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Assessment Procedures

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Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This Procedure sets out the requirements and responsibilities for assessment in a Coursework Unit (unit) completed as part of a Coursework Course (course) or Coursework component of a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) course that leads to an award at the University of Canberra (the University).

(2) This Procedure is made under the Assessment Policy.

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Section 2 - Scope

(3) This Procedure has the same scope as the Assessment Policy.

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Section 3 - Procedures

Part A – Assessment Design

(4) Students and staff are expected to apply the University’s Academic Integrity Policy and Academic Integrity Procedure to all learning, teaching, assessment and research activities.

(5) Academic staff, in partnership with educational/learning designers, will design assessment to meet academic integrity principles, as set out in the Academic Integrity Policy, reducing opportunities for breaches of academic and research integrity, as set out in the Academic Integrity Procedure.

(6) Student submissions for assessment tasks will be investigated for suspected plagiarism and other breaches of academic and research integrity, based on (but not limited to) the use of University detection systems, in accordance with the Academic Integrity Procedure.

(7) In a unit’s teaching site, the Unit Convener must:

include an assessment type for each assessment that appears in the teaching site’s gradebook (e.g. assignment, graded discussion)
include the title, description and weighting for each assessment consistent with the unit outline, and consistent with all assessment information provided in the unit’s teaching site
ensure that assignment groups and/or weightings will accurately aggregate to a final mark in the teaching site gradebook
include or link to assessment instructions for each summative assessment which detail any hurdle requirement(s) and rubric (where relevant)
include a text matching drop-box for both draft submissions and final submission of a text-based assessment in the teaching site, and utilise any other academic integrity support technologies provided by the University or other academic integrity practices as appropriate to the assessment
mark or coordinate the marking of each summative assessment
ensure the accurate and timely recording of the marks allocated for each summative assessment for each student in the teaching site’s gradebook
coordinate the moderation of marks for each summative assessment in the gradebook before the marks are released to students (refer to Part F, Moderation)
where relevant, record the outcome of each hurdle for each student, and
coordinate the moderation of final marks and final grades for each student in the gradebook before review by Faculty Assessment Board at the end of a teaching period (refer to Part F, Moderation).

Artificial intelligence platforms and services

(8) A student must not use artificial intelligence platforms and services in the preparation and completion of assessment except as permitted in the Academic Integrity Procedure (refer to Clause 3.9), or documented in a Reasonable Adjustment Plan.

(9) Where the use of artificial intelligence in an assessment is permitted a student must reference the use of the artificial intelligence service or platform using the appropriate citation format. Where a citation format is not identified by the Unit Convener the student must use the citation format as described in the University Library Referencing Guide.

(10) Academic staff must not submit student assessment to artificial intelligence platforms and services which are not University supported services without the explicit permission of the student, consistent with the University’s Intellectual Property Policy.

(11) If academic staff use artificial intelligence platforms or services external to the University for teaching purposes in a unit, the Unit Convener must ensure that the unit outline is consistent with the requirements outlined in the Unit Outline Procedure.

Attendance

(12) Attendance is not part of assessment, and a mark must not be allocated for attendance.

(13) Attendance may be used as a hurdle only if attendance at one or more learning activities is required for a student to:

meet an external accreditation standard
be eligible for professional registration and/or
participate safely in laboratory teaching environments, field work or work-integrated learning (WIL) activities.

Participation

(14) Participation must not contribute to a final mark or final grade unless the participation is required to demonstrate a hurdle requirement (e.g. competency), is included in the unit outline and supported with a rubric that includes the criteria for assessment.

Part B - Types of Assessment

(15) Assessment contributing to the final mark and grade is referred to as summative assessment.

(16) Formative activities facilitate learning, and the development, acquisition and application of skills and knowledge, including generic skills, but do not contribute towards the final mark and final grade.

(17) A hurdle is a requirement or standard that a student must meet or exceed to progress within a unit or to meet a unit’s academic requirements.

Summative assessment

(18) A summative assessment may utilise different assessment types including but not limited to case study, essay, exam (see Part H), exhibition, peer review, portfolio, presentation, project, quiz/test (including short release assessment), reflection, report, simulation, skill demonstration, and thesis.

(19) A summative assessment will typically be completed within the teaching period including the Final Assessment Period, and must be submitted by the due date and time as set out in the unit outline, unless a student has an approved extension; otherwise, late penalties will apply.

(20) A summative assessment will be used for early assessment or review (for example, as an early assessment item with feedback provided prior to Census date) to support student success, and aligned with the Student Success Framework.

(21) A summative assessment used for early assessment or review must be weighted at 15 percent or less of the total weighting of a unit.

(22) A summative assessment must have a rubric if academic judgement of the assessment is required (for example, assessment that requires single correct answers do not require a rubric) to:

provide a student with information about what they will be assessed on and how they will be assessed, and
support consistency and transparency in the marking of student performance.

(23) A rubric must include:

one or more criteria that describe what is being assessed and how it will be measured
performance levels that identify graduated differences in performance, and
performance level descriptors that describe the expectations of each performance level for each criterion.

(24) Where a summative assessment is a group assessment, the rubric must identify how marks will be allocated to the group, and if applicable where a mark is allocated to individual students in the group.

Number and purpose of summative assessments

(25) A unit will typically have no more than three to four summative assessments (one of which may be a cluster of assessment tasks) for every three credit points. This may be varied on pedagogical grounds with the approval of the Associate Dean, Education, taking into account the impact on the overall assessment load for the student in a teaching period, the underpinning assessment philosophy, and the integrity of the assessment design across a course.

(26) Summative assessment in a bachelor honours degree must include a major research component.

(27) Summative assessment in a masters degree (coursework) may include a major research component.

Quizzes and short release assessments

(28) The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) has an impact on the feasibility and appropriateness of short release assessments such as take-home ‘exams’ which are not invigilated. The use of quizzes should be considered in the context of gen AI, with approaches taken to mitigate risk to academic integrity as much as possible.

(29) Extensions and deferrals are generally not permitted for quizzes or short release assessments that are summative assessments, unless indicated otherwise by the Unit Convener or in a student’s Reasonable Adjustment Plan.

(30) The use of a quiz for summative assessment contributes to the cumulative maximum of 50 percent of the weighting of assessment in a unit that can be exam-based, excluding practical exams (see Part H - Examinations).

(31) Each student must have the same amount of time to complete a quiz or short release assessment (e.g. one hour within a 24-hour release period for an online quiz) once the assessment is commenced by a student, unless a Reasonable Adjustment Plan specifies otherwise.

(32) A short release assessment must be submitted by a student within the published assessment window for completion. For short release assessments where late submissions are permitted, submissions made after the published assessment window for completion will incur late penalties.

Weighting of summative assessments

(33) The weighting of summative assessments should reflect the student effort typically required to complete each summative assessment in a unit.

(34) Total weighting of summative assessment in a unit must equal 100 percent, but no single summative assessment item will have a weighting of 100 percent.

(35) To achieve a pass grade in a unit a student must be allocated a final cumulative mark of 50 or more that reflects the marks allocated and the weighting applied to each summative assessment.

(36) An individual summative assessment must not exceed 50 percent of the unit’s weighting unless the unit includes:

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in the categories of WIL Fieldwork, WIL Project and Placements and Internships, or
a major research or creative project component.

(37) Group summative assessments must not exceed a cumulative total of 30 percent of the unit’s weighting of assessment unless the unit includes:

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) of the categories WIL Fieldwork, WIL Project and Placements and Internships, or
a major research or creative project component.

Revisions to summative assessment in a unit outline

(38) Revisions to summative assessment after a unit outline for a teaching period is published may be approved by the Faculty’s Associate Dean, Education only if there is an error in the assessment instructions, summative assessment rubric, weighting, and/or due dates and times. Any approved revisions must be communicated via an announcement on the unit’s teaching site.

(39) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Academic may approve revisions to the mode of delivery or assessment type or other relevant aspects of assessment impacted by a Business Interruption Event (BIE) (for example, natural disaster).

(40) Revisions to summative assessment in a unit for a future teaching period must:

follow the relevant governance approval process
be recorded by the Faculty
be summarised in the subsequent Interim Monitoring Course Report (IMCR) and/or Comprehensive Review Report (CRR) for the Course
be applied to all offerings of the unit and
be reflected in the unit outline.

Formative activities/assessment

(41) A formative activity/assessment:

must provide a student with an indication of their progress towards achieving the related unit learning outcomes
must provide a student with feedback on how to improve their performance
must contribute to developing skills and knowledge required by a student to complete a related summative assessment
must not be weighted
may have a diagnostic function and assist academic staff in recommending academic support and resources in response to individual learning needs
is not compulsory for a student to submit, and
may be repeated during a teaching period to evaluate progress.

Hurdle

(42) Unless otherwise approved by the Associate Dean, Education, a hurdle requirement must only be used if the hurdle is required for a student to:

demonstrate competency to meet external accreditation requirements or professional registration requirements (for example LANTITE – Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teaching Education)
demonstrate preparedness and/or attainment in a Work Integrated Learning activity, including placement, internship, study abroad or exchange or fieldwork, or
meet University-specific requirements to attain pre-requisite knowledge and skills, including the Academic Integrity Module (AIM).

(43) A student who is unable to satisfactorily demonstrate a hurdle requirement will receive a fail grade for the unit, even if the student’s marks for summative assessment culminate in a final mark of more than 50 percent. For units where this is applicable, this information must be included in the unit outline in addition to information provided to students in Week 1 of the teaching period.

(44) A hurdle must be preceded by formative activities to enable a student to develop the preparedness, competencies or pre-requisite knowledge and skills to be demonstrated and/or assessed.

(45) A student must be provided with more than one opportunity to satisfactorily demonstrate a hurdle requirement or competency.

(46) A hurdle must be assessed using a rubric, except for hurdles which are quiz based such as AIM, or tasks which do not require academic judgement to be applied in assessing.

(47) A hurdle must be completed within a specified time period such as within a teaching period or calendar year as specified in a unit outline or as required by a University Rule, Policy or Procedure.

(48) To achieve a grade of Pass or higher in a unit, a student must submit the assessment that contributes to the final mark and final grade and satisfactorily complete any hurdles in accordance with the unit outline and the assessment instructions.

(49) Based on the mark a student is allocated in each summative assessment, the weighting of each assessment, and the student’s completion and performance in any hurdle (activity or assessment), a student should be able to anticipate their final grade in a unit. However, examples where a final grade may not meet a student’s expectations include:

an instance where a student fails a final summative assessment or exam which is weighted at the maximum of 50 percent of the marks in a unit.
an instance where a final summative assessment or exam is a hurdle and the student must pass the hurdle to pass the unit to meet external accreditation standards or requirements for professional registration.

Part C - Communication of assessment requirements and performance

(50) Assessment instructions for each summative assessment must:

be included in the unit outline and in accordance with the Unit Outline Procedure
be included in the unit’s teaching site and in accordance with the UCLearn (Canvas) Teaching Site Publishing Procedures
include reference to the importance of academic integrity and research integrity, and
must be consistent across the unit outline and unit teaching site.

(51) A rubric and assessment instructions must be available in the unit teaching site for each summative assessment at least one week prior to the commencement of the teaching period.

(52) If verbal instructions are part of an assessment, then the verbal instructions must have an accompanying written summary, that is made available to students via the unit Canvas site.

(53) Apart from exams held in the Final Assessment Period, all summative assessments will have a due date and time published in the unit outline, unless the student has an approved extension or adjustment.

(54) It is a student’s responsibility to submit the requirements for each summative assessment as described in the assessment instructions before the due date and time.

(55) If assessment requires the use of social media platforms and services, academic staff must give students instructions on:

preserving and maintaining the privacy and online safety of themselves and others
the standards of behaviour expected online, consistent with the University’s Student Charter, and the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023, as amended from time to time
any intellectual property, privacy, or copyright conditions associated with a student’s submission to a social media platform or service they are required to use, consistent with the University’s Intellectual Property Policy and Intellectual Property Procedure
how to constructively participate and interact using the social media platform or service
compliance with the University’s IT security and acceptable use principles in the DITM and Records Management Policy Manual.

(56) Unit outlines must:

include information about the learning activities or assessment that require a student to become a member of, join, or register with, a social media or artificial intelligence platform or service
detail the required use of social media or artificial intelligence platforms or services in any learning activity or summative assessment in the unit
include information about any associated cost if membership of a social media or artificial intelligence platform or service is required for unit participation and attracts a cost
include a disclaimer stating that social media and artificial intelligence platforms and services are not under the University’s control and the ongoing availability of the service cannot be guaranteed
include information on the differential uses of social media and artificial intelligence platforms or services for personal and professional use and
warn students of possible disturbing content that may be viewed by or generated by an external service and that this is outside the control of the University.

Part D - Feedback to students

(57) The purpose of feedback to a student about an assessment includes:

providing a student with information on how they performed against the requirements of the assessment
identifying what a student may do to improve their performance in the future
developing a student’s capability to apply academic and professional judgement to their own performance.

(58) Feedback may include:

specific suggestions on how the student may improve their skills and knowledge, and apply their learning to future assessment
correction of errors or misunderstandings displayed in an assessment and/or
directing a student to appropriate additional support (e.g. Study Skills support services) or learning resources.

(59) Feedback may:

be provided by the academic staff to all students in a unit (as appropriate), a group of students in a unit (e.g. group based assessment), or to an individual student, or a combination for an individual summative assessment (e.g. general feedback to all students in a unit as well as individualised feedback for each student)
include a mix of approaches across a unit
be provided using different media as appropriate to the assessment and the size and nature of the student cohort and type of feedback (e.g. written, recorded audio, announcement in the teaching site, individual, group)
be integrated with the unit’s learning activities that prepare a student for a summative assessment
include student peer review
include automated feedback if appropriate to the assessment type or learning activity.

(60) Upon request, academic staff may provide further feedback to a student on their performance in a summative assessment additional to that initially provided, and/or on their final grade.

(61) Academic staff will provide feedback on summative assessment within an appropriate timeframe, whichever is sooner of:

a timeframe that enables a student to apply it to their next relevant summative assessment, except if a student has an approved extension, or
within 15 business days from assessment due date in a semester-based teaching period (within 5 business days in any shorter teaching period), except if a student has an approved extension.

Record of feedback

(62) Wherever possible academic staff must record feedback on summative assessment in the unit’s teaching site.

(63) If verbal feedback on a summative assessment is not recorded (either in audio or video format), then a written summary of the feedback must be provided to the student and recorded in the unit’s teaching site.

Part E - Support for students

(64) Student Wellbeing & International Support can provide support to students for a range of matters, including the grievance process, international student support, and/or personal or extenuating circumstances that may impact a student throughout the study.

Reasonable adjustment and support

(65) A student with a disability and/or health condition that is likely to affect their studies, or meets the criteria to receive equity adjustments, is encouraged to seek advice from InclusionUC prior to the commencement of their study in a teaching period.

(66) A student who wishes to seek a reasonable adjustment based on disability and/or a health condition or other criteria must register with InclusionUC and provide the relevant supporting documentation from their health care provider.

(67) InclusionUC must include any adjustment in a Reasonable Adjustment Plan and, when consent from the student is given, provide the Reasonable Adjustment Plan to the Unit Conveners of units in which a student is enrolled. Where a student elects to self-distribute their own Reasonable Adjustment Plan, the student must email their Reasonable Adjustment plan to the Unit Convener to have the documented adjustments applied.

Academic support

(68) A student who has a concern about their academic performance in a unit is encouraged to seek advice and support from, as relevant:

the Unit Convener or other academic staff in the unit,
the University’s Study Skills on-campus and online support services
the Ngunnawal Centre and Student Equity and Participation.

(69) Staff can refer students for Study Skills Individual Consultation by submitting the Individual Consultation Request Form.

Part F - Moderation

(70) Moderation of assessment supports consistency in:

the allocation of marks for an individual summative assessment at each performance level, and
the level of performance for students in a unit expressed in the final mark and final grade when all summative assessments have been marked.

(71) Moderation of assessment includes:

pre-assessment moderation
summative assessment moderation
final marks and final grades moderation

(72) Where a unit is delivered in a variety of modes, locations and/or by a Third Party Provider:

an appropriately qualified academic with subject matter expertise from the University must participate in the moderation of assessment
the assessment moderation must include a mix of modes of delivery and locations as applicable
Third Party Provider staff who are markers of the summative assessment must participate in pre-assessment moderation.

(73) In addition to the requirements of this Procedure, a Faculty:

may have its own Local Instructions for moderation, particularly for different assessment types that may require additional or discipline-specific moderation, and
will ensure any Local Instructions are published to all relevant stakeholders.

(74) If appropriate, professional associations and industry bodies may assist in establishing and maintaining academic standards and professional competencies through moderating de-identified assessment in units that are required units in a related externally accredited course.

Pre-assessment moderation

(75) Prior to the release of a summative assessment, the assessment task must be moderated to ensure that the task:

aligns with the specified learning outcomes
is of an appropriate difficulty
aligns to the associated marking rubric (where relevant) and
has been quality assured, including assessment instructions.

(76) When there is more than one marker for a summative assessment in a unit, pre-assessment moderation must be undertaken before marking commences to ensure all markers have a shared understanding of the:

assessment instructions,
application and use of the rubric, and
what is expected in the summative assessment for each level of criterion and performance.

Summative assessment moderation

(77) Summative assessment moderation must ensure that the rubric has been applied consistently and students have been allocated a mark consistent with their level of performance in that assessment.

(78) Each summative assessment must be moderated before the release of marks to students. However, if some students have not submitted their assessment by the due date, the Unit Convener may moderate and release the marks to students who submitted on time to ensure timely feedback for them, taking into account any academic integrity impact on the assessment where some students have not yet submitted.

(79) Moderation of marked summative assessment must include review of a minimum of ten percent of the submissions, and these must be sampled from different markers (where relevant) and grade levels.

(80) All summative assessments with a mark of 45 or more but less than 50 percent must be moderated.

(81) Moderation of summative assessment must include one or more of the following approaches:

a second marker reviewing the student assessment and marks allocated by a first marker
blind marking of the sampled assessments by a different marker(s) where the students’ names and allocated marks are redacted
the group of markers collectively reassessing the sampled assessments in alignment with the rubric.

(82) Where there is a discrepancy greater than 5% between the first mark and the moderated mark, the Unit Convener and moderator(s) must consult and agree on a finalised mark.

(83) Summative assessment moderation may identify the need for revisions to the assessment for subsequent unit offerings.

Final marks and final grades moderation

(84) Moderation of final marks and final grades must ensure that each student’s final mark and final grade is consistent with their level of performance in each summative assessment, the weighting of each of those assessments, and that the student has successfully completed any hurdle.

(85) Students receiving an overall mark close to a grade boundary should have their summative assessments moderated.

(86) Moderation of final marks must be completed and finalised before they are imported into GradeLink.

Part G - Submission of Assessments

(87) A student must be requested to only include their student identification number (student ID) on all assessments, and assessment coversheets if used, as the sole identifier. Student names should not be included to provide impartiality during marking and/or moderation and to protect student privacy within text matching software.

(88) A student must submit all assessments in English.

(89) A student must agree to the academic integrity statement when uploading an assessment or assessment cover sheet to the teaching site.

(90) It is expected that a student will retain their own copy of all assessments (including assessment coversheets) they have uploaded to the teaching site.

(91) In some cases, a student may submit a version of a summative assessment to the teaching site more than once up until the due date and time.

(92) If a student submits more than one version of a summative assessment to the teaching site before the due date and time, the latest version will be the submission marked, unless the student notifies the Unit Convener otherwise in writing by the due date and time.

(93) If a student submits versions of a summative assessment to the teaching site both before and after the due date and time, the first submission after the due date and time is the only submission that will be allocated a mark and will be subject to a late submission penalty (see Part G, Late Submission Penalty), unless the student has an approved extension.

(94) If a student submits more than one version of a summative assessment to the teaching site after the due date and time, the first submission after the due date and time is the only submission that will be allocated a mark and will be subject to a late submission penalty (see Part G, Late Submission Penalty), unless the student has an approved extension.

(95) When the format of a summative assessment does not enable it to be uploaded to the teaching site, the student must submit the summative assessment on or before the due date and time in accordance with the assessment instructions in the unit outline and upload an assessment details to the teaching site (e.g. using an assessment coversheet).

Late Submission Penalty

(96) For summative assessments where late submission is permitted:

if a student submits a summative assessment after the due date and time published in the unit outline, without an approved extension or reasonable adjustment, the mark allocated for the summative assessment will be reduced by ten percent of the maximum available marks for the assessment item per day (or part thereof) up to and including three calendar days (inclusive of weekends and public holidays), effective from the due date and time.
where a student submits the summative assessment up to three days late without an approved extension or reasonable adjustment, this may result in reduced feedback being provided to the student.
if a student submits a summative assessment more than three calendar days after the due date and time published in the unit outline, without an approved extension or reasonable adjustment, the student will be allocated a mark of zero for that assessment, with no feedback provided.
if a student submits a summative assessment with an approved extension or reasonable adjustment after the corresponding due date and time, the mark allocated for the summative assessment will be reduced by ten percent of the maximum available marks for the assessment item per day (or part thereof) up to and including three days in the same manner as Clause 96a.
if a student submits a summative assessment more than three days after the approved extension or reasonable adjustment due date, the student will be allocated a mark of zero for that assessment in the same manner as Clause 96c.

Non submission Penalty

(97) A student who does not undertake, submit or participate in a summative assessment will be allocated a mark of zero for that assessment once any permitted late submission period has ended.

(98) A student who does not attend a timetabled exam without an approved deferral will be allocated a mark of zero for that assessment.

(99) A student who does not undertake or attend an approved supplementary or resit assessment will retain the existing final mark, and the final fail grade for the unit will be recorded for that unit.

University applied extension to a due date for a summative assessment

(100) A Unit Convener may alter a summative assessment due date and time if necessary due to circumstances outside their control (for example, natural disaster). In such circumstances, the altered due date must always be set after the original due date published in the unit outline.

(101) Extensions will be applied to all students enrolled in a unit where there has been a system failure on a University-supported platform that prevents most or all students from submitting their summative assessment by the due date and time.

Part H - Examinations

(102) An exam may be written (digital or paper based), practical, or oral (live or prerecorded).

(103) The type of exam must be appropriate to the discipline, topic and purpose.

(104) An exam must be invigilated using human invigilation or online proctoring.

(105) The cumulative total of all exam and quiz-based assessment (excluding practical exams) must be no more than 50 percent of the total assessment weighting in a unit. Note that while a test or quiz may not be timetabled as an exam it contributes to the overall 50 percent maximum weighting of exam-based assessment.

(106) Exams must be time limited. Unless clause 107 or 108 are in effect, exams in three-credit-point units must not total more than two hours (for example, one three-hour exam or one one-hour exam and one two-hour exam) exclusive of reading time (and any technical set up time for online proctored exams).

(107) Exams in three-credit-point units may total more than two hours and up to three hours (for example, one two-hour exam or two one-hour exams) exclusive of reading time (and any technical set up time for online proctored exams) if:

the unit requires additional exam time to meet external accreditation or professional registration requirements, or
there is a pedagogical rationale for additional exam time, which must be approved by the Associate Dean of Education.

(108) If there is a pedagogical rationale for an exam in a unit to be more than three hours, exclusive of reading time (and technical set up time for online proctored exams), it may be approved by the Dean of the faculty.

Exam approval

(109) An exam in a unit is only permitted if

it is a requirement of published external accreditation standards, or a condition for professional registration for an externally accredited course in which the unit is a required unit, or
where a rationale is provided which outlines why alternate means of assessment are not appropriate.

From time to time, additional criteria for an approved examination may be distributed.

(110) Guidelines for final examination will be published to support the approval and administration processes, and remain in effect until updated.

Exam timelines

(111) All exams must be approved before the corresponding unit outline is published.

(112) Any exam timetabled during the Final Assessment Period that is not a practical exam:

must be timetabled by Student Connect
must require all students in a unit to complete the exam within a set timeframe commencing and finishing at the same time on the same day and date, unless a student has an approved deferral or Reasonable Adjustment Plan.

Student Connect is responsible for the organisation and management of all timetabling, invigilation, proctoring, deferrals and communication to students and Unit Conveners.

(113) Any practical exam timetabled in the Final Assessment Period:

must be timetabled and managed by the Faculty and
must be timetabled after Student Connect releases the final exam timetable for the Final Assessment Period.

The Faculty is responsible for managing and resolving clashes for a student and ensuring a student is not required to undertake more than two exams each day or more than three in two days.

(114) A faculty-managed exam, including a practical exam, may be timetabled within a teaching period and if this is the case:

the Unit Convener is responsible for organising and managing all timetabling, invigilation, deferrals and communication to and support of students
the exam must be included in the unit’s teaching timetable for the teaching period by Student Connect to support student availability (e.g. as standalone single event or included in regular timetabled class time) and
must meet exam quality assurance requirements (e.g. through peer review/moderation).

(115) The exam timetabling schedule outlines the timing for actions undertaken to facilitate the timetabling of an exam (excluding practical exams) in the Final Assessment Period:

Table 1: Exam timetabling schedule.

Timing	Action
All teaching periods with an approved exam in the Final Assessment Period
Before Orientation Week and before the Unit Outline for the unit is published	Dean to review and approve any exams required. The Faculty must use the approved Student Connect template to provide all required information for the examination, including the mode of delivery, unit code, the Unit Convener's name, and the approximate number of students.
By end of Week 1	The Associate Dean, Education (ADE) must submit a list of the faculty’s approved exams, that are to be timetabled in the Final Assessment Period, to Student Connect at exams@canberra.edu.au
From Week 2	Student Connect will contact individual Unit Conveners with requests for individual exam details at the unit level.
By end of Week 3	A Unit Convener must provide exam details including permitted materials, concurrent exam requests (e.g. UG plus PG, Unit Convener availability clashes), exam conditions, and any other additional information or requests regarding the scheduling of the exam. Note the actual exam paper is not required at this time (see Part H, Computer-based exams
Semester 1 and Semester 2 only*
By end of Week 9	The Preliminary exam timetable must be released for confirmation by Unit Conveners.
By Wednesday Week 10	Unit Conveners must respond with any changes or questions.
By Friday Week 11	The final exam timetable must be released to students by Student Connect.

*For teaching periods other than Semester 1 or Semester 2 Student Connect will advise on the timeline.

Exam quality assurance

(116) The faculty will establish quality assurance and approval processes for the substance of all exams (including deferred exams) regardless of mode of delivery or format. The process will ensure that:

the question design supports academic integrity
any errors identified are corrected
assessment instructions and exam questions are written in plain English, except where discipline-specific vocabulary is required
the exam will test a student’s achievement of the specified learning outcomes as expected
the rubric is aligned with the exam tasks and the criteria weighting is appropriate to the tasks and complexity
the exam has been tested by the academic staff to ensure the exam is reasonable for a pass level student to complete all questions or tasks in the specified duration
that the duration specified allows for reading time as relevant
that the duration specified allows for technical set up where the exam is online proctored.

(117) If an online exam includes one or more quiz question types that have a single correct answer the Unit Convener must support the academic integrity of the exam by:

ensuring that the question bank is sufficiently large containing different but equivalent questions that test the same unit learning outcomes to ensure that students are unlikely to receive an identical set of questions
monitoring that the answers are not easily and publicly available such as through a student file sharing site, through a search engine, or through an artificial intelligence platform or service and
ensuring the online proctoring settings and permitted materials are appropriate to the exam.

(118) When submitting the final exam, the Unit Convener must submit an approved deferred exam that is sufficiently different, but is of equivalent difficulty to, the original exam to support academic integrity.

(119) The exam approval and a copy of the approved final exam and deferred exam must be held in the faculty’s records.

Paper-based exams

(120) A Unit Convener must ensure that the master copy of the exam is provided to Student Connect for printing by the close of business:

on the first working day of week 11 in a semester teaching period, or
on the first working day of week 4 of any other teaching period.

(121) All and any papers, including script books, computerised answer sheets, and notes, must be collected from every student at the completion of the duration of an exam and held by Student Connect staff for collection by the Unit Convener.

(122) The Unit Convener must provide their University ID card or other photographic ID to collect the student papers from Student Connect.

(123) The Unit Convener must sign the request form to acknowledge they have collected all the student papers from Student Connect.

Computer-based exams including online proctored exams

(124) A Unit Convener must ensure that:

the exam is correctly set up in the teaching site by the close of business on the first business day of week 11 in a semester teaching period, or on the first business day of week 4 of any other teaching period
a student with a Reasonable Adjustment Plan has had their conditions applied as required, such as extra time. (If a student’s Reasonable Adjustment Plan requires a location modification this will be arranged by Student Connect.)

Timetabling of exams in the Final Assessment Period

(125) All exams managed by Student Connect are timetabled in the Final Assessment Period.

(126) Student Connect will ensure that a student will not have:

more than two exam timetabled per day, or
three consecutive exams over a two-day period, where timetabling permits

(127) If the exam timetable does not meet either of these requirements the student should contact Student Connect for advice.

Local Instructions

(128) Student Connect must have Local Instructions for the management of exams timetabled in the Final Assessment Period, which includes:

communication of key information, including timelines,
the timetable, including the University room number if relevant, final grades release dates to students and permitted materials, and
process details.

(129) Student Connect must maintain Local Instructions and Frequently Asked Questions for exams which use online proctoring, appropriate for staff and for students.

(130) The information for students must include:

what online proctoring is and how it works
information about privacy and data security
technology requirements and how students should prepare for an exam invigilated using online proctoring, and
information for students regarding what to do on the day of an exam that is invigilated using online proctoring.

(131) The information for staff must include

how to set up the appropriate settings for online proctoring in the teaching site
where to get support to set up online proctoring in the teaching site
what online proctoring is and how it works
information about privacy and data security
technology requirements and how students should prepare exam invigilated using online proctoring, and
information for staff regarding what to do on the day of the exam that is invigilated using online proctoring

Invigilation

(132) A Unit Convener must use either online proctoring or human Invigilation to support the academic integrity of an exam.

(133) Student Connect is responsible for providing human invigilation for exams timetabled in the Final Assessment Period, excluding any practical exams.

(134) For an online proctored exam in the Final Assessment Period, Student Connect will be responsible for monitoring the virtual room during the duration of the exam.

(135) A Unit Convener is responsible for:

teaching site settings, including set up of online proctoring for an online proctored exam and testing of the exam using the student view in the teaching site, and
communication to students about recommended preparation, such as setting up and testing their personal technical environment for the effective use of the online proctoring service.

Unit Convener availability

(136) The Unit Convener (or delegate) must be available in the examination room (or the virtual room for an online proctored exam) in the reading time and the first 15 minutes of any exam in the Final Assessment Period to respond to student questions or exam support staff queries. The Unit Convener (or delegate) must remain contactable throughout the scheduled examination time.

Permitted materials

(137) A student must not use any materials or devices other than those explicitly included in the assessment instructions for the exam.

(138) It is a student’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the permitted materials for the exam.

(139) The human invigilator, Unit Convener, or nominee may check any permitted materials and any personal items used by a student, prior to the commencement of an exam or during an exam.

(140) Permitted materials for an exam must be specific to the assessment and the assessment mode of delivery, and be included in the assessment instructions. Permitted materials may include:

an unannotated hard copy version of an English language dictionary or foreign language dictionary, or a bilingual or translation dictionary
an unannotated hard copy version of an English language thesaurus or foreign language thesaurus, or a bilingual thesaurus
any specified tools (e.g. calculator)
A4 notes
stationery (e.g. pencil, pen)
text-books or equivalent
access to specialised software required to submit the assessment
calculator, with specific type of calculator indicated as required (e.g. scientific calculator versus programmable calculator).

(141) For exams where a programmable calculator is permitted, a student must clear the memory before the commencement of the exam.

(142) Where the exam is human invigilated the invigilator, Unit Convener, or nominee must check the calculators before the commencement of the exam.

(143) The invigilator must confiscate calculators that are not acceptable for the duration of the exam.

Unfair advantage

(144) The materials and devices which may provide a student with an unfair advantage that must not be used or accessed without explicit inclusion in the assessment instructions, or documented on a student’s Reasonable Adjustment Plan include:

electronic dictionaries and thesauri
translation software
browser add-ons
personal electronic devices including smart watches, ear buds, mobile phones, tablets, calculators
artificial intelligence services
student file sharing websites.

(145) If an exam is delivered in a University computer laboratory the hardware requirements (e.g. desktop and screen) required for the exam to be completed will be provided by the University and do not need to be listed in the permitted materials.

(146) Software and hardware requirements for an exam which uses online proctoring must be listed as permitted materials and must only include one electronic device (e.g. laptop or desktop, one webcam and microphone, built-in or separate).

(147) A student who uses materials or devices other than those explicitly included in the assessment instructions for an exam may be found to be in breach of the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. A student may be requested to demonstrate that they are not concealing any materials or devices that are not permitted in the examination.

Proof of identity

(148) A student must verify their identity through their University issued student identity (ID) card or alternative Government-issued identity card which includes a photo prior to commencing an exam.

(149) A student who is not able to provide the required proof of identity must not be permitted to undertake the exam.

(150) Before entering the exam room for a human invigilated exam, a student may be asked to confirm their identity if anything on their head or face inhibits the invigilator matching the student with their ID photo.

(151) Before the commencement of an exam using online proctoring, a student must ensure nothing on or around their head or face inhibits the Unit Convener or other authorised University staff member confirming when reviewing the recording that the student is the same person as that displayed on the ID photo recorded at the commencement of the exam. If the head or face of the person is obscured to that extent then the student may be found to be in breach of the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023.

Student illness

(152) A student who becomes unwell during an exam must inform the invigilator (for a human invigilated exam) or the Unit Convener (for an online proctored exam), prior to the scheduled end of the exam.

(153) A student who becomes unwell during an exam may apply for a deferral. Applications for deferral will only be considered if the student consults a medical practitioner on the day of the exam (or as soon as possible after the exam), and provides a medical certificate written by the practitioner within three business days of the examination.

Technical issues in an online proctored exam

(154) A student who is unable to commence or complete an online proctored exam because of technical issues that are not able to be addressed by the support staff and Unit Convener during the exam duration may be eligible to apply for a resit of the exam.

Student conduct in an exam

(155) A student must not access any personal items during the exam except for:

a clear bottle of water,
glucose sweets or equivalent stored in a transparent package,
reading glasses (no reading case),
tissues, and
the student’s proof of identity.

(156) A student with approved reasonable adjustments may also access the equipment and personal or other items in their Reasonable Adjustment Plan.

(157) A student must not leave the exam during the first 30 minutes unless documented otherwise in an individual student’s Reasonable Adjustment Plan (e.g. rest breaks).

(158) If a student wishes to leave the exam during the allocated time period, they may do so except during the last 15 minutes, but the student must not be allowed to return.

(159) A student may be allowed temporary leave of absence from the exam room at the discretion of the invigilator or Unit Convener to visit the toilet.

(160) A student may be permitted to write notes during an exam, including during reading time if specified in the assessment instructions.

(161) On completion of the exam a student must provide any and all written notes and all papers to the invigilator.

Student conduct in an online proctored exam

(162) A student in an online proctored exam must trial their personal technical environment and contact the Service Desk for technical advice to address any issues at least one week before their timetabled exam.

(163) If the student’s personal technical environment will not allow them to undertake an exam the student must contact the Unit Convener at least one week before their timetabled exam.

(164) A student must confirm their identity (see Part H, Proof of Identity) with their student ID card on the online proctoring system prior to commencing an exam.

(165) A student must only access the permitted materials detailed in the unit outline and assessment instructions or as documented on their Reasonable Adjustment Plan (where relevant).

(166) A student must abide by the assessment Instructions.

(167) If a student is allowed to write notes during the exam the student may be required to show the written notes to the webcam and/or photograph and submit them to the teaching site as detailed in the assessment instructions.

Part I – Special Circumstances

(168) From time to time as an outcome of special circumstances a student may wish to apply for an extension to the due date for a summative assessment or deferral of an exam.

(169) If a student has a health condition or disability, or is eligible for an equity adjustment, they should consult InclusionUC to consider the development of a Reasonable Adjustment Plan prior to the commencement of a teaching period (where possible).

(170) Where a student has a current Reasonable Adjustment Plan, the student is only required to provide additional medical documentation if the additional time or other request is beyond the reasonable adjustment in their Reasonable Adjustment Plan. The student’s disability and health condition diagnosis should not be included on any additional medical documentation.

(171) A student who experiences a significant life event that was unpredictable and that made it impracticable for them to complete the requirements for the unit may wish to consider applying for late withdrawal from that unit using an Enrolment Amendment Form. If the student has an ongoing, documented health condition or a Reasonable Adjustment Plan, evidence must be provided that there was a change in circumstances that occurred after Census Date and was beyond the student's control.

(172) A student’s extension application must detail which category of special circumstances applies and provide the required evidence.

(173) A Unit Convener must consider the impact and complexity of a student’s situation based on the evidence provided, where possible.

(174) Authorised Faculty staff such as the Unit Convener, Student Connect and InclusionUC staff have authority to verify the authenticity of the documentary evidence provided by a student with the relevant provider and request additional documentary evidence if considered necessary.

(175) All communication about an application for special circumstances to be considered must take place using the student’s and staff members’ University email addresses or via unit learning site (e.g. submission of an extension request).

(176) If the evidence is in a language other than English, a certified translated copy must be provided.

(177) An application for special circumstances consideration is unlikely to be approved if a student:

provides insufficient or incomplete documentary evidence or does not include evidence (e.g. originals or certified copies are not provided as required, or a medical certificate is not provided to support an application in the medical category)
does not provide the application to the approving authority by the date required
has less than four consecutive exams (e.g. two on one day and one the following morning)
sits the exam knowing they are unwell (i.e. the student should apply for a deferral before the exam)
misreads the exam timetable (including arriving more than 30 minutes after the commencement of an exam)
organises travel arrangements (including holidays) in Australia or overseas for purposes unrelated to study and is not covered by the Elite Athlete and University Representative special circumstances’ categories
has scheduled social and leisure events, including sporting (and sports training) not covered by the Elite Athlete and University Representative special circumstances’ categories
submits the application at such a time that most or all other students in the unit have received feedback on that exam
has personal network, computer or technical problems, except those documented during an online proctored exam.

(178) Approval of a student’s special circumstances may be granted for a

Predictable event (see Table 2): where the event is a predictable and scheduled event a student must submit their application and supporting evidence no less than five business days before the summative assessment due date
Unpredictable event (see Table 3): where the event is unpredictable a student is expected to notify their Unit Convener as soon as possible after the event (and no later than 5 business days after the due date, unless otherwise specified) so that the student’s special circumstances may be considered, and provide the supporting evidence as soon as is practicable.

(179) If the special circumstances application is for a summative assessment which is the final assessment in a teaching period a student’s final mark and final grade will allocated the appropriate pending grade, and the procedure for the management of pending grades will be applied.

(180) If a student is living in a country other than Australia then the student must provide documentary evidence to support their claim that meets the relevant legal and statutory requirements of that country.

Table 2: Predictable events for consideration as a special circumstance

Category	Documentary evidence required
Birth of a child	Medical Certificate Certification that the student is unfit for work or studies due to the birth or due date of the birth of a child, and the expected duration of their unfitness must be: An original medical certificate signed and provided by a medical doctor or registered nurse, and/or other original certificate provided by the registered midwife or registered nurse. The medical certificate must be signed and provided by a medical doctor or registered nurse, registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) who is not a relative, colleague, or close friend of the student, or has any other conflict of interest. The medical certificate must be on the practice’s letterhead and include contact details.
Medical procedure, (e.g. scheduled surgery)	Medical Certificate Where a student is unable to undertake, submit or participate in a summative assessment due to illness or other serious health problems requiring a medical procedure, applications must be supported by an original or certified copy of a medical certificate that clearly states the impact of the condition, the expected duration of the condition, and when study and assessment can be recommenced. A medical certificate must be signed and provided by a medical doctor or nurse, registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) who is not a relative, colleague, or close friend of the student, or has any other conflict of interest. The medical certificate must be on the practice’s letterhead and include contact details. The medical certificate does not need to include the details of the student’s health issue.
Adoption of a child	Original or certified copy of evidence from authority The student must provide written evidence of the adoption and its start date from the relevant State, Territory or Australian Government agency.
Fostering of a child	Original or certified copy of evidence from authority The student must provide written evidence of the fostering arrangement and its start date from the relevant State, Territory or Australian Government agency.
Indigenous cultural or ceremonial commitments	Ngunnawal Centre Support Statement The student must submit a statement supporting their application for an Extension or Deferral from the Ngunnawal Centre Manager or their nominee, or Elder.
Religious or culturally significant event	Statutory Declaration Where a student is unable to undertake, submit or participate in a summative assessment due to religious reasons, applications must be supported by a Commonwealth of Australia Statutory Declaration form detailing the religious/cultural event.
Defence Reserve Service, voluntary military or emergency service (e.g. CFA)	Original or certified copy of evidence from authority If a student has volunteered for military or emergency service, a student must provide an original or certified copy of documentation from the service stating the required dates of service.
Elite Athlete commitments (scheduled)	Original or certified copy of evidence from authority, and endorsement of Director of Sport If a student is an Elite Athlete and is selected to participate at state, national or international level in a sport, or other competition which conflicts with a summative assessment due date an application for an extension or deferral must: include an original or certified copy of documentation from the authority detailing their selection and the timeframe they were required for representative duties, and be endorsed by the Director of Sport.
Jury service	Original or certified copy of evidence from the relevant Law Court If a student has been notified of jury service which conflicts with a summative assessment due date an application for an extension or deferral must include an original or certified copy of the jury duty summons and dates of service from the relevant Law Court.
Required court attendance	Original or certified copy of evidence from the relevant Law Court If a student has been notified of required court attendance which conflicts with a summative assessment due date an application for an extension or deferral must include an original or certified copy of the dates of the required court attendance from the relevant Law Court.
Required professional circumstances (e.g. Defence member posted overseas)	Letter from Employer If a student has been notified of a required professional circumstance which conflicts with a summative assessment due date an application for an extension or deferral must include a letter from their employer detailing the circumstances and the dates relevant to the summative assessment due date.
University representative in state, national and international events, or other representative competitions (e.g. Moot Court, UniSport Nationals)	Original or certified copy of evidence from authority If a student is selected to represent the University to participate at state, national or international level in a sport, or other representative competition which conflicts with a summative assessment due date an application for an extension or deferral must include an original or certified copy of documentation from the authority detailing their selection and the timeframe they will be required for representative duties.
Other compelling personal circumstances	From time to time an extension for a summative assessment or deferral of an exam if a student provides evidence of other compelling personal circumstances. In these circumstances, the approval of an extension or deferral is at the discretion of the relevant decision maker (e.g. Unit Convener or examinations office). Students can seek support in these circumstances from Student Wellbeing and Support or Student Equity and Participation.

Table 3: Unpredictable events for consideration as a special circumstance

Category	Documentary evidence required
Bereavement	Death Certificate or other appropriate evidence Where a student is affected by a bereavement of an immediate family member or close friend/relative to the extent that the student is unable to undertake, submit or participate in a summative assessment(s) by the due date, the application for an extension or deferral must include a certified copy of the death certificate or other appropriate evidence (e.g. statutory declaration, letter of hospital admission).
Elite Athlete commitments (short notice)	Original or certified copy of evidence from authority, and endorsement of Director of Sport If a student is an Elite Athlete and is selected at short notice to participate at state, national or international level in a sport, or other competition which conflicts with a summative assessment due date an application for an extension or deferral must: include an original or certified copy of documentation from the authority detailing their selection and the timeframe they were required for representative duties, and be endorsed by the Director of Sport.
Exacerbation of an existing disability or physical or mental health condition for a student with a Reasonable Adjustment Plan	Medical Certificate Documentation provided by a medical practitioner for the time and date/due date of the summative assessment.. If the special circumstances being considered align with adjustments documented in a student’s Reasonable Adjustment Plan, no further documentation is required. If a student is seeking consideration of their special circumstances beyond the adjustments in the Reasonable Adjustment Plan additional medical documentation must be provided to either the Unit Convener or to InclusionUC. A Reasonable Adjustment Plan cannot be used to defer an exam.
Indigenous cultural or ceremonial commitments	Ngunnawal Centre Support Statement The student must submit a statement supporting their application from the Ngunnawal Centre Manager or their nominee, or a community Elder. The student must also provide documentation that they: are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, and are accepted as such in the community in which they live, or formerly lived.
Misadventure (e.g. victim of crime, car accident) Natural disaster (e.g. flood, fire, health pandemic, drought) Major political and civil unrest	Original or certified copy of relevant evidence Where a student experiences a significant misadventure, such as a car accident or being the victim of crime, a natural disaster, or major political or civil unrest, which impacted their ability to undertake, submit or participate in a summative assessment by the due date, the application for an extension or deferral must include an original or certified copy of evidence relevant to that event and its impact on the student.
New medical or mental health related circumstances (e.g. unscheduled surgery/hospital admission, diagnosis of a chronic or mental illness or condition)	Medical Certificate If a student is unable to undertake, submit or participate in a summative assessment by the due date due to new medical or mental health related circumstances, an application for an extension or deferral must be supported by an original or certified copy of a medical certificate that clearly states the impact of the condition, the expected duration of the condition, and when study and assessment can be recommenced. The medical certificate must be signed and provided by a medical doctor or nurse, registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or a registered mental health care provider, who is not a relative, colleague, or close friend of the student, or has any other conflict of interest. The certificate(s) provided must be on the practice’s letterhead and include the provider number and contact details. The certificate(s) provided do not need to include the details of the student’s health condition.
Significant personal circumstances not covered elsewhere (e.g. domestic/family violence and/or abuse)	Original or certified copy of evidence from authority Where a student experiences a significant personal circumstance, which impacted their ability to undertake, submit or participate in a summative assessment by the due date, the application for an extension or deferral must include an original or certified copy of evidence relevant to that event and its impact on the student.
Required professional circumstances (e.g. Defence member posted overseas)	Letter from Employer If a student has been notified of a required professional circumstance which conflicts with a summative assessment due date the application for an extension or deferral must include a letter from their employer detailing the circumstances and the dates relevant to the summative assessment due date.
Provision of emergency services as a volunteer engaged by an emergency service organisation (e.g. support for floods, storms, fires)	Original or certified copy of evidence from authority Where a student has been called upon to respond to an emergency as part of their emergency services volunteering and this impacted their ability to undertake, submit or participate in a summative assessment by the due date, the application for an extension or deferral must include an original or certified copy of evidence relevant to that event and its impact on the student.
Technical issues	Screenshot and description When a student is unable to upload their summative assessment to the teaching site by the due date because of a technical issue, the student must email the summative assessment to the unit convener from their student email account as soon as possible, and include: an assessment cover sheet a description of the technical issue experienced, including relevant screenshot, and on resolution of the technical issue, upload the summative assessment to the teaching site.

Student request for an extension to a due date for a summative assessment

(181) A student with special circumstances may apply for an extension to the due date for a summative assessment (excluding a final exam held in the Final Assessment Period) to the relevant Unit Convener.

(182) If the reason for the student’s special circumstances applies to most or all units in which a student is enrolled, the student is encouraged to contact the Student Wellbeing & International Support team for advice. In some circumstances it may be appropriate for a University support service to advocate on a student’s behalf. Relevant support teams include: Student Equity and Participation, InclusionUC, Ngunnawal Centre, and Student Wellbeing & International Support.

(183) If it is the case that a student may gain an unfair advantage from an extension, the Unit Convener may set a different but equivalent summative assessment which evaluates student achievement of the same learning outcomes.

(184) An extension to a due date must not be granted to a student if the application applies to:

a hurdle assessment which is a placement or internship required for external accreditation or professional registration requirements or
a hurdle activity where completion of the hurdle activity is a dependency for a summative assessment (e.g. obtaining a Working with Vulnerable People card as a requirement for participating in a Nursing placement).

(185) An extension to a due date may be granted to a student contributing to a group assessment at the Unit Convener's discretion, only if the extension does not impact on other group members.

Duration of approved extensions

(186) The duration of an approved extension:

must not have a due date set beyond the teaching period including the Final Assessment Period in which the student is enrolled in the unit, unless the Unit Convenor determines that significant extenuating circumstances apply
must take into account the evidence provided of the impact of the event on the student’s ability to complete the summative assessment
must take into account the duration requested by the student
must consider the academic integrity of the assessment.

(187) If a student is able to provide further evidence to support their special circumstances, a Unit Convener may consider an additional extension. If a condition continues a student may be advised to consider late withdrawal from the unit.

(188) Application and approval process for an extension to a due date for any summative assessment that is not an exam is provided in Table 4.

Table 4: Application and approval process for summative assessment extension for any summative assessment that is not an exam

Who Approves	How to apply	AppLication Deadline
Unit Convener - for any summative assessment that is not an exam	A student Assess eligibility (see Table 2 and Table 3 above) Gather the supporting documentary evidence Nominate the proposed extension period (e.g. one day, 7 days, one month) which should reflect either the duration of the predictable special circumstances required or the seriousness and complexity of the unpredictable event supported by the evidence Complete an assessment extension application and submit it to the unit convener from their official University student email account by the application deadline.	For predictable events: no later than 5 working days before the due date and time of the summative assessment For unpredictable events: as soon as possible (no later than 5 business days after the due date unless otherwise specified) notify the Unit Convener of the event and its impact on the ability to meet the due date and time, and provide the supporting evidence as soon as is practicable.

Approving an extension for a summative assessment

(189) If the application for extension is approved the Unit Convener must provide the student with the new submission date and time.

(190) If the application for an extension is not approved the Unit Convener must provide the student with a rationale for the decision.

(191) A Unit Convener must provide a student with a decision in writing within five business days of the date of the student’s submission of the application. The time taken to provide the decision to the student should be taken into account when determining the new submission date and time so that the student has sufficient notice of the new submission date and time.

(192) If a student is seeking an extension to a due date for summative assessment in more than one unit, the corresponding unit conveners are encouraged to provide a consistent response to the student for all units (e.g. 7 days extension for all units).

Deferral of an exam

(193) Application process for deferral of an exam is as follows:

Table 5: Application process for deferral of an exam

Who Approves	How to apply	Application Deadline
Unit Convener - if the exam is a faculty-managed exam (that is timetabled during the teaching period or of the exam is a practical exam)	A student must: Assess their eligibility (see Table 2 and Table 3 above) Gather the supporting documentary evidence Complete an assessment extension application and submit it to the Unit Convener from their official University student email account by the application deadline	For predictable events: no later than 5 working days before the scheduled exam For unpredictable events: no later than 3 business days after the scheduled exam, however the Unit Convener may consider late applications with supporting evidence after the application deadline.
Student Connect - if the exam is timetabled during the Final Assessment Period and is not a practical exam	A student must: Assess their eligibility (see Table 2 and Table 3 above) Gather the supporting evidence Complete the Deferred Assessment form located in the myUC student portal and submit the application to Student Connect from their official student University email account.	For predictable events: must be submitted prior to the scheduled exam. For unpredictable events: no later than 3 business days after the scheduled exam, however Student Connect may consider late applications with supporting evidence after the application deadline.

(194) By submitting an application for a deferred exam, the student agrees to the conditions stated in this Procedure.

(195) A student who has an application for a deferred exam approved must make themselves available to attempt the deferred exam at the scheduled time. Where a student is unlikely to be able to sit the deferred exam at its scheduled time due to exceptional circumstances, it is recommended that the student applies for late withdrawal from the unit with supporting evidence. A student’s application for late withdrawal will be considered on its merits.

(196) A student who does not attempt their deferred exam at the scheduled time will receive a mark of zero for the exam.

(197) A deferred exam must be a substantially different exam to the original exam but must assess the same unit learning outcomes.

(198) A student can only apply to defer a deferred exam in exceptional circumstances, and must provide up-to-date and relevant documentation to support further deferral.

(199) If a student seeks to appeal a decision not to grant a deferral of the deferred exam, the appeal must follow the Student Grievance Resolution Policy.

(200) A student who completes a deferred exam and subsequently becomes eligible for graduation may have their conferral delayed.

Deferrals of exams managed by a faculty

(201) Deferral of an exam that is held in the teaching period and deferrals of practical exams must be managed by the faculty. A student must request approval from the Unit Convener to grant a deferral of an exam (refer to Deferral of an Exam, clause 193).

(202) Wherever possible, the date of the deferred exam must be within 10 business days of the original scheduled exam.

(203) If a student is not able to complete their deferred exam within the 10 business days they should consider late withdrawal from the unit.

(204) A student is not permitted to defer a deferred faculty-managed exam, unless endorsed by the Unit Convener and approved by the Associate Dean, Education due to significant extenuating circumstances.

Communication with students about deferral of an exam

(205) In all cases the approving authority must provide a student with written advice of the decision to approve or otherwise an application for deferral of an exam via email.

(206) Where the authority does not approve the application for deferral, the authority must provide the student with written advice that includes a rationale for the decision (e.g. medical documentation not provided).

(207) Where the authority approves the request for deferral, they must provide the student with written advice of the new date and time for the exam.

Deferral of exams in Final Assessment Period

(208) The date of a deferred exam originally scheduled during the Final Assessment Period will be no more than ten business days after the final day of the Final Assessment Period.

(209) If the deferred exam is timetabled in the Final Assessment Period the student must be allocated the pending grade of DX (deferred exam) until the deferred exam has been marked and the final mark and final grade for the student moderated and approved.

(210) The Unit Convener will submit an Amendment to Unit Results (AUR) for the change of grade from DX to the final grade.

(211) If the DX result has not been resolved within six weeks of the original timetabled examination date, Student Connect must change the student’s final grade for the unit to the fail grade NC.

(212) If a student is granted a deferred exam and subsequently does not sit the deferred exam, Student Connect must change the student’s pending grade (DX) to the fail grade NC.

Submission of results for deferred exams

(213) A Unit Convener must add the mark for a deferred exam to the teaching site’s gradebook using the same procedures as for the original exam. The teaching sites gradebook must then be used to finalise the student’s final mark and grade.

(214) If the published results released date for the teaching period has passed then the Unit Convener must complete an Amendment to Unit Results (AUR) Form to be approved by the Associate Dean, Education for the final mark and final grade to be recorded in the student management system and the final mark and final grade to be released to the student by Student Connect.

Part J - Supplementary Assessment

(215) A supplementary assessment must only be offered to a student who satisfies the eligibility criteria.

(216) To be eligible for a supplementary assessment:

a student has been allocated a final mark in the unit of at least 45 and less than 50 percent inclusive, and/or within 5% of satisfying a hurdle assessment, and
the unit undertaken in the final teaching period of study is the last and only unit the student is required to complete to meet all academic course requirements to enable conferral of their degree.

(217) A Unit Convener must approve the student’s application if the student meets the eligibility criteria, unless:

the unit has an approved exemption from offering a supplementary assessment and
the exemption information has been included in the unit outline.

(218) Unit exemptions from supplementary assessment

In some units it may be professionally inappropriate or impractical to offer supplementary assessment, such as placements or internship units. If this is the case the Unit Convener must apply to the Associate Dean, Education for the unit to be exempted from supplementary assessment and the information about the approved exemption must be included in the unit outline.

(219) Supplementary assessment is not permitted in a unit where there was a proven case of academic misconduct against the student which resulted in the student receiving a lower mark for the unit.

Process for applying for a supplementary assessment

(220) The student and the unit convener must complete the supplementary assessment process according to the dates and times agreed:

A student must submit a Request for Supplementary Assessment form via email to the Unit Convener from their official student University email account within three business days of receiving their final mark and final grade for the unit.
The Unit Convener will confirm with Student Connect that the student meets the eligibility criteria for supplementary assessment.
The Unit Convener must provide the student with written advice of the decision of the application for a supplementary assessment.
If approved, the Unit Convener must advise the student in writing of the new date and time for the approved supplementary assessment; coordinate the development, timetabling and delivery of a supplementary assessment to the student; and complete an Amendment to Unit Results form to Student Connect to amend the student’s fail grade to the pending grade SX (Supplementary Assessment Result).
If a Unit Convener does not approve the application for supplementary assessment, the Unit Convener must provide the student with written advice that includes information about which eligibility criteria the student did not meet.
The Unit Convener must endorse the Request for Supplementary Assessment form and submit the completed form to the Chair of the Faculty Assessment Board. The form must certify that the student has failed the unit with a final mark of at least 45 and less than 50 percent inclusive, and/or within 5% of satisfying a hurdle assessment, and that the unit is the last and only unit required for the student to complete all academic course requirements for the course.

Conditions

(221) A supplementary assessment:

must provide the eligible student with the opportunity to demonstrate the unit learning outcome(s) that the student has not yet met. This may require the Unit Convener to either develop a new summative assessment specifically to assess those unit learning outcomes or develop a different summative assessment equivalent to the original.
must be subject to the same quality assurance process as any other summative assessment.

(222) A student who undertakes a supplementary assessment is subject to the same consideration under University Rules and policy in relation to any special circumstances, academic misconduct and grievance and appeal processes as for any other assessment.

(223) A student who achieves a pass mark or better in a supplementary assessment must be allocated a final mark of 50 and a final grade of supplementary pass (SP).

(224) All decisions and subsequent actions related to a supplementary assessment are subject to Faculty Assessment Board review. Decisions and actions must be documented.

(225) A student who successfully completes supplementary assessment may have the conferral of their award delayed.

Deferral of a supplementary assessment

(226) In exceptional, unavoidable and verifiable circumstances an application to defer a supplementary assessment may be considered by the Associate Dean, Education.

(227) In the event that a decision related to the deferment of a supplementary assessment requires review, this is undertaken by the corresponding Executive Dean.

Resubmission of summative assessment

(228) A Unit Convener may allow any summative assessments to be resubmitted in any unit. This is a matter of academic judgement.

(229) If resubmission of a summative assessment is permitted this will be included in the assessment instructions for that summative assessment. Otherwise resubmission is not permitted.

(230) Resubmission of a summative assessment is only permitted if the mark allocated to a student following the completion of the moderation process is between 45 and less than 50 for the summative assessment.

(231) A request to resubmit must be submitted by the student to the Unit Convener within three business days of the summative assessment results release using the University’s staff and student email accounts.

(232) A Unit Convener must respond to a request to resubmit within three business days of receiving the student’s request.

(233) A student must resubmit the summative assessment within three business days following approval to resubmit, otherwise the existing mark for the assessment will retained.

(234) If a Unit Convener approves the resubmission of a summative assessment the student must be allocated a mark of no more than 50.

Resubmission of a thesis or output from a major research component

(235) For bachelor honours degrees with a thesis or output from a major research component:

A student may be permitted to resubmit their thesis in the bachelor honours degree if the student receives a final mark for the thesis of between 45 to less than 50, and the thesis marker(s) makes a recommendation for thesis resubmission to the faculty’s honours Convener
If the faculty honours Convener approves a resubmission of a thesis, the faculty honours Convener must advise the student and the primary supervisor
The primary supervisor must advise the student of the submission date for the revised thesis.
A thesis in a bachelor honours degree must only be allowed to be resubmitted once, and
A resubmitted thesis must be allocated a final mark of no more than 50.

Part K - Marks and grades administration, review and release

(236) The allocation of a mark for a summative assessment is a matter of academic judgement of the marker. Academic judgement reflects various factors reflected in the rubric criteria including:

the extent to which the assessment demonstrates the associated learning outcomes
the level of the unit (e.g. Level 1, Level 2, Honours)
the standards and competencies established by external accrediting bodies, and by professional associations for registration
national and international standards of academic excellence in the discipline and field of education, and
the expectations of employers and the community.

Grading schema

(237) Each unit is associated with a grading schema in the student management system and this grading schema is applied to the unit’s teaching site when a teaching site is created. The grading schema for coursework units include:

graded –grading schema for graded units
ungraded – grading schema for ungraded units.

Approval release of final marks and final grades

(238) A mark must provide to a student with an indication of their progress towards the achievement of the associated unit learning outcome(s).

(239) Marks and grades for each enrolled student for each summative assessment must be recorded in teaching site’s gradebook for the unit.

(240) Following moderation of final marks and final grades for a unit the Unit Convener must import the marks into GradeLink and apply additional pending and other grade types as relevant.

(241) Final marks and final grades must undertake Stage 1 review in GradeLink, prior to approval by the Faculty Assessment Board (Stage 2 review in GradeLink) before they are transferred into the student management system (Callista).

(242) A final mark or final grade must not be released to a student by academic staff prior to the published results release date and time.

(243) Faculty Assessment Board will review final marks, final grades and pending grades for all units in a teaching period in GradeLink

(244) The Faculty Assessment Board will transfer approved marks and grades from GradeLink to the student management system a minimum of three days before the published results release date for each teaching period.

(245) Student Connect must release final grades and pending grades to students on a business day that is not a Friday or the day before a public holiday or on a public holiday.

(246) Student Connect must release grades and pending grades prior to 2 pm on the published results release date of each teaching period.

(247) A Unit Convener, or their nominee, must be available after final grades and pending grades have been released and on the next working day to respond to any student queries.

Grade conversion in a Business Interruption Event

(248) A grade conversion strategy may be implemented as a temporary process to ensure a student is not disadvantaged due to the impact of a Business Interruption Event (BIE). Initiation of a grade conversion strategy is dependent upon the learning and teaching resources and associated services impacted by the BIE, and requires:

a Business Interruption Event to be declared by the University, and
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Academic endorsement, and
Academic Board approval.

(249) A grade conversion process enables a grade to be converted to an administrative grade with the goal of ensuring that a student’s Weighted Average Mark (WAM) or Grade Point Average (GPA) will not be negatively impacted by a Business Interruption Event. In a grade conversion process an administrative grade is not included in a calculation of a student’s GPA or WAM formulas, and thus do not contribute on a student’s cumulative GPA or WAM.

Final mark and grade

(250) A student’s final mark in a unit is calculated from the cumulative marks of each summative assessment with the designated weighting applied for each summative assessment.

(251) If a student fails a hurdle assessment or does not attempt a required hurdle activity the student must only be awarded the relevant fail grade for the unit, regardless of their overall mark.

(252) The final mark is converted to a unit final grade as detailed in Table 6 (for graded grading schema) or Table 7 (for ungraded grading schema).

Pending grade

(253) If a student has not completed all summative assessment or has an approved extension, deferral, deferred of deferred or approved supplementary assessment or resubmission the relevant pending grade as detailed in Table 6 must be assigned.

Final mark and grade descriptions for the graded grading schema

(254) The grade description for each grade level reflects the language used in the Australian Qualifications Framework.

(255) The grade description for each grade applies across all units that use the graded grading schema.

Table 6: Final grades with grade descriptions and corresponding final mark range for the graded grading schema

FINAL grade	Description	Acronym	final mark range (%)
High Distinction	Achievement of the unit learning outcomes demonstrating a very high level of depth and/or breadth in knowledge, skills and/or application of them.	HD	85 to 100
Distinction	Achievement of the unit learning outcomes, demonstrating a high level of depth and/or breadth in knowledge, skills and/or application of them.	DI	75 to less than 85
Credit	Achievement of the unit learning outcomes, demonstrating a mixture of high and/or some level of depth and/or breadth in knowledge, skills and/or application.	CR	65 to less than 75
Pass	Achievement of the unit learning outcomes, demonstrating the required minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or application of them.	P	50 to less than 65
Supplementary Pass	Achievement following supplementary assessment of the unit learning outcomes, demonstrating the required minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or application of them.	SP	50
Fail	Withdrawn Fail: the unit learning outcomes have not been achieved as the student has withdrawn after two thirds of the length of the teaching period has elapsed.	NW	0 to less than 50
	Fail: the unit learning outcomes have not been achieved after attempting all summative assessment, or any hurdle was not satisfactorily completed.	NX	0 to less than 50 (unless hurdle has not been met)
	Fail – incomplete: the unit learning outcomes have not been achieved due to failure to attempt all summative assessment	NC	0 to less than 50
	Fail – did not participate: the unit learning outcomes have not been achieved as the student did not attempt any summative assessment or hurdle (where relevant).	NN	0
Continuing unit	Continuing – a unit is one component of a unit that continues over more than one teaching period. A student is allocated a continuing unit grade on completion of the unit for each teaching period prior to the final unit attempt. A final mark and grade is applied when all summative assessment is attempted and any hurdles met.	CNT	N/A

Final mark and grade descriptions for the ungraded grading schema

(256) The ungraded grading schema must only be applied to units where external accreditation requires an assessment without an associated mark (e.g. competency-based assessment).

(257) Where the ungraded grading schema is used a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) and Grade Point Average (GPA) calculation must not include that unit.

Table 7: Final grades with grade descriptors for the ungraded grading schema

FINAL grade	Description	Acronym	final mark range (%)
Ungraded Pass	Achievement of the unit learning outcomes, demonstrating the required minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or application of them.	UP	N/A
Ungraded Fail	Did not demonstrate the minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or application of the unit learning outcomes.	NU	N/A

Grading for a bachelor honours course

(258) The final honours grade for a bachelor honours course is comprised of two components:

Grade Point Average, with the GPA calculated as for any course, based on the final grade allocated for each unit, and
Performance in the thesis or equivalent major research component.

(259) In determining the final honours grade, both the corresponding GPA component and the thesis performance component (represented by a mark range) must be met; if only one of these is met, the lower Honours grade will be applied.

Table 8: Components of final honours grade for bachelor honours course

Honours grade	GPA component	Thesis performance
First Class	GPA of at least 6, and thesis or equivalent major research component allocated a mark within a mark range of 80 – 100% (inclusive).	Exceptional performance defined as work of exceptional quality demonstrating: clear understanding of the subject matter and appreciation of all issues well formulated sustained argument figure and diagrams as relevant and appropriate appropriate literature referenced strong evidence of creative ability and originality high level of sustained intellectual work
Second Class, Division 1	GPA of at least 5.25, and thesis or equivalent major research component allocated a mark equivalent to a Distinction mark range.	Very good performance defined as work of high quality demonstrating: strong grasp of the subject matter and appreciation of dominant issues though not necessarily of the finer points literature referenced evidence of creative ability and robust intellectual work
Second Class Division 2	GPA of at least 4.5, and thesis or equivalent major research component allocated a mark within a mark range of 70 to 79% (inclusive).	Good performance defined as work of solid quality demonstrating: competent understanding of the subject matter and appreciation of the main issues (possibly with some lapses and inadequacies) clearly identifiable deficiencies in logic, presentation or originality some evidence of creative ability and intellectual work well prepared and presented
Third Class	GPA of at least 4, and thesis or equivalent major research component allocated a mark within a mark range of 60 – 69% (inclusive).	Adequate performance defined as work of reasonable quality demonstrating: only basic understanding of the research area noteworthy deficiencies in content or experimental rigour little evidence of creative ability or intellectual work
Fail	GPA of less than 4, and thesis or equivalent major research component allocated a mark less than or equal to 49%.	Inadequate performance defined as work that: does not demonstrate a minimum basic understanding of the research area does not demonstrate sufficient grasp of the subject matter and main issues to build an argument or provide relevant supporting evidence does not reference relevant literature has major or significant deficiencies in content, logic, presentation, or experimental rigour does not demonstrate creative ability or intellectual work

Pending grades

Table 9: Pending grade descriptions and corresponding grade resolution timeline

PENDING GRADE	DESCRIPTION	ACRONYMN	GRADE RESOLUTION DEADLINE
Deferred	Grade pending outcome of a deferral or deferred of deferred exams held in the Final Assessment Period	DX	Five business days following completion of the deferred exam or deferred of deferred exam.
Supplementary	Grade pending outcome of an additional summative assessment (supplementary assessment).	SX	Five business days following the due date of the supplementary assessment.
Withheld	Grade pending submission of a summative assessment with an approved assessment extension.	WH	3 months from the end of the teaching period.
Withheld Work Integrated Learning (WIL)	Grade pending completion of an approved WIL activity.	WHW	On or before the end date of the fourth and following teaching period. 24 months from the end of the teaching period
Withheld conduct	Grade pending outcome of a student conduct investigation.	WHC	9 months from the end of the teaching period.
Withheld Extended	If a WH grade remains outstanding for more than three months then it is converted to a WHE. Only one extension is permitted.	WHE	9 months from the end of the teaching period.

Resolution of pending grades

(260) A pending grade is applied once a student’s mark is imported into GradeLink.

(261) If a pending grade is resolved after the published results released date for a teaching period, the Unit Convener or other relevant staff member will complete an Amendment to Unit Results (AUR) form, including the relevant grade as detailed in Table 3 and 4 and provide the completed form to the Associate Dean, Education or nominee for approval.

(262) The Associate Dean, Education or their nominee has delegated authority to approve an Amendment to Unit Results.

(263) The Associate Dean, Education or their nominee will provide the Amendment of Unit Results to Student Connect.

(264) Student Connect will convert the pending grade to the relevant final grade as detailed on the approved Amendment to Unit Results.

Withheld results

(265) A withheld result is a pending grade intended to cover any delay in completing the finalisation of the student’s mark and grade for a unit. Withheld results may be provided for example:

if a student has an approved extension
pending the outcome of a student conduct investigation
pending completion of mastery assessment or
a student is on a student exchange or placement or internship.

Resolution of withheld results

(266) The Unit Convener is responsible for the timely resolution of withheld grades.

(267) Student Connect will send reminders to unit conveners to resolve withheld grades before the resolution deadline.

(268) Standard withheld (WH) grades can be given a single extension using the Extended Withheld (WHE) grade. Extensions to other withheld grades are not available.

(269) Documentary evidence must be provided to support an application for an extension to a WH grade to WHE as for any special circumstances.

(270) An extension to a WH grade is typically only approved to accommodate an exceptional and verifiable special circumstances event and where a unit is only offered once in a calendar year.

(271) A student must apply in writing to the Unit Convener if they wish to apply for an extension to a WH grade. If an extension is approved the Amendment to Unit Results process is followed and the extension must not be more than that supported by the documentary evidence.

(272) If an application to extend a WH grade is not approved, the Unit Convener may advise a student to apply to Student Connect for late withdrawal from the unit (refer to Clause 171).

(273) Student Connect will automatically convert unresolved withheld grades that are not resolved by the due date to fail grades.

(274) A Faculty must resolve withheld grades by the corresponding grade resolution deadline (refer to Table 9).

Withdrawn grades

Table 10: Withdrawal grade descriptors

Grade	Description	Acronym
Withdrawn Early	A grade allocated to a unit attempt when a student withdraws prior to census date. A Withdrawn Early grade is not included on a student’s academic record (e.g. academic transcript).	WE
Withdrawal Late	A grade allocated to a unit attempt when a student has withdrawn after the Census Date but before the last third of the length of the teaching period. This grade is included in the calculation of a student’s Academic Standing and reflects a unit attempt but is not included in the calculation of the student’s Grade Point Average and Weighted Average Mark.	WD
Withdrawn Removed	A grade allocated to a unit attempt after a student has withdrawn after the Census Date, but whose special circumstances meet the criteria within the Higher Education Support Act 2003. The unit attempt is removed from the student’s academic record, and any tuition fees are refunded and/or HELP liability remitted.	W-REM

Part L - Measures of Academic Achievement

(275) A coursework student may be provided with a Grade Point Average (GPA) and/or a Weighted Average Mark (WAM).

(276) A Grade Point Average calculation is available to a coursework student through the student portal for each course.

(277) A Weighted Average Mark calculation is available to a coursework student through the student intranet for each course commenced 1 January 2013 onwards.

(278) Measures of academic achievement may be used as a measure of academic merit according to the particular requirements of an activity including:

assessing the eligibility of an applicant for admission to a Course
determining the awarding of a scholarship, prize or medal
determining the grade of honours
allocating a prize or acknowledgement of student academic merit such as a University medal.

(279) The Measures of Academic Achievement are calculated automatically for each student for all Coursework courses.

(280) A student can access their Weighted Average Mark (WAM) and Grade Point Average (GPA) through the student portal.

Conditions

(281) Each unit is weighted by its credit point value.

(282) There is no weighting for the unit level at or year in which the unit is taken.

(283) All units undertaken in a course will be included in the automatic calculations of a Grade Point Average and Weighted Average Mark, even if a unit undertaken is not a required unit.

(284) The units with the following grades must not be included:

ungraded Pass (UP),
withdrawn (WD or WE),
withheld (WHE, WHW, WHC),
deferred examination (DX),
continuing unit (CNT/YL, CNT (or KNU)),
non assessable (NAS) or
supplementary assessment (SX).

(285) Multiple attempts in the same unit and within the same course taken at different times must be included in any calculation each time the unit is attempted.

(286) A student who commenced a course from 1 January 2013 onwards will receive a cumulative Grade Point Average and a cumulative Weighted Average Mark, automatically calculated at the end of each teaching period based on a student’s final mark and grade for each unit.

(287) A student who commenced a course prior to 1 January 2013 is only able to receive a cumulative Grade Point Average.

(288) A student admitted into a bachelor course with embedded honours is provided with a Weighted Average Mark and Grade Point Average that combines the honours and the bachelor units into a single cumulative total.

(289) Unless a final mark and final grade is recorded on the student management system, advanced standing for prior studies or concurrent studies (e.g. cross-institutional study) is excluded from any automated or manual calculations.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

(290) The Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by converting the final grade in each unit into a Converted Grade Score, and then applying the formula below to three decimal places.

Table 11: Converted Grade Scores used in Grade Point Average calculation

Grade	Acronym	Converted GRADE score
High Distinction	HD	7
Distinction	DI	6
Credit	CR	5
Pass	P	4
Supplementary Pass	SP	3
Fail	NW	0
	NX	0
	NC	0
	NN	0

(291) GPA formula

∑ (Converted Grade Score x Credit Points), Divided By
∑ (Credit Points)

Weighted Average Mark (WAM)

(292) A Weighted Average Mark (WAM) is expressed as a number between 0 and 100, and then applying the formula below to one decimal place.

(293) The Weighted Average Mark is automatically calculated using final mark awarded in a unit and the unit’s corresponding credit point value.

(294) WAM formula

∑ (mark x Credit Points), Divided By
∑ (Credit Points)

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Section 4 - Reporting

(295) Student Connect, in consultation with faculty, will submit a regular reports to the Academic Quality Standards Committee (AQSC) on unresolved pending grades as scheduled in its workplan.

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Section 5 - Roles and Responsibilities

WHO	RESPONSIBILITIES
Academic Board	As set out in the University of Canberra (Academic Board) Rules 2021.
Associate Dean, Education or delegate	In consultation with Unit Conveners: quality assurance of summative assessment prior to provision to students provision of details of approved exams to Student Connect for timetabling in the Final Assessment Period monitor and implement moderation and external referencing/benchmarking activities to ensure that suitable processes and reporting mechanisms are in place at unit, course and/or program level may approve late withdrawal of a student may approve deferral of a faculty-managed deferred exam timetabled during a teaching or Final Assessment Period (that is, excluding final exams timetabled by Student Connect in the Final Assessment Period) may exempt units from supplementary assessment requests when it is pedagogically justifiable, relevant to the unit learning outcomes or to external accreditation may approve revisions to summative assessment after initial course approval (Faculty Board may also do this as set out in the Delegations of Authority) may approve Amendment to Unit Results (AUR) form submitted by Unit Convener may vary the number of summative assessments for every three credit points if supported by pedagogical evidence.
Curriculum Committee	As set out in the Curriculum Committee Charter.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Academic	Policy Sponsor (as defined in the Policy Framework Procedure) of this policy.
Faculty Assessment Board	As set out in the Faculty Assessment Board Charter.
Faculty Board	As set out in the Faculty Board Charter.
InclusionUC	Provide students with a disability and/or ongoing health condition(s) and Elite Athletes with specialised support Provide information to facilitate, promote and ensure equal participation in their educational journey
Ngunnawal Centre	Provide study support, online resources and one-on-one guidance sessions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor	Policy Custodian (as defined in the Policy Framework Procedure) of this policy.
Academic Quality Standards Committee	As set out in the Academic Quality and Standards Committee Charter.
University Research Committee	As set out in the University Research Committee Charter.
Executive Dean	Ensure teaching quality and quality assurance of Assessment May approve an Exam May approve up to an additional hour of time allocated to an Exam in a unit where it is pedagogically justifiable or required for external accreditation or professional registration purposes.
Student	Complete each summative assessment in a unit by the due date published in the unit outline. Contact the unit convener or other academic teaching staff detailed in the unit outline to discuss any aspect of unit assessment, if needed. May request supplementary assessment if eligible, and apply for extensions and deferrals as needed, and seek support for reasonable adjustments.
Student Connect	For exams undertaken in the Final Assessment Period (excluding practical exams), Student Connect is responsible for the organisation and management of all timetabling, invigilation, proctoring, deferrals and communication to students and Unit Conveners. Release final and pending grades to students. If the published results released date for teaching has passed, Student Connect is responsible for releasing marks and final grades to the student upon completion of an Amendment to Unit Results Form by the Unit Convenor approved by the Associate Dean of Education. Change the student’s final grade for the unit to the fail grade NC if: a student is granted a deferred exam and subsequently does not sit the deferred exam, and/or a DX result has not been resolved within six weeks of the original timetabled examination date. Send reminders to faculties for the resolution of withheld grades before the resolution deadline. Grant a late withdrawal from the unit if an application to extend a withheld grade is not approved. Custody of student paper-based exams at the completion of an exam for collection by the Unit Convener upon presentation of their University ID card or other photogenic ID. For computer-based exams including online proctored exams, Student Connect is responsible for: arranging a location modification for a student with a Reasonable Adjustment Plan. monitoring the virtual room during the exam Confirm that the student meets the eligibility criteria for supplementary assessment.
Student Equity and Participation	Implement relationship-based programs and services for people from traditionally under-represented cohorts Encourage and provide for access and participation in university
Student Wellbeing & International Support	Provide support to students for a range of matters, including the grievance process, international student support, and/or personal or extenuating circumstances that may impact a student throughout the study
Study Skills	Provide face-to-face and online study help programs for UC and UCC students
Unit Convener, or as delegated by the Dean.	Implement assessment in a unit as approved by Academic Board or by subsequent revision approved by the Associate Dean, Education. Provide assessment instructions Implement moderation Develop the summative assessment rubric for each assessment Manage and mark student work Allocate marks and grades to a student Apply adjustments to assessment Ensure timely provision of feedback Ensure assessment marks are returned to students as described in the Assessment Procedure Review overall student performance in a unit Review assessment design in a unit May approve the repetition of a failed weighted hurdle assessment May approve a deferred exam May approve a supplementary assessment Manage moderation of final marks and grades Import final marks into GradeLink Assign relevant pending grades Contribute to the Faculty review of marks and grades process Ensure storage of assessment records Manage and submit Amendment to Unit Results (AURs) Ensure submission of moderated final marks and final grades for review by Faculty Assessment Board Resolve pending grades Respond to a student grievance if required under the Student Grievance Resolution Policy.

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Section 6 - Policies and Supportive Information

(296) Academic Integrity Policy.

(297) Academic Integrity Procedure.

(298) Assessment Policy.

(299) Australian Qualifications Framework.

(300) Course Policy.

(301) Course Procedure: Courses and Course Components.

(302) Course Procedure: Monitoring, Review and Improvement.

(303) Courses and Units Closure and Revision Policy.

(304) Courses and Units Closure and Revision Procedure.

(305) DITM and Records Management Policy Manual

(306) Graduate Attributes Policy

(307) Intellectual Property Policy

(308) Intellectual Property Procedure

(309) Student Reasonable Adjustment Guidelines

(310) Student Grievance Resolution Policy

(311) Student Success Framework

(312) Support for Student Policy

(313) UCLearn (Canvas) Teaching Site Publishing Procedures

(314) Unit Outline Procedure

(315) University’s Records, Information and Data Management Policy

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Section 7 - Definitions

Term	Definition
Academic Integrity	Has the same meaning as set out in the Academic Integrity Policy.
Academic Staff	Has the same meaning set out in the Enterprise Agreement and may include a person who is a Senior Manager.
Adjustment	An action approved by InclusionUC that has the effect of supporting a Student enrolled in the Elite Athlete Program to achieve the learning outcomes of a unit, so they are not disadvantaged by the requirements of being an Elite Athlete. The Adjustments must be implemented in accordance with the Elite Athlete Program Adjustment Guidelines (see also Reasonable Adjustment and Reasonable Adjustment Plan).
Affiliate	Includes Educational Partner teaching staff, clinical title holders, adjunct, and honorary appointees, consultants and contractors to the University, holders of offices in University entities, members of boards of University foundations, members of University committees, and any other persons appointed or engaged by the University to perform duties or functions on its behalf.
AQF levels	Has the same meaning given in the Australian Qualification Framework. (See also Field of Education.)
Assessment	Has the same meaning given in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Statute 2015 and includes Bachelor Honours Degree types as described in the Course Procedure: Courses and Course Components.
Assessment (See also summative assessment)	Assessment that is required to be attempted and submitted within the teaching period in which a student is enrolled in a unit.
Assessment Instructions	Instructions on how to prepare for and complete an assessment.
Assessment method	The pedagogical approach to assessing students. For example, practical, clinical, theoretical, collaborative, research, authentic, reflective, and Work Integrated Learning (WIL).
Assessment type	The format of the assessment (for example, presentation, lab report, portfolio).
Attempt, attempted	The point at which a student either: submits a summative assessment, noting that the summative assessment may or not be completed, or commences an exam. An attempted summative assessment contributes to the final mark and final grade of the unit, whether completed or not completed.
Authentic assessment	Assessment that enables students to demonstrate knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that are relevant to future work, using real-world contexts, scenarios, and problems.
Award	Has the same meaning given in the University of Canberra Courses and Awards (Courses of Study) Rules 2023.
Bachelor honours degree course	Has the same meaning given in the Australian Qualifications Framework.
Census Date	The last date before which a student can withdraw from a unit and not incur a financial or academic penalty in respect of that unit, and aligns with the meaning given in the Higher Education Support Act 2003.
Competency-based Exam (refer Practical Exam)	Evaluation of a student’s ability to apply theoretical knowledge, including that related to generic skills and discipline specific skills. A Competency-based exam may involve a series of theoretical questions and/or statements (e.g., case study) and/or practical activities (e.g., simulation, role play, simulation of professional and/or clinical skills).
Course Learning Outcomes	Refer to Learning Outcomes.
Coursework	Has the same meaning given in the Course Policy.
Coursework course	Has the same meaning given in the Course Policy.
Coursework student	Has the same meaning given in the University of Canberra (Academic Progress) Rules 2022.
Coursework unit	Has the same meaning given in the Course Policy.
Deferred	A summative assessment that is attempted after the original summative assessment, and in accordance with specified timelines.
Deferred of Deferred	A summative assessment that is attempted after a deferred summative assessment, and in accordance with specified timelines.
Diagnostic activity	An activity or assessment used to collect data on a student’s existing knowledge of a topic.
Discipline	Has the same meaning given in the Australian Qualifications Framework.
Early assessment or review	A summative assessment or formative activity that is designed to: provide feedback prior to the census date of each teaching period facilitate within-unit monitoring of academic progress, and identify academic support needs. In addition to one early summative assessment prior to Census date, early assessment and review activities may also include formative assessment and/or diagnostic activitie.
Exam	An invigilated time-bound assessment.
Feedback	Information provided to a student about the student’s performance in relation to their progress towards demonstrating achievement of one or more learning outcomes.
Field of Education (FoE)	Has the same meaning given in the Australian Standard Classification of Education.
Field of Education Code	As described in the Australian Standard Classification of Education 2001.
Field of Study	Has the same meaning given in the Australian Qualifications Framework. (See also Discipline and Field of Education Code.)
Final Assessment Period	The last two weeks of a semester, or other specified time in a different teaching period, where the final summative assessment of a unit is due or timetabled.
Final Mark	The cumulative sum of marks allocated to each summative assessment with weighting applied expressed as a number between 0 and 100.
Final Unit	The last unit of a coursework course that is required for a student to complete all requirements for their course.
Formative activity	An activity that facilitates learning, and development and acquisition of skills and knowledge and application of skills and knowledge, including generic skills that does not contribute towards the final mark and final grade.
Grade, Grades	A word or words that describe and attribute a level of attainment for the range of final marks of a unit (for example, High Distinction, Distinction, Credit, Pass).
Gradebook	An online tool that stores marking and grading information. It is a component of the University’s Learning Management System.
Grade Point Average (GPA)	An indicator of academic achievement of a course that is calculated using grades awarded to a student on the completion of a unit of study, and expressed as a number between 0 and 7.
Graduate Attributes	The generic skills and attributes that students are intended to develop that are consistent with the Level, and Field of Study as set out in the Graduate Attributes Policy.
Hurdle	A hurdle is a requirement or standard that a student must meet or exceed to progress within a unit or to meet a unit’s academic requirements. (See also Hurdle activity and Hurdle assessment.)
Hurdle activity	A course requirement relevant to external professional accreditation or professional registration requirements, Work Integrated Learning and Academic Integrity and does not contribute to the final mark or grade of a unit but must be completed within a specified time or at specified time intervals to successfully pass a unit (for example, Preparation for WIL module, pre-placement requirements, LANTITE). A student must successfully pass a hurdle activity to pass a unit.
Hurdle assessment	An assessment which a student must satisfactorily complete or demonstrate in order to pass a unit (for example a competency based assessment)
Invigilate, Invigilation	The observation of a student for the duration of an assessment, either by a human or by Proctoring software. Refer to Proctoring.
LANTITE	Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education.
Learning Management System (LMS)	The online location where progressively awarded Marks and Grades are stored for each Coursework Unit.
Learning Outcomes	Has the same meaning given in the Australian Qualifications Framework. Learning Outcomes apply within a Unit (Unit Learning Outcomes) and across a Course (Course Learning Outcomes).
Major Research Component	A unit or a set of units in a Bachelor Honours Degree or a Masters Degree (Coursework) where the outcomes of the summative assessment results in an increase in the dimension of knowledge which is communicated through a thesis or an equivalent research-focused body of work, including a capstone experience, a piece of scholarship or a research-based project.
Mark, Marks	The numeric value awarded to a summative assessment.
Moderation, moderated	A set of quality assurance processes to ensures marks and final marks and grades allocated to a summative assessment are fair, reliable and valid.
Not weighted	The term used to indicate that an assessment or learning activity that does not contribute to the final mark and final grade of a unit. (see formative activity and diagnostic activity)
Peer review, peer reviewed	A quality assurance process undertaken by an academic peer to ensure the appropriateness and validity of summative assessment descriptions and instructions, including the summative assessment rubric. Peer review may include the provision of feedback.
Pending grade	A grade allocated for an interim time where a student has not yet completed all required assessment.
Placements and Internships	Work experience (that takes place at the workplace) under the supervision of the faculty and the workplace supervisor.
Practical Exam	A ‘hands-on’ exam that puts a student’s theoretical learning into a practical assessment.
Proctoring	A form of online invigilation that uses a computer’s webcam and microphone to record a student’s face and eyes and any speech, as well as the internet screen being accessed. Refer to Invigilate.
Quiz	A short test of knowledge, typically including one or more question formats, such as multiple choice, fill in the blanks, true or false and short answer.
Reasonable adjustment	Has the same meaning given in the Disability Standards for Education 2005. See Student Reasonable Adjustment Guidelines.
Reasonable Adjustment Plan	An electronic or hard copy document developed by InclusionUC in collaboration with a student that provides the approved reasonable adjustments for a student in accordance with the requirements of the Disability Standards for Education 2005. See Student Reasonable Adjustment Guidelines.
Register of Courses	Has the same meaning given in the University of Canberra (Courses and Awards) Statute 2010.
Research	Has the same meaning given in the Australian Qualifications Framework.
Research Student	Has the same meaning given in the University of Canberra (Academic Progress) Rules 2022.
Short release assessment	An assessment opened to students with a short timeframe for completion.
Student (Coursework Student and Research Student)	Has the same meaning given in the University of Canberra (Academic Progress) Rules 2022.
Summative assessment	An assessment that evaluates a student’s knowledge and skills and application of knowledge and skills provided in the learning outcomes, including the relevant graduate attributes, and contributes to the final mark and the final grade of a unit.
Summative Assessment Rubric	A summative assessment resource that explicitly conveys the assessment criteria and expected standards of performance to a Student and the basis for pre-assessment moderation for markers.
Teaching period	A semester, term or such other period that corresponds to the way in which the course or unit is offered. A teaching period may include a final assessment period.
Thesis	A research output of a course that includes a Major Research Component, or is a Higher Degree by Research.
Unit	Has the same meaning given in the University of Canberra Courses and Awards (Courses of Study) Rules 2023.
Unit attempt	A unit in which a student continues to be enrolled in after the census date of a teaching period.
Unit learning outcomes	Refer to Learning outcomes.
Unit Outline	A document that includes the approved details and requirements of a unit, including assessment requirements and relevant policy and procedure requirements.
Weighted Average Mark (WAM)	A numerical mark expressed as a number between 0 and 100 indicating academic achievement across a course, calculated from the final mark awarded to a unit and its credit point value.
Weighted, Weighting	A number expressed between 0 and 100 that is equivalent to the percent the Assessment contributes to the Final Mark of a Unit.
Work Integrated Learning (WIL)	A form of experiential learning where theoretical knowledge and disciplinary skills are integrated with authentic work experiences and practices within relevant professional contexts.
Work Integrated Learning Project	A project, or activity, that engages individuals or teams to respond to a real-world problem or opportunity under the guidance of the faculty and client, or the faculty.