted streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music…

    • +3

      You still need evidence of enrolment in a course with Spotify e.g. offer letter, enrolment letter etc. Had to go through this recently. Thankfully this deal will provide this to you

  • Don’t you have to payback HECS through your Tax?

    • +2

      This is HECS free

      • I think HECS = Loan
        versus Scholarship (which is a grant)

  • +5

    Hmm a Band 2 Diploma. Even with 1st sem free and 2nd sem at 50% off, that's still approx $2,500. Was considering signing up out of genuine interest but that's still money I could better spend elsewhere.

  • +10

    Please don’t sign up for this just for the email address. This takes money away from the university or means that someone else will miss out on a scholarship opportunity. Universities have better things to spend their money and resources on like improving teaching and lab facilities.

    • -2

      How does this take money away from the University ?

      • +4

        Resources and licencing costs.

      • +1

        They will incur costs to deliver the course to every student. Especially if hundreds of people sign up with no intention of doing the course, that’s a lot of time that administrators will have to spend processing new students, etc.

        • I see, thanks. I'm already a student so I already have an edu email. Was just curious.

    • No one is going to sign up for just the email address so calm down - expensive $2500 email address!

      • +2

        Given the opening sentence of the deal description includes

        students get free edu.au email address plus free download of Office 365!!

        it seems the OP thought this was a good reason to share on OzBargain.

        I haven’t negged the deal, because I think it’s good value for people who want to do the course.

        And it isn’t $2500 for an email address. The first lot of courses are fee-free. So it is possible to get the email address for free, as the OP suggested.

        • You need to enrol in the FULL diploma. You will pay regardless of completing it. So $2500 is a very expensive email indeed.

          • +1

            @MuddyClear: well you don't do all the units at once (and i admit i'm still in the process of researching this myself) but i'd imagine you'd do 2-4 units per semester/term and you could enrol in the full diploma but drop the 4 courses out of the 8 that arn't full scholarship before payment is due (like in most universities). again everyone would need to do their research on this, but yes i do agree it is a lot of hassle for an email address, personally i see the potential value in completing the units but i have to review each one and see if they're actually any good first.

          • @MuddyClear:

            The first four units studied as part of the Diploma of Sustainable Living will be receive [sic] a 100% HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme) scholarship.

            If you don’t continue beyond the first four units, you won’t pay anything. You don’t pay up front for the whole diploma. You only pay for units you are actually enrolled in. So it is possible to enrol in the first four units (free) and receive a student email address without paying anything. This is what I’m discouraging.

      • +4

        No one is going to sign up for just the email address

        No, I am not going to sign up just for the email address.

    • 100% HECS Scholarships are available for domestic students. If applicable, you will not incur a tuition fee or debt when studying Sustainability.

      I've previously enrolled in another UTAS Diploma subject - paid $0 & no debt with HECS Scholarship. The HECS Scholarship pays for the HECS.

      Not a valid Neg vote!

      • who pays for the HECS scholarship?

      • -1

        It is free for students. But these useless degrees cost the tax payer billions of dollars. What a waste

        • -1

          You realise all education (along with many aspects of our lives) is partly or wholly funded through taxes.

          If you've received any education in Australia, from preschool to TAFE to PhD - the tax payer paid towards it.

          these useless degrees cost the tax payer billions of dollars.

          Read the Deal Description, this is not a Degree course.
          It is 1 subject within a shorter Diploma.
          A diploma provides you with a deeper understanding of a particular area of knowledge. Diplomas teach you to communicate well with your colleagues, analyse problems that may be complex, and use your best judgement to make decision. The duration of a diploma is 1-2 years

          Not all students qualify for the HECS Scholarship. To complete the Diploma, all students must pay towards the costs.

          Online education is usually seen as a cost effective means of delivering courses to many people.
          Once designed & developed there is a low marginal cost for their delivery over many years.

          This course is an entry level teaser to get people to enter paid courses. It's possibly a 'loss leader' for marketing purposes.

          It can encourage students to better themselves through further studies. That can lead to employment, higher income - contributing taxes.

          So I think your "billions of dollars" is exaggerated, at least concerning this 1 subject.
          Education is our 3rd biggest export earner!

          Q: So what courses do you consider should be taught?

          Some would like to limit the primary school curriculum, to the very limited Three Rs - reading, writing, & arithmetic. That would be a waste of young minds, the future economy, & tax payers money! It does not educate, preparing young people for unknow future challenges.

          Most traditional Degree courses are very expensive to deliver - costing the tax payer heaps. It does not guarantee future employment & tax payments. (I've known highly qualified Law graduates, claiming unemployment benefit when their expensive courses failed to help them find work.)

          Also, a well educated Post Grad can avoid paying almost any fees by moving overseas to work (at least that has been the way), so they will contribute very little towards their very expensive education! The tax payer is left with their bill!

          Sometimes basic courses like this can simply help expand people's thinking, self esteem, and lead on to a better life.

          There are many views on education.
          And there are other forums to push your political views around taxes & education…

          • -1

            @INFIDEL: LOL. You're butthurt. The courses that should be taught are courses that can help the economy and better the world. A Gender Studies degree from uSYD that costs the tax payer on average 20-30k is a total waste.

            And of course i realise that most accredited courses are partially government funded.

            • -1

              @Chochkee: Not butthurt, just have an understanding of the tertiary education sector from designing & delivering Degree subjects.

              You fail to understand the basic difference between a Diploma subject like this & a full Degree.

              Your advice seems the same as that delivered by talkback radio & tabloids with the usual topics that whip up the punters anger! Ah - Gender Studies

              Delivering courses purely for the economy is very short sighted. Things rapidly change. Many of my students went on to careers that barely existed when they first entered Uni. They used the knowledge & skills learnt in their studies & adapted it for a very different field.

              Some created their own successful start ups employing many others. One of my Murri students gained his PhD in Physics, but learnt so much more about his own culture. Another Murri student went from being a sheet metal worker to becoming a wonderful GP. Planning education for an uncertain future (of the individual, or economy) isn't simple.

              By having students pay towards their studies through HECS, the prospective student needs to consider the financial implications - is this a good investment. That has changed the courses students selected, without the intervention of telling institutions what should be taught.

              And approaches from some obscure fields can help change thinking in other fields. (I've used Feminist theories of education to improve student understanding in Uni computer courses! Rading research on various areas like neural networks, led me to develop a new way of conceptualizing modeling & resarch in a very different field.) By restricting Degrees to only those with a direct outcome on the economy, you limit development that may have greater economic development!

              Importantly, education is not vocational training. It has broad advantages for the person & the community. It develops people for the future in many ways, that you don't seem to understand.

              But it's never too late to learn😉

              • @INFIDEL: Of course I understand the difference between a diploma and degree, but that fact is completely irrelevant to my point.

                My point is that this is not a deal because it will actually cost the rest of Australia more money for people to complete useless degrees (and yes diplomas).

                Comparing my point to that of a shock jock is not only belittling to me, but belittling to yourself big boy.

                You have to agree not everyone belongs in Tertiary Education and it has created the exact problem we have now. There is a massive skills gap in Australia from people wasting their time on things like this and not on building trade skills - instead we are required to import workers from other countries to do the things men and women have been doing in Australia forever.

                • @Chochkee:

                  You have to agree not everyone belongs in Tertiary Education

                  That's something we agree on😉
                  My role at a Uni was to talk with parents of new students. I always pointed that out to them. But it can be a great experience for many.

                  My first Vice Chancellor said more learning happened outside the classroom than in it. But we know that.

                  Education requires adaptability, and hopefully an open mind. We don't know everything.

                • @Chochkee:

                  There is a massive skills gap in Australia from people wasting their time on things like this and not on building trade skills

                  I don't think 1 short online course is stopping anyone from learning a trade. It might even be helpful for tradies! It's not either / or with this Deal!

                  It's a matter of finding the right fit for the individual, at that point in their life. I set up a consultancy doing that, developing people.

                  I was not a gifted student, left Uni & got life experience. Later I decided to study Science - topping my year… It was too easy for me then. But it gave me an understanding that not all should study (or least straight out of school). There are many other fulfilling roles.

                  Many people mistakenly think a Degree is the only path to take. Some aren't suited to academic studies. I spent a lot of time convincing clients of this. But I also taught others with little formal education, how the Tertiary system could help them. I encouraged them to learn or do what suited them. So an aboriginal tradie (who had been injured) became a great Doctor.

                  As there is a shortage of tradespeople - there was an allocation of $525M of tax payers money towards apprenticeships in this year's Federal budget.

                  There is currently a campaign to persuade people to take up a trade instead of a Degree

                  There has also been a push for more women to to become tradies due to the shortage
                  (A role for… Gender Studies😉)

  • +3

    No deal. Being sustainable is the exact opposite of being an ozbargainer. All those eneloops and ssd's sitting on the drawer and all.

    (being facetious)

    • +1

      Actually true.

      All those chemicals in batteries etc need to be mined from somewhere.

      Better than single use guess

  • Where can one download/recycle a UPP completion certificate or general Personal Competency Statement to submit with the paperless application?

  • -1

    Do you get a FREE Student ID card?

    Do you get free Public Transport? (OPAL card)

  • +4

    I've done the science of gardening units with utas and thoroughly enjoyed them. Hecs free. These units are part of the sustainable living diploma

  • +4

    I disagree with this deal, but I won't neg. Hear me out.

    So this is a taxpayer funded spot/scholarship.
    So taxpayers, we are, paying for this.
    It's like the uni is just printing money for themselves, and us suckers are handing it out.

    The uni gets paid for all these enrolments, anyone that doesn't actually use the spot or doesn't use this unit etc. Is just wasting money.

    It's pointless, perhaps taxpayers money shouldn't be funding units or courses like this.

    • +2

      It's probably not a sustainable arrangement in the long term

    • +5

      It's a lead generation tool for the uni and government to get students into an area where they believe they'll need workers in the future. It's no different to subsidising traineeships for trades. You see them throwing money away but they see planning for the future. I doubt the government or uni would believe people would take up this scholarship just to receive an edu email address.

  • +3

    BEWARE: the application needs to be made through https://apply2019.utas.edu.au/ otherwise you'll be directed to their 2020 enrolments.

  • +5

    I'm currently doing the course and it is exceptionally easy. For example, the Introduction to Sustainability Literacy unit gives 40% of your grade to producing an 'infographic' on a sustainability challenge. However, it can also be a news story between 300 to 500 words, which should be absolutely nothing to most people.

    I don't think it's a bargain that should be exploited (i.e. enrol, get free study, don't do any work) but if you're going to have a go at the course rest assured it is one of the simplest ones I've ever done!

  • Wow. You do realize companies get paid and this comes from taxes right? That "free" copy of Office and throwaway course is probably costing you an education you actually want or funding for your local hospital. This place is depressing.

    • +1

      Agreed; that someone's eventually is gonna pay for it. That someone is probably the taxpayer.

      O365 and the EDU email address should ethically not be promoted as part of the deal since they are "tools" to help students with the coursework. Whilst people might benefit from the coursework (I did the science of gardening and I gained benefits/ knowledge from the coursework on my own garden patch), I do recommend potential students to sign up not because of the O365 and temporary EDU email address but for interest and maybe a continuation of studies which may aid in a career or something more.

  • I wish they extend free courses for another year in VIC

  • -2

    Meh, I'm happy to waste taxpayers money.

    We already waste millions of it on Politicans anyway.

    What's a few hundred K's.

    It's called being a first world country.

Login or Join to leave a comment