All lectures and classes are taught in English and are generally held during the day although some classes, particularly postgraduate, are held in the evening. Teaching staff meet with small groups of students. Students often receive quite lengthy reading lists and are expected to read around their subjects. Science units include lengthy laboratory sessions and, routinely, field-trips and excursions. Students are advised to attend all lectures and tutorials for each unit of study.
Some units have specific attendance requirements.
With a few exceptions, the full-time load for an Australian student taking an Arts and Humanities unit of study would involve 12 hours of class contact per week each semester. Arts and Humanities place particular emphasis on self-directed learning. The credit point value of units of study varies. Some units may be worth 2 credit points, others may be worth 12 credit points. Generally, units with the same credit point value have comparable workloads.