CaRST Online FAQ

  • What is CaRST Online?

    CaRST Online is a modern, online system that makes it easy to track student progress with CaRST, help students achieve the skills and results they want from their graduate program and for their future career, and ensure they are meeting the CaRST requirements of the degree.

    CaRST Online includes:

    • A modern course booking platform
    • Dashboard display of CaRST credits and activities
    • A skills assessment to see your Top 5 Skills and Priorities and find suggested courses
    • Development planning tools to create career plans and track development goals
    • A summary of your overall progress to print for submission at formal milestone reviews.

  • Who receives a CaRST Online account?

    All Higher Degree by Research (HDR students), principal supervisors, co-supervisors and postgraduate coordinators receive a CaRST Online account.

    Unfortunately, external supervisors will not receive a CaRST Online account.

  • How do I get an account?

    All HDR students will automatically be given a CaRST Online account when they commence candidature.

  • Where do I access CaRST Online?

    CaRST Online can be accessed at carst.adelaide.edu.au

  • How do I sign in?

    Your University ID (aXXXXXXX) and password is used to access your CaRST Online account.

  • How do I get help?

    In CaRST Online, select the 'Help' tab to access quick reference guides and contact information.

    If you have a technical question or issue with CaRST Online, please contact Research Technology Support on +61 8 8313 7799 or researchsupport@adelaide.edu.au

  • I can't access CaRST Online using Chrome. What should I do?

    We are aware that some users may have difficulty accessing CaRST Online using the Chrome browser and this issue will be fixed soon. In the meantime, you can follow these instructions to clear the cache and cookies in Chrome, or use a different browser.

  • I'm not required to do CaRST. Do I still get a CaRST Online account?

    Yes all HDR students will receive a CaRST Online account.

    HDR students who are not required to complete a CaRST hour requirement will use the system to book into CaRST courses.

  • When do I need to complete the Skills Assessment and Development Plan?

    You can start completing the Skills Assessment and Development Plan from the beginning of your candidature alongside planning your research activities. The first formal checkpoint is at the CCSP when you must submit CaRST Progress Summary from CaRST Online.

  • How do I rate my confidence for a skill in the Skills Assessment?

    In the skills assessment you are asked to rate how confident you feel that you possess a particular skill. The scale of low to high is subjective and does not relate to any indicators.

    This is a self-assessment to help you identify the areas you would like to develop. Your responses won’t be shared or compared to any other students.

  • How do I prioritise skills in the Skills Assessment?

    In the skills assessment you are asked to prioritise each skill as low, medium or high. When deciding the priority, you should consider how important the skill is to you and your research. You should focus on high priority skills when planning your professional development.

  • Can I access more detail about what each skill entails?

    The skills listed in the Skills Assessment are part of the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF). For more information and detail about each skill, download a copy of the RDF.

  • I am trying to type my career path into the 'Main career path' box but it's not editable. What do I do?

    When considering a career path, please browse the list of careers under the ‘Non-STEM’ and ‘STEM’ headings. Select the career path that is closest to your desired career path. If your career path is not listed, scroll to the bottom of the list and type it in the ‘Other’ section and click ‘Apply’.

  • Why do I have to select an alternative career path?

    Having more than one career path in mind is helpful because your preferences are likely to change over time and some job fields can be very competitive.

  • What does 'bookable', 'externally booked' and 'self-recorded' mean?

    There are 3 different booking methods for CaRST approved activities. You can find the booking method of a particular activity listed beneath the activity name.

    1. Bookable: these activities are booked via CaRST Online and your attendance will be automatically recorded.
    2. Externally booked: these activities are booked via an external system. Booking instructions are provided and these will be added to your CaRST Record automatically when we hear back from the external course organiser(s). You do not need to self-record this activity.
    3. Self-recorded: these activities are booked via an external system and are not added to your record automatically, therefore you are required to manually add these to your record and supply your own evidence of attendance/completion. You can do this by clicking the blue 'add to my record' button found on the relevant activity page.

  • Why are all CaRST activities not booked through CaRST Online?

    Some CaRST approved activities are not exclusive to HDR students and may also be open to staff members.

    These activities need to booked externally to CaRST Online to enable all eligible participants to access the booking system. Regardless of the booking method, you will find clear instructions on how to book each CaRST activity.

  • Do I still need to obtain evidence for every activity I attend?

    You are still required to obtain evidence for any self-recorded activity. This includes all experiential activities and approved activities where the booking method is listed as 'self-recorded'.

    You don't need to collect evidence for 'bookable' and 'externally booked' activities.

  • Will I receive a certificate following a CaRST activity?

    As your attendance is directly recorded in CaRST Online for 'bookable' and 'externally booked' activities, there is no need to collect evidence for these activities and therefore certificates will not be issued.

    Your CaRST Record in CaRST Online is your official record of professional development and can replace your certificate collection.

  • What do I submit at my CCSP/Major Review/Annual Review?

    At each milestone review, you must submit a PDF of your CaRST Progress Summary (when on the Review page, click the ‘Generate PDF’ button and print to PDF).

  • How do I create a PDF of my CaRST Progress Summary?

    When on the Review page of CaRST Online, click the ‘Generate PDF’ button. Instead of sending to a printer, print to PDF. This will allow you to save a copy of the PDF on your computer.

  • What am I required to do in CaRST Online?

    Through CaRST Online, you are able to view your student’s CaRST progress in real time. However formal checks of CaRST progress are expected at candidature milestones. A formal check could accompany a discussion with your student and should include:

    • Skills Assessment – view your student’s assessment of their skills
    • Development Plan – view your student’s career paths and goals. Add any professional development goals that you would like to see your student achieve
    • CaRST Record – monitor activities completed. For activities self-recorded by your student, ensure the hours claimed are appropriate and evidence has been uploaded

  • I would like to suggest professional development activities or provide guidance to my student. Can I do this through CaRST Online?

    Supervisors can add goals to their student’s Development Plan through CaRST Online. For more information on how to do this, visit the ‘View a student’s CaRST activity’ quick reference guide in the Help section of CaRST Online.

  • I'm an external supervisor. Can I access CaRST Online?

    Unfortunately, providing external supervisors with a CaRST Online account was outside the scope of the project. External supervisors are not required to sign-off on a student's CaRST progress. If an external supervisor is interested in their student's CaRST progress, they can request a CaRST Progress Summary from their student.