IFY Programme Rules
What are two main reasons why maintaining strong class attendance is essential during your studies?
Academic Success: Missing classes causes you to fall behind on assignments, module content, and key guidance.
Policy & Visa Requirements: High attendance is mandatory to maintain your official enrollment and satisfy student visa regulations.
Emma is writing an essay on climate change. She copies three paragraphs from a published article she found online and pastes them into her paper without quotation marks or a reference.
What type of Academic Misconduct is it?
đźš©Plagiarism
Late submission:
If you score 60/100 on an assignment but hand it in two days late without an excuse, what is your final adjusted score?
Original Mark: 60/100
Penalty Multiplier for Day 2: 0.8
When do you need to attend Clinics?
If you require targeted module support or extra academic guidance, you should attend a Clinic session.
You may also attend Clinic if you missed a class; however, please make sure to review the slides on Canvas before meeting with the lecturer.
Where can you find your DCU progression requirements?
In your offer letter!
You should have received an email from International Admissions containing your offer letter. Please check it carefully to review your entry requirements!
Sarah wakes up with a bad stomach bug on a Tuesday morning. She has two compulsory sessions today. She decides to stay in bed, rests all day, and simply tells her friends to mention to the tutor that she is sick if anyone asks.
Question:
What mistake did Sarah make regarding university attendance procedures?
What are the two essential steps she must take on a regular class day when sick?
The Mistake: Relying on friends or informal word-of-mouth. Tutors cannot officially log an absence based on a classmate's comment, which will mark Sarah as an unexcused absence (and potentially trigger automated attendance warnings).
The Correct Steps:
Self-Report the Absence: Report it officially before class starts via ify.academic@dcu.ie and by emailing your tutor.
Catch Up on Missed Work: Check the Canvas for class slides, come to the Clinic or Tutorial to follow up if any of the assignments needs to be completed.
Ahmed and Priya are asked to submit separate reports for their lab experiment. They meet up, draft one version together, then each submit almost identical reports with the same structure, ideas, and sentences.
What type of Academic Misconduct is it?
đźš©Collusion
1) In which month do the final end-of-year exams take place according to the academic calendar?
2) In which month do the final end-of-year resit exams take place according to the academic calendar?
End of Year exams take place from May 24th - June 3rd
End of Year Resit exams take place July 14th – July 22th
What are three key benefits of attending your Integrated Maths Tutorials?
Maths is learned by doing, not just watching. Tutorials provide dedicated time to practice problems and apply formulas in real time.
You can ask immediate questions about topics, formulas, or homework steps you found confusing during lectures.
Personalized/tailored session to help you to cover any material you don't understand or struggle with
Oh no!
You can steal 200 points from any other team!
During the first semester, Ken sees two events on his schedule: the President’s Welcome Meeting and his Faculty/School Meet & Greet. He decides to skip both, saying to his roommate: "These are just boring speeches. I'll only show up to the classes."
Question:
What critical advantages and information is Ken missing out on by skipping these specific events?
President’s Meeting: Understands the university’s core values, big updates, overall expectations, and campus-wide support resources
Faculty Meet & Greet: Meets his programme leaders, tutors, and personal academic advisors face-to-face in an informal setting before teaching starts.
Connects with fellow IFY classmates in the same department, making it much easier to form study groups or feel comfortable during seminar group work.
Luca finds it difficult to finish his assignment on time. He pays an online service to write half of his essay for him and then submits the whole piece under his own name.
What type of Academic Misconduct is it?
đźš© Subcontracting
True or False:
Final exams and End of Semester tests can be taken online from home if a student has internet issues or is travelling.
False
All tests and final exams must be taken fully in-person on campus using paper and pen.
True or False?
Memorizing your core textbooks word-for-word and repeating them on your exams is the best way to get top grades on the IFY programme.
False!
Memorizing alone won't work—you are expected to demonstrate critical thinking, practical application, and independent understanding.
Class begins at 9:00.
What time should you arrive?
8:50-8:55!
Your sister is planning a two-week family vacation for next March and tells you, "Don't worry, you can just bring your laptop and study on the beach!" However, March falls right in the middle of your IFY Semester 2, which has mandatory daily seminars and a group project presentation scheduled.
Question:
Why is taking this trip a major academic risk, even if you plan to study while away?
How should you handle this situation constructively with your family and the university?
Academic & Visa Risks:
Mandatory Attendance: IFY programs require high attendance at least 85%. Missing two full weeks of classes without approved leave results in unexcused absences, which can trigger formal academic warnings or impact visa status.
Universities generally do not approve family vacations during term time as authorized absences.
Studying "on the beach" rarely works for intensive group tasks and assessments requiring campus resources or live participation.
Correct Actions:
Check the Academic Calendar: Show your family your official term dates, exam periods, and vacation blocks (e.g., Winter break).
Set Clear Boundaries: Politely decline going during term time, or ask if the family trip can be rescheduled during an official holiday week.
Do NOT Book & Ask Later: If you travel anyway without prior permission, tutors cannot excuse missed deadlines or live assessments.
Yuki writes her essay in Japanese and then pastes it into an online tool like Google Translate. She submits the English output as if it were her own work, without telling her tutor.
What type of Academic Misconduct is it?
đźš© Use of Translation Services
True or False:
If a student is found guilty of plagiarism, their mark is always automatically set to zero.
False
For plagiarism, the mark reduction or penalty depends on the percentage/amount plagiarised. The mark can be reduced up to zero.
However, collusion, exam misconduct, and subcontracting result in an automatic score of zero.
Why is self-study essential for an IFY student?
How many hours are you expected to devote to self-studying per week?
Students are expected to complete around 20hours of self-study per week.
Self-study allows International Foundation Year students to consolidate what they learn in class, develop critical thinking, and build independent academic habits required for university studies at institutions like DCU.
Tom received feedback on Draft 1 of his coursework. He listened to the advice, made no revisions to his draft, and submitted it as his final work. What went wrong?
A) Draft 1 feedback is optional and doesn't matter
B) Feedback only improves your grade if you actively apply the corrections to your work
C) Lecturers expect you to ignore their advice and write something completely new
B
Feedback is an action plan!
Simply knowing what to fix won't raise your grade unless you edit your work before final submission!
Ohhh!
Opps
-500!
David writes his essay himself but isn’t confident about his sentence structure. He first uses Grammarly to correct grammar and spelling. Then he pastes each paragraph into ChatGPT and asks it to rewrite the sentences to sound “more academic.” He submits the final version without mentioning that ChatGPT was used.
What type of Academic Misconduct is it?
đźš© AI Writing Tools (Grammarly & ChatGPT)
What should you do if you fall behind on your assignments and do not understand how to complete them?
1. Check Canvas for notes/guidelines or examples.
2. Attend upcoming Clinic session
3. Reach out to your lecturer with further questions
4. Notify Admin team by ify.academic@dcu.ie
Who is ultimately responsible for making this year successful, including asking for help or seeking guidance?
You are!
While lecturers and staff are here to support you, every student is ultimately responsible for their own learning, engaging in classes, and reaching out whenever they need help or guidance.
What do you call a fly with no wings?
Walk