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Assessment procedures

Below are links to summary versions of some policies and procedures regarding Assessment which have required clarification in the past. Please note that the full version as published in the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004 is the final authority and that the following should be seen as guidelines only.

Academic misconduct

The term 'academic misconduct' refers to various forms of scholarly dishonesty. This may include the use of improper assistance, plagiarism - which is passing off others' work as your own, falsified laboratory reports, and misrepresentation or falsification of academic records.

A distinction will be made between deliberate acts of dishonesty and inadvertent acts made through unfamiliarity with academic convention.

See section 10 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

Calculating your Grade Point Average (GPA)

The point for each grade are as follows:
High Distinction = 7
Distinction = 6
Credit = 5
Pass Level 1 = 4.5
Pass Level 2 = 4
Supplementary Pass = 3.5
Conceded Pass = 3
Terminating Pass = 3
Fail, Fail Level 1 & Withdraw Fail = 1.5
Fail Level 2 = 1

This is how the GPA is calculated:

GPA = Sum of (grade points x course unit values)
Divided By (Sum of course unit values)

For example, if you have undertaken 4 courses each with the unit value of 4.5 and receive 2 Credits and 2 Distinctions your GPA would be:
(5 x 4.5 + 5 x 4.5 + 6 x 4.5 + 6 x 4.5) divided by (4.5 x 4)
= 99/18 therefore GPA = 5.5

See section 8.87 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

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Deferred Assessment

Students may apply for deferred assessment on medical, compassionate, or religious grounds if their special circumstances prevented their attendance at an examination or their submission of an assessable piece of work. Apply promptly and be prepared to support your claim with appropriate evidence, for example a medical certificate. Similarly, a student may apply for special consideration if they believe their circumstances caused them to perform poorly in an examination or a piece of work. Again, apply promptly and provide supporting evidence.

See section 8 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

Incompletes

An assessment may be declared "incomplete" where the student's grade could not be finalised by the due date or other special considerations, such as late distribution of distance learning materials, dictate it. The Course Coordinator will determine the work to be completed in order to arrive at a final grade. It's important to note that incomplete assessments will be converted to final grades one academic year after the are granted, and that if the supplementary work has not been completed, the result becomes an F.

See section 8 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

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Plagiarism

Learning Connection provides guides on how to avoid plagiarism and reference properly

Plagiarism is regarded as academic misconduct. It may include:

Penalties for plagiarism range from failure of the relevant course component with a mark of zero, a reprimand from Head of School, and a note in the student's permanent file, to permanent expulsion from the University.

See section 10.5 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

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Grading - Undergraduate

The range of grades awarded is as follows:
Grade Notation Notional percentage
High Distinction HD 85-100
Distinction D 75-84
Credit C 65-74
Pass Level 1 P1 55-64
Pass Level 2 P2 50-54
Conceded Pass CP not applicable
Terminating Pass TP not applicable
Fail Level 1 F1 40-49
Fail Level 2 F2 less than 40
Non-Graded Pass NGP 50-100
Non-Graded Fail F less than 50
Supplementary Pass SP 50

NGP and NGF grades are given in courses that are assessed as pass or fail only.

Conceded passes allow a student with a score of 40-49% and a Grade Point Average for that same semester or equivalent teaching period of at least 3.75 to use the course as a prerequisite to another course. No more than one conceded pass per student will be awarded per semester or equivalent teaching period, and conceded passes are available in undergraduate programs only. A terminating pass is similar to a conceded pass, with the difference that the course may not be used as a prerequisite to another course.

See section 8.8 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

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Grading - Honours

Notation of the final grades of an Honours degree is as follows:

See section 8.84 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

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Remarking and Re-submission

Details of what assessable work may be remarked or resubmitted are included in course outlines. Only work submitted for continuous assessment is eligible — examination results and research theses are not.

Remarking is the marking for a second time of work that has not been added to or altered by the student. This occurs when a student feels that a piece of work has ben unfairly graded. The student should promptly contact the Course Coordinator to discuss their assessment, and the Course Coordinator should make a prompt response. If the student is unhappy with the result of the discussion, they may request a remark.

This formal and detailed request is to be made to the Head of School. If the Head of School considers the complaint justified, another assessor with specific expertise in the field of study will remark the work. This new assessor will not be given details of the original mark. If the remark results in a new grade, this new grade becomes the final one.

Resubmission is the acceptance for marking of work that has been altered or added to by the student. Again, contact should be made in the first instance with the Course Coordinator, or alternatively the Course Coordinator may offer the student the chance to resubmit. How much of the work needs to be resubmitted and the timetable for this must be clearly specified. If the student's request for resubmission is not agreed to, they may appeal in writing to the Head of School, who will then decide if resubmission is justified. If the resubmission results in a new grade, this new grade becomes the final one.

All grades may be appealed, although be advised that this is not a process to be undertaken frivolously.

See section 7 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

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Supplementary Assessment

Supplementary assessments may be granted if, in the opinion of the Course Coordinator, the student has a reasonable chance academically of redeeming a failed course through supplementary assessment. They will not be granted if a student has mistaken the date, time, or place of an examination or mistaken the deadline of a project. Supplementary assessments may not be deferred.

See section 8 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

Unsatisfactory progress

Student progress is reviewed at the end of semesters one and two in order to identify students maybe at risk of failure. These are students who either: There are three actions the University may take with respect to these students:

See section 11 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual 2004

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