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Assessment Rules (No. 4) 2013

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THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
 
Programs and Awards Statute 2013
 
ASSESSMENT RULES (No. 4) 2013
 
I, Professor Ian Young, Vice-Chancellor of The Australian National University acting in accordance with subsection 50(3) of the Australian National University Act 1991 and subsection 9.5 of the Vice-Chancellorship Statute 2013 make these Rules for section 8 of the Programs and Awards Statute 2013.
 
Dated: 16 December 2013.
 
 
 
 
 
Professor Ian Young AO
VICE-CHANCELLOR
__________________________________________________________________
Name of Rules and commencement
1(1)     These Rules are the Assessment Rules (No. 4) 2013.
(2)       These Rules commence on 1 January 2014.
Application
2(1)     These Rules apply in relation to all undergraduate and graduate coursework programs.
Interpretation
3(1)     In these Rules, unless the contrary intention appears:
assessment, in relation to a course, includes any task that is required to be performed by a student for a judgment to be made of the student's level of performance in that course;
Delegated Authority means a person appointed under subrule 4(1);
examination, in relation to a course, includes any task that is required to be performed by a student for the assessment of the student's performance in that course;
final assessment, for a course, means the final task for the course described in subrule 5(1) that must be performed by a student for the satisfactory completion of the course;
further assessment means an assessment required by a Chair of Examiners for a course under subrule 9(3);
hurdle assessment, for a course, means an assessment task that tests competency or skills or knowledge considered to be fundamental to passing the course or is required by a discipline-specific or other accreditation authority;
special assessment, for a student in relation to a course, means an assessment the student is permitted to take under subrule 11(1) or 12(6);
special assessment arrangements, for a student in relation to an assessment for a course, are arrangements approved under rule 8 for the student;
student means a person undertaking all or part of a program and who is eligible to undertake, or is undertaking, an assessment;
supplementary assessment in relation to a course includes, but is not limited to, assessment by a formal assessment, a practical assessment, a take-home assessment and an essay.
Appointments
4(1)     An Associate Dean for an ANU College may appoint a member of the staff of the ANU College to be a Delegated Authority for the purposes of these Rules in relation to a course offered by the ANU College.
Final assessment
5(1)     For the definition of final assessment in subrule 3(1), the final assessment for a course is to be in the form of a compulsory examination where the student is required to sit the whole of the examination on a particular day commencing at a particular time, or any other form of assessment, including, but not limited to practical examinations, take-home examinations and essays representing the final task for the course.
Eligibility to be assessed
6(1)     A student is eligible to be assessed for a course if the person is enrolled in the course and complies with the requirements of the Rules and Orders applicable to taking that course.
Manner, time and place of assessment
7(1)     Notice of the manner, time and place of final assessments to be conducted during University assessment sessions at the end of semester (including session):
            (a)        for assessments to be administered by the Registrar – must be published on the University’s timetable website by the Registrar not less than 3 weeks before the commencement of the assessment session; and
            (b)        for assessments to be administered by the ANU College offering the course – must be displayed by the Delegated Authority not less than 3 weeks before the commencement of the assessment session in at least one of the following ways:
                        (i)         on a notice board used for the purpose in the ANU College by which the course is offered;
                        (ii)        to students enrolled in the course in class;
                        (iii)       if possible, on the website for the course.
(2)       A failure to comply with subrule (1) is not to be taken to affect the validity of an assessment or of anything done in relation to an assessment under these Rules.
(3)       In this rule, a reference to a notice board is to be read as a reference to a notice board that is commonly used for displaying notices to students, including an electronic notice board or an appropriate part of the University’s website.
Special assessment arrangements
8(1)     A student with a temporary or chronic disability who has dealt with the University’s Disability Services Centre in relation to his or her disability may ask the Centre to determine special assessment arrangements for the student for an assessment, including, but not limited to, additional reading or writing time, the provision of special equipment, separate accommodation or the services of an amanuensis.
(2)       Special assessment arrangements for a student referred to in subrule (1) must be approved by the Registrar.
(3)       Details of special assessment arrangements are to be sent by the Registrar to the Delegated Authority who may request changes to the arrangements.
(4)       The Registrar is to ensure that the Chair of Examiners for a course is informed of the arrangements.
(5)       A student with a temporary or chronic disability or other condition to whom subrule (1) does not apply may ask the Delegated Authority to approve special assessment arrangements in relation to the student.
(6)       The Delegated Authority may approve special assessment arrangements requested under subrule (5).
(7)       The assessments referred to in subrule (2) or (5) are to be conducted in accordance with the arrangements set out in subrule (1).
Examiners
9(1)     The Delegated Authority must, at the commencement of the semester (including a session) in which the course is offered, appoint a Chair of Examiners and at least 1 other examiner, for the course.
(2)       The Chair of Examiners for a course must:
            (a)        ensure that the academic performance of each student attempting the course is adequately and fairly assessed; and
            (b)        ensure that no student is failed in the course unless the student's performance in assessments in the course has been reviewed by at least 2 of the examiners appointed in relation to the course; and
            (c)        submit to the examiners’ meeting for the course a written report setting out, for each student examined, the marks and the grade of result that the examiners recommend be awarded to that student.
(3)       Before submitting recommendations under paragraph (2)(c), the Chair of Examiners may require a student to take a further assessment to ensure that the academic performance of the student in that course is adequately and fairly assessed, and any such assessment may be oral, written or practical.
(4)       The Delegated Authority must ensure that meetings of examiners are held to consider reports on marks, grades of results and further assessments required by the Chair of Examiners, and to moderate results.
(5)       The Chair of Examiners must, before submitting recommendations to the examiners’ meeting for a course:
            (a)        permit full-time members of the staff who participated in the teaching of the course to examine and comment on the recommendations; and
            (b)        take into account any matters put to the Chair by those members.
(6)       The Chair of Examiners must make final marks and a grade of result recommended for award to each student for a course available to the Delegated Authority, for approval by the Delegated Authority.
(7)       The Delegated Authority may approve, for a student for the course:
            (a)        the marks and the grade of result recommended or amended by the Chair of Examiners; or
            (b)        in exceptional circumstances, marks and a grade of result that are different from the marks and the grade of result recommended or amended by the Chair of Examiners.
(8)       After the Delegated Authority has approved the results for a course for release, the Delegated Authority must send the results to the Registrar.
(9)       The Registrar must cause the results in a course to be published.
(10)     To avoid doubt, for the purposes of subrule (9), published includes published electronically in an appropriate part of the University’s website, including a part of the website accessible only to a student whose results are so published.
Review of decisions
10(1)   If, after being notified of the final result for a student in a course approved by the Delegated Authority, the student considers that he or she has received an inappropriate or incorrect result in the course, he or she may apply for a review of the result.
[NOTE: A student who believes that he or she has received an inappropriate or incorrect result in a course is encouraged to follow the procedures for assessment review and appeals set out in the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy before formally lodging an application under this rule.]
(2)       Before formally applying for a review, the student must discuss the disputed result with the Course Convener who must re-examine the relevant work, decide whether to amend the result or not and inform the student accordingly.
(3)       If, after discussion with the Course Convener, the student believes that the established criteria of assessment or some aspect of the Assessment Rules or relevant policy or procedure has not been followed, he or she may, within 20 working days of being notified under subrule (2) of the Course Convener’s decision (or within such further period as the Associate Dean determines), submit to the College Student Office a formal request for a review to the Associate Dean.
(4)       A request for a review under subrule (3) must:
                (a)    be in writing; and
                (b)    state clearly the reason why the result is inappropriate or incorrect; and
                (c)    include any relevant supporting evidence available to the appellant.
 (5)      The Associate Dean must consider the appeal and may inform himself or herself in any way on any matter relating to the review, including, but not limited to, seeking recommended outcomes from other parties.
(6)       The Associate Dean may:
                (a)    confirm the final result in a course for a student; or
                (b)    approve marks and the grade of a final result (which may be different from the marks and the grade of result in a course recommended by the Chair of Examiners) for the student.
(7)       The decision of the Associate Dean and the reasons for the decision must be sent in writing by the Associate Dean to the student within 20 working days of receipt of the appeal.
(8)       The Associate Dean must also send the results to the Registrar.
 (9)      Subject to subrule (10), the decision of the Associate Dean following a review of a student's marks and grade of result in the course is final.
(10)     An appeal against a decision of the Associate Dean made under this rule may be made to the Dean:
            (a)        on procedural grounds only;
            (b)        within 20 working days of the notification of the relevant decision by the Associate Dean to the appellant;
 (11)    The decision of the Dean following an appeal under subrule (10) is final and must be notified within 20 working days of the Dean’s receipt of the appeal to the appellant and the Registrar accordingly.
 (12)    Except with the approval of the Delegated Authority, a student awaiting the outcome of a review of marks and grade of result in a course may not enrol in another course for which the subject course is a prerequisite until the student is awarded a passing result in the course.
(13)     However, if a person seeking a review is already enrolled, he or she is entitled to remain enrolled pending the outcome of the review.
(14)     An Associate Dean may, for this rule, appoint a nominee to exercise the powers or perform the functions of the Associate Dean, and a person so appointed may exercise those powers or perform those functions as if the person were the Associate Dean concerned.
Special examinations
11(1)   The Delegated Authority may permit a student who was eligible to take an examination in a course but was unable to attend the examination to take such special examination as the Delegated Authority determines.
(2)       A student seeking permission to take a special examination must lodge an application with the Registrar not later than 3 working days after the time fixed for the completion of the examination that the student failed to attend, or within such further time as the Delegated Authority allows.
(3)       An application under subrule (2) is to be accompanied by a statement in writing setting out the circumstances that prevented the student from attending the examination and by such evidence as is available to the student in support of that statement.
Special consideration etc.
12(1)   A student who considers that his or her academic performance in respect of a course has been adversely affected by illness or other cause during the period of studies to which an assessment relates, may furnish a statement of the circumstances in writing to the Delegated Authority in the ANU College offering the course, together with any medical or other evidence, before the assessment is held.
Invigilated examinations
(2)       If, during an examination the conduct of which is under the supervision of invigilators:
            (a)        a student notifies an invigilator that he or she considers that his or her performance in the examination has been adversely affected by illness or other cause in the course of the examination; or
            (b)        another person present at the examination notifies an invigilator that it appears that the performance of a student in the examination has been adversely affected by illness or other cause in the course of the examination; or
            (c)        it otherwise appears to an invigilator that the performance of a student in the examination has been adversely affected by illness or other cause in the course of the examination;
the invigilator must, as soon as possible after the completion of the examination, so inform the Delegated Authority in writing.
Other assessment tasks
(3)       If a student considers that the student's performance in an assessment other than an assessment of the kind referred to in subrule (2) has been adversely affected by illness or other cause during the assessment, the student may, before the conclusion of the assessment, so notify the Delegated Authority.
(4)       Upon receiving a notification under subrule (1), (2) or (3), the Delegated Authority must report accordingly to the examiners.
(5)       The examiners must take the report into account in making their assessment of the performance of the student in the course.
(6)       The Delegated Authority may permit a student to whom this rule applies to undertake further assessment in the course.
Eligibility for supplementary assessment
13(1)   A student must be offered supplementary assessment for a course if the student achieves a final result for a course of N45%-N49%.
 [NOTE 1: This includes ungraded (CRS) courses.]
 [NOTE 2: For subrule (1), the student must have achieved a result of N45%-N49%, not NCN.]
(2)       A student must be offered a supplementary assessment for a course if the student fails the course because of a requirement that a pass in a hurdle assessment is necessary to achieve a pass in the course and the student achieves a final result for the course of not less than N45%.
[Note: For subrule (2), the student must have achieved a result of N45% or above, not NCN.]
Offer of supplementary assessment
14(1)   If a student is eligible for supplementary assessment for a course, the student's Notification of Results must show an interim result of PX for the course.
(2)       If a student is notified of an interim result of PX for a course, the notification constitutes an offer by the Delegated Authority of supplementary assessment for the course.
(3)       However, subrule (2) does not prevent the Delegated Authority from offering a supplementary assessment in writing or in any other way.
(4)       A student must accept or reject the offer by notifying, in writing, the Delegated Authority within 7 working days of the offer being made to the student.
(5)       A student who fails a course following supplementary assessment may be eligible to be offered supplementary assessment in another attempt at the same course.
Supplementary assessment
15(1)   The Delegated Authority must determine the form a supplementary assessment is to take.
(2)       The Delegated Authority must give adequate notice to the student (at the student’s most current address notified to the Registrar) of the form, time and place of the supplementary assessment.
(3)       If a student passes a supplementary assessment offered under rule 14, the student is regarded as having passed the course concerned with a result of 50PS.
(4)       Except with the approval of the Delegated Authority, a supplementary assessment must be held before the end of the first week of the semester (includes session) next following that to which the assessment relates.
(5)       If a student fails the supplementary assessment, the student is regarded as having failed the course concerned with a result of N plus the original mark (for a supplementary assessment mentioned in subrule 13(1)) or (for a supplementary assessment mentioned in subrule 13(2)) a result of NCN.
(6)       The Registrar must cause the result in the course in relation to which a supplementary assessment is undertaken to be published.
(7)       There is no limit to the supplementary assessments that a student may be offered.
(8)       To avoid doubt, for the purposes of subrule (6), published includes published electronically in an appropriate part of the University’s website, (including a part of the website accessible only to a student whose results are so published) or otherwise inform the student concerned.
Prerequisite courses
16(1)   Except with the approval of the Delegated Authority, a student awaiting the result of a supplementary assessment in a course (the subject course) may not enrol in another course for which the subject course is a prerequisite until the student is awarded a result of 50PS in the subject course.
Repeal
17(1)   The Assessment Rules (No. 3) 2013, as amended and in force immediately before the commencement of these Rules, are repealed.