ASSESSMENT POLICY
OBJECTIVES AND FUNCTIONS OF ASSESSMENT Objectives
The objectives of the College's assessment policies are to safeguard academic and professional standards and allow the College to meet its responsibilities to the community at large, to provide consistency in assessment policies and procedures throughout the College and to facilitate discussion of assessment issues by staff and students at an informed level.
Functions
The assessment program is intended to serve the following functions - (i) Provision of an aid to learning by:
(a) prescribing tasks which may require students to apply knowledge acquired
(b) (c)
(d)
in a course, read widely, report upon practical situations, demonstrate certain skills; analyse a problem or present an intellectually sound argument;
giving a sense of direction and motivation to students' work programs;
providing regular feedback to students on their performance relative to pre- specified criteria so that specific weaknesses, errors and misunderstandings may be noted and overcome through remediation;
creating constructive dialogue between lecturers and students;
(e) contributing to students' self-knowledge;
(f) giving information on assessed work to encourage student to identify strengths, and to acknowledge effort and originality of thought.
(ii) Provision of information for students to assist them in their selection of further studies and/or career paths.
(iii) Determination of the level of achievement in each unit.
(iv) Provision of information to assist in the continuing and periodic evaluation of course objectives, content, teaching methods and procedures.
PROCEDURES FOR ASSESSMENT Assessment philosophy
Assessment should be based on the achievement of objectives in each unit; that is, it should conform with the principles of criterion-referenced assessment. The general criteria for awarding grades are set out in Rule 4.2, Grading.
A fuller explanation of the meaning of criterion referenced assessment and procedures to implement this in any college unit is available in the document Guidelines for the Implementation of Assessment Policy.
Variety of assessment
Consideration should be given to using a variety of assessment procedures in judging whether students have achieved pre-specified objectives. When alternatives are provided they should require commensurate ability in that students should demonstrate that they have met the same objectives at the same standards.
Amount of assessment
The time required to complete assessment items should be related to the number of credit points for the unit (a 10 credit point unit normally involves 3-4 contact hours plus 6-7 hours per week of other work, including preparation of assessment items). Care should be taken not to create an overload of work related to assessment, and to leave adequate time for other learning and for general personal development.
Progressive assessment
Assessment should normally be carried out progressively throughout a semester.
Students are to be advised of the outcome of each item of assessment as early as possible, but normally no later than 3 weeks after the date of its submission.
Students should be given as much information as possible as to their achievement or non achievement of each objective tested rather than simply being provided with a quantative measure.
It is important to avoid bunching of due dates for assessment items where more than one unit is involved, particularly towards the end of a semester. Course Coordinators should assist in this area.
ADVICE TO STUDENTS Assessment requirements
Students need to be informed of the kinds of understandings and skills to be acquired and demonstrated, meanings of the various grades being used and the procedures used in determining these.
A written statement outlining assessment requirements for each unit is to be provided for all students taking the unit by the end of the first week of lectures in the unit. No subsequent change to the assessment program is permitted, except by mutual agreement
between the lecturer{s) responsible for the unit and the students taking it, and then only if approved by the relevant Head(s) of Department{s); normally, any such adjustments are to be finalised by the end of the second week of the semester. Any class attendance, field trip or other specific requirements for satisfactory completion of the unit must be specified within the assessment requirements.
Submission of assignments
School policies concerning late assignments are to be communicated to students.
Extensions of time beyond the due date for receipt of an assignment should normally be given only when a lecturer has received a prior request from a student, which, in the opinion of the lecturer, warrants special consideration. A record of such requests and subsequent actions should be kept by the lecturer. Care should be taken to ensure that students are not advantaged above their fellow students by being granted extensions.
Arrangements for receipt of assignments are also to be made known to students. These arrangements should aim to provide security and confidentiality for each assignment.
SCHEDULING OF EXAMINATIONS
Responsibility for the coordination of examinations generally and the scheduling of end- of-semester examinations in particular, rests with the Student Administration Office on each campus working in cooperation with Heads of Schools.
In order to compile the information necessary to discharge these functions, Student Administration Officers will undertake a survey in the fourth week of each semester, asking academic staff to indicate -
• which units will include in their assessment program one or more examinations to be formally timetabled by Student Administration, and any special requirements (particular facilities or equipment, printing, stationery etc.)
• the time, date and place of any other examinations to be conducted by staff or their Department during the semester.
Using the information provided, Student Administration Officers will prepare a draft end- of-semester examination timetable in accordance, as far as possible, with the following guidelines -
• Examinations should be held between the hours of 8.00 a.m. and 9.00 p.m. on week days, and 8.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon on Saturdays. Examinations must not be held on Sundays or public holidays.
• On any day-
(i) students should not be required to undertake more than two examinations;
(ii) the total working time should not exceed six hours;
(iii) there should be a minimum break of two hours between examinations.
• Students should not normally be required to undertake examinations on more than three days in succession.
• Examinations should be held on the campus where teaching in the unit concerned is normally conducted. Where a unit is offered on two or more campuses, a combined examination may be held at a single location.
• In the case of units which are available in more than one mode (full-time, part- time, external) and the same paper is set, the examinations should normally take place simultaneously.
Student Administration Officers will arrange for the draft timetable (clearly marked as such) to be displayed on noticeboards not less than one month before the first examination. Students will have five working days in which to submit objections to Student
Administration in respect of the timetable. Objections will be dealt with by Student Administration Officers in consultation, where necessary, with the Head of School concerned.
At the conclusion of the period allowed for objections, and no later than two weeks before the first examination, Student Administration Officers will compile and display the final timetable in the same locations used for the draft timetable.
CONFIDENTIALITY OF STUDENT RECORDS
The College is required to have on record a variety of factual information about students both for internal use in connection with its academic program and for the -compilation of statistical reports to meet the requirements of such external bodies as the Board of Advanced Education or Federal authorities.
The Academic Registrar is the official custodian of such records and is responsible to the Director for their proper maintenance and control.
Information required by outside bodies is normally of a statistical nature and does not identify individual students - e.g. admission and enrolment statistics, T.E. score distributions, age distributions, patterns of origin by school or residential district, full- time/part-time ratios, attrition rates etc. However, information held on individual students may include details of a personal nature which students may quite reasonably expect the College to maintain as confidential except for legitimate internal purposes - e.g.
age, address, telephone number, marital status, medical information, references etc.
The College has no need for and will not maintain records relating to the religious or political affiliations and activities of students except insofar as such information may be voluntarily included in correspondence from the student or in references supplied by persons at the student's request.
The College accepts that general principles of confidentiality and privacy should apply to the use or availability of its records on individual students. These imply that the College will not normally make available externally particular information on a student without specific authorisation by that student, unless it is legally required to do so. Exceptions to this policy will be restricted to situations in which the release of information is judged to be in the clear interest of the student - e.g. provision of a telephone number or address to a hospital when a relative has been involved in an accident.
The College will ensure that computer-based records will not be accessible or transferable to outside information systems.
Situations sometimes occur in which immigration authorities, creditors, insurance salesmen, drug control agencies etc. may seek to contact students through the College.
It is not the business of the College to act as an intermediary to assist in establishing such contacts.
Information from records will be available internally to departments and individual staff members on the basis of a demonstrated need in connection with the academic program.
Its release from the Student Administration Office must be authorised by the Academic Registrar acting within the spirit and intent of this policy, on the understanding that staff members using the information will also adhere to its intent.
In addition to being provided at regular intervals with information on academic performance, students shall be entitled to have access to their personal files which will contain forms, correspondence, results statements and any other items relating to each student. Access will be available only at a Student Administration Offices and the student will be under supervision while perusing the file. The file may not be removed from the Office. No student may have access to another student's personal file.
Under this policy, confidentiality of records is to be interpreted as extending to the grades and overall academic record of a student. Such information may be provided to individuals, employers or agencies outside the College only upon the written authorisation or request of the student, addressed to the Academic Registrar. Moreover, the College will follow a procedure whereby any grades posted in general view will identify students by their student number and not by name.
It is the responsibility of the Academic Registrar to provide a student with copies of his or her official College transcript on request for use at the student's discretion - e.g.
in connection with job applications or applications for admission to another educational institution, or to forward such transcripts when authorised in writing by the student to do so. Should the Registrar of another institution to which a student is seeking admission formally request a copy of the student's academic record, its transmission will be assumed to be authorised by the student.
Staff members who are asked to provide references for students should refer to the fact that official transcripts are available only through Student Administration Offices, but inasmuch as they have been asked by the students to comment on general academic performance and other attributes they are clearly free to do so.
REPLACEMENT AND SUBSTITUTE AWARD CERTIFICATES Definitions
A 'replacement' certificate is a replacement for a certificate originally by Brisbane College of Advanced Education.
A 'substitute' certificate is a substitute for a certificate issued originally by antecedents of Brisbance College of Advanced Education (including Brisbane Kindergarten Teachers' College, Kedron Park Teachers' College, Kelvin Grove Teachers' College, Kelvin Grove College of Teacher Education, Kelvin Grove College of Advanced Education, Mount Gravatt Teachers' College, Mount Gravatt College of Advanced Education, North Brisbane College of Advanced Education, (Queensland) Teachers' College and the (Queensland) Teachers' Training College.
Fees
Replacement certificates will be issued free of any charge where the original certificate was lost or damaged in transmission or was defective. A fee of $30 will be charged in all other cases.
A fee of $30 will be charged in respect of substitute certificates.
Conditions
Both replacement and substitute certificates will be issued subject to the following:
(i) where the original certificate has been lost either in transmission or subsequently, a Statutory D.eclaration to that effect;
(ii) (iii)
where the original certificate was defective, or has been damaged, return of the certificate;
payment of the fee stipulated above, where applicable.
Endorsements
Replacement certificates will carry no endorsement where the original certificate can be replicated in every respect. The College cannot guarantee to provide replicas in every instance.
However, where there has been any change in the proforma itself, the Common Seal, or the signatories, and no stock of the original is available, a replacement certificate will be endorsed as follows:
"This certificate is a replacement for certificate number ( ) issued under the Common Seal of Brisbane College of Advanced Education on (date, month, year appearing on original certificate)."
Substitute certificates will carry the following endorsement in every case:
"This certificate is a substitute for certificate number ( ) issued on (date, month, year appearing on original certificate) by (institution), whish was incorporated within Brisbane College of Advanced Education on 1 January 1982."
Form of Certificates
All replacement and substitute certificates will be produced on BCAE proforma, and, except where a replica is issued as a replacement, will be produced using Hi~' proforma current at the time of issue of the replacement or substitute, and incorporate the signatures of the incumbent Chairman of Council, Director and Registrar.
CLASS ATTENDANCE
Regular attendance at classes as well as meeting all other requirements which are prescribed for each unit, are the responsibility of the student.
No student shall be penalised for absence at College-endorsed activities.
Where a student is absent from a class at a College-endorsed activity, staff are expected, when requested, to assist such a student in making up work missed.
As a matter of courtesy, students who will be absent from classes because of College- endorsed activities, or for any other reasons, are advised to contact the lecturing staff involved.
Students should be aware that, where class attendance is a compulsory requirement of a unit, they may be required to provide evidence of their attendance.
Students who have accepted membership of College committees should inform their lecturers of these additional responsibilities. "College committees" refers to student membership on College Council (and any of its cub-committees and working parties) and the committee structure of Academic Board. Should attendance at lectures be affected by attendance at any of these committees, the student should endeavour to give prior warning to their lecturer(s). No student shall be penalised for absence from classes where such notice has been given, and staff are requested to assist such students to make up work missed.
Students should be aware that if breaks in class attendance due to temporary transfers interstate or outside of metropolitan area, or other changes in the student's permanent working committments are foreseen, notice should be given to lecturing staff as soon as possible. Relevant documentation from the student's employer should be presented at this time. Where this advice has been given, staff are requested to assist a student in making up missed work.
ORGANISED SPORTING AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
The College believes that students should participate in sporting and other cultural activities in addition to their formal studies, and particularly commends those activities organised by and for the College of an inter-collegiate nature.
However, where BCAE is the organising authority or venue, it is expected that such activities will be conducted in non-lecture time, such as weekends or vacation periods.
Where participation in such activities is at other colleges, students should be aware of the College policy on attendance, which is outlined in 'Class Attendance' above.
The organisers of such sporting and cultural activities should seek endorsement in advance of such programs from the Executive Principal, where they are of a College nature, or Campus Principal, where they are of a campus nature, so that the College community can be advised of BCAE participation through BCAE News, Nexus, or other media.
ACCESS BY EXTERNAL INTEREST GROUPS TO CAMPUSES
The College Administration will not normally sponsor or authorise the presence on campus of external interest groups for political, promotional or commercial purposes unrelated to College programs and needs, particularly during Orientation periods. It is considered that sponsorship and organisation of such activities directed primarily to students is more properly within the discretion of the Union subject to any Council policy respecting use of College property. In this context Council believes it appropriate that Orientation periods be reserved for internal College purposes.
DISABILITY AND HEAL TH PROBLEMS
Students with disabilities or health problems who may require special assistance or support services during their studies should contact the Counsellor on their campus or relevant Course Coordinator. Early contact will assist in the arrangement of necessary services.
Students who lack facility in spoken or written English should seek similar assistance.
STUDENTS SUFFERING FROM TEMPORARY INCAPACITY
From time to time students may affected by temporary incapacity, of a certificated kind, which prevents or inhibits them from completing certain unit requirements. These may be the performance of certain skills, the writing of assignments or test papers or the carrying out of certain physical or laboratory tasks related to their course.
In such cases students should be given alternative assessment requirements or if this is not practicable, have parts of unit requirements which they are certificated as being temporarily incapable of completing, deferred to some appropriate time.
Students should approach the lecturer concerned in the first instance. However, they also have the right to approach the Head of School as well as the Head of Department concerned for such consideration.