• Section 1 - Key Information
• Section 2 - Purpose
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Key Decisions
• Section 5 - Policy Statement
• Section 6 - Standards
• Part A - Overview
• Part B - Assessment Plans
• Part C - Assessing for Learning
• Part D - Timing and Weighting of Assessment
• Part E - Group Assessment Tasks
• Part F - Assessment of Attendance
• Part G - Hurdle Task Requirements
• Part H - Submission of Assessment Tasks
• Part I - Recording and Reporting of Results
• Section 7 - Definitions
• Section 8 - Authority and Associated Information

Section 1 - Key Information

Section 2 - Purpose

(1) These Standards set out the expectations that the University holds for assessment in subjects and courses, and should be read in conjunction with the Assessment Policy and its associated procedures.

(2) The Standards draw from expected good practice in institutions across Australia, as well as the work of scholars and researchers in this field. They are not intended to be exhaustive, but lay a foundation for good practice while providing scope for staff to engage in continuous improvement in assessment design.

Section 3 - Scope

(3) Refer to the Assessment Policy.

Section 4 - Key Decisions

Section 5 - Policy Statement

(4) These Standards forms part of the Assessment Policy suite which governs their application.

Section 6 - Standards

Part A - Overview

(5) Assessment determines whether students have achieved Subject and Course Intended Learning Outcomes and to what standard. Assessment also shapes learning and is therefore one of the most important elements within the teaching and learning process for both teachers and students.

(6) Significant attention is paid by students to assessment activities, their criteria and weighting. It is critical that these features of assessment are calibrated to guide and support learning.

(7) The principles outlined in the Assessment Policy apply to all assessments and are supported by the following rules. Exceptions to these rules may be allowed where supported by an academic justification (for example, professional accreditation requirements).

(8) Where the requirements of a professional accrediting body conflict with any aspect of these Standards
course assessment should be conducted in alignment with the accrediting body’s requirements. Other exceptions to these rules may be sought where supported by an academic justification.

(9) Students are informed about the assessment for individual subjects through the following channels:

1. University Handbook entries show the assessment tasks for each subject, including broad information about the types of assessment and their respective weightings;
2. full details of assessment are provided to students in the Subject Learning Guide in the Learning Management System a minimum of two weeks prior to the commencement of the teaching period, and wherever possible, discussed with students at the start of the subject. Such details include:
   1. the type, weighting and timing of assessment, including any requirements for submission of sub-tasks for marking prior to final assessment;
   2. any mandatory requirements (such as attendance requirements and hurdles), and options for students who are unable to meet or fail these requirements;
   3. the criteria for assessment or rubric, the relationship to learning outcomes and the performance expectations on which marking is based.

(10) Changes to details of assessment not requiring formal committee approval (see Course and Subject Management Procedure - Approvals), such as assignment instructions and due dates, may be made up to two weeks prior to the commencement of the teaching period.

Part B - Assessment Plans

(11) Each course has a comprehensive Assessment Plan that:

1. maps Course Intended Learning Outcomes to assessment tasks;
2. includes an assessment map covering all possible majors and minors attached to a course.

(12) Assessment Plans must be approved by the Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) for the owning school, after review and recommendation by Education Services and all relevant Course Coordinators.

Part C - Assessing for Learning

(13) The majority of assessments conducted within the teaching period, whether graded or ungraded, are developmental in nature and provide students with an opportunity to apply feedback to subsequent assessment activities.

(14) Assurance of learning takes place within subjects and across courses through a combination of supervised and unsupervised assessment as follows:

1. every course must include supervised assessment activities that assure learning against Course Intended Learning Outcomes at designated assurance checkpoints;
2. where individual subjects are not designated as assurance checkpoints assessment tasks may all be unsupervised.

(15) Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are presumed to be available to students for all unsupervised assessment. Where Subject Coordinators wish to limit or specify appropriate use of AI tools, clear instructions should be provided to students, including the need for students to acknowledge where AI tools have been used and how in any submitted work.

(16) A list of criteria or a rubric is provided for each assessment task in a subject to provide students with clear expectations about the type and level of performance required to successfully complete the task.

(17) Exemplars of relevant completed assessments are provided to students wherever appropriate.

(18) Qualitative feedback is provided in time for students to apply it to subsequent relevant learning or assessment, normally within 15 business days of submission, or within a shorter time frame as appropriate for early assessment tasks or for subjects with a shorter teaching period. Feedback may be peer-based, whole of group or individual feedback, depending on the nature of the assessment.

(19) Students are provided with links to supports or resources that facilitate further learning or the addressing of skill deficits, such as Library support services or student advisors, wherever possible and appropriate.

Part D - Timing and Weighting of Assessment

(20) No single assessment item is weighted at more than 60% of the final grade for a subject unless the Assessment Plan includes a major portfolio or thesis. 

(21) Simple multiple-choice tests (see Definitions) make up no more than 30% of the final grade in a subject.

(22) The scheduling of assessment due dates takes into account the composition of assessment in subjects for a course. Wherever possible assessment due dates are not scheduled during the SWOTVAC period where most subjects in a course have heavily weighted assessment taking place during the Final Assessment Period.

(23) If a subject includes an examination to be conducted during the Final Assessment Period, no other assessments for that subject may be due during this period.

(24) An early assessment task weighted between 10 and 30% of the total assessment, must be set in each subject in order to guide needed emphasis in the curriculum, assess individual skills, and identify support needs and students who are academically at risk.  The task must be set, and feedback provided, prior to the Census Date of the relevant teaching period.

(25) The maximum weighting for supervised assessment in subject is 60% of the final grade. This can be distributed over a maximum of two separate assessment tasks.

Part E - Group Assessment Tasks

(26) Where a group assessment task is weighted at 50% or more of the final grade in a subject, individual students are given an opportunity to demonstrate their individual achievement of the learning outcomes.

(27) Information about how group assessment tasks will be assessed and the extent to which students will receive individual or a shared group mark will be included in the Subject Learning Guide.

Part F - Assessment of Attendance

(28) Attendance in subjects is not mandatory except where there is a necessary minimum attendance for practice, performance or external requirements, such as for accreditation, a placement or practice assessment.

(29) In subjects where attendance for specific activities is mandatory students are advised through the Subject Learning Guide on the LMS, and verbally or in writing at the commencement of the particular activity of the following:

1. that specified minimum attendance at a particular activity or series of activities is required in addition to the standard subject information;
2. under what circumstances and with what documentation a student is permitted to miss a session. These requirements must align with University procedures as outlined in the Assessment Procedure - Adjustments to Assessment (incorporating Special Consideration);
3. students’ options for completion if they fail to meet the attendance requirements, e.g. make-up sessions, alternative activities.

(30) Marks cannot be awarded for attendance in any subject. However, where a subject has mandatory attendance requirements records must be kept and students are given access to their own attendance records upon request.

Part G - Hurdle Task Requirements

(31) Within a subject, it is expected that the Subject Learning Outcomes will be assessed using a variety of assessment tasks. However, in certain instances it may not be possible to assess a particular learning outcome using more than one assessment task. Such a learning outcome may involve the demonstration of a particular skill or activity:

1. where the level of competency can only be assessed through an actual demonstration; or
2. which is intrinsic to the student's ability to achieve a professional skill or to complete professional registration requirements.

(32) All supervised assessment tasks are designated hurdles.  A student must pass these hurdles in order to pass the subject.

(33) In subjects that have a hurdle assessment task, students must be advised through the Subject Learning Guide at the commencement of the subject:

1. that a particular assessment is a hurdle task;
2. the reasons why this assessment is considered a hurdle requirement and the learning outcome or competency that is being assessed;
3. options where students fail the hurdle task. Information on provisions for supplementary assessments are outlined in the Assessment Procedure - Adjustments to Assessment (incorporating Special Consideration).

Part H - Submission of Assessment Tasks

(34) Assignments are submitted online by the deadline of 11:59pm on the due date within the LMS wherever possible.

(35) All essays and reports or similar written assessments are submitted through Turnitin or other text-matching software for review and the resulting originality reports are reviewed by the assessor prior to grading.

Part I - Recording and Reporting of Results

(36) All results for assessments, including examination results, are recorded in Gradebook.  Where a task is to be moderated, results are only released to students via the Learning Management Management System following moderation.

Section 7 - Definitions

(37) For the purposes of these Standards:

1. Assessment Plan: an assessment plan provides a structured overview of all assessments in a course, specifying the inclusion of both supervised and unsupervised assessment tasks to ensure achievement of the Course Intended Learning Outcomes;
2. assurance checkpoints: assessment tasks within designated subjects that are specifically designed to evaluate Course Intended Learning Outcomes;
3. simple multiple-choice questions: those that test a student’s recall or replication of knowledge content covered in a subject. This contrasts with more complex multiple-choice questions that test other subject learning outcomes, such as those providing opportunities for application, integration and evaluation. To be termed a simple multiple-choice test, all questions in the test or assessment task would be simple.
4. SWOTVAC: Study Without Teaching Vacation is a study period free of classes before the Final Assessment Period;
5. Supervised Assessment: an evaluation of student learning conducted in a controlled setting, such as an exam hall, classroom, or online environment with proctoring, where students complete tasks under direct supervision. These assessments are primarily used for measuring Course Learning Outcomes and are designed to ensure integrity through identity verification measures. Access to external resources and unapproved technology is restricted, minimising the risk of academic misconduct.
6. Unsupervised Assessment: an evaluation conducted in a flexible environment, such as at home or in an unsupervised setting where students complete tasks independently or in a group. These assessments typically allow access to resources such as AI textbooks, notes or online tools, supporting self-directed learning and application of knowledge.

Section 8 - Authority and Associated Information

(38) These Standards are made under the La Trobe University Act 2009.

(39) Associated information includes:

1. Assessment Policy;
2. Assessment Procedure - Adjustments to Assessment (incorporating Special Consideration);
3. Assessment Procedure - Examinations;
4. Assessment Procedure - Validation and Moderation;
5. Assessment Schedule - Grades and Administrative Codes;
6. Staff Guidelines for Calibrating Student Workload;
7. Guidelines and templates on the Assessment Policy intranet.