• Purpose
• Section 1 - Scope
• Section 2 - Policy
• Section 3 - Guidance
• Overview of learning validation conversations
• Guidance for students
• Guidance for academic staff
• Frequently asked questions
• What is an LVC, and what is it not?
• When should an LVC occur?
• What format should an LVC take?
• What are the possible outcomes of an LVC?
• Can a student opt out of an LVC?
• What happens if a student refuses to participate in an LVC?
• Section 4 - Roles and responsibilities
• Section 5 - Implementation and reporting
• Section 6 - Definitions

Purpose

(1) This Guideline sets out the approach to facilitating a Learning Validation Conversation (LVC) for a summative assessment (assessment) between an academic staff member and a student.

(2) The purpose of an LVC is to:

1. help build a culture of academic and research integrity;
2. assist in mitigating threats to assessment integrity; and
3. provide assurance that a student is able to demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills to meet required learning outcomes.

Section 1 - Scope

(3) This Guideline applies to works submitted for assessment in a coursework unit in any University of Canberra (the University) and University of Canberra College (UCC) course.

(4) This guideline DOES NOT apply to progression towards the submission of a research thesis for work-in-progress review, or final submission, in a higher degree by research course.

Section 2 - Policy

(5) This Guideline supports the Assessment Policy.

Section 3 - Guidance

Overview of learning validation conversations

(6) The University is committed to ensuring that its students graduate with the skills and knowledge required for them to be successful in the workplace and as lifelong learners.

(7) A Learning Validation Conversation (LVC) is a means to ascertain if a student has met the learning outcomes linked to a summative assessment.

(8) The purpose of LVCs must be explained to students as part of the introduction to all coursework units and information about LVCs is included in unit teaching sites.

(9) An LVC may be required when the authenticity of a submitted assessment is in doubt and will be used to:

1. assure that the submitted assessment is an accurate reflection of the student’s own learning;
2. provide assurance a student did not make use of contract cheating services;
3. provide assurance a student did not make inappropriate use of generative artificial intelligence services in the completion of an assessment; and
4. ensure no other forms of academic misconduct identified in the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023.

(10) An LVC should occur only after an assessment has been marked, moderated, and received a passing grade but prior to the grade and any feedback being released to the student.

(11) An LVC will be held no later than 15 working days after the submission deadline.

(12) If an LVC will result in a delay to the return of marks to the student beyond that stipulated in the Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedures, the student should be notified of this delay before feedback and grades are due to be released. This should not result in a delay in the release of marks and feedback to other students.

(13) The result of a LVC is binary. It will be either:

1. Demonstrated: The student has demonstrated they have met the learning outcomes and receives the agreed, moderated mark for the assessment; or
2. Not Demonstrated: The student is unable to demonstrate they have met the learning outcomes, and the matter is referred to a Prescribed Authority for further investigation in accordance with the Academic Integrity Policy and Academic Integrity Procedure.

(14) An LVC cannot result in a change to the agreed and moderated mark for an assessment unless a student refuses to participate in an LVC.

(15) If a student refuses to participate in the LVC process, the matter is referred to a Prescribed Authority for further investigation in accordance with the Academic Integrity Policy and Academic Integrity Procedure.

(16) An LVC does not constitute an alternative or supplementary assessment.

(17) A student may request adjustments to the format of an LVC in line with their Reasonable Adjustment Plan and/or due to approved special circumstances.

Guidance for students

(18) Students:

1. must assume they may be asked to participate in an LVC for any summative assessment in any coursework unit;
2. will be provided with the link to the Guideline by the academic staff member when the LVC appointment is scheduled;
3. will be advised of the material to be discussed before the LVC and that they should bring a copy of the assessment with them if practicable;
4. may bring another person to the LVC but that person must not be enrolled in the same unit, and that person must not respond to, or contribute to, any response to a question put to the student;
5. do not receive a mark as an outcome of an LVC, only a demonstrated/not demonstrated result relevant to the assessment learning outcome(s) (see Clause 12, above); and
6. will be advised that records of the LVC will be kept to ensure fairness and accuracy.

(19) It is recommended that students:

1. keep records of the development process for all works submitted for assessment, or drafts of works submitted for a work-in-progress review, in a learning portfolio or equivalent; and
2. provide their learning portfolio or equivalent records of their learning process to the academic staff member in the LVC and explain their assessment development process, noting that a learning portfolio might include diverse materials specific to a discipline or subject area – typical information may include:
   1. EndNote records;
   2. records of any academic support sought from academic staff, Study Skills, or Ask Advisors;
   3. drafts of written work, designs or physical objects; and
   4. prompts and materials from a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) services.

Guidance for academic staff

(20) LVCs will:

1. be held as soon as practical and no later than 15 working days after the submission date of an assessment;
2. only be used when a student will receive a pass grade or better for a summative assessment;
3. be 15 minutes or less in duration;
4. be online or face-to-face with the format determined by agreement between the student and the academic staff member;
5. only includes questions directly relevant to the learning outcome(s) associated with the particular assessment, and the learning and/or research processes undertaken by the students in developing the works submitted;
6. be paused if and when academic misconduct is suspected, and the case referred to a Prescribed Authority in accordance with the Academic Integrity Policy and Academic Integrity Procedure; and
7. be recorded if the student and academic staff member both agree.

(21) Academic staff member facilitating an LVC will:

1. use the rubric for the assessment to validate the student’s ability to demonstrate the learning outcome(s) for the assessment;
2. maintain records of each LVC and record the outcome in the relevant teaching site’s gradebook;
3. may identify skills or knowledge gaps or recommend students access academic skills services as the outcome of an LVC.

(22) Unit Convener will report on LVCs and their outcomes as part of the grades review process for Faculty Assessment Board.

Frequently asked questions

What is an LVC, and what is it not?

(23) A Learning Validation Conversation (LVC) involves a member of academic staff discussing a student’s assessment with them. It is used to assure that a student can demonstrate the learning outcomes linked to a specific summative assessment.

(24) An academic staff member may have a concern that an assessment is not a reflection of a student’s own learning when they note:

1. references or information included are not relevant to or only tangentially relevant to the assessment;
2. inclusion of language or information inconsistent with what has been discussed in classes, required/recommended readings or other learning activities;
3. the style or quality of the submission is significantly different to previous, recently submitted assessment by that student;
4. what is submitted for assessment is different to drafts or works in progress reviewed by the academic staff member during the teaching period prior to assessment submission; or
5. elements of the style, imagery, or other factors suggest some or all of the material was output from a generative AI (GenAI) service and the use of GenAI has not been referenced correctly and/or not completely.

(25) An LVC IS NOT intended to be an alternative to a preliminary informal inquiry conducted by a Prescribed Authority (see Rule 10(2) of the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023). Whenever there is sufficient grounds and evidence to support an allegation of academic misconduct, the correct response is to report the matter to a Prescribed Authority, not to hold an LVC.

(26) An LVC IS NOT an examination, or re-examination, of the student’s work. You should not repeat the whole assessment task, but rather validate the student’s performance against the learning outcomes.

(27) An LVC IS NOT to be used as an additional assessment and is not to be used to change the mark awarded to an assessment.

When should an LVC occur?

(28) An LVC should occur if there are reasonable grounds to suspect work submitted for a summative assessment is not the product of a student’s own learning. When this is the case, the assessment should be marked and moderated as normal, and an LVC arranged to occur prior to the release of grades and feedback to the student.

(29) An LVC should only occur if the submitted assessment has, after moderation, attained a passing grade or above.

(30) An LVC should be arranged as soon as practical and no later than 15 working days after the submission date of an assessment. If this results in a delay to the release of marks, the student should be notified prior to the release date.  Memory decays rapidly, so holding an LVC too long after the completion of an assessment could be unreliable.

What format should an LVC take?

(31) An LVC should last between 10 and 15 minutes (no more than 15 minutes) and focus on the process the student completed in preparing for and completing the assessment. It can be held face-to-face or virtually, as agreed between the student and academic staff member. A detailed record of the LVC should be kept and, if both parties agree, it is recommended that an LVC is recorded.

(32) An LVC should only include questions relevant to the assessment criteria for the assessment, the learning outcome(s) for that assessment, and the learning process taken by the student in developing their assessment. Ideally the questions focus on the application of the concepts, skills and knowledge, as relevant to the assessment, aligned to the rubric. The questions must not be deeper, harder, or more complex than the original assessment.

(33) The questions should seek information about the student’s research and development process for preparation of their assessment. The questions below provide an idea of how to structure an LVC, and can be modified as appropriate to the discipline, topic, and task. Remember, these are not designed to replicate the original assessment.

What are the possible outcomes of an LVC?

(34) The results of an LVC are binary (demonstrated/not demonstrated). Either a student:

1. has demonstrated the learning outcome(s) of the assessment, and receives the moderated mark (without adjustment); or
2. has not demonstrated the learning outcome(s) of the assessment and the case is referred to a Prescribed Authority for further investigation under Rule 10 of the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023.

(35) A student may be referred to academic services for additional support to enhance their understanding and practice of academic integrity.

Can a student opt out of an LVC?

(36) Normally, no. Exceptionally, a student may request the LVC be completed in a different format (for example, in line with a Reasonable Adjustment Plan). A student may delay an LVC if there are approved special circumstances.

What happens if a student refuses to participate in an LVC?

(37) You may withhold the student’s grade until they have completed an LVC. If a student declines to participate in an LVC without good cause, the matter is referred to a Prescribed Authority for further investigation in accordance with the Academic Integrity Policy and Academic Integrity Procedure.

Section 4 - Roles and responsibilities

Section 5 - Implementation and reporting

(38) The Faculty Assessment Board will provide an annual report to Faculty Boardon the outcomes from LVCs facilitated.

Section 6 - Definitions