The Assessment Procedure has been updated, effective from Semester 1, 2024. The version that was in effect until 11 February 2024 is available to view online.

To request a copy of an earlier (rescinded) version of the procedure, please contact the Governance team on governance@uq.edu.au

Policy

Assessment - Policy

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1.0 Purpose and Scope

  1. The purpose of this policy is to establish key principles and values relating to assessment at The University of Queensland.

  2. This policy applies to all students enrolled in, and all staff involved in the delivery of, undergraduate and postgraduate courses at The University of Queensland.

  3. Details of the University's assessment policies in relation to higher degree by research candidates are found in the policies and procedures under 4.60 Higher Degree by Research Candidates.

2.0 Principles and Key Requirements

  1. Assessment involves making judgements about the extent to which students’ work meets identified standards and confirming from these judgements that students’ have attained the learning outcomes. At The University of Queensland assessment is used to achieve the following purposes:

a. engage students in productive learning;

b. provide feedback to guide improvement;

c. inform teaching and learning decision-making;

d. provide evidence of course- and program-level learning outcomes and graduate attributes;

e. provide comprehensive, accurate, consistent and dependable certification of student achievement and program learning outcomes; and

f. maintain professional and disciplinary standards.

  1. The University is committed to the provision of high quality, authentic and engaging assessment practices according to the following principles:

Assessment is a developmental learning activity: The assessment process engages students in timely, meaningful learning activities which develop their capacity to make independent judgements about the quality of their own and others’ work.

Assessment involves mutual responsibility: Teachers have a responsibility to provide timely opportunities for students to demonstrate learning through appropriate assessment tasks and to support learning through effective feedback, as well as to orient students new to university study to university assessment methods and standards. Students have a responsibility to demonstrate evidence of learning through their responses to assessment tasks and to reflect and act on feedback to improve their learning.

Assessment is criterion-referenced: Judgements about the quality of students’ performance are made by reference to explicit or predetermined criteria and standards and not by reference to the achievement of other students.

Assessment is transparent: Students and teachers can see that there is an explicit and logical relationship between assessment tasks, the criteria used as the basis of assessment judgements, and the grades associated with different standards of performance.

Assessment is valid and authentic: Assessment measures the intended learning outcomes and provides a consistent and dependable indication of the quality of students’ performance. The outcomes measured represent appropriate, meaningful, significant and worthwhile forms of accomplishment and the kinds of mastery demonstrated by successful practitioners. An assessment task can be considered authentic when the task challenges a learner to demonstrate knowledge or skill that is needed to negotiate the requirements of a real-life setting.

Assessment is fair and equitable: The content, format and conduct of assessment are designed to ensure that no individuals or groups of students are unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged.

Assessment is a purposeful, professional activity: Assessment is integral to course and program design, review and evaluation. There is: quality assurance of assessment at program- and course-level, and within schools and faculties; collaboration with colleagues to provide the whole-of-program approaches that make assessment a coherent experience for students; and ongoing revision and enhancement of assessment practices.

Assessment is sustainable and workable: Assessment is achievable for teachers and students with reasonable effort within the context of a full time workload as described in section 2.2 of the Course Design Policy.

The design and conduct of assessment according to these principles requires effective collaboration between a number of stakeholders associated with teaching and learning including members of academic and professional staff across the University.

  1. Academic integrity forms a central part of an individual’s intellectual and personal development. Students learn how to uphold values, develop proper skills in research, thinking and writing, and how to behave in an ethical manner.

 

3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities

The academic roles and accountabilities associated with implementation of this policy are specified in the Teaching and Learning Roles and Responsibilities Policy.

 

4.0 Monitoring, Review and Assurance

  1. Review of, and compliance with, this policy is overseen by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and the Academic Board's Teaching and Learning Committee and Assessment Sub-Committee.

  2. The Academic Board's Assessment Sub-Committee undertakes compliance monitoring and submits reports to Teaching and Learning Committee and the senior executive as required.

 

5.0 Recording and Reporting

  1. Details of assessment must be recorded in the Course Profile in accordance with this policy and the Course Design Policy.

  2. Student records including the final grades, applications and University decisions are filed in the student's personal record in SI-net and TRIM.

  3. Records and reports associated with assessment are managed in conjunction with the Information Management Policy and in conjunction with the Annual Programs,Plans and Courses Quality Assurance Procedures.

 

6.0 Appendix

6.1 Definitions, Terms, Acronyms

Criterion - a property or characteristic by which the quality of something may be judged.

Standard - a definite level of achievement aspired to or attained. Standards specify levels of quality (or achievement, or performance) for each criterion.

Academic integrity - the moral code or ethical policy of academia, including:

i. a commitment to the values of honesty, responsibility, transparency, respect, trust and courage; and

ii. the ethical principles that underpin academia and student life, such as maintenance of academic standards; honesty and rigour in assessment responses, research and academic publishing.

 

Custodians
Academic Registrar

Procedures

Assessment - Procedures

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1.0    Purpose and Scope

  1. This Procedure sets out the principles and requirements for coursework studies at the University for:

    1. the design and management of summative assessment,

    2. submission of assessment and extensions to due dates,

    3. assessment re-mark,

    4. finalisation of grades, and

    5. supplementary assessment.

  2. This Procedure applies to all students, and academic and professional staff with responsibility for teaching and/or administration of coursework studies at UQ.

  3. For design and management of examinations, this procedure is to be read in conjunction with the Examinations Procedure.

  4. For details of the University's assessment policies and procedures in relation to higher degree by research candidates, refer to Higher Degree by Research Candidates.

2.0    Process and Key Controls

  1. All assessment at UQ must be designed and implemented in accordance with the principles set out in the Assessment Policy and the requirements set out in this procedure.

  2. The final grade for a course must use the University’s Grading System (section 3.8, and Appendix 7.1).

  3. All aspects of assessment including design, delivery, and outcomes must be regularly monitored and reviewed (section 3.11).

  4. Under specific conditions (section 3.7) students may apply for reconsideration of a mark or grade awarded for an item of assessment.

  5. Students may pursue assessment-related grievances in accordance with the Student Grievance Resolution Policy.

3.0    Key Requirements

3.1    Design and delivery of assessment

3.1.1    Program-level considerations

  1. Assessment must provide systematic opportunities for students to demonstrate progress towards, or achievement of, program-level learning outcomes, including development of professional standards, where appropriate.

  2. Assessment must be mapped to and aligned with program and/or plan-level learning outcomes or, in the case of programs with multiple pathways, mapping is to be based on core courses.

  3. Where feasible, and where there is cohort of students undertaking the same courses, course assessment is designed and scheduled to avoid conflicting submission dates.

  4. A substantial portion of the assessment in any program or plan must be subject to identity verification.

3.1.2    Course-level considerations

  1. Assessment must be designed to be high quality and evidence-based, and generate valid evidence of learning through:

    1. the use of criterion-referenced assessment which makes explicit the relationships among assessment items, learning outcomes, the criteria used as the basis of assessment judgements, and the final grades associated with different levels or standards of performance;

    2. a focus on the quality of learning outcomes (e.g., the quality of tutorial participation or contribution to a group outcome). Attendance, as distinct from attendance and participation, must not contribute to a grade; and

    3. the use of a combination of two or more assessment items (or a multi-component, staged item such as a thesis or a project) which reflect the range and complexity of the learning outcomes. No single assessment item, including assessment sequences but excluding project-based assessments and theses, may contribute more than 60% to the final grade.

  2. Unless it is a pass/fail hurdle requirement, assessment must provide the opportunity to demonstrate a range of competencies in learning from minimum standards to learning of the highest standard.

  3. The work associated with course assessment should be commensurate with the course’s unit value (i.e. a 2-unit course should require students to complete 130-150 learning hours including the time required for assessment purposes). The weightings of assessment items within a course should be commensurate with the importance of the learning outcomes.

  4. In designing and conducting assessment, teaching staff must give due regard to assessment integrity and security to minimise the possibility of undetected academic misconduct. Guidelines are available for Course Coordinators.

  5. Assessment items must be designed such that memorisation or reproduction of answers to previous assessment items will not result in a passing grade.

  6. Up to four summative assessment items may be set for courses worth 2 units, one of which may be an assessment sequence that is collectively worth a minimum of 10% or equivalent. The Associate Dean (Academic) may permit additional summative assessment items, including an additional sequence, if there are sound pedagogical reasons to do so.

  7. Assessment is designed in accordance with the availability and appropriate allocation of resources for the course.

  8. Course Coordinators must specify criteria and standards for each assessment item. These should be aligned with the generic grade descriptors (section 3.8) where appropriate.

  9. Only learning activities and/or assessment items completed during the study period of enrolment, including any approved extensions, may contribute to the student’s grade in that course. The whole or partial use of assessment items previously submitted for the same course, for a course at any institution, or for published material, is not permitted without written permission of the Course Coordinator.

  10. Grades for a course must be awarded using the grade descriptors set out in section 3.8.

3.1.3    Group work

  1. Group assessment can only be used in a course if:

    1. group work is specified as a learning outcome in the course profile;

    2. students have had the opportunity to learn how to work effectively in teams / groups by way of specific training within the course, in a prerequisite course, or in an online module; and

    3. Course Coordinators provide students with resources and support within the course to enable management of situations where individual students or teams require additional support. Directions to these resources and support must be provided in the learning management system.

  2. Guidelines on group work are available to Course Coordinators.

3.1.4    Assessment integrity

  1. Assessment tasks will be designed to ensure that they are completed by the student who receives credit for them. This includes reducing the ability and temptation to engage in academic misconduct and verifying students’ identity where practicable. Guidelines on designing assessment for academic integrity are available to Course Coordinators.

  2. Security, in terms of academic integrity, will be assessed on a program and/or plan basis through the academic program review process, or as necessary due to changes in assessment practice or technology (e.g. detection tools, artificial intelligence etc.). Guidelines on assessing the security of a course or program are available to Course Coordinators.

  3. Situations where cheating is likely to occur will be identified and addressed. Guidelines on designing assessment to preclude cheating, including providing support for students, are available to Course Coordinators.

  4. Academic misconduct should be reported per the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy.

3.1.5    Reasonable adjustments to assessment

  1. A reasonable adjustment or change to assessment may be made in specified circumstances to ensure all students are able to participate equitably in the assessment for a course.

  2. Requests for reasonable adjustments must be made per the Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy.

  3. Reasonable adjustments must maintain the essential learning outcomes for the course or program.

3.1.6    Timing and scheduling of assessment

  1. Assessment items must be spread appropriately across the teaching period.

  2. All assessment items must be due during a scheduled class or at a pre-advised time between 1pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

  3. Despite clause 2, the Associate Dean (Academic), or the Deputy Associate Dean (Academic), may approve a variation to the due time for assessment if the Course Coordinator presents compelling grounds for submission outside of 1pm to 5pm.

  4. Assessment must not be held or due during a revision period.

  5. Examinations must not be held on a Sunday or public holiday.

  6. Despite 3.1.6(5), the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) may permit a variation to scheduling when they consider there are exceptional circumstances.

3.2    Communication of assessment requirements

  1. The course profile for each course must include, or specify the location of, all required information about assessment for that course, including but not limited to:

    1. a description of the assessment, including marking criteria, standards, and due dates for each assessment item,

    2. the method of weighting and aggregating individual pieces of assessment, any hurdle requirements, and the method used to determine a final grade,

    3. whether the assessment item is eligible for an extension request, and/ or supplementary assessment,

    4. late submission penalties,

    5. the way in which generative artificial intelligence may be used,

    6. in the case of oral or practical assessment items, whether the items will be recorded, and

    7. the format of any examination, including permitted materials and equipment per the Examinations Procedure.

  2. The Learning Management System for each course must include a link to the appropriate page in the course profile for each piece of assessment.

  3. Students must take responsibility in relation to assessment information (e.g. late submission of assessment) as listed in the course profile and in related policies and procedures.

  4. Course Coordinators must not alter the structure of assessment after the assessment lockdown date, which is five days after the start of the relevant teaching period for the course. Any changes after the lockdown date must be approved by the Associate Dean (Academic) who may consult with the Academic Registrar.

  5. All changes must be communicated to students promptly via email or an announcement on the Learning Management System. Course profiles must be updated to reflect the change.

3.3    Submission of assessment

3.3.1    General

  1. All summative assessment items should be submitted electronically through the University's Learning Management System, except where it is not practical, for example assessment completed during scheduled classes, written examinations, physical artefact submission, and performance-based assessment.

  2. Selection of an electronic submission method should allow authoritative proof of the date and time of submission and enable text matching (e.g. providing a Turnitin similarity report) to enhance the security of assessment.

  3. Where assignments are submitted through text-matching software (e.g. Turnitin), students must have the opportunity to submit a draft assignment to the software and review the similarity report prior to submission of the final assignment.

  4. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work).

3.3.2    Penalties for late submission

  1. The following penalties apply to late submission of an assessment item, assuming that an extension has not been approved (section 3.4) and that late submission is academically possible (e.g., it does not delay feedback to a cohort, or interfere with course delivery).

Late period recorded from time submission is due

Penalty
(see clause 2 for alternatives)

First 7 periods of 24 hours (or part thereof)

10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item, or one grade per 24 hours if graded on a scale of 1-7, or equivalent penalty if an alternative grading approach is used.

 

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks

More than 7 periods of 24 hours

100%

  1. An alternative penalty or time period may be set provided it is approved by the Associate Dean (Academic) or the Deputy Associate Dean (Academic) as academically justified, inclusive of diverse student needs, and communicated in the course profile.

3.4    Extensions to assessment due date

3.4.1    General

  1. This section applies to assessment items that have a specified due date for submission as set out in the course profile. It does not apply to examinations held during scheduled classes, in-semester Saturday, end of semester examination period or deferred examination periods (Examinations Procedure) even though these have specified due dates.

  2. A student may apply for an extension if they are unable to meet an assessment deadline due to extenuating circumstances (section 3.4.3).

  3. Extensions for group work assessment may be available and will require a single request submitted per 3.4.2(1) with agreement from at least 50% of the members of the group, and recognition of potential impacts on the other group members. Student Access Plans for an individual student do not guarantee an extension for the assessment item.

  4. An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered, must not exceed four weeks in total. Where a student is incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, they might be advised to apply for removal of course. See 3.4.4(2) for an exception.

  5. Where the maximum extension limit for an assessment item is less than four weeks, it must be pedagogically justifiable, and explicitly stated in the course profile.

  6. Provided it is feasible for the assessment item to be submitted (e.g., an electronically submitted item), an extension granted to a student will not exceed the number of days stated on the supporting documentation.

3.4.2    Application

  1. A request for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through my.UQ as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed, but no later than the assessment item submission due date and time.

  2. A request for an extension to an assessment due date must be accompanied by supporting documentation corroborating the reason for the request (section 3.4.3). A scanned image or copy of the supporting documentation is acceptable.

  3. Requests for extensions received after the assessment item submission due date and time per 3.4.2(1), must include evidence of the reason for the late request, and will require the decision maker listed in section 2.3.2 of the Student Grievance Resolution Procedure to accept the request for consideration.

3.4.3    Grounds for extensions

A student may be eligible for an extension to the assessment due date on the grounds outlined in the Table of Acceptable Reasons and Evidence for Extensions to Assessment.

3.4.3.1    Medical reasons

  1. Requests for extensions to assessment due dates based on medical grounds must include supporting documentation obtained on or before the assessment item due date, and provided by:

    1. a registered medical practitioner or registered nurse; or

    2. a registered pharmacist, obtained on the assessment item submission due date, noting that this may only be for that one day; or

    3. a statement from a counsellor, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

    4. despite clause 1, under exceptional circumstances (e.g., a period of hospitalisation or an evidenced inability to attend a medical appointment), and only where sufficient explanation and evidence is provided, documentation obtained after the submission due date may be accepted.

  2. Documentation must not be provided by a near relative or close associate of the student.

  3. The University reserves the right to check the validity of the documentation.

3.4.3.2    Student Access Plan

  1. Students with Student Access Plans are required to apply for an extension per section 3.4.2.

  2. The Student Access Plan must clearly state any provisions for extensions to assessment due dates.

3.4.3.3    Exceptional circumstances

  1. The University considers an exceptional circumstance to:

    1. be a serious personal circumstance that is out of the control of the student, and that the student could not reasonably have prevented or accommodated;

    2. have had a significant and demonstrably negative effect on the student’s ability to study or undertake an assessment; and

    3. additionally, the timing of the circumstances must be directly relevant to the affected assessments and/or period of study.

  2. If a request for extension is based on exceptional circumstances, all elements of 3.4.3.3 (1) must be evidenced with supporting documentation or information.

  3. Acceptable exceptional circumstances can be found in the Table of Acceptable Reasons and Evidence for Extensions to Assessment.

3.4.3.4    Unacceptable grounds

  1. The following are not grounds for an extension, including but not limited to:

    1. computer or internet problems,

    2. holiday arrangements,

    3. misreading an assignment due date or time,

    4. unexpected events causing the loss of a few hours of study time close to the due date,

    5. difficulty studying effectively or adjusting to the demands of university life,

    6. visa or financial problems,

    7. everyday levels of stress and/or anxiety associated with employment and/or studying, or

    8. ordinary family events or commitments.

  2. Dysfunctional group dynamics, poor performance by individual group members, or illness or other issues of a group member are generally not considered sufficient grounds for an extension on submission of a group assessment item. These issues should be actively managed by the group and the Course Coordinator as appropriate, during semester.

3.4.4    Approval

  1. The Course Coordinator or delegate has responsibility to assess an extension request against the criteria and may:

    1. grant an extension to a timescale that is commensurate with the extenuating circumstances and is not unfair to other students in the course (e.g. the extension would delay feedback to the course cohort), or

    2. determine the student is ineligible and deny the request.

  2. Despite 3.4.1(4), in exceptional circumstances, the Associate Dean (Academic) or the Deputy Associate Dean (Academic) may approve an extension beyond four weeks with appropriate pedagogical rationale.

  3. Students may appeal the outcome of an extension request though the grievance process.

3.5    Provision of feedback on assessment

  1. In addition to the mark or grade awarded, feedback must be promptly provided on all assessment items, including examinations, to enable students to apply the feedback to further items within the course or program and/or plan, supplementary assessment, requests for re-mark, or re-enrolment. The form of feedback provided must be appropriate to the item’s weighting, timing, and context, and with reference to criteria and standards.

  2. Where possible, directed and early formative feedback, to provide students with a sense of progress on their learning to enable them to attempt summative assessment in the course, should be provided prior to Census date.

  3. A student may request further detailed feedback about their performance on an assessment item by lodging a written request with the Course Coordinator. The Course Coordinator will arrange for the feedback to be provided to the student in a timely manner, typically within 14 calendar days.

3.6    Assessment judgements

3.6.1    The basis of judgements

  1. Assessment judgements must:

    1. be made with reference to criteria and standards; and

    2. reflect the quality of the student’s performance.

  2. Where more than one marker is used for a particular assessment item, agreement must be achieved:

    1. prior to marking about the intention of each standard’s wording and how the standards will be applied to submitted work; and

    2. post marking to ensure the application of standards to assessed work is consistent.

  3. Negative marking (i.e., the practice of awarding negative marks for providing incorrect answers, including for multiple-choice questions or formula marking to correct for guessing) is not permitted.

  4. All submissions must be reviewed and allocated a mark or grade in line with assessment criteria. For example:

    1. A submission must be marked even if it does not comply with a particular formatting requirement (e.g., if a different reference style is used to that specified). The content of the submission must be assessed, and the element of non-compliance marked through a separate criterion.

    2. If a submission is missing a particular section, that section should receive a mark of zero or equivalent, and the other sections should be marked according to the specified criteria.

    3. If a submission exceeds the specified word limit, the content of the submission must be assessed and the element of non-compliance marked through a separate criterion, and/or the assessment marked up to the specified word limit.

  5. 3.6.1(4) does not apply where the format in which the assessment has been submitted precludes marking (e.g., a hard copy of software code that cannot be run).

3.6.2    Moderation

  1. Moderation is an important part of quality assurance at all stages of assessment. It should enable equitable outcomes for students in a timely manner.

  2. Moderation is the responsibility of the Course Coordinator.

  3. Moderation must be conducted with reference to criteria and standards to ensure consistency of judgements about the work of:

    1. students within a course,

    2. students in different classes or groups within a single course,

    3. students within a course with different markers,

    4. students within a course whose work has been peer-assessed or self-assessed, and

    5. students taking the same course in different semesters or years (section 3.11).

  4. Moderation by more than one staff member within a course may involve discussion of the way the standards have been applied to assessed work, and/or review of the application of standards prior to marking.

3.6.3    Avoidance of bias and conflicts of interest

  1. Anonymous marking is undertaken where feasible.

  2. When a near relative or close associate is enrolled in a course for which a staff member is involved in the assessment:

    1. the staff member is not to participate in the marking of assessment or the determination of a final grade, and must inform their supervisor (e.g., Head of School, Executive Dean) of the potential conflict at the earliest opportunity, and

    2. the supervisor will determine arrangements for assessment including setting examination questions, marking assessment, and the roles of other staff members involved in the course; an external examiner may be necessary in some cases. If any doubt exists, the supervisor is to contact the Associate Dean (Academic).

3.6.4    Documentation of assessment judgements

  1. To ensure the integrity of assessment and to enhance feedback on assessment, clear records must be kept of assessment and/or the evaluation of assessment against the criteria and standards, including when the work does not generate evidence that can be referred to after the assessment. For example, for assessment in the form of a supervised placement, or a practical demonstration, one or more of the following are used:

    1. two markers are used, and/ or

    2. the assessment is recorded.

  2. When a student is required to complete an oral or practical assessment item worth 20% or more, the performance will be recorded and retained in accordance with Appendix 7.1.

  3. The Associate Dean (Academic) may waive the recording of an assessment performance under 3.6.4(2) if they are satisfied that one or more of the following apply:

    1. the assessment occurs in a setting where recording is not permitted (e.g., a clinical setting where recording will compromise patient privacy and confidentiality);

    2. it is not feasible to record the content due to the structure or format of the assessment (e.g., objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE)); or

    3. the filming process will disrupt the assessment performance and/or compromise assessment validity.

  4. Where the recording of an assessment performance is waived, the course profile will clearly state what other means will be used to document the performance (e.g., written notes).

3.6.5    The method of representing and aggregating results

  1. The aggregation of the results of individual assessment items to determine a course grade must ensure that the course grade aligns with the generic descriptor for that grade. For example, the aggregation must ensure that a course grade of 4 reflects demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

  2. Variations to grade cut-offs after the assessment lockdown date may be permissible where there is a justifiable academic reason for the change:

    1. on the approval of the Head of School, grade cut-offs may be lowered where the change does not disadvantage students; and

    2. on the approval of the Associate Dean (Academic) in consultation with the Academic Registrar, grade cut-offs may be increased.

3.6.6    Release of assessment item marks and grades

  1. Students are provided with their individual marks and grades only, not those of other students. Results must not be displayed in public places or student forums (e.g. physical or online noticeboards).

  2. On completion of moderation of marking, results for all summative assessment items, except the final assessment item, are to be made available to individual students through the learning management system, in a timely fashion and, where practicable, prior to any final assessment item.

  3. The final assessment item and the marks for the assessment item are to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released (section 3.9). The marks must be released through the learning management system.

  4. Despite 3.6.6(2), the Academic Registrar may approve the early release of marks for a final assessment item.

  5. Staff must not disclose any information to unauthorised persons about the marks or grades of a particular student.

3.7    Assessment re-mark

3.7.1    General

  1. Where a student believes the judgement of their work against the marking criteria and standards and the resulting mark or grade does not reflect their performance, they may have grounds to submit a re-mark request (section 3.7.2).

  2. Reconsideration of a mark that involves review of the academic judgement will be treated as a re-mark request.

  3. Re-mark requests may be made for individual or group assessment, per the table below.

Assessment

Request, as measured against the published assessment criteria

Assessment submitted individually

Student makes individual request for assessment item

Group work with individually-marked components

Student can make individual request for individually-marked component

Group work (or components of group work) where a group (i.e. common) mark is awarded.

At least 50% of the group members must agree for the group-marked submission or component(s) to be re-marked

Peer assessment factor of group work

Student makes individual request for re-mark of the peer assessment factor

  1. If the mark is found to be incorrect due to a mathematical error in the calculation of a result, this is not a re-mark. Amendments to a result are considered a procedural error if due to:

    1. a mathematical error or

    2. non-inclusion of the marks from an assessment item or part thereof.

  2. Where a student believes that the judgement of their work has been affected by matters other than academic judgement or procedural error, a grievance may be lodged (Student Grievance Resolution Policy).

  3. The re-mark process is shown in the diagram below.

3.7.2    Grounds for consideration

  1. An application for a re-mark is considered only when:

    1. it is feasible to reconsider the original assessment judgement. For example, the performance of a practical task or an oral examination where there is insufficient reviewable evidence of student achievement may be excluded from a re-mark; and

    2. the student, or one or more members of the student group, has received feedback about their performance on the assessment, and, where available, has viewed model answers, written comments, or other feedback sufficient to be able to make a case with reference to the marking criteria for the assessment item; and

    3. after receiving feedback, the student, or at least 50% of members of the student group in the case of group assessment, provides a sound written academic case to demonstrate how the mark or grade awarded for an entire task, or a discrete component of a multi-component assessment item, does not reflect their performance against the advertised criteria and standards for that work. Students should reference the published assessment criteria for the assessment item and clearly show where they believe there are grounds for reconsideration of the assessment judgement; and

    4. the request for re-mark is submitted within the timeframe specified in 3.7.3 (3).

  2. Re-mark requests that do not include a sound academic case (3.7.2(1c)) will not be approved.

  3. Re-marks are not available for an assessment that has been assessed by two or more examiners, and where post-marking moderation processes have been applied.

  4. The following reasons are not grounds for approval of an assessment re-mark:

    1. the desire for extra marks to achieve a higher grade or percentage for the course,

    2. sound performance in other courses,

    3. comments made by the teaching staff at the time of feedback about the marking,

    4. diminished performance due to ill-health or other circumstances such as inadequate examination conditions, although this may be grounds for a grievance (3.7.1(5)), or

    5. the requirement to pass the course to facilitate graduation.

3.7.3    Applications for assessment re-mark

  1. An application for re-mark of assessment is made online through my.UQ.

  2. If the application is for a re-mark of group assessment where only one mark is awarded irrespective of individual contributions, then:

    1. the Group Member Acknowledgement form must be completed by the students and attached with the request; and

    2. if not all group members are a party to the application, the School will send a notification to all group members. The notification is for information purposes only and should refer the students to this procedure so that all group members are aware of the process.

  3. A request for re-mark must be submitted no later than 21 calendar days following the release of the mark for that piece of assessment.

  4. In exceptional circumstances, the Senior Administrative Officer (Faculty) may accept later requests for a re-mark.

3.7.4    Approval of assessment re-mark

  1. A re-mark may be approved by the Associate Dean (Academic) or Deputy Associate Dean (Academic) of the faculty that owns the course, in consultation with relevant academic staff members.

  2. Where a re-mark request is approved, the School will arrange for the assessment item to be re-marked and will communicate the outcome of the re-mark to the student(s), with feedback.

  3. Where the outcome of a re-mark results in a change to a final grade, the School and/or Faculty will follow the procedure to change a finalised grade (section 3.9).

3.7.5    Conducting a re-mark

  1. Where possible, a re-mark will be conducted by an independent marker who will be provided with examples of different levels of performance against the criteria and standards.

  2. Where a peer assessment re-mark is approved, the peer assessment process and peer submissions should be reviewed by an independent marker. If appropriate, the independent marker should interview all peer assessors to enable an academic judgement on the peer mark. Where a peer assessment re-mark might change the marks or peer assessment factors of other students (e.g., a fixed number of marks is distributed between team members), then those students must be given the opportunity to provide input to the independent marker.

  3. In all cases where a re-mark is approved, the assessment item submitted by an individual student will be re-marked in its entirety. Similarly, for a group assessment item, the item that is completed by the group will be re-marked in its entirety. There may be exceptions where the Associate Dean (Academic) will permit a re-mark of a discrete section of the assessment item (e.g., an examination comprising short answer and multiple-choice questions where only the short answer questions are re-marked).

  4. In applying an amended mark or grade based on a re-mark, Faculties and Schools must consider whether the re-mark has implications for the marks of other students in the course. If the reason for the re-mark is systemic, then the relevant assessment item of the other students in the course must also be re-marked.

  5. If a re-mark varies from the original mark or grade by 10% or more, or a single grade or more, then moderation must occur. The moderation process should be managed by the School Director of Teaching and Learning, who will consider whether the marking variation means that the assessment item should be re-marked for the relevant cohort (or part thereof).

  6. Only one re-mark will be conducted on any piece of assessment.

  7. In all cases, a re-mark will replace the original mark for the piece of assessment in the calculation of the final grade, which could result in a higher or lower grade. The only exception to this applies to a graduated student, where the result will be reviewed by the Academic Registrar for a final decision.

3.8    Grading system

3.8.1    Numeric grade descriptors

  1. Grade descriptors for numeric grades 1-7 are detailed in the following table. In addition to these, the grade descriptors in 3.8.2 to 3.8.4 may also apply under specific circumstances.

Final Grade

Generic Descriptor

Example Criteria

7

High Distinction.

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

 

Mastery of content

Expert and critical evaluation of data, cases, problems and their solutions, and implications

Significant and sophisticated insights in identifying, generating and synthesising competing arguments or perspectives

Original, novel and/or creative application of knowledge and skills

Exploits the conventions of the discipline to communicate at an expert level

6

Distinction.

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

Substantial knowledge of fundamental concepts of the field of study

Critical evaluation of data, cases, problems and their solutions, and implications

Perceptive insights in identifying, generating and synthesising competing arguments or perspectives

Extensive application of knowledge and skills

Uses the conventions of the discipline to communicate at a professional level

5

Credit.

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.

Good knowledge of fundamental concepts of the field of study

Considered evaluation of data, cases, problems and their solutions, and implications

Develops or adapts convincing arguments and provides coherent justification

Effective application of knowledge and skills

Uses the conventions of the discipline to communicate at an effective level

4

Pass.

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Adequate knowledge of fundamental concepts of the field of study

Identifies data, cases, problems and their solutions, and implications

Develops routine arguments or decisions

Acceptable application of knowledge and skills

Uses some of the conventions of the discipline to communicate appropriately

3

Marginal Fail.

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes.

Superficial understanding of the fundamental concepts of the field of study

Attempts to identify data, cases, problems and their solutions, and implications

Presents undeveloped arguments

Emerging ability to apply knowledge and skills

Communicates information or ideas with limited clarity and inconsistent adherence to the conventions of the discipline

2

Fail.

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Deficiencies in understanding the fundamental concepts of the field of study

Inability to identify data, cases, problems and their solutions, and implications

Presents inappropriate or unsupported arguments

Inability to apply knowledge and skills

Communicates information or ideas in ways that are frequently incomplete, confusing, and not appropriate to the conventions of the discipline

1

Low Fail.

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Some engagement with the assessment tasks; however no demonstrated evidence of understanding of the concepts in the field of study

3.8.2    Grade descriptors for non-graded pass and fail

  1. Grade descriptors in the table below apply to non-graded pass and fail.

Grade

Description

Criteria

N

Non-graded fail

Insufficient evidence of competency in meeting course learning outcomes

P

Non-graded pass

Demonstrated evidence of competency in meeting course learning outcomes

  1. The use of P and N must be approved by the Associate Dean (Academic).

  2. If a grade of P or N is awarded and it is necessary to calculate a student’s GPA:

    1. a course in which P is awarded must be excluded from the calculation; and

    2. N must be regarded as a grade of 2.

3.8.3    Grade descriptors for supplementary assessment

  1. The grade descriptors listed in the table below apply when supplementary assessment has been awarded.

Grade

Description

xS

Supplementary assessment granted (where x = 3, N)

3S3

Fail following supplementary assessment

3S4

Pass following supplementary assessment. This is the highest grade that can be awarded.

NSN

Fail following supplementary assessment on a grade of N

NSP

Pass following supplementary assessment on a grade of N

3S-, NS-

Fails to undertake supplementary assessment

3.8.4    Other grade descriptors

  1. In certain circumstances, the grade descriptors in the table below may also apply.

Grade

Description

G

Credit cancelled or refused generally on disciplinary grounds (see Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy)

INC

Incomplete: additional work required before grade can be awarded. A deadline for submission must be given to the student in writing and be consistent with the deadlines set out in section 3.9 and the due date recorded in SI-net

IPR/IP

In progress: completion of course expected in a later semester and only used when a course spans more than one semester. IP is for multi-semester coursework courses (including honours research); IPR is for PhD students (e.g. RSCH9000, RSCH9001).

K

Course cancelled with academic penalty by the student after the relevant Census Date

M

Senate determined that credit for course be cancelled or refused

SP

Deferred examination approved

RW

Results withheld: normally granted pending payment of fee or fine, failure to produce identification during an examination, during a period of provisional enrolment dependent on the outcome of a grievance/appeal, or during a disciplinary investigation

T

Course credit transferred

W

Course cancelled without academic penalty

X

No assessable work received

THS

Thesis submitted

  1. For grades of G, M, K or X, an equivalent numerical grade of 0 will be applied for the purpose of GPA calculation.

3.9    Finalisation of grades

3.9.1    Certification and release of final grades

  1. The Course Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that grades for students enrolled in their courses are a true representation of each student’s performance, have been correctly calculated, and have been moderated as required (section 3.6.2).

  2. The relevant Chief Examiner(s), working in conjunction with the School Director of Teaching and Learning, is responsible for the accuracy of grades for their school.

  3. The Executive Dean is responsible for ensuring that appropriate processes are implemented by the Faculty and Schools to conduct moderation, accurate calculation, and determination of grades, in a format and timeframe set by the Academic Registrar.

  4. The Academic Registrar is responsible for the official release of final grades.

  5. Once a grade is officially released it becomes a final grade.

  6. Where a deferred examination or supplementary assessment has been granted and undertaken, the date of release of the final grade will be regarded as the date of release of the grade recorded following that assessment.

  7. If a student’s final grade is unable to be released (e.g., due to the granting of a deferred examination), the final grade(s) for that student will be released at a time determined by the Academic Registrar.

3.9.2    Amendments to grades

  1. Grades may only be changed in the circumstances outlined in the following table.

Release

Timing

Reason

Approval

Prior to release

Before certification by Executive Dean

To comply with relevant assessment practices

Head of School

After certification by Executive Dean

To correct a procedural error, or

If the Executive Dean is satisfied the grade should be reconsidered (e.g. after completion of assessment re-mark or incomplete assessment)

Executive Dean or Associate Dean (Academic)

After release

Within one year of grade being finalised

To correct a procedural error or a late request being approved

Executive Dean or Associate Dean (Academic)

At any time

To correct a procedural error

Academic Registrar

28 days after a re-mark has been approved

Following a re-mark (section 3.7) where the original final grade reflects a marking error

Executive Dean or Associate Dean (Academic)

  1. In special circumstances where a student has been approved for removal of course in accordance with Removal of Courses Due to Special Circumstances Procedure, the final grade will be changed to a grade of W.

  2. Actions that should be taken by faculties and central administration when amending grades are specified in the Amendments to Grades Guideline.

3.9.3    Non-finalised and incomplete grades

  1. This section does not apply to a course undertaken as the thesis component of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Professional Doctorate.

  2. Despite 3.9.2(1), where a student has been granted:

    1. a deferred examination, or

    2. an extension,

the grade released will be classified as 'non-finalised' in the case of (a), or 'incomplete' in the case of (b), until approved by the Head of School and submitted to the Executive Dean or Academic Registrar for certification.

  1. If a grade for a course is listed as incomplete in the final grades, that grade must be calculated based on all assessment received from the student, and finally recorded per ‘Finalisation Dates approved by Head of School’ in the table below.

Course duration

Semester of completion

Finalisation Dates approved by Head of School

Finalisation Dates approved by Executive Dean

Single semester

Semester 1

First day after Semester 2 mid-semester recess of the same academic year

Release of final grades for Semester 2 of the same academic year

Semester 2

First day of Semester 1 of the next academic year

Release of final grades for Semester 1 of the next academic year

Summer semester

First day after Semester 1 mid-semester recess of the next academic year

Release of final grades for end of Semester 1 of the next academic year

More than one semester

Semester 1

Release of final grades for Semester 1 of the next academic year

Release of final grades for Semester 2 of the next academic year

Semester 2

Release of final grades for Semester 2 of the next academic year

Release of final grades for Semester 1 after Semester 2 of the next academic year

Summer semester

Release of final grades for Summer Semester of the next academic year

Release of final grades for Semester 1 after Semester 2 of the next academic year

  1. 3.9.3(3) does not apply if, before the day set out in that section:

    1. the Head of School submits a new grade to the Executive Dean; or

    2. the Executive Dean approves the grade remaining incomplete for an additional period.

The additional period must end on or before the date per ‘Finalisation Dates approved by Executive Dean’ in the table in 3.9.3(3), or as approved by the Academic Registrar.

3.10    Supplementary assessment

3.10.1    Overview

  1. A student may be awarded supplementary assessment if they receive a final grade of 3 or N for a course.

  2. Supplementary assessment is designed to provide an additional opportunity for a student to demonstrate that they have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.

  3. A grade of 4, expressed as 3S4, or P, expressed as NSP, is the highest grade that can be awarded in a course where supplementary assessment has been granted.

3.10.2    Determining appropriate supplementary assessment

  1. Supplementary assessment may not be available where relevant learning outcomes assessed by a course, or an assessment item within a course, cannot be validly reassessed.

  2. For courses that are supplementary-exempt, or partially supplementary-exempt, the Course Coordinator must identify this clearly in the course profile. This must be based on sound academic judgement and have the approval of the Associate Dean (Academic).

Examples:

Supplementary exempt:           
Supplementary assessment will not be available for this course because all assessment is based on the process of a semester-long group project.

Partially supplementary exempt:
Supplementary assessment will not be available if the practical component of this course has been failed as it impractical to undertake the laboratories delivered throughout semester as supplementary assessment.

  1. In determining appropriate supplementary assessment, the Course Coordinator must consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.

  2. Supplementary assessment can take any form (e.g. oral, written, examination etc.) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes.

  3. Supplementary assessment can be administered as School-based assessment.

  4. The Associate Dean (Academic) must approve the form of supplementary assessment to ensure that the minimum requirements of the course are met (section 3.9.2). The Associate Dean (Academic) may authorise the relevant Course Coordinator to act in their place.

3.10.3    Eligibility and approval of supplementary assessment

  1. The Associate Dean (Academic) will grant supplementary assessment to a student for:

    1. up to 4 units in each semester (to a maximum of 8 units in an academic year); or

    2. a single course worth more than 4 units.

  2. Supplementary assessment on a grade of N will only be awarded where, in the judgement of the Associate Dean (Academic), the student has marginally failed to attain the level of competence required for a passing grade.

  3. The provisions in 3.10.3(1) and 3.10.3(2) have precedence over program requirements unless the program requirements are more generous to students.

3.10.4    Application for supplementary assessment

  1. Supplementary assessment is only awarded after the finalisation of the grade for the course.

  2. All requests for supplementary assessment must be made no later than the end of the fourth calendar day after release of the final grade for the course in which the supplementary assessment is being requested.

  3. Requests for supplementary assessment must be submitted as directed on my.UQ.

  4. Students are notified of the outcome of their request by email. The status and outcome of requests submitted will be accessible to students through the online facility.

  5. Once submitted, a supplementary assessment request cannot be rescinded by the student.

3.10.5    Timing of supplementary assessment

  1. Students will be advised in a timely manner of the composition, format, and duration of the supplementary assessment.

  2. Supplementary assessment must be undertaken during the following periods:

    1. for first semester courses – July and August of the same year,

    2. for second semester courses – December of the same year and January of the following year, and

    3. for summer semester courses – the following March.

  3. Where supplementary assessment takes the form of an examination, it will be scheduled in the University’s designated deferred and supplementary examination period.

  4. Supplementary assessment cannot be deferred.

  5. Despite 3.10.5(2) and 3.10.5(3):

    1. If a supplementary assessment is unable to be undertaken within the periods listed in 3.10.5(2) and 3.10.5(3), the supplementary assessment must be undertaken no later than 4 weeks after the Associate Dean (Academic) grants a student supplementary assessment.

      • For example, late finalisation of a student’s grade following a deferred examination held during that period or following finalisation of an incomplete grade.

    2. The Academic Registrar may vary the timing of supplementary assessment for any or all courses, but not for an individual student.

3.10.6    Finalisation of grades for supplementary assessment

  1. Unless the course profile states otherwise, the final grade awarded will be based on the results of the supplementary assessment only. A passing grade for the course will be awarded only if the student receives a passing grade or mark on the supplementary assessment.

  2. Where a student has been granted supplementary assessment and the form of assessment is a written examination held during the University's designated deferred and supplementary examination period, their grade for that course will typically be finalised within:

    1. 10 calendar days of the examination date for first semester supplementary examinations;

    2. 21 calendar days of the examination date for second semester supplementary examinations; or

    3. 10 calendar days of the examination date for summer semester supplementary examinations.

  3. Where a student has been granted supplementary assessment and the form of assessment is NOT a written examination held during the University's designated deferred and supplementary examination period, grades will typically be finalised within 10 working days of the supplementary assessment submission date.

3.11    Quality assurance and quality enhancement

3.11.1    Processes for monitoring the effectiveness and security of assessment

  1. Evidence of assessment outcomes and the effectiveness of assessment, including academic integrity considerations, is collected and monitored to quality assure course-level and program-level considerations (sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2).

  2. The annual academic quality assurance dashboard process is used to monitor assessment practices and outcomes at program and course level.

  3. Assessment practices at the school level are monitored and improved on a semester-by-semester basis through the review of assessment outcomes and course grades.

  4. Assessment practices at the program level, including security in terms of assessment integrity, are monitored systematically through the Academic Program Review (APR) process, which requires analysis of the relevant academic quality assurance reports on the assessment of learning outcomes.

3.11.2    Chief Examiners

  1. It is mandatory that Heads of School appoint an academic staff member as Chief Examiner for a School, discipline, or program, as appropriate.

  2. Chief Examiners report to the Head of School and, in consultation with the School Teaching and Learning Committee, ensure:

    1. School compliance with University policies and procedures related to assessment; and

    2. that appropriate records of all assessment results and component parts are kept in accordance with University policy.

  3. In addition, the Chief Examiner will work with the School Teaching and Learning Committee and Course Coordinators to ensure quality assurance in assessment in the School, including:

    1. setting of assessment items,

    2. moderation,

    3. feedback, and

    4. compilation and review of grades.

  4. Chief Examiners are responsible for ensuring all examinations set by Course Coordinators have been checked and undertaken by a discipline peer where practicable. This process is to minimise errors in examination content and provide assurance that the length and design of the examination is appropriate. If it is not practicable for a discipline peer to undertake the examination, then the School must ensure there is a process to minimise errors.

3.11.3    Audit of grade changes

  1. The Academic Registrar must put procedures in place to ensure that processed grade changes are accurate, and that Grade Change Reports from SI-net are checked and sent to Examinations section on a regular basis.

3.11.4    Institutional support for assessment

  1. Academic staff are supported and encouraged to design authentic, engaging, and sustainable assessment and to undertake appropriate professional development on assessment. They are also recognised for excellence in assessment, for example through annual performance development and promotion processes and through University awards for teaching (see Teaching and Learning Awards Policy).

4.0    Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities

  1. The academic roles and accountabilities associated with implementation of this procedure are specified in the Teaching and Learning Responsibilities Policy.

5.0    Monitoring, Review and Assurance

  1. Compliance monitoring is conducted in conjunction with section 3.11 of this procedure and the Annual Programs, Plans, and Courses Quality Assurance Procedure.

  2. The School Teaching and Learning Committee, in conjunction with the Chief Examiner, reports to the Head of School and the Faculty Teaching and Learning Committee, and is responsible for monitoring all aspects of assessment including assessment design, academic integrity, compliance with examination processes, moderation of results, and finalisation of grades.

  3. Review of and compliance with this procedure is overseen by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).

6.0    Recording and Reporting

  1. Student grades are recorded in SI-net.

  2. Schools must keep appropriate records of all assessment results, and the evaluation of assessment, in accordance with the Information Management Policy. Guidelines on Protecting Grade Integrity are available to academic and professional staff.

  3. Unless authorised by the Academic Registrar, course material containing assessment, completed examination scripts and uncollected student assignments must be retained for a minimum of 12 months from the date of certification of grades. For the requirements associated with the release of examination papers see section 3.10 of the Examinations Procedure.

  4. Records and reports are managed in conjunction with the Annual Programs, Plans, and Courses Quality Assurance Procedure.

7.0    Appendix

7.1    Recording of oral and practical assessment for re-mark purposes

The following conditions apply to the recording of oral and practical assessment covered under Section 3.6.4 (2).

  1. Schools must ensure that the technology used for recording is suitable to conduct a re-mark of the assessment task. For example, an audio-only or Echo-360 recording of screen plus audio may be sufficient in some cases, but if the marking rubric includes criteria that can only be judged with video of the student, then the recording method must include video of the student.

  2. Students must be reminded ahead of assessment that their performance will be recorded as outlined in the course profile.

  3. If the assessment occurs in a setting where recording is not permitted (e.g. hospital or other clinical setting), students must be made aware that their performance will be recorded using other means such as written notes, and this must be stated clearly in the course profile.

  4. Participants in a recorded assessment session must be aware when recording is taking place.

  5. The identity of the student(s) recorded must be captured in the recording, verbally and/or visually.

  6. If recording fails during the assessment, then the assessment should continue unrecorded.

  7. Recordings must be stored in a secure manner and should only be accessed for the purposes of

    1. moderation of marking;

    2. provision of feedback to the student(s) recorded; and/or

    3. re-marking following a successful re-mark application.

  8. Recordings must be retained for at least one year following the release of the final grade for the course.

  9. Access to the recording may be sought by the student under the Queensland Right to Information Act 2009 (the RTI Act).

7.2    Definitions, terms, and acronyms

Associate Dean (Academic) – the relevant Associate Dean (Academic) of the Faculty administering the award. For course-level details and non-award study, the Associate Dean (Academic) of the Faculty administering the course.

Academic integrity – the moral code or ethical policy of academia, including:

  1. A commitment to the values of honesty, responsibility, transparency, respect, trust, and courage; and

  2. the ethical principles that underpin academia and student life, such as maintenance of academic standards, honesty and rigour in assessment responses, research, and academic publishing.

Academically justified – the pedagogy underpinning the assessment design aligns with clause 3.0 (Key Requirements) of this procedure and fulfils the requirements listed in clause 2 of the Assessment Policy.

Assessment – how students demonstrate both what they are learning and what they have learned. It requires the teacher to make judgements about the ongoing and cumulative learning of each student against criteria and standards.

Assessment sequence – an assessment sequence is a set of two or more assessment tasks of similar nature or common purpose, which may be used as developmental learning opportunities for students or to comprehensively assess a particular learning outcome.

Chief examiner - A member of academic staff responsible to their respective Head of School who is appointed for a School, discipline, or program, and who is responsible for ensuring quality assurance in summative assessment.

Criterion – a property or characteristic by which the quality of something may be judged.

Course Coordinator – a member of academic staff responsible for coordinating the development, preparation, delivery, and assessment of a course.

Deferred examination – an examination (sat at a specified later date) that may be approved where extenuating or exceptional circumstances affected attendance on the day of the original examination (such as illness or unexpected personal circumstances).

Due date – the date and time specified for submission.

Executive Dean – the Executive Dean of the Faculty administering the award. For course-level details and non-award study, the Executive Dean of the Faculty administering the course. For students undertaking a higher degree by research program, the Dean of the Graduate School.

Formative assessment – guides ongoing learning and provides feedback that can be used by students to support and develop their learning techniques, and by teachers to understand student progress and improve teaching. Formative assessments usually contribute little or nothing towards the final grade.

GPA – Grade Point Average (GPA) is defined as the average of the grade of results obtained by the student in all courses in which the student is enrolled, weighted by the unit value of each course in accordance with the following formula:

∑(GP)/∑(P) where:

G = the grade of result in a course; and

P = the unit value of that course.

If a student is enrolled in a course but gets no result, G=0.

Head of School – for the purpose of these procedures only, Head of School includes the Chief Examiner for the MD program.

Hurdle requirement – an assessment requirement identified in the course profile that must be satisfied to receive a specific grade.

Moderation – a process for developing consistency or comparability of assessment judgements that applies in a range of assessment contexts and at all stages of assessment.

Partial supplementary-exempt course – a course where supplementary assessment may not be available because it is not possible to re-assess some of the minimum learning requirements, for example, those involving peer collaboration and interaction.

Program learning outcomes – Refer to the UQ Graduate Statement and Graduate Attributes Guidelines.

Reasonable adjustments for students – measures taken to enable students to participate on the same basis as a student without a disability in areas of the University’s operations, including:

  • admission and enrolment,
  • academic activities,
  • curriculum development, assessment, and certification requirements,
  • physical access to buildings and facilities,
  • information access, and
  • support services.

Reasonable adjustments are to be provided in consultation with the student, within a reasonable time after notification of the need for adjustments. When making an adjustment it is reasonable for the University to maintain the academic requirements of the course that are inherent in or essential to its nature (in accordance with the Disability Standards for Education 2005), however, this does not mean that all assessment or activities must be the same for all students.

Re-mark – reconsideration of a mark or grade awarded for an item of assessment against the marking criteria and standards following a formal procedure of application, with an academic case, and approval by the Associate Dean (Academic).

Semester - for the purpose of this procedure, semester includes trimesters.

SECaT – Student Evaluation of Course and Teaching.

Supplementary assessment – assessment offered after a failing final grade of 3 or N that is designed to provide a second opportunity for a student to demonstrate that they have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.

Supplementary examination – supplementary assessment that takes the form of an examination.

Supplementary-exempt course – a course where supplementary assessment is not available under any circumstance because it is judged as academically inappropriate – it is not feasible to reassess the learning outcomes for the course. This may include, for example, courses involving professional experience, or peer collaboration and interaction, or requiring the demonstration of certain professional capabilities and competencies.

Standard – a definite level of achievement aspired to or attained. Standards specify levels of quality (or achievement, or performance) for each criterion.

Student Access Plan – the document that sets out the reasonable adjustments that have been agreed by the Faculty. This plan is drafted by the Diversity and Inclusion Team and communicated to those UQ staff members who need to know, to put the adjustments in place.

Study period – a semester, trimester, research quarter, or teaching period.

Summative assessment – evaluates the student’s performance against specified criteria. Summative assessments contribute towards the final grade.

 

Custodians
Academic Registrar

Guidelines

Protecting Grade Integrity - Guidelines

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Body

1.0 Purpose and Scope

These guidelines outline approaches to help reduce the risk of unauthorised grade manipulation, to ensure grades are protected, and to maintain grade integrity. The guidelines supplement the Assessment Procedure. The guidelines apply to academic and professional staff involved in the recording, storage and maintenance of assessment marks and grades awarded to students.

 

2.0 Process and Key Controls

  1. Ensuring the accuracy of final grades is critical as final grades have a significant impact on, and value to, our students, employers and reputation.
  2. Unauthorised manipulation of grades at the University is rare but does happen. While we cannot remove every chance of unauthorised changes to University grades, we can reduce the risk.
  3. Students engage in a range of assessment practices across the diverse disciplines and activities at the University. This diversity is reflected in the breadth of systems to manage student submissions, record students’ outcomes and support the determination of course grades. These systems range from Excel files to iMark and learn.UQ (Blackboard) grade centre. As a result, course staff have more responsibility to understand any risks of grade manipulation and use appropriate procedures to maintain grade integrity.

 

3.0 Key Requirements

3.1 Staff responsibility

 Staff members have responsibilities to:

  1. Ensure marks and grades are secure, ideally:
    • Assessment, marks and grades are password protected (or physical artefacts are locked securely).
    • Changes to marks and grades are recorded with details as to who made the change and when.
    • Verifiable with links to the assessment documents (student submissions and marking).
    • Reviewed to identify potential manipulation and errors.
  2. Manage records of assessment tasks, items, moderation and grading that are accessible by other staff and address the University’s record keeping policy (see Records Management – Policy) and responsibilities (see University Sector Retention and Disposal Schedule).
    • Keep assessment submissions completed by students until at least the end of the appeal period.
    • Store records of the grade/mark of individual assessment and review, moderation and confirmation of results for two years.
    • Retain assessment instructions (master set of examination papers, assignment outlines or other assessment instructions) for 15 years.
  3. Keep assessment systems secure:
    1. Use strong passwords (see UQ password guide) that you do not reuse and are changed regularly (consider a password manager).
    2. Secure your computer and workspace when you are away.
    3. Take care when logging into institutional systems on free WiFi and on public or untrusted computers.
    4. Consider a secure repository for sharing draft and final assessment documents to minimise the potential for security breaches.
    5. Consider using encrypting data (you can do this by adding a password to your word and excel documents) (see Microsoft Office Help > Password protect documents, workbooks and presentations.
    6. Ensure computer software is up to date.
    7. Only install software from trusted sources (see ITS Services and guides > Software and web apps
    8. Use anti-virus protection on your computer (see ITS Services and guides > Antivirus software.
    9. Be aware of phishing attacks (see Email Scams).
    10. Keep data backed up on University systems.
    11. If you feel something may be suspicious in a system contact ITS help@its.uq.edu.au, phone +61 7 336 5600.

3.2 Examples of good practice

Provided below are three examples of possible good practice at the University, however there are many other ways grades can be appropriately managed.

3.2.1 Manage marking and grading in learn.UQ (Blackboard) grade centre

Advantages:

  • All records are protected by University passwords and backed up.
  • Student feedback, grade calculations, moderation and confirmation all handled in one system.
  • Original copies of all assignments submitted online, and marking are linked to grades.
  • ITS provide logging and monitoring of grade centre data.
  • Records are stored and managed centrally.

Challenges:

  • Some assessment types cannot be submitted in these systems (eg. central examinations and models); however, the marks, artefacts (video recordings, photos, etc.) and even the marking and feedback may be handled in these systems (see eLearning > A-Z Guides > Turnitin > Create a Turnitin assignment (no file submission)
  • The rubric and scoring systems available in Turnitin and Blackboard do not support all assessment practices used at UQ.

3.2.2 Manage marking and grading in Excel

Advantages:

  • All types of marking and grading are supported.
  • Encryption can be used.
  • Track changes can record document history.
  • Custom formulas, mail merge and other functionality are available.

Challenges:

  • Can be difficult to link to original assessment documents to confirm grade integrity.
  • Manual entry of results and copying between files increases the risk of grade errors.
  • No institutional back-up if the excel file or password is lost.
  • Burden on course staff to manage assessment records, ensure appropriate access and check for errors and manipulation.

3.2.3 Manage marking with Excel and in learn.UQ (Blackboard) grade centre

Advantages:

  • All types of marking and grading enabled.
  • Custom formulas, mail merge and other functionality are available.
  • Online records are protected by University passwords and backed up.
  • ITS provide logging and monitoring of grade centre data.
  • Marks and grades recorded are managed centrally.

Challenges:

  • Can be difficult to link to original assessment documents to confirm grade integrity.
  • Higher administrative overload than using just the grade centre including security of local files.
  • Manual entry of results and copying between files increases the risk of errors.

 

4.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities

  1. Academic and professional staff are responsible for:
    • Ensuring assessment follows the principles in assessment policy.
    • Ensuring the protection and security of assessment documents and student marks and grades.
    • Ensuring assessment records are stored and retained in accordance with University Policy and Retention and Disposal Schedule.
  2. ITS is responsible for UQ system back-ups.

 

5.0 Monitoring, Review and Assurance

As set out in the Assessment Procedure.

 

6.0 Definitions, Terms, Acronyms

Blackboard Grade Centre – provides an area within the Blackboard course to store student marks.

iMark – online grade book and extensive performance and comparative statistics.

Learn.UQ – the Learning Management System for most University courses.

Phishing – describes the use of email and fraudulent web sites to perform a confidence scam so as to steal usernames and passwords, and other valuable information.

Retention and Disposal Schedules – defines the status, minimum retention periods and consequent disposal actions authorised for specific classes of records. The University is subject to two mandatory retention and disposal schedules:

Turnitin – a software tool that has functions for online assignment submission, text matching, online marking and peer marking.

Custodians
Academic Registrar

Guidelines

Group Work - Guideline

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1.0 Purpose and Scope

This guideline outlines the main points to consider in order to meet the three areas of requirements when implementing summative group assessment as specified in PPL 3.10.02 Assessment – Policy and Procedure.

Resource materials for Assessing teams and groups are available at: https://itali.uq.edu.au/resources/assessment/assessing-teams-and-groups.

2.0 Process and Key Controls

This guideline ensures the following compliance requirements are met in designing group assessments:

Group assessment can only be used in a course if:

  1. group work is specified as a learning outcome in the course profile;

  2. students have had the opportunity to learn how to work effectively in teams / groups by way of specific training within the course, in a prerequisite course, or in an online module; and

  3. Course Coordinators provide students with resources and support within the course to enable management of situations where individual students or teams require additional support.  Directions to these resources and support must be provided in the learning management system.

3.0 Key Requirements

3.1 Learning Outcomes

Where group work is assessed, it is necessary to explicitly state the need for group work as its own learning outcome. It may be group or team work is the best way to develop and assess collaboration, communication or other important abilities, which may be incorporated into the learning outcome. Clear specification of the learning outcome communicates to the students that they will be assessed against this learning outcome and makes the assessment process transparent. However, it is important to further discuss the purpose of the group activities with students throughout the course.

3.1.1 Method of assessment

Consider whether group work is the most suitable method of assessment to meet the course learning outcomes, and if the assessment item will give suitable evidence of students’ performance in regards to the learning outcomes. Ask yourself: Has the assessment task been specifically designed for group work? And is there enough task complexity to ensure that all group members meet the required learning outcomes in completing the task together?

3.1.2 Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are defined as what you want the student to know, to achieve, to be capable of, and/or to be able to do when they have completed the course. If students are required to work in groups to complete an assessment task, this needs to be specified as its own learning outcome.

Sample learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

  • Team Work: work effectively in an engineering team, identify the characteristics of effective team work and critically evaluate personal and peer contributions to team processes (e.g. ENGG1100);
  • Develop skills and attributes of collaborative team work (e.g. EDUC2716); and
  • Work effectively in teams to make informed team decisions and demonstrate interpersonal, leadership and communication skills (e.g. MGTS1301).

Further information is available at: ITaLI Teaching Toolkit Series - Learning Outcomes

3.1.3 Assessing group work

For marking purposes, distinguish between the product and process of group work. In group work, there are usually two methods to grade students within each group: students get either (i) the same mark as everybody else in the group because the ‘product’ assessed (e.g. a presentation or report) represents the whole group’s contribution, or (ii) an individual mark based on one’s contribution to the group work and ‘product’ assessed. The second method of individual assessment is justifiably regarded as more equitable.

There are three recommended ways of assessing whether a student has met the required learning outcomes of working as a group. These techniques can be used individually or in combination:

  • Observe in class - teaching team to use a rubric and/or a checklist for making judgements with regards to a student demonstrating the required criteria for working in a group.  (PETS Process PDF, Team Assessment Mark - TAM p. 20)

  • Collect and grade individual evidence - a separate individual assessment item (e.g. report or responses to questions) can be used in combination with the group assessment to determine individual input and whether learning outcomes have been met. 

  • Peer assessment - A Peer Assessment Factor (100 points divided equally amongst group members) can be applied to a group score to determine an individual score for the group assessment. Support is available on using the Peer Assessment tool at: https://elearning.uq.edu.au/guides/group-peer-assessment.

3.2 Teaching effective group work

When implementing group work it is important to consider students’ prior experience of working in teams, which may be evident from their prior courses and/or year level of their degree program. It is important however not to assume that all students know how to work effectively as a member of a team. Therefore, when designing any type of group work tasks, take into account the time needed to educate students around the principles of teamwork including communication, organisation, time management, task management, conflict resolution, reflection and collaboration.

3.2.1 Timing

Allow sufficient time to make how to work in teams/groups explicit to students.

3.2.2 Supporting material

Incorporate support materials for students to learn how to work more effectively in teams.

Sample support material

The Working in Teams: A Practical Guide MOOC explores ways in which to learn how to build effective teams, be a great team player and manage team conflict. Consider incorporating this MOOC into your course or sections of it, scaffold/debrief content with students. Refer to Teams101x MOOC.

3.3 Ongoing student support

Team dysfunction needs to be identified as early as possible and appropriate strategies put into place to manage any issues as they arise. Unfortunately, dysfunctional teams may only become apparent at the end of the semester when it is too late to rectify the problems. Processes must be put into place and communicated to the students so that they can identify and raise issues at all stages of team/group work.

3.3.1 Support resources

Ensure that the course profile has links to relevant student resources and an outline of the escalation process with relevant contact details for the teaching team that are responsible for mediating team conflict as it arises.

3.3.2 Strategies

Put strategies into place for the identification of team dysfunction to be dealt both proactively and/or reactively. Formative peer assessment or individual student reflection can be used to proactively identify any team conflict and/or dysfunction. The teaching team can also identify any causes of concern through observation and deal with these as they arise (reactively). 

3.4 Other support materials

4.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Refer to PPL 3.30.01 Teaching and Learning Roles and Responsibilities.

5.0 Monitoring, Review and Assurance

The Academic Registrar is responsible for implementation and communication of this procedure, including ensuring that faculties and schools are informed of their obligations under this procedure.

Assessment Sub-Committee is responsible for monitoring university-wide compliance with, and review of this policy for its effectiveness and ongoing relevance.

Custodians
Academic Registrar

Guidelines

Amendments to Grades - Guidelines

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1.0 Purpose and Scope

This guideline outlines the actions and considerations to be taken by faculties and central administration staff when processing amendments to finalised and non-finalised grades. These guidelines supplement Section 3.7 of the Assessment Procedure.

 

2.0 Process and Key Controls

This guideline ensures the following compliance requirements are met in assessing requests for deferral of examinations:

  1. Semester grades are officially released to students on a date specified by the Academic Registrar.
  2. At that time, grades are final grades, with the exception of non-finalised grades as a result of:
    1. The granting of a deferred examination
    2. Incomplete results in assessment; or
    3. Where the grade for a course is withheld, for example pending the outcome of a misconduct allegation, or where a student has not completed the Academic Integrity modules.
  3. Grades may be changed or finalised in the following circumstances:
    1. On completion of incomplete assessment;
    2. Following result of deferred examinations;
    3. Following result of supplementary assessment;
    4. To correct a procedural error;
    5. After completion of assessment re-marks;
    6. Resolution of results withheld;
    7. Change to a finalised grade on approval of withdrawal without academic penalty by the President of the Academic Board.
  4. A request for a grade change on the basis of a procedural error must be accompanied by supporting documentary evidence.
  5. Once approved, amendments to grades are processed in SI-net by authorised administrative staff in faculties and Examination section, and a reason for the change is included as ‘comments’ in SI-net.
  6. Once an amendment to a grade is made in SI-net, an email is automatically sent to the student to advise them of the change.
  7. Staff are required to assess the areas of impact of the amendment to grade in accordance with the sections below.

 

3.0 Key Requirements

3.1 Areas of impact - amendments to grades

  1. Finalising or changing grades after the release by the Academic Registrar can impact a student’s academic standing, graduation eligibility, place in a program, and scholarship or award eligibility.
  2. Amendments to grades processed by Examinations section will appear on the UQ Change Grade Report generated by faculties. Faculty staff should check the report to identify these grade changes, and determine the impact the grade change may have on other processes.

3.2 Incomplete (INC) and non-finalised grades

  1. Faculties are responsible for ensuring that incomplete and non-finalised grades are finalised in accordance with the times specified in Section 3.7.4 of the Assessment Procedure.
  2. To assist staff in managing incomplete and non-finalised grades, an Outstanding Grades Report is available via the UQ Reportal.

3.3 Supplementary assessment

  1. Supplementary assessment cannot be awarded until a grade has been finalised.
  2. Faculty staff should check whether an amendment to a grade affects a student’s eligibility for supplementary assessment (ie if a grade changes to a 3).
  3. The final grade for a student who is granted supplementary assessment, but does not undertake it, is recorded as a 3S-.

3.4 Academic standing

  1. Finalising or amending a grade may impact a student’s academic standing. For example, a lower grade could trigger a progression alert or progression intervention notice.
  2. Student Progression section monitors changes to academic standing as a result of an amendment to grade for the current semester and all relevant terms within the previous 12 month period, and notifies students of any consequent requirements.

3.5 Graduation status

3.5.1 Eligibility to graduate

  1. Faculty staff should check whether a finalised or amended grade affects the student’s eligibility to graduate. Faculties should make no change to a potential graduand’s record, where such a change will result in a change to graduation eligibility, following the advertised graduation checking deadline and up until the conclusion of the graduations period. Academic Registrar approval must be sought and Student Progression notified immediately.
  2. If the amendment to grade will not result in a change to graduation eligibility during this period, faculties may update the student’s grade and must notify Student Progression immediately to ensure the student’s Academic Transcript and Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) are corrected.
  3. If the graduation period has passed, faculty staff should update the academic record to ensure that the student’s record will be considered in graduations checking for the next graduation period.

3.5.2 Honours

  1. Faculty staff should check whether a finalised or amended grade affects the student’s eligibility for a class of honours.
  2. Faculty staff should make no change to a potential graduand’s record, where such a change will result in a change to graduation eligibility, following the advertised graduation checking deadline and up until the conclusion of the graduations period.
  3. Once the graduation checking deadline has passed, Academic Registrar approval must be sought for a change in class of honours for a graduating or graduated student. Both the Academic Registrar and Student Progression section should be notified immediately. The necessary steps will be taken by Student Progression to facilitate the change in class of honours and arrange for replacement graduation documents where required.

3.6 Progression / Place in the program

  1. An amendment to grade may affect whether a student is able to progress, or retain a place in their program.

3.7 Scholarships

  1. Each semester Student Fees and Scholarships section undertakes checks of grade point averages for all equity scholarship holders to ensure they meet ongoing eligibility requirements for the scholarship.

3.8 Other achievements

3.8.1 Dean's Commendation for Academic Excellence

  1. Faculty staff should check whether a finalised or amended grade will result in a change to the student’s eligibility for a Dean’s Commendation for Academic Excellence.
  2. Where applicable, the administering faculty will process the Dean’s Commendation in accordance with SI-net established practice.

3.8.2 Other awards

  1. Faculty staff should check whether a finalised or amended grade will result in a change to the student’s eligibility for other faculty or school awards.

3.9 Audit of grade changes

  1. An audit of processed grade changes must be undertaken by Faculties and Examinations section on a fortnightly basis. The UQ Change Grade Report is to be generated and the results checked against the approved grade change notifications.
  2. The Grade Change Report generated by faculties will also include any grade changes relevant to the faculty which have been processed by Examinations section.
  3. A copy of the UQ Change Grade Report generated, checked and signed, is forwarded to Examinations section for record-keeping.
  4. Examinations section generates reports for changes processed within Examinations section, which are also, checked, reconciled and filed.

 

4.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities

  1. Faculty staff are responsible for:
    1. ensuring amendments to grades are accurately processed in SI-net through reconciliation of notification of amendments to grades with the UQ Change Grade Report;
    2. checking the impact of an amendment to a student’s grade, and taking appropriate action where needed;
    3. ensuring fortnightly Change Grade Reports are submitted to Examinations section.
  2. Examinations section is responsible for record-keeping of all amendments to grades.

 

5.0 Monitoring, Review and Assurance

  1. Amendments to grades are processed in SI-net and audited against the UQ Change Grade Report.
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Academic Registrar

Forms

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Extension of Assessment Due Date Application - Form

Extension of Assessment Due Date Application - Form

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Description: 

Students must complete the Application for Extension of Assessment Due Date Form to apply for an extension to assessment due date.

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Academic Registrar
Custodians
Academic Registrar
Custodians
Academic Registrar