Assessment

Higher Education Examinations Procedure

Policy Code: LT1940

Purpose
Scope
Legislative Context
Definitions
Supporting Documents
Responsibility
Actions
1. Examination rules
2. Examination Appeals
3. Management of centrally organised examinations
4. Management of non-centrally organised examinations
5. Personal exam adjustments and special consideration
6. Ensuring security of completed examination papers and other examination materials
7. Ensuring examination/s are appropriately marked and graded
8. Ensuring quality of examination (Continuous Improvement)
Promulgation
Implementation
Records Management

Purpose

This procedure mandates operational activities and assigns responsibilities to support the implementation of the Federation University Australia’s Higher Education Assessment Policy.

Scope

This procedure applies to examination of all Federation University Australia undergraduate and coursework postgraduate courses and for those courses offered through collaborative provision (ie through partner providers). However it does not apply to examination of individual students in higher degrees by research which is the subject of Regulation 5.1 Higher Doctorates, The Degree of Philosophy, Professional Doctorates and Masters Degrees by Research.

All staff of the University must comply with the Higher Education Assessment Policy and this procedure whenever they are engaged in any aspect of the assessment process.

Legislative Context

University Statutes and Regulations
  • Statute 2.2 - Academic Board
  • Statute 5.1 - Academic Awards and Courses
  • Regulation 5.1 – The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Masters Degrees by Research and Professional Doctorates
  • Statute 5.3 – Assessment
  • Regulation 5.3 – Assessment
  • Statute 5.4 – Exclusion for Reasons of Unfitness

Definitions

A complete list of definitions relevant to this procedure is contained within the Higher Education Assessment Policy.

A further list of definitions specificallyrelevant to this procedure is included below:

Term Definition
Alternative examination adjustments Special examination arrangements, including take-home examinations, under different conditions or at different times or locations, that are designed to accommodate the needs of students who are unable to undertake their regular scheduled examination or take-home examination for reasons as approved by Disability and Learning Access Unit (DLAU)
Breach An act or omission which is likely to have the effect of obtaining an advantage by unfair or unauthorised means
Closed book examination Students are not permitted to take into the examination room, any books, notes (either written on paper or on other items or on the person), electronic devices, calculators or pencil cases. All permitted materials, including drinks, must be transported in transparent containers.
Deferred Examination An application for deferment of an examination can only be made in exceptional circumstances and a student may not normally apply to have an examination deferred more than once in a particular course in a given teaching period. Refer to sub-section 8(3) of Statute 5.3 The Schedule Part 1.
Examination Any invigilated assessment task (written or practical) or other written paper that is timetabled within an examination period and that forms part of the final results in a course or program.
Examination commencement time The designated time in an examination when students are permitted to begin writing
Examination period The official examination periods (including deferred and supplementary periods) listed in the Course Description and published on the Academic Calendar.
Examination  venue A room in which an examination is taking place or about to take place
Examination supervisor An invigilator tasked with conducting the examination under  university procedures and  guidelines
Invigilated Assessment Any type of supervised assessment, e.g. exams, in-class tests.
Specified materials only examination Students may be authorised to take into the examination room, items such as calculators, textbooks and/or notes, as specifically listed on the cover of an exam paper.
Other significant cause

Other issues outside of hardship/trauma, loss or bereavement, and medical reasons that significantly impacts on a student’s ability to prepare for, present to, undertake, and/or complete work or assessments including but not limited to:

  • Life threatening illness of a member of the immediate family or household, as defined by the Australian Fair Work Act.  
  • Significant and unexpected carer duties
  • Exposure to family violence
Open book examination Students are permitted to take into the examination room and use any materials and specified electronic devices indicated in the examination timetable.
Reading time 10 minutes  prior to the commencement of the examination which allows students to read the examination paper, unless otherwise specified (refer Statute 5.3 The Schedule Part 1, Section 14)
Reasonable adjustments

Measures and adaptations put in place to facilitate student participation in Course and Program while ensuring that academic standards and inherent requirements of the Course are not compromised.

Reasonable adjustments as a result of Special Consideration applications are relevant for the period outlined in the Special Consideration application.

Reasonable adjustments as a result of a disability, and outlined in a Learning Access Plan are relevant for the duration of the Learning Access Plan. Students with a disability can re-negotiate, update or cancel adjustments and/or supports at any stage.
Serious health condition A health condition, including medical conditions, mental health conditions or disability that adversely impacts on a student’s capacity to successfully complete an assessment, progress in a program or results in repeated behaviour that adversely impacts on other students or staff
Special consideration - Deferred Examination Acknowledgement by the Dean or delegate that a student has experienced or encountered some form of disadvantage or impediment that has prevented them from undertaking or completing an examination during the timetabled examination period. The University will schedule the deferred examination in the timetabled deferred examination period. Refer to Federation University Higher Education Special Consideration Procedure SS1967
Special consideration - General Acknowledgement by the Dean or delegate that a student has experienced or encountered some form of disadvantage or impediment that has prevented them from performing on their merits in an assessment task/s. In such circumstances, the particular disadvantage or impediment will be taken into account when assessing the students work. To enable the student to demonstrate their achievement of the course learning outcomes, they may be granted deferred assessment, supplementary examination, or extension of an assessment due date or other suitable accommodation deemed necessary. Such allowances may be made for one or more assessment tasks or courses within any teaching semester. Grounds for a student to submit an application for Special Consideration include illness, psychological condition, loss or bereavement, hardship/trauma, family violence or other significant cause. Refer to Federation University Higher Education Special Consideration Procedure SS1967
Supplementary assessment (examination context) A supplementary assessment is an extra examination that occurs after a previous examination has occurred. It is offered in particular circumstances where failure would significantly impede a student’s progress or completion of the course
Take-home assessment Conditions and instructions dictated according to the requirements of the course which enable the student to complete the assessment away from the University

Supporting Documents

Higher Education Assessment Policy

Higher Education Special Consideration Procedure

Learning and Teaching Policy

Student Access, Progression and Wellbeing Policy SS1965

Disability Learning Access Plan (LAP) Procedure SS1966

Higher Education Deferral or Leave from Studies Procedure

Deferment, Suspension or Cancellation of a Student's Enrolment (ESOS Specific) Procedure

Equal Opportunity and Valuing Diversity Policy

Responsibility

  • Academic Board is responsible for monitoring the implementation, outcomes and scheduled review of this procedure and will receive annual reports as part of the annual Program Performance Report from each School
  • Chair, Learning and Teaching Committee (L&T) is responsible for maintaining the content of this procedure as delegated by Academic Board
  • Executive Officer, Learning and Teaching Committee is responsible for the administration support for the maintenance of this procedure as directed by the Chair, Learning and Teaching Committee (L&T)
  • Deans of Schools are responsible for oversight of the operational implementation of this procedure

Actions

Each of the mandatory procedures below, details the activity which must be conducted in accordance with the assessment principles referred to in the Higher Education Assessment Policy.

1. Examination rules

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Conducting examinations Course Coordinator
  1. Examinations will be conducted in accordance with Statute 5.3 – The Schedule Part 1
  2. Students will be provided with examination criteria, including weighting, within the Course Description, together with relevant appeals information
B. Timetabling examinations

Team Leader, Exam Scheduling

Course Coordinator

Centre for University Partnerships (CUP)
  1. Compulsory central timetabling of all examinations scheduled within the examination period will occur in line with the University's approved examination standards and conditions
  2. Exams for Partner Providers or campuses on the trimester or Northern Hemisphere calendars are administered by CUP
  3. A timetable will be produced and published at least three weeks prior to the main examination periods
C. Booking examination rooms/venues

Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  1. Ensure students complete examinations in a physical environment in which they can be reasonably expected to perform to the best of their abilities.
D. Ensuring student Availability Student
  1. Students must ensure they are available to attend examinations during the formal examination periods outlined in the Academic Calendar for their study period.
E. Resulting Student HQ
  1. Final results for any course will not be officially notified to a student before completion of assessment in that course and its formal publication
  2. Students who owe fees to the University will not be able to view or receive written statements of academic record

2. Examination Appeals

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Dealing with examination complaints Dean or nominee
  1. In accordance with the Student Appeals Procedure, an appeal against a final grade must be submitted in writing and lodged within 10 working days of the publication of the final grade or result
  2. Following due consideration (within 30 days) the student will be provided with a written response to the appeal, including reasons for the decision
  3. The  School must notify Student Administration of any amended results following an appeal
  4. If the student is not satisfied with the decision, they can submit an appeal to the Appeals Committee in accordance with Regulation 2.2

3. Management of centrally organised examinations

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Determining arrangements for courses which include centrally organised examinations as part of the assessment

Course Coordinator

Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  1. Course coordinators provide adequate notice of examination requirements to Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  2. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling ensures that examination information in the student management system is correct prior to the creation of the examination timetable
  3. Submit examination papers for printing by the due date
  4. Students sit the exam papers given on the day of the examination as written - no clarifications or errata are to be issued on the day of the exam, thereby ensuring equity between examination venues
  5. Course Coordinators (or a delegate) must be contactable by phone for the duration of the examination for any course.
    If this responsibility is delegated, Exams Office must be informed before the day of the exam.
B. Scheduling of examinations Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  1. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling will not schedule any exams outside of the prescribed exam period as defined on the Academic Calendar
  2. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling will schedule early in the examination period where possible, examinations for courses with high enrolment numbers and other complex criteria that may affect the marking process to ensure completion of results by the release date
  3. Other scheduling requests from Schools and CUP will be considered and accommodated by Team Leader, Exam Scheduling, at their discretion
  4. Duration of examinations will be as per the course description in whole hour increments only i.e. one, two or three hours
  5. To maximise efficiencies of the examination room/venue and exam slots, examinations will be of suitable lengths to restrict differing durations in the same examination room/venue at the same time, where reasonably possible
  6. Examinations may be scheduled on any day within the examination period
  7. Every effort will be made to minimise the number of:
    • Examination clashes for students
    • Examinations a student is required to sit in a 36-hour period
    • Back-to-back examinations for students
    • Instances of student overload ie three consecutively scheduled examination sessions (morning, afternoon and following morning)
C. Exam Locations

Student

Student HQ

Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  1. Students are automatically allocated to an applicable exam location on the basis of their course enrolments ie. Student enrolled in all courses as CHLL, will be allocated to sit these exams at Churchill, or close to.
  2. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling will allocate students to exam locations as follows:
    • If enrolled in all courses at on-campus locations (ie. MTH, CHLL, BER), students will be allocated to sit their exams at the campus to which they are primarily enrolled
    • Students enrolled in FLX programs will be allocated to sit at their applicable FLX campus (ie. FLXK, FLXB, FLXG).
    • Students enrolled in all courses as ODL, will be invited to select/confirm their preferred exam location each semester, via email.
    • ODL students should reasonably expect to be able to sit their examination no further than 150km from their residential address recorded in the Student Management System.
    • Where no exam centre exists within our network, Team Leader, Exam Scheduling will take all reasonable steps to find one.
    • Students sitting at International locations may be required to travel further than 150km to a venue.
    • Non-standard or student nominated off-campus supervision arrangements will only be approved by Team Leader, Exam Scheduling under exceptional circumstances, where no other viable options are available.
    • Students with a mix of course location enrolments (ie. MTH and ODL) will be allocated to their on-campus location for all exams.
    • Students enrolled at TAFE Partners are not considered “online & distance” for exams purposes – their exam location is managed and administered between CUP and the Partner.
    • Students with a combination of TAFE Partner and ODL enrolments, will be allocated to an existing exam centre within our network for their examinable ODL course. CUP/Partner will manage all exams for course enrolments at partner locations.
  3. Off-campus examination eligibility
    • A student enrolled in all courses as ODL is eligible to sit their exams at an off-campus location, as confirmed during a dedicated nomination period each semester.
D. Changes to Exam Location  
  1. Changes to allocated exam location
    • A student may request to change their exam to any other Federation University Campus location, prior to Final Timetable publication – at no cost to the student.
  2. Any student may apply to sit an exam for an on-campus enrolment course, in an off-campus location if appropriate to the assessment – prior to Final Timetable publication.
  3. Applications will be processed by Team Leader, Exam Scheduling, in consultation with relevant Course Coordinator.
    Approval of this application will incur a fee as specified on the Higher Education Student Administrative Fees and Charges schedule,https://federation.edu.au/current-students/essential-info/fees-and-charges/higher-education/fees [for 2020 a fee of $300 has been approved which will be published in due course upon release of the 2020 administrative fees schedule]
  4. Fees will be charged to student accounts by Student HQ, upon notification from Team Leader, Exam Scheduling.
  5. Non-payment of these fees will result in a negative service indicator being applied to a student record, and results withheld until payment received.
E. Non-attendance at off-campus & disability exams

Team Leader, Exam Scheduling

Student HQ
  1. Students allocated to off-campus or 1-1 disability exam venues must provide a minimum amount of notice of non-attendance, to avoid a non-attendance fee being charged to their student account.
    • 3 days notice for off-campus examinations
    • 24hrs notice for disability 1-1 venues
  2. No fees are incurred for absenteeism in general on-campus exam venues (main venues), and notice is not required.
  3. Fees are specified on the Higher Education Student Administrative Fees and Charges schedule https://federation.edu.au/current-students/essential-info/fees-and-charges/higher-education/fees [for 2020 a fee of $130 has been approved which will be published in due course upon release of the 2020 administrative fees schedule]
  4. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling will only order a fee to be charged to a student account where costs have been incurred by the university for those exam arrangements.
  5. Fees will be charged to student accounts by Student HQ, upon notification from Team Leader, Exam Scheduling.
F. Dictionaries in centrally coordinated examinations Student
  1. Any student is entitled to bring an unmarked, hard-copy, bilingual dictionary into any formal examination, with the exception of examinations where a language is being assessed (ie. Japanese language courses)
    This item does not have to be specifically listed on the front of an exam paper cover.
  2. Any annotated dictionaries will be removed and/or reported as a breach in accordance with Statute 5.3 The Schedule Part 1 Section 7
G. Supervision of centrally coordinated examinations Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  1. All invigilated assessments held within main and alternate venues within the designated examination period will be supervised by impartial and independent invigilators, rostered by Team Leader, Exam Scheduling.
  2. Academic Staff may supervise practical assessments within the examination period and exams that may require technological interventions, with the assistance of the Team Leader, Exam Scheduling if required (resources permitting).
  3. Currently enrolled students may be engaged as Exam Supervisors, providing they;
    1. Self-identify to Team Leader, Examinations
    2. Declare any conflicts of interest
    3. Are not currently enrolled in the units they are supervising exams for.
  4. Staff ratios for exam supervision in main venues will be maintained at an approximate rate of 1:30 and 1:50 thereafter.
    ie. Supervision teams should generally consist of 1 Supervisor-in-Charge up to 30 students, with an Assistant for every 50 students.
  5. In the event of an observed breach of examination rules/procedures, Supervisors will be obligated to follow the reporting procedure and notify the Head of School in writing (refer Statute 5.3)
H. Notifying students of exam timetables Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  1. Examinations timetabled by the Team Leader, Exam Scheduling will be communicated via:
    • Individual email to the student’s nominated email address
    • Online web portal
  2. Examinations scheduled by CUP are emailed to Partners to distribute to students via appropriate means
I. Approved alternative sittings arrangements outside of examination periods

Course Coordinator

Coordinator, Disability Services
  1. Alternative sitting arrangements outside of the examinations period may be approved under the following circumstances:
    • Where a student has a clash of examinations that cannot be otherwise resolved; or
    • A student would be otherwise  required to sit three consecutive examinations in two days
  2. Course Coordinators will, under no circumstances, permit individual students to sit the same examination paper as the remainder of the cohort, at any other time or other venue.
  3. Manager, Disability Services may negotiate directly with a School on behalf of a student to arrange exam sittings outside of examination periods.
  4. Where a student is supported by Disability and Learning Access Unit (DLAU), they may instruct Team Leader, Exam Scheduling to conduct exam at a different time to the main cohort if necessitated by a student’s personal circumstances or LAP.
  5. Schools may make individual arrangements for students involved with the Elite Athlete Program (EAP) outside of exam periods as per the EAP policy.
  6. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling may authorise individual students to sit exams at reasonable times within their own time zone.
J. Unexpected disruptions during exam session Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  1. In the event of an unforeseen disruption to examination conditions, every option will be pursued to minimise the impact of the disruption to ensure students are not disadvantaged, which may include:
    • Time extensions
    • Opportunity to re-sit with an alternative examination paper at another time if students are forced to leave the venue
    • Refer to the University’s Emergency Evacuation Protocol for Examinations

2. The University does not consider an event that has mass impact, eg a bomb threat, sufficient grounds for special consideration by an individual student

4. Management of non-centrally organised examinations

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Arranging non-centrally organised examinations, including take-home assessments

Course Coordinators

CUP

Disability Services
  1. If any electronic/online examination papers are made available, their security must be ensured as well as the integrity of student answers - in the event of any system failure, students will not be penalised and alternative arrangements will be made, within the designated timeframe
  2. Students will be advised if take-home assessments are to be submitted for electronic anti-plagiarism verification and the processes involved and any penalties that may apply to non-compliance with the examination requirements
  3. Students will be required to submit examinations electronically accompanied by a completed declaration form, unless specific circumstances require otherwise

5. Personal exam adjustments and special consideration

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A.  Alternative examination arrangements, including deferrals Disability Services,
Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  1. Students may liaise with Disability Services regarding personal exam adjustments for centrally organised examinations.
  2. If a student’s health deteriorates significantly due to the episodic nature of their disability or an unforeseen event directly related to that disability occurs, and is not otherwise listed in their Learning Access Plan (LAP)*, a DLAU Officer may approve an exam deferral by using the DLAU specific ‘Deferred Examination Notification’ form and forwarding to Student HQ for processing.
  3. Disability Services will  consider the following points when setting alternative examination arrangements:
    • The student's circumstances
    • The impact of the arrangement on the student's ability to achieve learning outcomes
    • The impact of the arrangements on the University, staff and other students
    • The costs and benefits of adjustments
    • Meeting the academic requirements of the course that are inherent in or essential to it
  4.  Advice can be sought from Team Leader, Exam Scheduling, and/or Disability and Learning Access Unit (DLAU), Student Connect, the Associate Dean, Learning & Teaching and CAD to ensure a balance between the legislative requirements and academic standards
  5. Disability Services will work with Team Leader, Exam Scheduling to maintain consistent formatting for personal adjustments where possible, with this information to be provided to students on their personal examination timetable/s.
  6. Students who are unwell on the day of their examination should not enter the examination room and attempt the examination; they are encouraged to apply for a deferred examination
  7. If the student is unable to finish the exam due to serious illness or other cause they must:
    • inform the exam invigilator who will note the time of exit and reason associated
    • collect and complete special consideration - deferred examination form
B. Seeking approval to grant alternative examination arrangements Student HQ and/or designated approval authority
  1. Refer to the University’s Student Learning and Well Being Policy and Associated Procedures, where the circumstances are outside the student’s control.
    Examples include:
    • Semester’s work has been hampered by illness or other cause
    • Serious or disabling illness or other significant cause has prevented the student from preparing or presenting for all or part of assessment - refer Learning Access Plan
    • Adversely affected by illness or other cause during the performance of a component of assessment
  2. A written application must be submitted within three days after the submission of the component of assessment and supported by detailed Health Care Professional Certification
  3. The applicant will be notified of the decision in writing within five working days of the decision being made
  4. Students with a  Learning Access Plan (LAP)  examination adjustments will be determined on a student and course basis by Disability Services. 
    Disability Services will inform the Team Leader, Exam Scheduling of the necessary adjustments required by a student, referring to the Higher Education Special Consideration Procedure
C. Conducting supplementary/special consideration examination (not deferred examinations)

Team Leader, Exam Scheduling

CUP/Partners

Course Coordinators
  1. Supplementary examinations will be timetabled centrally, twice per year as per the Academic Calendar
  2. Supplementary examinations for Partners or campuses on the trimester or Northern Hemisphere are administered by CUP
  3. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling will notify eligible students of their examination date/s by email at least 72 hours prior to their examination, where possible.
  4. Where permission to undertake supplementary examination has been granted to a student/s, Course Coordinators will design a supplementary examination which is equivalent, but not identical, to the initial examination and supply the paper to the Team Leader, Exam Scheduling.
  5. Students who are awarded supplementary/special consideration examinations, and choose to sit the examination/s must ensure they are available to attend at the time/date specified on the published timetable.
  6. Students  deemed eligible for a supplementary opportunity may choose not to sit, in which case they will receive the mark awarded for the original examination.
  7. Students who receive an MF grade in their final Semester must acknowledge their supplementary opportunity by:
    • Contacting the Program Coordinator within 7 days of the publication of results for supplementary assessment.
    • Attending their supplementary exam opportunity as scheduled by Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
    • Applying to defer their supplementary opportunity
    • The highest grade attainable for a Supplementary exam will be a Pass grade. This only applies if the student is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment.
  8. Deferrals of supplementary examinations will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances on medical grounds.
  9. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling should be notified of any student not intending to sit their supplementary examination, in order to minimise costs incurred.

6. Ensuring security of completed examination papers and other examination materials

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Submission, collection and distribution of Exam Papers to venues   Course Coordinator (or delegate)
Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
  1. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling will call for a paper for each exam requested
  2. Course Coordinators will submit an exam paper to the Exams Office for each exam requiring printed papers by the submission dates
  3. Where marking guides are required (for Partners, etc.), exam papers and marking guides should not be submitted together
  4. Supervisors-in-Charge collect exam papers from the Exam Office for their session
  5. Supervisor-in-Charge of any venue bears responsibility for the security and integrity of all papers whilst in exam centre. 
  6. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling accounts for and verifies all materials collected from exam venue and returned to the Exams Office.
B. Distribution of exam materials to Academic Staff  
  1. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling, arranges for the collection of completed examination materials by nominated marker or their delegate.
  2. Exams office will hold all completed exam materials until collected by the Academic staff member listed as responsible for marking on the original exam request (or their delegate, as notified to Exams Office in writing). 
  3. Completed exam materials are not to be distributed via academic mail boxes.
  4. Proof of collection/delivery/transfer of completed exam materials between staff members should be retained for as long as is administratively necessary (e.g. the exam has been confirmed as received by the receiving staff member and the completed exam marked and marks recorded in a university endorsed system of record).
  5. Where papers are not collected by closure of exams offices at Berwick and Gippsland, an alternate secure area (e.g. Student HQ, Library or Security) will hold papers on behalf of the Examinations office until such time as they can be reasonable transferred to the exams office.
C. Ensuring security of completed  examination/s Team Leader, Exam Scheduling
Schools/Academic staff/Partners
  1. Following University policy, Academic Staff/Partners will securely store examination/s while they are being assessed and moderated - this process should be managed virtually, wherever possible, in accordance with the University's Record Management Policy and Procedure.
  2. Team Leader, Exam Scheduling records the details of any staff member who has collected exam materials from Exams Office.
  3. Completed exam materials will only be released/posted to recognised business addresses.
  4. Principles for transport of completed exam materials between campuses:
    • Mark on campus if possible
    • Keep in a secure area
    • Limit transport
    • Where submitted examination materials cannot be transported in person, all materials must be couriered or posted via trackable means.
    • Sender to retain all tracking information, and provide it to recipient if necessary.
    • Clearly label all envelopes containing exam materials, as containing exam materials and detailed origination/destination information.
D Ensuring security of examination/s materials, including Script Books

Team Leader, Exam Scheduling

Schools/Academic staff/Partners
  1. Unused examination materials, including script books and multiple choice answer sheets, should be returned to the examinations department at the completion of the examination
  2. Examination materials should not be used for any purpose other than the completion of an official university examination.
.E Protecting confidentiality of students

Course Coordinator/

Partners
  1. If the need arises for the Course Coordinator to discuss examination/s with other staff, the discussion does not identify the author either directly or indirectly
F Retaining/disposing of students' examination/s Academic staff/Partners
  1. Completed exam materials (either original or copies) will remain with Academics for the first 21 days to allow students to view their exam, then archived at a local level (school/campus) until the end of the records retention period.
  2. Partner locations are required to archive exams at a local level.
  3. Further retention or disposal of examination/s to be carried out in accordance with the University's Record Management Policy and Procedure.

7. Ensuring examination/s are appropriately marked and graded

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Marking and grading examination/s is based on criterion referencing

Academics/Partners
  1. Identify any issues with the marking guide/rubric/expectations to assist in developing consistent responses/grades
  2. Assess student performance against attainment of intended learning outcomes or graded against the level of attainment of intended learning outcomes using explicit, pre-specified, and/or negotiated criteria (rather than assessed relative to the performance of other students in a cohort)
  3. For Moderation - refer to Higher Education Assessment Procedure
B. Accessing exam scripts following publication Academic Staff
  1. Ensure viewing of the graded exam scripts of the examination results by students is conducted in a supervised environment. Scripts must not be removed from the room.
C. Requesting second marking

Course Coordinator/

Partners
  1. A student can request a second marking for an examination. The request should be considered when the grade for the examination differs substantially from the grades received for other assessment tasks submitted - refer Schedule 5.3 Assessment
D. Granting of special consideration Dean of School or nominee
  1. When a student is unable to complete an examination through a serious health condition, other medical reasons, loss or bereavement or other significant cause, the student is encouraged to apply for Deferred or Supplementary assessment - refer Higher Education Special Consideration Procedure
E. Assessing supplementary examination

Course Coordinator/

Partners
  1. Assess the supplementary examination/s – only the grades of pass and marginal fail (P and MF) will be awarded for the course involved
  2. Report supplementary examination results in a timely manner to avoid disadvantage to the student
F. Recording examination results

Student Administration/

CUP/Partners
  1. Results will be recorded in the University's approved student management system

8. Ensuring quality of examination (Continuous Improvement)

  ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY STEPS
A. Benchmarking of examination/s

Associate Dean,

Teaching Quality or

nominee
  1. Benchmarking of examinations will be undertaken in accordance with the Higher Education Assessment Policy and Procedure.
B. Ensuring examination integrity Course Coordinator
  1. Exam integrity must be applied to all standard, partner, deferred and supplementary examinations.
  2. Integrity of examinations must be maintained by ensuring all newly developed examinations are sufficiently dissimilar to past examinations, thus avoiding predictability of content.
    • No examinations are to be wholly recycled
    • No more than 33% overlap with any previous exam given over the past 2 years. For exams with pre-sighted case studies, the maximum of 33% overlap is exclusive of the case study component.
  3. The same examination may be used at different sites at the same time.

Promulgation

The Higher Education Examinations Procedure will be communicated throughout the University community in the form of:

  • An Announcement Notice via FedNews website and on the ‘Recently Approved Documents’ page on the ‘Policies, Procedures and Forms @ the University’ website to alert the University-wide community of the approved Procedure.
  • Learning and Teaching Committee
  • School meetings
  • Academic Induction Program
  • Partner communications
  • Examinations newsletter

Implementation

The Higher Education Examinations Procedure will be implemented throughout the University via:

Information Sessions; and/or

Training Sessions

Partner communications

Records Management

Document Title Location Responsible Officer Minimum Retention Period
Proof of collection/delivery/transfer of completed exam materials between staff members. School Administrative Office Manager, School Services Until the completed exam has been marked and marks recorded in a university endorsed system of record.
Amendment to Result Form School  Administrative Office Manager, School Services Destroy 7 years after action completed
Examination Benchmarking/Validation schedule University's approved records management system Manager, School Services Destroy 7years after action completed
Final Examination Results

University's approved student management system

School  Administrative Office if hard copy

 Manager, School Services Permanent
Record of Examination (Master Copy of Exam Paper) School Administrative Office or transferred to Central Records, if hard copy, or otherwise retained in a University's approved records management system in line with the Records Management policy and procedure. Manager, School Services /Partner Destroy 7 years after action completed
Student completed exam paper/booklets School Administrative Office Manager, School Services /Partner Destroy 2 years after administrative use has concluded
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Approval Authority: Academic Board Original Issue 25/11/2015
Policy Sponsor: Chair, Academic Board Current Version: 26/04/2022
CRICOS Provider Number 00103D Review Date: 18/10/2022
Policy Code LT1940