Home → Faculty of Science and Information Technology → School of Design, Communication and Information Technology → Teaching and Learning → School Policy on Facility Booking and Borrowing

School Policy on Facility Booking and Borrowing

Introduction
Equipment
Production Facilities
Operator Error
Quotas
Cancellations
Having Trouble Finishing An Assignment?
Penalties

Introduction

Equipment is fragile, expensive and scarce. Whenever using this equipment, due care is essential.

To provide fair and efficient access to equipment and facilities, there is an uncompromising system of bookings and loans. All bookings for school facilities are made using the School's computerised booking system. Access to this system is via the terminal in HC53 or Media Building.

A Student Identification Form must be completed and signed before any bookings can be made. The applicable area Technical Officer, ie audio, video etc must be advised of any change to the details on the card as soon as possible. Keeping your Student Identification Form up-to-date is for your benefit.

Access to studios and equipment ceases at 4.00pm, Friday of Week 14 for each semester, unless specified otherwise in your course outline. Written requests for equipment and/or studio access beyond this time & date must be made one week prior to the conclusion of the semester.

Normal borrowing privileges will not apply if your request is for a non-course related project.

Equipment

Each person booking, borrowing or using equipment will be responsible for that equipment until it is signed off by the Technical Officer, or another authorised member of staff.

Equipment will not be accepted and signed off until you have returned it in a satisfactory condition. This includes cables being returned untangled and correctly rolled, equipment returned in its case/s (if applicable), used rechargeable batteries clearly identified and headphone cords neatly wrapped. If you are unsure of anything, please ask prior to collecting your equipment.

Any equipment malfunctions that you may encounter should be reported immediately. A written fault report, available from the Technical Officer must accompany the return of defective equipment.

Production Facilities

No smoking is permitted in production facilities at any time. All of The University of Newcastle's buildings are non-smoking by law, and severe penalties apply to anyone who breaches these laws.

No eating or drinking will be tolerated in any facility at any time. Future bookings may be cancelled if you are found eating and/or drinking in a facility.
Be prepared before entering production facilities so that you may work efficiently on your project, and maximise your time quotas. Facility time should not be consumed by social gatherings.

Students must not repatch or reconfigure production facilities. If you require assistance with such matters, ask the Technical Officer. No tinkering please.

Operator Error

Operator error is avoidable. When learning how to operate production facilities or a new piece of equipment, you are encouraged to read the manuals and refer to your lecture notes. If you are still experiencing difficulties, seek assistance from your Lecturer or the Technical Officer. Should a member of staff be able to operate the piece of equipment suspected of failure, operator error will be determined to have occurred. Such instances will not be grounds for reviewing an access quota.

Quotas

The facilities quota system aims to:

maximise use of the School's limited facility time and production equipment;
provide equitable access to production facilities and equipment for approved students; and,
prepare students for professional work practices.

Each student is allocated a limited, but realistic amount of time in the School's facilities and/or to use portable equipment for assignments. Quotas are allocated in consideration of student numbers and available facilities, however there is no guarantee that your allocated quota will be available every week during semester or at times convenient to you.

Where access to equipment is specified as a number of days per week/semester:

one day equates to a single 24 hour period, or any part thereof;
if equipment is borrowed for a weekend, then this is counted as 2 days.
All weekend bookings must be picked up between 2.00pm and 3.00pm on Friday, and returned no later than 11.00am Monday.
Borrowings beyond this period will count as a weekend plus one or more days.

**Note: If "per week" quotas are not used, they are forfeited, ie they cannot be accumulated. **

Cancellations

Failure to collect equipment when it is booked or return it when it is due, or to use booked facility time, will be penalised. This follows the model used by the professional world, which enforces discipline through financial charges and other penalties.

ALL facility booking cancellations require a minimum notice of 24 hours.
ALL equipment booking cancellations require a minimum notice of 12 hours.

Having Trouble Finishing an Assignment?

If you are having problems with, or are unsure about any facilities, digital audio software and/or items of equipment, please do not hesitate to ask for help. Academic and Technical Staff are here to assist in your quest for knowledge and the successful production of high quality, innovative projects.

If you are unable to complete an assignment within the given quota:

Consult with your Lecturer. Consultation times are available to students each week and can be booked directly with your Lecturer.
Request, in writing, additional time to meet the deadline. This option is always subject to availability. An extra hour, or an extra day may be added to your quota for an assignment at a cost of 5% of marks for that assignment. So, for 2 extra hours in a studio, or 1 extra day with a location kit, a Credit mark of 13 out of 20 will reduce to a Pass mark (12 out of 20).
Due to an equipment breakdown, which is different to operator error, equivalent time may be added with no penalty, if booking schedule and equipment repairs allow. An Equipment Fault Report must be filled out before you will be considered eligible for additional time.
Remember to keep an eye on the production facilities and to ask if equipment is available, even if you have booked your quota limit. Your name can also be added to a standby list, so that if another student finishes their project earlier than expected you may be offered additional time.

Penalties

Facility & Equipment Bookings

If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for a facility booking, are late for an equipment return or pick-up, or fail to give sufficient notice of a cancellation, then 5% of your total mark for the course may be deducted.
For a 2nd offence, a further 5% of your total mark for the course will be deducted.
For a 3rd offence, a further 5% of your total mark for the course will be deducted PLUS an equivalent amount of access will be deducted from your assigned quota. You must also provide a written statement justifying your continued access to school facilities before further bookings will be accepted.

Lateness

In addition to the above penalties, facility time may be reallocated to another student by the Technical Officer if you are more than 15 minutes late to your booking.
The time you have booked will still be counted against your quota.
Late equipment returns of 1 hour or more will be deducted from your quota as an extra day.

Appeals

Under exceptional circumstances the above penalties may be reviewed by your Lecturer in consultation with the Technical Officer.
Your written appeal will need to include documented evidence. For example this may be a medical certificate, car repair bill, changed work roster or other approrpiate documentation.