Teaching staff meet with small groups of students to discuss selected readings and questions. Tutorial groups usually contain between 8-15 students but may be larger in language classes. 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 12 credit points. Generally, units with the same credit point value have comparable workloads.