Late Assessment Submission Penalty (written assessments) 

 Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Classes

ACST4005 is offered via classes on North Ryde campus (Macquarie University). Students share lecture classes and a common teaching website with the units ACST8095 and ACST7095. 

Downloadable lecture recordings

In all weeks, standard recordings of campus lectures using the University's lecture recording facility (ECHO360 or zoom) will be available. The recordings capture audio and screenshot. The recordings will either be provided via the ECHO360 link which is located on the right hand side of the webpage or via a zoom link.  

Timetable

The timetable for classes can be accessed through eStudent Class Finder.

Alterations to the class times or locations will be advised in class and on the teaching website.

Teaching staff

Maggie Lee is the unit convenor and will be taking four weeks of classes. Maggie can be contacted via Dialogue on the website, or during her consultation hours.

Professor Pavel Shevchenko will be taking the other weeks of classes. Pavel can be contacted via Dialogue on the website, or during his consultation hours.

We also have a teaching administrator who can deal with any administrative queries related to the unit. They can be contacted via Dialogue on the website (more details to follow).

Assumed knowledge

We assume from the start of the Actuarial Data Analytics that you have acquired the knowledge and skills in subjects from the Foundation Program (Part 1s) of the Actuaries Institute education program.

Lecture slides/Learning Guide

There will be Lecture Slides and/or Learning Guides and associated readings for each section of work. You should read these materials in advance of the lectures, and bring a copy with you to classes.

Technology Used and Required

In this unit, you will need to have access to and to be able to use software to code (R and R studio) and word-processing software to produce reports.

Teaching Website

Course material is available on the online learning management system (iLearn). The teaching website is integral to this unit. Passive involvement in this unit greatly reduces the likelihood of achieving the exemption standard of understanding. Interaction with other students and with teachers is very important, and the website is the forum for that interaction. You will need to be accessing the website regularly to see announcements, read postings and stay informed - at least every couple of days. This is your responsibility and we cannot make any allowances for students who miss important information due to not checking the website regularly. The website entry page is at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au

Teaching and Learning Activities

The unit is taught as set out in the Classes section. The Unit Schedule sets out the assessment and the topics covered in each week of the session.

Exemptions

The Macquarie University unit ACST4005/ACST7095/ACST8095 will satisfy the requirements for exemption from the Data Analytics Principles subject of the Actuary program of the Actuaries Institute. You will be recommended for exemption if you attain grades of Credit or better in this unit. It is the responsibility of the student to apply to Macquarie University to recommend them to the Actuaries Institute for professional exemptions. More information will be made available via iLearn.