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Procedure: Student assessment (coursework)

Purpose

To outline the procedures underpinning the University’s assurance of student learning outcomes through assessment activities.

Definitions

Working day means a day that starts at 12:00.00am (midnight) and finishes at 11:59.59pm (23:59.59) on the same day and is not a Saturday, a Sunday, a public holiday in the Australian Capital Territory or a University holiday as declared by the Vice-Chancellor.

Procedure

Assessment design

  1. Teaching staff inform students of the assessment tasks required in a course, the relationship of those tasks to the learning outcomes, the assessment criteria for each assessment task and the timing of those assessment tasks and feedback. Students enrolled in a course have the opportunity to request changes to the form and timing of course assessment and feedback before ten per cent of a teaching period has elapsed. Teaching staff respond to student comments and suggestions.
  2. Students enrolled in a course have the opportunity to request changes to the form or timing of specified assessment tasks and associated feedback before 10% of a teaching period has elapsed. Teaching staff respond to student comments and suggestions.
  3. In the case of disagreement between students, the teaching staff, and the Course Convener, the Head of School mediates an outcome.
  4. In the event of continued disagreement between students, the teaching staff, Course Convener, and Head of School, the Associate Dean mediates an outcome.
  5. Changes to specified assessment tasks after 10% of the teaching period has elapsed require approval of the Associate Dean.
  6. Course examinations are conducted according to the Coursework Awards Rule, and the ANU Assessment Rules (Final Assessment).

Late assessment task submission

  1. If a course convener determines that late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted for a coursework course, this information is included in the class summary.
  2. Where an assignment is submitted after the due date, students are penalised by five per cent of the possible marks available for the assessment task per 24 hour block or part thereof, after the submission deadline, excluding time periods that are not working days. Examples of how marks are deducted based on the submission of an assessment item are shown in the below tables.

Table 8.1: Example of grade penalties applied where there is a public holiday. In this example, the student would receive a grade of 82 out of 100 possible marks if submitted prior to, or at the due time and date of 5pm on Tuesday 19 April 2022.

Assessment Submitted:

At or before 5:00.00pm on Tuesday 19 April 2022

From 5:00.01pm on Tuesday 19 April 2022 to 5:00.00pm on Wednesday 20 April 2022

From 5:00.01pm on Wednesday 20 April 2022 to 5:00.00pm on Thursday 21 April 2022

From 5:00.01pm on Thursday 21 April 2022 to 5:00.00pm on Friday 22 April 2022

From 5:00.01pm on Friday 22 April 2022 to 5:00.00pm on Saturday 23 April 2022

From 5:00.01pm on Saturday 23 April 2022 to 5:00.00pm on Sunday 24 April 2022 (weekend)

From 5:00.01pm on Sunday 24 April 2022 to 5:00.00pm on Monday 25 April 2022 (ANZAC day public holiday)

From 5:00.01pm on Monday 25 April 2022 to 5:00.00pm on Tuesday 26 April 2022

From 5:00.01pm on Tuesday 26 April 2022 to 5:00.00pm on Wednesday 27 April 2022

Additional Penalty (per day)

0 grade points

5 grade points

5 grade points

5 grade points

5 grade points

0 grade points*

0 grade points*

0 grade points*

5 grade points

Total Penalty applied to assessment (cumulative penalty)

0 grade points

5 grade points

10 grade points

15 grade points

20 grade points

20 grade points

20 grade points

20 grade points

25 grade points

Final grade with penalty for late submission

82 out of 100

77 out of 100

72 out of 100

67 out of 100

62 out of 100

62 out of 100

62 out of 100

62 out of 100

57 out of 100

*5 grade points total for Saturday to Tuesday as Saturday through Monday are not working days in this example: Saturday and Sunday are weekend days, and Monday is a public holiday (ANZAC day).

Table 8.2: Example of grade penalties applied where the due date is on a weekend. In this example, the student would receive a grade of 72 out of 100 possible marks if submitted on the due date of Sunday 8 May 2022.

Assessment Submitted:

At or before 11:59.59pm on Sunday 8 May 2022

From 12:00.00am to 11:59.59pm on Monday 9 May 2022

From 12:00.00am to 11:59.59pm on Tuesday 10 May 2022

From 12:00.00am to 11:59.59pm on Wednesday 11 May 2022

From 12:00.00am to 11:59.59pm on Thursday 12 May 2022

From 12:00.00am to 11:59.59pm on Friday 13 May 2022

From 12:00.00am on Saturday 14 May to 11:59.59pm on Sunday 15 May 2022 (weekend)

From 12:00.00am to 11:59.59pm on Monday 9 May 2022

Additional Penalty (per day)

0 grade points

5 grade points

5 grade points

5 grade points

5 grade points

5 grade points

0 grade points

5 grade points

Total Penalty applied to assessment (cumulative penalty)

0 grade points

5 grade points

10 grade points

15 grade points

20 grade points

25 grade points

25 grade points

30 grade points

Final grade with penalty for late submission

72 out of 100

67 out of 100

62 out of 100

57 out of 100

52 out of 100

47 out of 100

47 out of 100

42 out of 100

  1. It is the responsibility of the Course Convener to notify a student when, as a result of submitting assessment late, a late assessment penalty has been applied. The notification forms part of the return of the assessment item and indicates the mark, the penalty and the final mark after penalty.

Assessment task extension

  1. Applications for an extension of the due date for an assessment task are submitted in writing to the Course Convener or delegate.
  2. An application for an extension of the due date for an assessment task is submitted on or before the assessment due date. The only exception is where the student could not reasonably be expected to have applied by the appropriate date due to illness or other medical conditions
  3. Appropriate documentation is provided with a request for an extension to allow the claims to be verified.
  4. The request is considered within five working days.
  5. The consideration is of whether the reason a student was not able to complete an assessment task by the due date was due to exceptional circumstances beyond a student’s control. Exceptional circumstances that warrant approval of an Assessment Extension include, but are not limited to:
  1. medical reasons (student injury, illness or medical condition) of such significance that completion of the assessment task was not possible;
  2. family/personal reasons (family injury or illness, bereavement) of such significance that completion of the assessment task was not possible;
  3. employment related reasons: where a student's employment status or employment arrangements change unexpectedly due to circumstances beyond their control of such significance that completion of the assessment task was not possible.
  1. If an Assessment Extension is granted an appropriate new deadline is specified.
  2. The due date of an assessment task is not extended beyond the date for return of the assessment item specified in the class summary.
  3. Where an extension is granted on medical grounds and is on the basis of a non-chronic condition, an extension of the due date for an assessment task is normally limited to the number of days (calculated to the nearest business day) the student is suffering from the medical condition as indicated on the medical certificate.
  4. Students who have a chronic condition and require an extension because of that condition are encouraged to initially follow the Adjustments for students who disclose a disability procedure to request an Education Access Plan that will detail appropriate adjustments to the due date for assessment tasks.
  5. The Course Convener, or delegate, notifies the student of the outcome of their application for an extension within three working days of the decision. This advice is in writing via the ANU student email address.
  6. Where the student gains an unfair advantage as a result of the extension of the assessment due date, an alternative assessment task is set.
  7. Where the extension of the due date for an assessment task has been granted and the deadline for the submission of final results cannot be met, an interim grade of DA (Deferred Assessment) is published.
  8. Interim grades are converted to an NCN after six months if they have not been resolved to a final grade.
  9. Where an application for an extension of the due date for an assessment task is not approved, the Course Convener, or delegate, provides reasons for his or her decision.
  10. Any appeals against a decision not to grant an extension, or the duration of any extension granted are considered under the process for an appeal of a final result in the Assessment Rules.
  11. Where a student can demonstrate ongoing or further exceptional circumstances, an additional extension may be approved.

Assessment arrangements for students from language backgrounds other than English

  1. Applications must be made
  1. On the approved University proforma;
  2. By the census date for that semester, or for non-standard semester courses, before 10% of a teaching period has elapsed and, in either case, at least two weeks before the assessment item is due;
  3. Only for courses in the first 12 months of enrolment.
  1. The Associate Dean appoints, for the purposes of this procedure, one or more delegates for a College.
  2. Applications are considered by a delegate. In making a decision, a delegate addresses a student's disadvantage while maintaining standards for learning outcomes and consistency in eligibility, application and action.
  3. Applicants who are deemed eligible are given an appropriate level of support and case-by-case arrangements which may comprise:
  • an upper limit of one-third extra time, relative to the time available as published in the class summary, for the timed assessment. Assessment tasks where more than one day passes between release and return of tasks would only be considered timed assessment in exceptional circumstances. This time may be used for writing and/or reading in written examinations, other written assessment tasks, oral examinations, certain task-oriented assessment tasks or online examination or assessment tasks. It may be in addition to other time provided under a student’s EAP, but does not exceed the date specified in the class summary for the return of the assessment item.
  • Access to a suitable language dictionary during an assessment as a supplementary aid. The type of dictionary is determined by a delegate.
  1. The College notifies the student at least two weeks before the scheduled examination/assessment task of the outcome of the request for concessions.
  2. Students given conditional approval are required to supply evidence of meeting the English development eligibility requirement prior to the due date of the assessment item.
  3. The College notifies the Division of Student Administration and Academic Services of any special arrangements to be made for centrally-managed examinations.
  4. Appeals against the decision of a delegate regarding assessment arrangements for students from language backgrounds other than English can only be made on procedural grounds to the Associate Dean or, where the delegate is the Associate Dean, the Dean of the College offering the course, within five working days of the decision.
  5. The Associate Dean or Dean who considers an appeal informs the student of the outcome in writing within 20 working days of receipt of the appeal. The decision of the Associate Dean or Dean is final.

Feedback, grading and marking

  1. College Education Committees monitor the distribution of assessment tasks over the semester to ensure a reasonable distribution of major assignments.
  2. Excluding thesis (coursework) courses, for semester length courses:
  1. with the exception of laboratory reports or tutorial presentations/ tutorial papers, all final assessment tasks (including examinations) are held or due in the examination period;
  2. mid-semester undergraduate examinations are held in a common period agreed by all Colleges, and
  3. no assessment tasks are due during the period between the end of teaching and the beginning of the examination period.
  1. Students must be provided with two or more assessment tasks per course to demonstrate attainment of all of the course learning outcomes, unless it is a College-approved thesis or project course.
  2. Where moderation of marks occurs in a course, a statement is included in the Class summary notifying students of this.
  3. If a thesis is not completed in one semester, the interim grade KU is used until there is a final result.

Extenuating Circumstances Application

  1. To make an Extenuating Circumstances Application, a student submits a complete application form to the Division of Student Administration and Academic Services no later than five working days after the original due date for the relevant assessment.
  2. Unless otherwise approved by a nominee of the Registrar, an application is not considered complete if:
  1. any key information is missing and has not been provided within five working days from the date of the application’s submission, so long as that information has been requested from the applicant;
  2. independent supporting documents do not meet the requirements to substantiate the application.
  1. Applications that the nominee of the Registrar deems not complete are rejected and an email notification sent to the applicant.
  2. Accepted applications are assessed by a nominee of the Registrar against the circumstances stated in the Student Assessment (Coursework) policy.
  3. Instances that are not approved for an Extenuating Circumstances Application include, in addition to those stated in the Student Assessment (Coursework) policy, but are not limited to:

    Illness or events
    Mild illness – a cold, mild virus, illness in days preceding examination date, sore throat, cramping, mild gastro-intestinal infections, feeling out of sorts etc. on the day of the examination.
    Unexpected event causing loss of a few hours of dedicated time close to the examination – minor accident.
    An interruption to study during the semester.
    Misreading or misunderstanding the published examination timetable (unless the Registrar is satisfied that there is an administrative issue with the timetable).
    Examination frequency – two examinations on the same day; examinations on successive days; an inconvenient or onerous examination timetable.
    Routine activities – demands of employment, family or friend problems such as relationship tension, adjustment to university life, demands of academic life, need for financial support, demands of sporting, social and extra-curricular activities, travel arrangements which conflict with the exam timetable.
    Examination anxiety or other associated academic work.
    Other instances of minor illness or minor circumstance that are not listed as appropriate grounds earlier in this section.

  1. The Registrar of the Division of Student Administration and Academic Services (DSAAS) or nominee may liaise with the College Associate Dean Education or nominee to determine whether the grounds for an ECA are approved or not approved. If an ECA is not approved, the student will be provided feedback about the reason for the decision.
  2. The college Associate Dean Education or nominee may liaise with the relevant course convenor to determine the adjustment for the ECA.
  3. When considering an adjustment, the following may be taken into consideration:
  1. a student’s overall performance and attendance;
  2. the severity of the event or condition and its impact on performance;
  3. academic standing status;
  4. history of previous applications for special consideration.
  1. A student is notified of the outcome of an Extenuating Circumstances Application within three working days of a decision being made.
  2. DSAAS records the outcome of the Extenuating Circumstances Application in the Student Administration System.
  3. If a deferred examination is approved, DSAAS notifies the relevant College/s of the outcome who:
  1. ensure that an interim result of DA Deferred Assessment is published for that student;
  2. schedule the deferred examination; and
  3. advise the student the location and time of the deferred examination.
  1. An applicant may appeal the outcome of an original decision in relation to a deferred examination to examinations.officer@anu.edu.au within ten working days of an outcome being notified to the student.
  2. An appeal addresses the reasons why the original decision was not aligned with the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy or Procedure.
  3. The appeal is considered by a nominee of the Registrar, and an outcome advised to the applicant within ten working days of being received.
  4. An applicant may appeal the outcome advised in Clause 53 to the Registrar on procedural grounds only, within ten working days of an appeal outcome being advised to the applicant.
  5. The Registrar advises the outcome of a procedural appeal back to the applicant within ten working days of its receipt.

Service restrictions

  1. Service restrictions are applied to students who:
  1. attend a university examination without photo identification and are yet to provide appropriate identification to the Examinations Office; or
  2. have an outstanding accommodation debt; or
  3. have an outstanding debt in relation to a financial assistance program or field trip; or
  4. have outstanding tuition fees, late fees, or services and amenities fees; or
  5. have any other outstanding financial liability to the University; or
  6. fail to comply with a request from the University to provide original documentation as part of an audit of an application submitted by the student.
  1. Service restrictions include temporarily withholding students’ access to:
  1. enrol or re-enrol in a program or course;
  2. a transcript of academic record;
  3. results of any assessment in a course or program;
  4. receiving a degree, diploma, certificate or other award of the University.

Information

Printable version (PDF)
Title Student assessment (coursework)(under review)
Document Type Procedure
Document Number ANUP_004604
Version
Purpose To outline the procedures underpinning the University’s assurance of student learning outcomes through assessment activities.
Audience Students
Category Academic
Topic/ SubTopic Teaching & Learning
 
Effective Date 29 Nov 2022
Next Review Date 29 Nov 2027
 
Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration
Approved By: Academic Board
Contact Area Division of Student Administration and Academic Services
Authority: Assessment Rule 2016
Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021
Coursework Awards Rule 2020
Delegations 30, 31, 59, 60

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