(1) The University allows adjustments to assessment arrangements, marks, and grades in the following circumstances: (2) Refer to the Assessment Policy. (3) Provisions for adjustments to marks as an outcome of a student request for a review are outlined in the Assessment Procedure - Validation and Moderation. (4) Refer to the Assessment Policy. (5) Where any part if this Procedure is applied to centrally managed courses and subjects the functions specified are to be performed by an equivalent senior academic staff member. (6) Assessment tasks must be submitted by 11.59 pm on the due date (or 12.00am where systems do not allow 11.59pm). Exceptions to this include performative and timed assessments (such as presentations, practical classes, and examinations), where students are required to submit materials during or at the conclusion of an event. (7) The University provides modified assessment arrangements to accommodate students with a mental health condition, ongoing medical condition or disability (including physical, neurological, intellectual, sensory, acquired brain injury, or specific learning difficulty) that may impact upon their studies, in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) and the Disability Standards for Education (2005). (8) Ongoing modified assessment (special or alternative support) arrangements are established as part of a Learning Access Plan. Students seeking ongoing adjustments to assessment under this mechanism should contact the AccessAbility Hub. (9) Students may apply for a range of adjustments to assessment for events that: (10) Situations which may lead to a need to apply for an adjustment may include: (11) Adjustments are not considered for circumstances such as: (12) The options for adjustment to assessment in eligible circumstances include: (13) Applications for adjustments must be accompanied by official verifiable documentation as outlined on the relevant application form. (14) Students may be affected by a range of adverse circumstances during the preparation of an assessment task. Where students know in advance that these circumstances will impact their ability to submit the task by the due date, they may apply to the relevant assessor for an extension of up to five working days. Applications for Short Extensions must be submitted at least three working days prior to the submission date using the form available on the La Trobe website. (15) Where a student is impacted by more significant circumstances and requires an extension of more than five days, or where a student cannot apply for a Short Extension within the designated timeframe, they should consider whether their circumstances warrant an application for Special Consideration. (16) The relevant assessor will notify the student as soon as possible whether the Short Extension has been granted. Students awaiting the outcome of an application are advised to submit the work to the assessor as soon as they can, to minimise deduction of marks if the short extension is not granted. (17) The standard penalty for late submission without or beyond an approved Short Extension will be 5% of the total possible mark per working day. (18) Work will not be assessed if submission is overdue by more than: (19) If the request for a Short Extension is denied, the student may request that the decision be reviewed by the Subject Coordinator. Where the Subject Coordinator is the relevant teacher, the request for review should be made to the Course Coordinator or, in the case of elective subjects, the Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching. Such a request for review must be made within three working days of the student receiving notification of the decision. (20) Students may apply for Special Consideration when they experience unforeseen circumstances of a more serious and acute nature that will or have impacted the execution of an assessment task. In such circumstances a student may need an extension of longer than five days to complete an assessment task, or, where the task has already been completed, may request Special Consideration to ensure that the assessment of the task takes account of these circumstances. (21) Students may submit an application with required evidence in appropriate circumstances prior to the scheduled date of the assessment task, or no later than five working days after the scheduled date, unless exceptional circumstances apply. Exceptional circumstances must have occurred during the period in which an application would normally be made, be accompanied by evidence, and are limited to: (22) Applications for Special Consideration will undergo preliminary screening by Student Administration Division to confirm students’ eligibility. Eligible applications are submitted to the relevant Subject Coordinator for a determination. (23) The determination of eligibility for Special Consideration, and the requirements for associated evidence, will take into account cultural context where appropriate, such as recognition of activities associated with Sorry Business for Indigenous students. (24) The Subject Coordinator will consider the following in determining an outcome for an eligible application: (25) Outcomes may take the form of one of the following: (26) If the outcome of an application for Special Consideration is to sit a special examination in the next scheduled examination period after an initial attempt of the examination was made, the results of the first examination will not be taken into consideration. (27) If the application for Special Consideration for an incomplete examination is declined, the original exam paper will be assessed as usual. (28) When a Special Consideration outcome is granted, the Subject Coordinator is responsible for applying the appropriate Administrative Code on the student’s record in the Student Information System in accordance with the Assessment Schedule - Grades and Administrative Codes. (29) No mark or final grade will be released until any required resubmission or substitute assessment has been completed. (30) The results of any assessment task awarded under this section should normally be finalised no more than three weeks after completion of the assessment task. (31) Honours students who are granted an extension of time for submission of their thesis as an outcome of a Special Consideration application must be made aware of the potential delay to the examination of their thesis. (32) If an application for Special Consideration is rejected, the student will be notified of the reason for the decision and, where appropriate, any other options available in their circumstances. (33) If a student is dissatisfied with the outcome of their application for Special Consideration, they may seek a review as follows: (34) Students are expected to make arrangements to attend examinations at the scheduled time regardless of their normal commitments, including but not limited to normal work and carer duties, and personal travel or social arrangements. (35) When a student is unable to attend a scheduled examination due to an acute medical or unavoidable, unforeseen life event they should apply for Special Consideration. (36) When a student cannot sit a scheduled examination because of special and foreseeable circumstances, they may apply for an Alternative Examination Arrangement (AEA) using the online form. Such circumstances include if, at the scheduled time for the examination, a student: (37) Students who have an examination scheduled on a Saturday or non-University recognised public holidays may also apply for an AEA where they do not have access to their normal child-care arrangements. (38) Applications for AEAs should normally be lodged a minimum of 10 working days prior to the commencement of the examination period. (39) When a student’s request for an AEA is declined due to ineligibility, and they wish to seek a review of this decision, they may appeal via written response to the decline email and must do so within five working days of receiving the decision. Requests for review must demonstrate how the decision was not based on the criteria as laid out in the AEA section of this Procedure. (40) Requests for review will be assessed by the Deputy Director, Academic Services or a nominee who is independent of the original decision. (41) This part outlines the adjustments to assessment arrangements and grades that may be made within specific parameters when a student’s academic progress is at risk due to their performance in certain tasks or subjects. (42) This part does not apply to thesis subjects. (43) A student who has obtained a grade of 50% or greater for a subject but has failed a compulsory (hurdle) requirement for that subject may be granted a Supplementary Assessment. (44) In these circumstances a temporary Administrative Code will be applied pending the outcome of the supplementary assessment. (45) If it is impractical for the student to undertake an additional assessment task, such as when the failed hurdle is for a workplace-based assessment, the student is given an ungraded fail (F). (46) Eligible students are given a minimum of one week’s notice of the additional assessment opportunity. (47) Additional assessment is undertaken no later than the end of the progression period or the teaching period in which the subject is undertaken. The assessment is finalised (results recorded in the Student Information System) no more than five working days following the week in which central special examinations conclude. (48) The final grade for the subject shall not increase as a result of a student passing a second attempt at a hurdle assessment. (49) Assessments that are predominantly workplace-based and those unable to be replicated via supplementary activities are not eligible for Supplementary Assessment. (50) In all other cases where a student has failed a subject that is the final subject to complete for the course, an additional assessment to allow the student a second opportunity to pass the subject will be offered, where they: (51) A temporary Administrative Code will be applied to the subject pending the outcome of the supplementary assessment. (52) If a student passes the additional assessment awarded under this section, the final grade for the subject will be 50D; if the student fails the further assessment, the original Fail result will stand. (53) Arrangements for additional assessment will be managed by the student’s School of enrolment. The timing, terms and conditions of the assessment must be communicated clearly to the student at least five working days before the assessment task (if the assessment is an event, such as an examination or test). If the assessment requires an output such as an essay, reasonable time must be allowed for completion of the task. (54) A student wishing to seek a review of a decision in relation to a supplementary assessment should apply in writing to the Subject Coordinator, or if they were the original decision maker to the Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching. (55) This section sets out the circumstances under which the University may make an adjustment to a student’s grade for a subject to a Conceded Pass, and the process for doing so. (56) A Conceded Pass (NC) may be granted for a single coursework subject of 15 or fewer credit points when the following conditions are met: (57) Where a course is of 60 points duration students may be awarded a Conceded Pass for any eligible subject where all other conditions have been met. (58) Subject Coordinators will be asked to confirm that all conditions for the award of a Conceded Pass have been met before the grade is applied by Student Administration. (59) All conceded passes are terminal and may not be used to satisfy course prerequisites (for example for a subsequent honours year) or requirements for professional accreditation. (60) Students who have received a Conceded Pass for a subject may not request a review of any other assessment within the subject but may choose to decline the Conceded Pass and re-enrol in the subject. (61) For the purposes of this Policy and Procedure: (62) Refer to:Assessment Procedure - Adjustments to Assessment (incorporating Special Consideration)
Section 1 - Background and Purpose
Top of PageSection 2 - Scope
Section 3 - Policy Statement
Section 4 - Procedures
Part A - Submission of Assessments
Part B - Ongoing Adjustments
Part C - Adjustments for Short-term Adverse Circumstances
Overview
Short Extensions of Time
Requests for Short Extensions
Overdue Submissions
Requests for Review
Special Consideration
Applications
Outcomes of Eligible Applications
Requests for Review
Alternative Examination Arrangements
Requests for Review
Part D - Adjustments for Academic Progress
Supplementary Assessment for Failed Hurdle Tasks
Supplementary Assessment for Failed Final Subjects
Requests for Review
Conceded Passes
Section 5 - Definitions
Top of PageSection 6 - Associated Documents
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Assessment Procedure – Adjustments (including Special Consideration) - (revised Procedure effective from Semester 1 2023)