Principle

This principle is achieved when:

1.

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning

a.

Meaningful and timely feedback is given.

b.

Students have an opportunity to access examples of previous assessment tasks.

2.

Assessment must measure achievement of the stated learning outcomes

a.

The assessment tasks clearly test the specified course learning outcomes.

b.

Marks for all pieces of assessment and the overall grade for a course are decided by reference to pre-determined criteria and standards linked to the specified course learning outcomes.

c.

Marks reflect the actual achievement of the student(s).

3.

Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance

a.

Assessment types are sufficiently extensive and varied to permit valid judgement.

b.

Assessment tasks are designed to minimise opportunities for plagiarism and cheating.

4.

Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.

a.

Student workloads and the unit value of the course are taken into account in setting the assessment tasks.

b.

Students are given timely information about assessment.

c.

Without compromising the academic standards of the assessment, reasonable adjustments are made to cater for any disadvantages to a student that result from the student's disability, special needs or unforeseen circumstances.

d.

Gender, racial or cultural bias is avoided and inclusive language is used.

e.

Students are given an opportunity to discuss concerns about assessment outcomes with academic staff and to raise grievances about assessment in accord with the Student Grievance Resolution Process.

5.

Assessment must maintain academic standards

a.

Courses offered at multiple locations have equivalent assessment.

b.

Assessments are marked by appropriately qualified assessors.

c.

Grades are applied consistently in accord with the University's Mark and Grade Schemes and Grade Descriptors.

d.

Each Faculty has a process to review course assessment and certify outcomes, and a quality assurance system for monitoring assessment standards and consistency.

Procedure

Responsibility

Principle

1.

Setting assessment tasks and weightings

a.

Ensure each course has a variety of types of assessment (see Assessment Resources website for examples) in accord with the total course assessment limits specified below:

Course Coordinator

Principles 1a and 3a

b.

A hurdle requirement is an assessment task mandating a minimum level of performance as a condition of passing the course.

Ensure that any hurdle requirement is in accord with the following:

For further guidance on hurdle requirements, see Learning & Teaching's Hurdle Requirements website.

Course Coordinator

Principles 1a and 4a

c.

Do not make attendance at lectures a condition of passing a course. Attendance at other structured learning activities may be mandatory provided the achievement of learning outcomes is substantially dependent on the attendance, e.g. an orchestra/ensemble, placement, field trip, tutorial or seminar where there is an expectation of an interactive learning process.

Course Coordinator

Principles 3 and 4

d.

Ensure every course contains at least one assessment task that is set, submitted, marked and returned to students by the mid-point of the course. For courses presented in intensive modes, where setting, submitting, marking and returning assessment tasks to students is impractical, there must be feedback to students in a time period appropriate to the duration of the course.

Course Coordinator

Principle 1a

e.

Ensure that the deadlines for multiple assessment tasks in the same course do not coincide, if those assessment tasks together total more than 50% of the total assessment.

Course Coordinator

Principle 4a

Note: Exemptions to 1.a, b, c, d and e may be approved by the Executive Dean, in writing, provided they are satisfied there are sound pedagogical reasons for the exception. Exemptions must be approved annually and reported to the Quality Enhancement Committee

f.

Ensure assessment tasks are linked to the specified course learning outcomes.

See Learning & Teaching's Assessment website for guidance.

Course Coordinator

Principle 2a

g.

Ensure that each assessment task is given an appropriate weighting which reflects the importance of the course learning outcomes being tested by that task.

Course Coordinator

Principle 2a

h.

Ensure assessment topics/questions are regularly reviewed to minimise opportunities for academic dishonesty.

See Learning & Teaching's Plagiarism Information for Staff website re assessment design.

Course Coordinator

Principle 3b

2.

Informing students

a.

Ensure all assessment information referred to in Procedure 1, and any other assessment information relevant to students, is included in the Course outline, in accord with the timings specified for lodgement of the Course outline.

Where assessment requirements are negotiated with students, ensure information about this process is included in the Course outline.

Course Coordinator

Principle 4b

b

If hurdle requirements are utilised, ensure that students are informed:

i. how their attainment of the hurdle requirement/s will be monitored, and

ii. how they will be informed of the consequences of their failure to attain the requirements, and

iii. of their entitlements under the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy.

Principles 1a and 4a

c.

If students are to be given opportunities to enhance any mark other than a fail for any assessment task, ensure they are informed of the exact nature and number of these opportunities.

Note: For information about redemption of a fail mark for an assessment task or a fail grade for a course, refer to the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy.

Course Coordinator

Principle 4b

d.

Do not change assessment tasks and weightings after the commencement of teaching (or, where assessment requirements are negotiated with students, the date of agreement with students), except with the prior written approval of the Head of School. Ensure all students in the course are notified individually and promptly of any changes.

Course Coordinator

Principle 4b

e.

Ensure that students have access to exemplars or examples of previous assessment tasks and the standards expected.

Where significantly new forms of assessment have been introduced, ensure students have access to an exemplar of the new form of assessment.

Where it is not possible to provide an exemplar or example, a suitable description of the task and expected standard may be provided.

Course Coordinator

Principle 1b

f.

Ensure that students are informed about the standards associated with evidence-based academic writing and relevant scholarly conventions in the course discipline, and their obligations under the Academic Honesty Policy.

Course Coordinator

Principle 3b

g.

Ensure that students are informed how to access an assessment cover sheet to complete (either electronically or in hard copy) and submit with non-examination assessment tasks, to certify that the work is their own and that all cited works have been acknowledged.

Course Coordinator

Principle 3b

3.

Examinations

a.

Apply the Examination Procedures for Staff [under development] to the preparation of examination papers and administration of examinations.

All staff involved in examinations

4.

Assignment extensions and adjustments

a.

Ensure there is a clear statement on the availability of extensions to specified assessment deadlines, either for each course or for all courses within a School or Faculty, in the Course outline template.

Note that all local practices on extensions must comply with the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy.

Head of School, with Course Coordinator

Principle 4c

b.

Make determinations in accord with the relevant extensions statement in a fair, reasonable and consistent way.

Course Coordinator

Principle 4c

c.

Apply the Reasonable Adjustments for Teaching and Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy where appropriate.

Course Coordinator

Principle 4c

5.

Marking assessments

a.

Ensure all markers are appropriately qualified.

Head of School, with Course Coordinator

Principle 5b

b.

Ensure an individual student's marks are determined by reference to their performance against pre-determined criteria and standards linked to the specified course learning outcomes and not by ranking against the performance of the student cohort in the course.
Exemptions to 5. b. may be approved annually by the Executive Dean, in writing, provided they are satisfied there are sound pedagogical reasons for the exception, and the exemptions are reported annually to the Quality Enhancement Committee.

Course Coordinator

Principles 2b, 2c

c.

Ensure the Conflict of Interests Policy is applied.

Course Coordinator

Principle 3c

d.

Where there is more than one marker, ensure that appropriate marking guidelines and a moderation process are in place.

Course Coordinator

Principles 2b, 3c, 5b, 5c

e.

Take all reasonable steps to detect academic dishonesty, and apply the Academic Dishonesty Procedures when academic dishonesty is suspected.

Course Coordinator and all staff engaged in assessment marking

Principle 3b

f.

Apply the University's approved Mark and Grades Scheme or, for Honours, the approved Grade Scheme for Honours to all courses.

The Executive Dean may approve, in writing, the use of an approved Grade Scheme, instead of a Mark Scheme, provided they are satisfied there are exceptional pedagogical grounds for the exception. The exceptions must be reported annually to the Quality Enhancement Committee.

Apply the University's Grade Descriptors when determining marks.

Course Coordinator all staff engaged in assessment marking

Principle 5c

g.

Recommend final results for each student in the course to the relevant assessment review committee, and provide such other information as is requested by that committee.

Course Coordinator

Principle 5

6.

Giving feedback to students

a.

Ensure all assessment, other than the last assessment task in a course, is returned within 4 weeks of the deadline for submission, or such earlier period as is specified by the relevant School.

Course Coordinator and all staff engaged in assessment marking

Principle 4a

b.

Ensure constructive feedback on how a student or students can improve is provided after each assessment task except the last one in a course.

Refer to Learning & Teaching's Assessment Resources website on methods for giving feedback, including group discussion, written comments, model answers, lists of common mistakes.

Course Coordinator and all staff engaged in assessment marking

Principle 4a

c.

Refer to the Examination Procedures for Staff [under development] for procedures for return of examination scripts.

Course Coordinator and all staff engaged in assessment marking

7.

Assessment complaints

a.

Ensure assessment complaints are dealt with in accord with the Student Grievance Resolution Process.

Head of School

Principle 4e

1.

Assessment review committees

Composition

Responsibility

Principle

a.

Establish (an) assessment review committee(s) and allocate every course to such (a) committee(s). These committees may be at Faculty, School, Discipline, year or Program level, as determined for each Faculty.

Each committee may have other roles and duties additional to those listed below; and may have a name that reflects its overall role.

Executive Dean

Principle 5d

b.

Appoint the chair of each committee, having regard to the desirability of the chair having a degree of independence from the committee's business.

c.

Appoint the membership for each committee: minimum 5 academic staff for committees covering multiple Disciplines, or 3 academic staff members for a single Discipline, no maximum.

Course Coordinators and academic staff who have set assessments are likely to be members of assessment review committees. All assessment review committees with the minimum number of members specified above must contain at least one member who has not been involved in the particular assessments to be certified at that meeting.

Duties

d.

Meet at a time or times specified by the Executive Dean after the end of the teaching and assessment period for every course.

Assessment review committees

Principle 5d

e.

Review the final results in each course (including results following from supplementary or deferred assessment) by:

i. scrutinising final result recommendations from Course Coordinators to ensure comparability of standards and consistency

ii. seeking advice from Course Coordinators about any concerns.

The committee may consider the performance of current students against past cohorts, or the performance of individual students across a range of courses.

f.

Recommend certification of final results, including any amendments, to Executive Dean, and provide a report to the Faculty Board.

g.

Provide other advice (including recommendations for changes to assessment practices in future course offerings), conduct other monitoring and exercise other authorities as specified by the Executive Dean.

h.

Certify final results for each course on the recommendation of an assessment review committee for release to students.

The Executive Dean may seek clarification from the committee of any issue related to the final results.

Executive Dean

Principle 5d

2.

Faculty Quality Assurance Process

a.

Ensure the Faculty has an Assessment Quality Assurance Process which includes:

i. a process for review and approval of course assessment types and weightings

ii a process for reviewing approvals to use the University Grade Scheme in lieu of the Mark Scheme

iii. a documented moderation process in each School to ensure consistency of marking, when there is more than one assessor of the same assessment task

iv. giving students an opportunity to provide constructive feedback on the assessment process and tasks through the application of course and program SELTs.

Executive Dean

Principle 5d

Academic

Assessment

Determine applications for assignment extensions in accord with Course/School Extensions Statement and consistent with [new Supps Policy: under development]

Course Coordinator

-

Proc 4.b.

Academic

Assessment

Approve annual exemptions to Procedures 1.a.-e. and 5.b.

Executive Dean

Report exemptions annually to QEC

Proc 1.e.Note

Academic

Assessment

Approve application of Grade Scheme, rather than Mark Scheme, to course results

Executive Dean

Report use of Grade Scheme annually to QEC

Proc.5.f.

Academic

Assessment

Certify final results for all courses within the Faculty/School, on advice of relevant assessment review committee

Executive Dean

-

QA Proc.1.h.