Glossary of assessment terms for students

Aegrotat: A grade that may be awarded when a student’s preparation for, or performance in, an examination or other item of assessment was impaired, or they have been prevented from completing an item of assessment or attending examinations because of illness, injury or other circumstances outside their control and have had an application for special consideration accepted.

Completion: Verification that a student has completed a course of study. It is not a confirmation of conferment of the qualification.

Conferment: The process by which a completed qualification is given to the student; usually at a graduation ceremony but may be in absentia.

Coursework: The specific items of assessment pertinent to a paper and documented in the paper outline.

Deadline: The date set by a lecturer by which an assessment item must be submitted in order to be marked.

Degree or Diploma Certificate: The official paper document with the University’s seal and signed by the Vice-Chancellor; conferred on a student who has successfully completed a course of study.

Examination: The portion of the assessment for a paper that a student undertakes under formally supervised conditions, at a time and place notified by the Director of Student Services.

Examiner: The person or persons designated in the relevant paper outline as the lecturer or convenor of the paper concerned and who makes the decision about the marks or grades for that paper. A Chief Examiner is the person appointed by the relevant Dean or Director for the paper concerned.

Extension: Extra time given to complete a piece of assessment.

Exemption: Permission to enrol in a paper that overrides requirements such as corequisites or prerequisites.

Field: A general area of academic study that includes a number of related subjects.

Grading Criteria: Grading criteria indicate the standard of performance required to pass an assessment task and to receive different grades

IC: An IC annotation means Incomplete, and is awarded if a student does not submit a compulsory assessment item, or, if an examination was prescribed, does not undertake the examination. An IC annotation is treated as a fail grade

In Absentia: Not present (at graduation) to receive a degree/diploma certificate.

Internal Assessment: The portion of the assessment for a paper that is assigned, supervised, and marked internally within the relevant department; it may include assignments, practical work, work in tutorials, seminars, written or oral tests, recitals, performances or attendance requirements.

Learning Outcome: A learning outcome refers to the knowledge, skill and competencies that a student will be expected to achieve at the end of a paper or programme.

Lecture: A large-group learning environment.

Mandatory Paper Requirements (aka Compulsory Paper Requirements): Requirements (other than obtaining an overall C grade or better) that must be met in order to pass the paper, e.g. participation in tutorials, practical work, etc, to a satisfactory level.

Misconduct: Behaviour that breaches University Student Discipline Regulations and may be subject to disciplinary procedures.

Non-publishable Examination Paper: If a department has reasonable grounds, concerned with efficient administration and/or the integrity of the assessment process, the examination paper is confidential and may not be removed from the examination room, and previous papers can be viewed for 10 minutes upon application.

Paper: A segment of work in a particular subject identified by a unique code number. Papers are delivered through lectures, tutorials, practicals and other such coursework as may be required by the Faculty concerned.

Paper Outline: The official statement about the nature and key requirements of all taught papers. They provide all the information and expectations necessary to pass the paper.

Plagiarism: Is academic misconduct by presenting as one’s own work the work of another, to include the copying or paraphrasing of another person’s work in an assessment item without acknowledging it as the other person’s work through full and accurate referencing; it applies to assessment presented through a written, spoken, electronic, broadcasting, visual, performance, or other medium. Instances of plagiarism will be reported to the Student Discipline Committee; may result in a finding of misconduct; and penalties can be imposed.

Programme Co-ordinator: A staff member who has overall responsibility for organising and administering a paper.

Programme of Study: The selection of papers taken by a candidate in any one academic year for a particular qualification per the requirements as set out in the University Calendar and Faculty handbook.

Restricted Pass: A restricted pass (RP) grade may be awarded at the discretion of a Board of Examiners or delegated authority for a paper in which the student has achieved:

• Borderline performance.
  
  OR
• A D grade compensated by overall good performance in the relevant subject or the relevant
  subject and closely related subjects.
  
  Note: A paper for which a Restricted Pass (RP) has been awarded will not be accepted as meeting the prerequisite requirements for any other paper unless the Dean of the Faculty in which the other paper is offered approves otherwise.

Special Examination: An examination prepared and scheduled for a student whose application for special consideration under section 17 of the Assessment regulations has been accepted as valid by the Special Consideration Sub-Committee.

Special Arrangement: An examination held outside the usual time or location for the subject being examined when there is a clash with other life events.

Student Complaints Policy: Students should seek to resolve academic issues with their tutor/lecturer in the first instance. However, if a serious issue arises and a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached, you can get information and advice on how to make a complaint from the Director of Student Services Division, SUB Building, Hamilton Campus.

Test: An item of assessment, like an examination but held during the semester and overseen by the Lecturer.

Tutorial: A small-group learning environment in which active participation is expected.

Unauthorised Material: Material that must not be taken into an assessment situation such as a test or examination.

Waiver: An exemption of a required paper. Students should note that they will still be required to complete a paper of equal or greater weighting in place of the waived paper.

Workload: The suggested amount of time that you invest in a particular paper which includes contact and non-contact hours.