Frequently Asked Questions
The following questions cover just some of the most common issues students bring to Advocates. If you are in doubt about these or any other study related issues, and/or you want support, contact a Advocate.
What Your Lecturer Must Tell You About the Assessment Criteria
By the end of the second teaching week in a course, each student must be provided with a Course Outline that contains details of all assessment for that course. In particular, the outline must cover:
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when assignments are due;
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the weighting of each piece of assessable work towards the final grade in the course and the criteria and standards by which your work will be assessed;
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the content and skills to be assessed in examinations, the weighting of the examination in relation to other assessment methods, the duration of the examination and the standard against which work will be assessed;
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any special requirements concerning particular parts of the course (for example, if a student must achieve a minimum level of competence in all aspects of the course (i.e. theoretical and practical) to pass the course, or if there are any specific attendance requirements);
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the degree to which each assignment in a course is redeemable, particularly with regard to re-marking and re-submission and conditions regarding extension;
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conditions of supplementary assessments (if available);
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conditions of conceded passes and terminating passes.
Changing Assessment Criteria
If your
lecturer wishes to change the assessment methods, tasks and timelines, after
the end of the second teaching week of the course, they must negotiate and
discuss any proposed changes with the students enrolled in the course.
Students must agree to the changes and be provided with a written outline of
the amended assessment methods, tasks and timelines. The
written outline may be provided to students via email, and therefore we
strongly recommend that you regularly check your student email account.
Assessment Extensions
You can
apply for an extension to complete an individual assessment task on medical,
compassionate, religious observance, or community
service grounds.
Applications for extensions must be lodged in writing with the Course
Coordinator by the due date for the assessment and
supported where appropriate by documentary evidence. The Course Coordinator
will respond in writing to the application normally within two working days.
Some Schools have their own Extension Request Forms that they require
students to use and lodge with the Course Coordinator. A copy of this form
is often included in the Course Outline given to students at the beginning
of each semester. If you are unsure as to whether your
School uses one of these forms, check with your School Office or Course
Coordinator.
Remarking
is marking a piece of work for a second time that has not been altered or
added to. Remarking can only be granted for progressive assessments,
and cannot be granted to assessments that have already been resubmitted.
The first step is to speak to your Course Coordinator about the
assessment grade that you received. This must be
done within 5 working days of receiving your assessment
result. The Course Coordinator must then respond to your request
within 5 working days.
If you are
not satisfied with the decision of the Course Coordinator, you can submit a
request in writing to the relevant Head of School. The letter needs to
outline the reasons why you believe a remark is justified. It must be lodged
within 5 working days of your discussion with the Course Coordinator.
The Head of School will decide if a remark is justified and will respond to
you within 5 working days of receiving the request.
There are a number of essential points to keep in mind when seeking a remark:
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if the remark results in a new grade, this will become the final grade, even if it is lower than the original grade,
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the person remarking your assignment must be a different person to the original marker, and
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the new assessor must not be given any details of your original assessment.
Resubmission occurs when a piece of work has been substantially added to, altered or rewritten by a student, and is accepted for marking to replace the original piece of work. Resubmission cannot be granted to a piece of assessment that has already been remarked.
The first step is to speak to your Course Coordinator about the
assessment grade that you received. This must be
done within 5 working days of receiving your assignment. The Course
Coordinator must then respond to your request within 5 working days.
If you are
not satisfied with the decision of the Course Coordinator, you can submit a
request in writing to the relevant Head of School. The letter needs to
outline the reasons why you believe a resubmission is justified. It must be
lodged within 5 working days of your discussion with the Course Coordinator.
The Head of School will decide if a resubmission is justified and will
respond to you within 5 working days of receiving the request.
There are a number of essential points to keep in mind when seeking a resubmission:
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if the resubmission results in a new grade, this will become the final grade, even if it is lower than the original grade,
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if a resubmission is granted, you will be advised as to the nature of the resubmission including how much of the assessment exercise is to be resubmitted and the time line for doing so.
Certain
groups of students can get extra time to be used for reading or writing. It
is usually an extra ten minutes per hour for every hour of standard
examination time.
Students from the following groups may be eligible:
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Students with disabilities.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (ATSI students).
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Students of non-English speaking background (NESB students) as defined by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) i.e.:
i. born outside of Australia, and
ii. arrived in Australia less than ten years previously, and
iii. speak a language other than English at home.
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Mature age (i.e. 21 or over at the time of enrolment) and who also speak a language other than English at home.
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Transnational students of non-English speaking background where the language spoken at home is not English and the medium of instruction is English.
Deferred Exam
You can
apply for a deferred exam on medical, compassionate or religious observance
grounds, if you believe that illness, disability through accident and/or
other special circumstances prevented you from attending the final exam
or submitting the final assessment piece.
Part 1 of the application for deferred assessment
must be lodged on the appropriate form (available form Campus Central or
online) no
later than 5 working days after the exam.
The application must be supported by a medical report or other appropriate
evidence and needs to be completed by a registered
medical or dental practitioner or University Counsellor.
It must include:
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the date on which the practitioner examined you,
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the severity and duration of the complaint, and
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the practitioner's opinion of the complaint and your ability to undertake the exam.
Deferred exams will not be granted if you have mistaken the time, day or location of the exam.
Applying for a deferred examination does not automatically mean that a deferred will be granted.
Special Consideration
If you
believe that illness, disability through accident and/or other special
circumstances (including religious observance) significantly affected your
performance in the final exam or final assessment piece,
you can apply for special consideration.
Part 1 of the application for special
consideration needs to be lodged on the appropriate form (available at
Campus Central or
online)
no later than 5 working days after the exam.
The application must be supported by a medical report or other appropriate
evidence and needs to be completed by a medical or dental practitioner or
University Counsellor. It must include:
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the date on which the practitioner examined you,
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the severity and duration of the complaint, and
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the practitioner's opinion of the complaint and your ability to undertake the exam
In response to an application for special consideration the Course Coordinator may:
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take no action, that is, after considering the application make no adjustment to the exam mark, or;
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adjust the mark for the assessment item to make allowance for the special circumstances claimed by you, or;
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recommend to the School Board a final grade on the basis of your performance across the course.
or; -
provide another assessment task.
Appealing a Final Grade
Consultation with Course Coordinator or Program Director
The first step is to talk to your Course Coordinator or Program Director about your grade and the reasons why you disagree with it. This gives you and the Course Coordinator or Program Director an opportunity to discuss why you received the grade you did, and to work out if there have been any oversights. You must contact the Course Coordinator or Program Director within 10 working days of the release of the final grade.
If you are not happy with the outcome from talking to the Course Coordinator or Program Director, you can appeal further to the Head of School.
Referral to Head of School
To appeal to the Head of School you will need to write a letter outlining the reasons why you believe your final grade is incorrect. You need to do this within 20 working days of the release of your final grade. The Head of School will ensure that a review of your grade is conducted normally within 10 working days of receiving your letter. Once the review is complete, the Head of School will let you know the outcome by mail.
If you are not satisfied
with the outcome of the Head of School’s review, you can write a letter to
the Pro Vice Chancellor of your Division to request a further review of your
grade. You need to submit this letter to the Pro Vice Chancellor within 5
working days of being notified of the Head of School’s decision.
If the matter is still not resolved by the Pro Vice Chancellor's review, you
can lodge a Formal Appeal with Director: Student and Academic Services.
Formal Appeal
If you have fulfilled all the attendance and assessment requirements for your course, you can lodge a formal appeal with the Director: Student and Academic Services. Your appeal must be based on one or more of the following grounds:
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That the assessment requirements in the Course Outline were not adhered to, or
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That your Course Coordinator was formally notified of special needs you have in relation to a disability, but did not give them due consideration in the assessment process.
You need to submit your appeal on the standard form (available from Campus Central or online) to the Director: Student and Academic Services within ten working days of the date of dispatch of the notification from the Pro Vice Chancellor.
The Director: Student and Academic Services will determine whether your appeal should be forwarded to the Student Assessment Appeals Committee for consideration, and will notify you of the outcome of this decision.
Student Assessment Appeals Committee
The Student Assessment Appeals Committee will consider your appeal and may invite you to attend the meeting to further expand on your case.
The decision of the Student Assessment Appeals Committee is final, and cannot be appealed further within the University.
You do have the right of appeal through external avenues in regard to a wide range of decisions made by the University. Information on this can be found in Section E of the University's policy C-17.3 on Resolution of Student Grievances.
At the end of each
academic review period there is a formal academic review of student
progress that aims to identify students making unsatisfactory progress.
You are deemed to be making unsatisfactory progress if:
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you fail a course for the second time; or
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you fail courses in an academic review period, such that your semester grade point average is less that 2.80; or
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you fail a practicum or clinical placement, where that failure means you fail the entire course.
If you have received a letter, it will say that you:
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Have been identified as at risk, and you are recommended to seek support to assist you with any difficulties you may be experiencing with your studies, or
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Are required to seek formal academic counselling with either your Program Director or another academic staff nominee, or
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May be precluded from your program, which means your enrolment in your program will be cancelled, and re-admission to the program (or any other program at the same level in the same discipline) will not normally be considered for two years). You will only be considered for preclusion at the end of year Academic Review.
Academic Review Appeals - Part One
You can not appeal against a letter that:
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recommends you seek support due to being "at risk"
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requires you to seek formal academic counselling
If you believe the academic review letter was sent to you as a result of administrative error, please contact a Advocate for advice and assistance.
Academic Review Appeals - Part Two
You do have the right to appeal the intention to preclude you from your program.
If you wish to appeal, you:
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Need to write a letter to the Division outlining why your academic performance may not have been satisfactory (which could be due to health, accommodation, financial or other extenuating circumstances. You need to submit this letter by the due date specified in the letter from the Division.
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May be asked to attend the Division Appeals Committee meeting to present your case. You will be advised if you need to attend and when and where the meeting will be, after you have submitted your appeal letter. You can nominate a Advocate, Students' Association representative, or any staff member or student to attend the meeting with you, or on your behalf (although it is strongly advised that you do attend the meeting if at all possible).
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Will be advised of the outcome of your appeal. If your appeal is not successful you will then have the option of making a final appeal to the Student Assessment Appeals Committee.
This level of appeal can only be on the grounds that you have new evidence that was not available when you appealed to the Division, or that the University has not followed correct policies and procedures with regard to your appeal. It is strongly recommended that if you wish to appeal the Divisional Appeals Committee's decision that you contact a Advocate for advice and support.
The decision of the Student Assessment Appeals Committee is final, and cannot be appealed further within the University.
You do have the right of appeal through external avenues in regard to a wide range of decisions made by the University. Information on this can be found in Section E of the University's policy C-17.3 on Resolution of Student Grievances.
Academic Integrity
If you are asked to attend a meeting with an Academic Integrity Officer (AIO) it may be because they are concerned that you have included the work of another person without properly acknowledging it.
Academic misconduct includes a range of actions from plagiarism (i.e. copying text from an article without referencing in properly) to including material in your work that has involved significant assistance from another person, where this assistance is not permitted in the course information booklet.
It is strongly advised that you seek the advice of a Advocate before you attend the meeting. The Advocate can provide advice and discuss the situation with you.
Initial Inquiry
The first meeting with the AIO is called an Initial Inquiry. At this meeting you will have the opportunity to discuss the concerns with the AIO. If the AIO believes there is academic misconduct a range of actions are available, with most serious at this level being a fail grade in that assessment component.
Outcomes
If the AIO believes there was no academic misconduct, there will be no penalty and no record of the meeting.
If the AIO believes you should receive a higher penalty, then they must refer the matter to the Head of School for a formal inquiry. Additionally, if you disagree with the penalty that you are given, the matter must also be referred to the Head of School. A record will be kept of the incident in a database accessible to AIOs, however this information will not be recorded on your academic transcript.
Academic Integrity is a serious issue within the University. It is imperative that you understand your responsibilities as a student. For more information see Learning Connection.
It is also useful to have a read of the policy on Academic Integrity (PDF 64kb - download Adobe Acrobat), so that you are aware of the implications and expectations around this issue.
Making a Complaint
The Policy and Procedures for the Resolution of Student Grievances (C-17.0) provides all students with a clear set of guidelines for dealing with and resolving complaints. These are separated into two areas according to the nature of the grievance.
Complaints related to academic programs, decisions of committees and administrative operations
These could relate to:
Academic programs (content or structure),
Delivery of a course or of a whole program,
Methods of assessment,
Administrative action/inaction, procedure or decision
Research degrees programs (structure and support)
Access to resources
Wherever possible, in the first instance, you should discuss the issue with the staff member who has immediate responsibility for the area where the issue arises.
It is preferable to raise the issue informally in the first instance, but you can, at any time, submit a formal complaint.
Complaints relating to individual staff members
You are encouraged to see if the complaint can be dealt with on an informal basis, directly with the individual concerned. This can be done personally or through an advocate. If this is not possible, then other avenues to resolve the complaint can be followed.
If you feel that you have a complaint you would like to make, have a look at the
Policy and Procedures for the Resolution of Student Grievances for more information.
You can also contact a Advocate for support and advice.