Assessment Goof-Ups to Avoid

Now updated for 12-week session

A guide for academic staff in the School of Computer Science & Engineering, UNSW. [Note: Based on UNSW Assessment Rules approved in 2002. These are under revision in 2008, and so some of the items below may change. Note written August 2008.]

Course Outline (including Assessment Plan) Must Be Available by the start of Week 0
The Assessment Plan Must Not Be Changed after Week 1
Classes Must Not Be Held, nor Assignments etc. Due after Week 14
Examinations/quizzes Worth 20% or More of the Final Mark Must Not Be Held in Week 14
Students Must Receive Feedback on their Progress By Mid-Session
Students Must Receive Complete Information about Assessment in the Course Outline
Final marks and Thesis Marks must be returned by the deadline each session

• Course Outline (including Assessment Plan) Must Be Available on-line by the start of Week 0

  Who Says?	Resolution of the Academic Board (?October 2007)
  Why?	This was done to help students deal with 12-week session
  Is there an escape clause?	No. This is mandatory. It may be harder for some other Schools, who have not had their course outlines on-line in the past, so count your blessings. The current Requirement is that all students actually enrolled must be able to check out the course outline, but it's not a bad idea to allow all students eligible to enrol should be able to check out the course outline, not just those who are actually enrolled. This way students can check out the details of your course before they switch their enrolment to your course. (Students tend to pick tutorials in order to give themselves a timetable that works well - if they have to switch their enrolment to your course just to check out the course outline, they may lose a favourable tutorial-time in the course they dropped.)
  What to do if you're in breach	Contact the Associate Head of School

• The Assessment Plan Must Not Be Changed after Week 1

  Who Says?	UNSW Assessment Rules § 7.4 part 5
  Why Not?	The Course Outline, including the assessment plan, is a kind of contract with the students. Students might have switched to another course if the assessment had been different.
  Is there a workaround?	Assessment may be changed with the consent of all students. To get consent, you need to contact all students enrolled in the course by e-mail, not just take a vote of those attending a particular lecture. It is OK to put assessment deadlines back, i.e. give the class an extension, subject to the rule below this one, but not to bring assessment deadlines forward.
  What to do if you're in breach	Contact the Associate Head of School

• Classes Must Not Be Held, nor Assignments etc. Due after Week 12

  Who Says?	UNSW Assessment Rules § 2.5
  Why Not?	Week 13 is the first week of exams. They get a 3-day revision period (sat-sun-mon), down from 6 days under the 14-week session, so revision time is really at a premium. It does not make a difference if there is no exam in your course, as the students will normally be doing other courses, too.
  Is there a workaround?	No. The only grey area is if your assignment due in week 12 has to be extended, for serious reasons, to week 13. Contact the Associate Head of School if you are thinking about doing this.
  What to do if you're in breach	Contact the Associate Head of School

• Examinations/Quizzes/Take-Home Exams Worth 20% or More of the Final Mark Must Not Be Held in Final Week

  Who Says?	UNSW Assessment Rules § 2.5
  Why Not?	Week 12, too, is partly for revision for the final exams. Typically students will be finishing assignments in week 12. It does not make a difference if there is no exam in your course, as the students will normally be doing other courses, too.
  Is there a workaround?	No, except in the case where e.g. a quiz scheduled before week 12 has to be postponed. We might be able to sort something out then, on the grounds that the students (should have) prepared for the quiz before week 12. We had a case like this a couple of years ago, where a fire alarm went off during a quiz late in session, so that the lecture theatre had to be evacuated and the quiz abandoned.
  What to do if you're in breach	Contact the Associate Head of School

• Students Must Receive Feedback on their Progress By Mid-Session

  Who Says?	UNSW Assessment Rules § 2.1 and § 8.1 Appendices A and B. Appendix A mandates provision of individual feedback by mid-session (details below). Appendix B mandates provision of "information on the distribution of results in all items of assessment".
  Why?	Students may withdraw without financial penalty up to the HECS census date (31 March in session 1; 31 August in session 2), and withdraw without academic penalty up to the end of week 6. They need feedback on their progress so that they can make the call on whether to withdraw without academic penalty, as well as for the usual educational reasons.
  Is there a workaround?	No. The withdrawal deadline is absolute for students (unless they are, e.g., run over by a bus), so it is absolute for lecturers, too (unless they are run over by a bus). So you need to build this deadline into your assessment plan, including time for marking and return of grades.
  What to do if you're in breach	Contact the Associate Head of School. And provide those assessment distributions for assignments, etc.

• Students Must Receive Complete Information about Assessment in the Course Outline
  

  Who Says?	UNSW Assessment Rules § 2.8
  What Details?	(Quoted from the URL above): the weight of each task in contributing to the overall mark; the formulas or rules used to determine the overall mark; minimum standards that are applied to specific assessment tasks, and the consequences if such standards are not met (including failure to submit particular tasks); rules regarding penalties applied to late submissions; and precise details of what is expected in terms of presentation of work for assessment. Emphasis should be placed on appropriate referencing conventions and requirements, on the degree of cooperation permitted between students, and on what constitutes plagiarism and the consequences of committing it.
  What to do if you're in breach	Contact the Associate Head of School

• Final marks and Thesis Marks must be returned by the deadline each session

  Who Says?	This is School and Faculty Policy
  Why?	Failure to return marks on time is simply unprofessional and gives the School a bad image. Failure to return marks on time can result in students missing a supplementary examination, or causing the postponement of the supplementary examination in the course, so that the student may be unable to enrol in a follow-on course, and leading to additional expense in running the postponed supplementary exam. Late results can delay a student's graduation (even in first year courses: some students who fail in previous attempts end up taking a core first-year course in their final semester). Late results can result in a student missing out on a University medal. Late results for potential graduands can result in students missing out on jobs.
  Any exceptions?	Results can be withheld for individual students who: are sitting a supplementary examination (see also next point); have been offered further non-exam assessment, whether on the basis of a special-consideration application or similar institutionalised concessional situations, or at the (justifiable and equitable) discretion of the course coordinator; are being investigated for plagiarism or other academic misconduct; have not returned, e.g., lab kits (but you cannot significantly delay the result of a student just because his/her partner has e.g. fled the country with their joint lab kit). Conference attendance / other leave are not acceptable excuses. Academics and markers must ensure assessments are completed on time before going on leave.
  What to do if you're in breach, or foresee a breach	Contact the Associate Head of School

See also the School of Computer Science & Engineering Grievance Page, particularly if you are a student who has found this page.
This page was originally written and is now sporadically mantained by Bill Wilson.

UNSW's CRICOS Provider No. is 00098G