Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The questions listed below provide basic information about how to use this online resource.
We've tried to keep it as simple and helpful as possible, but please
contact the Programme's website administrator if any of the information
below is confusing or seems incomplete. (If you are a student looking for more general information about the University try the main
Waikato Student Home page.)
General questions:
Questions about programmes of study:
QUESTION: What kind of information is provided on the Screen & Media Studies website?
ANSWER:
This site is intended to serve a variety of purposes:
a) to provide information to students (particularly UNDERGRADUATE
and GRADUATE) about the papers available in Screen and Media Studies
at the University of Waikato,
b) to serve as a resource for tertiary students - both on campus and off, enrolled and casual,
c) to offer a forum for the academic and creative expression of staff and students.
QUESTION: How do I know where information is located?
ANSWER:
The best ways of looking for information are to:
a) consult the Sitemap, which provides an outline of the sections
of this site.
b) use the Search page, which allows
you to use keywords to search the content of Screen and Media
Studies Online.
Most of the pages on this site have a title, a short introduction to tell
you what they contain, and often a list of contents. The date when
a page was last updated is listed at the bottom of each page.
QUESTION: How has this site been constructed?
ANSWER:
The information and material on this site has been collated from various University of Waikato publications,
from lecturers within the Screen and Media Studies Programme, and from Screen and Media Studies students.
The overall coordination and design of Screen and Media Studies
Online is administered by the Programme's webmaster: Craig
Hight, who has been responsible for the site since late 1999.
The most recent revamp of this site was conducted in December
2003/January 2004, using a design produced
by Paul Smith. The design of the main pages uses degraded film stock as its inspiration, while following
the general requirements of the University of Waikato design templates.
The site is deliberately structured to encourage the use of multiple windows to access
information (many of the links to deeper layers within the site architecture will open a new window in your browser).
We use Macromedia Dreamweaver MX in the construction and maintenance of this
site. The HTML has been optimised
for Netscape 7.1, but we do double-check consistency of presentation with Internet
Explorer 5.2 (and please note that as we largely use Macintosh computers in
the Programme, there may be differences in formatting with PC computers).
QUESTION: How do I contact the administrator of this site?
ANSWER:
Any feedback / problems relating to the Screen and Media website should be
sent to:
hight@waikato.ac.nz.
We are keen to keep these pages as current and error-free as possible,
so please let us know if you experience any problems finding content or
notice
any errors (including dead links).
QUESTION: Where can I find information about
a major in Screen and Media Studies?
ANSWER:
Our Degrees page provides introductory information on the main degrees
offered
at the University of Waikato in which you can major in Screen and Media Studies.
But please note that the information provided here is NOT intended to replace
information which is available
in greater detail in the University
Calendar. We've simplified things a great
deal, just to get you thinking about which degree might be suited to your particular
needs.
QUESTION: Where can I find information about a specific paper?
ANSWER:
Use the Undergraduate, or Graduate pages,
which provide links to a listing of all of the papers offered by Screen and Media Studies. (This listing
groups papers according to semester - so all of the papers for B semester in First Year, for example,
are grouped together.)
If you know which level (1st year,
2nd year, 3rd year or
Graduate) that your
paper is taught, then you can go straight there from the Papers page,
or from the Sitemap.
Further information about a paper are available as a download (such as the Paper Outline)
or are on separate pages that you access through link(s) at the bottom of the
Paper description.
QUESTION: Where can I find assessment details for a specific paper?
ANSWER:
Online information about any paper is only intended to supplement the template of lectures and
assessment requirements that are provided within a Paper outline.
A lecturer will often use online pages to place a more comprehensive or up-to-date summary of the requirements
for individual pieces of assessment, or simply to provide a convenient list of resources. Links to these should be
clearly labelled within the online information (If not, contact the lecturer).
QUESTION: How can I contact a lecturer?
ANSWER:
Probably the best method for contacting someone in Screen & Media
Studies is by email (a complete list is available from our Staff
page). You are also able to contact them by phone (telephone details
are on our home page), or during contact hours on campus (see
the individual paper details for these).
If you don't know the lecturer for one of our papers, then check the details in the Paper's description first,
then go to our Staff page.
(N.B. You can search for lecturers in other Programmes using the University's
phonebook.)
QUESTION: What do I do if I've followed the suggestions
above, and still can't find
what I'm looking for?
ANSWER:
You have a number of options here:
a) the first and most important is to double-check that the information you are searching for
is meant to be on the website. For example, are you sure that you have clearly understood instructions on where to find
information about a paper? Have you made an effort to contact the lecturer for your paper?
b) you can use the Programme's Search function to look for specific
pages within this site
c) another option is to use the University Search engine
to make sure
that the information you are searching for is not somewhere else on the main website.
d) if you are still frustrated in your search, then contact the
Programme's Web administrator.
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