Assessment is a broad term that covers both assignments and examinations.
The term assignment refers to a coursework assessment such as an essay, report or practice session which has a due date and word limit and which the student completes under non supervised conditions. The assignment is marked and returned to the student with feedback.
The term examination refers to any component that requires students to complete an assessment under supervised conditions within a time-limited period. Examinations will typically be held at the end of term, may include multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and essay type questions, and may be open book.
The following contains important information on higher education assessment at ACAP. Use the links to navigate to the relevant section or scroll down to view the entire document.
Links:
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Extension requests |
Late assignments |
Resubmission of assignments |
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1 week |
1 to 3 weeks |
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Person responsible |
Unit educator |
Academic Programs or course coordinator |
Unit educator |
Unit educator |
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Timeframes |
Extensions of up to 1 week from the original due date |
Extensions between 1 and 3 weeks from the original due date |
Maximum 10 calendar days from the original due date |
1 week from notice |
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Consequence for student |
No grading penalty if submitted by the agreed extension date |
No grading penalty if submitted by the agreed extension date |
Academic penalty of 5% per day late |
Maximum grade is Pass |
The Academic Council of the college assigns responsibility for coordinating assessment duties to the colleges academic staff who are responsible for monitoring the practice of assessment in units and courses to ensure that fair, effective and consistent assessment practices are in place.
The responsibility for conducting assessments lies with the unit educators, who are committed to using good assessment practices, and to maintaining and acquiring knowledge and expertise concerning assessment and the role of feedback in student learning.
Academic staff ensure that assessment for a unit is consistent with the aims, objectives and content of that unit.
The responsibilities of educators include:
The responsibilities and obligations of students include:
To pass a unit:
For many units, which do not have other compulsory requirements, students are not required to pass all assessments in order to receive an overall pass result for the unit, as long as their total mark is equal to or greater than 50% and all assessments have been submitted.
For the unit Counselling Skills 2 in which there is a skills based assessment (practice session) and central to the learning outcomes of the unit, it is a requirement that the student pass the skills assessment. If the assessment also requires a critique then both the skills assessment and critique need to be passed to pass the unit Counselling Skills 2. Skills assessments and requirements will be identified in the unit manuals or unit plans and will be communicated to students by the educator. Please note that both the skills based units and assessments may change from time to time.
It is a requirement that all assessments for a unit must be submitted in order to pass the unit. This rule applies regardless of whether a student has received marks of 50% or more without submitting one or more assessments.
Some units at the college may have ungraded results, that is, ungraded pass or ungraded fail. To be awarded a result of ungraded pass students must:
Assignments may take a variety of forms as outlined in the Academic Skills Guide. Students are advised to refer to the Academic Skills Guide for information on the different types of assignment genres and what is required in terms of general formatting for all assessments. The Academic Skills Guide also contains information on academic writing skills and referencing guidelines and is found in my.acap .
Students are expected to conduct themselves in an honest and ethical manner at all times. Students must always acknowledge the sources of the ideas and material used in assignments using the referencing guidelines in the Academic Skills Guide.
All work used in the preparation of assignments must be acknowledged according to the guidelines set down in the Academic Skills Guide.
The American Psychological Association Publication Manual (6th edition) style is the referencing style that has been adopted by ACAP. All referencing in student assessments must follow this style.
The college acknowledges the family, work and community commitments and responsibilities of students, however, all students are expected to submit their assignments by the due date and plan their time to ensure this occurs.
The timely submission of assignments or the appropriate negotiation of an extension is the responsibility of the student.
Audio-visual assignments can be uploaded into the online grade book in the online class space no later than midnight Sunday at the end of the week specified by the unit assignment requirements.
Submissions on DVD must be received by 5pm on the Friday of the week specified:
a) for on campus students at the respective campus
b) for flexible delivery students by the Flexible Delivery Assistant at the address:
Flexible Delivery Assistant, ACAP, Locked Bag 11, Strawberry Hills, NSW, 2012.
Students are required to retain a copy of all parts of their submitted assignments, including written and recorded materials, until graduation and to produce these if requested by the college.
Turnitin is a system which compares a text, such as an assignment, with a range of sources including the internet, electronic journals, books, databases, literature, works of art, bibliographies and any student assignments which have been submitted previously through Turnitin.
At ACAP all written assignments must be submitted through Turnitin. This is an automated process. Draft assignments are able to be checked through Turnitin and are able to be reviewed and reworked by the student prior to final submission. In this way the submission through Turnitin is envisaged as a formative and educative process.
When an assignment is submitted through Turnitin the system will colour code the sections which appear in other sources and will produce a similarity score expressed as a percentage. The similarity score indicates how much of the assignment is found in other sources. For assignments at the college the amount of directly quoted material should be no more than 10% as a general rule. Students should submit their work through Turnitin before the due date and allow sufficient time for revision if required. It is important to note that Turnitin only compares the assignment to other sources it does not check whether correct referencing has been used. Correct referencing is the responsibility of the student and is assessed by the educator.
To protect the privacy of individuals who consent to participate in recorded client sessions, role-plays or interviews that involve the disclosure of private information, the college requires students to seek the informed consent of the client and/or interviewee. Students are required to engage persons 18 years of age or over for the purposes of recorded sessions, role-plays and interviews, unless otherwise stated on the assignment requirements.
Where it is a requirement of the assignment to engage a person under the age of 18, it is mandatory that parental consent be sought and obtained prior to the practice session or interview taking place in addition to the consent of the person if they are of an age whereby they can make an informed decision regarding their involvement (12 years and older). Please note that if there is a need to engage a person under the age of 18 that this person cannot be a family member of the student.
Client/Interviewee Consent Form can be found on the ACAP website.
Upon completion of the program of study at the college, the student must ensure that the recorded role-play or interview is erased or destroyed.
Please refer to the Late Assessment Submission Policy.
A late assignment is one that was not submitted by the original due date and for which the student has not been granted an extension.
Late assignments will only be accepted for marking within ten (10) calendar days of the original due date.
Late assignments will receive an academic penalty of five (5) percent per day late. For example, if a student receives 67% but was 2 days late in submitting the assignment the final mark is calculated as 67 – 10 (i.e. 2 days x 5%) = 57%.
Resubmitted assignments must be submitted as per the resubmission rules below and are not eligible for late submission.
Resubmission of an assignment may be granted by the educator only if a student has failed to achieve a pass result and has obtained a mark of between 45 and 49 percent (inclusive). The resubmission is due within one week of the date of notification.
Should a student who receives a mark of between 45 and 49 percent (that is, has met the majority but not all of the criteria required to satisfy academic and competency standards) one opportunity for resubmission of that assignment may be provided. The student will receive written and/or verbal feedback on the original assignment to clearly indicate why the assignment has not been passed, and what needs to be addressed to reach a satisfactory academic and competency standard in order to pass. The assignment must be submitted within one week of receipt of notice.
Resubmission of assignments is restricted to one opportunity only per assignment and must be submitted within the agreed time.
The maximum grade that a resubmitted assignment can be awarded is a Pass (50-64%).
The Late Assessment Submission Policy does not apply to resubmitted assignments.
Assignments submitted late are not eligible for resubmission.
Extensions cannot be granted for resubmitted assignments.
ACAP is trialling a formative assessment regime and therefore undergraduate students who are enrolled in the units listed below are excluded from the resubmission rule and, if they fail an assignment, are allowed one resubmission per assignment for these units irrespective of the mark awarded below 50%.
Resubmissions are only allowed for assignments submitted for these units where a fail is awarded in the first instance.
The resubmission is due within two weeks of notification. The maximum grade that a resubmitted assignment can earn is a Pass.
The excepted units for undergraduate students only are:
Introduction to Contemporary Society
Interpersonal Communication
Counselling Skills 1
Counselling Skills 2
Organisational Behaviour
Introduction to Psychology
Conflict Management
Approaches to Cultural Diversity
Social Analysis
Students are notified of assignment details well in advance of due dates. Consequently, extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances which are judged to be unforseen and beyond the student’s control.
Extensions of up to one week may be granted by the unit educator. The request for extensions of this type must be made directly to the unit educator at least one full working day before the assignment is due, unless the special unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from applying within this period. The educator will only grant an extension on medical, compassionate or other serious grounds.
Requests for extension in excess of one week from the original assignment due date must be submitted to Academic Programs or course coordinators using an Assessment Extension Request Form. An Extension Request application must be completed and submitted for approval to Academic Programs or course coordinators at the relevant campus in person, by email or fax three working days before the due date of the assignment unless the special unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from applying within this period.
Extensions of more than one week will only be granted in extenuating circumstances and will only be considered on medical, compassionate or other serious grounds. All requests must be accompanied by independent supporting documentation. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all relevant supporting documentation is forwarded with the extension application. Please refer to the information provided on the Assessment Extension Request Form.
Students should note that submitting a request for an extension does not automatically mean that it will be granted. ACAP reserves the right to refuse an extension.
Students will be notified of the outcome of their application within two (2) working days by email. Students who have not received a response within this timeframe should contact the Academic Programs Officer or course coordinator.
Any extension will be limited to the number of days (calculated to the nearest business day) based on the evidence supplied in the student’s supporting documentation, however, no extension may exceed three weeks from the original due date.
Normally, no more than five extensions per student may be granted in each academic year. If more than five requests per academic year are lodged, ACAP reserves the right to refuse the request outright. If a student is not able to meet the required level of commitment to completing assignments, the college may also re-assess the student’s suitability for study and the student may be asked to defer their studies for a period.
Please note: circumstances such as holiday arrangements (including overseas travel), taking too many units at a time, poor time management, excessive workload, repeated computer problems, or family and social commitments are not acceptable reasons for requesting an extension.
If the application for an extension is unsuccessful, the Late Assessment Submission Policy allows a student to submit their assignment for marking up to ten (10) calendar days after the original due date.
If a student submits an assignment beyond the new extension due date the Late Assessment Submission Policy applies, however, no assignment will be accepted beyond 21 days from the original due date.
A student may appeal a decision to refuse an extension by following the college’s Academic Appeals and Grievances Policy and Procedure.
Examinations are held under supervised, timed and controlled conditions.
Students must sit for the examination at the scheduled time and place as prescribed by the Registrar unless special circumstances apply.
Students must bring their current student identification card into the examination room and keep it displayed at all times.
Students must comply with all directions given by the examination invigilator and all instructions outlined on the examination material or displayed in the examination room.
When requested, students must permit examination invigilators to inspect any material taken into or out of an examination room.
A student’s behaviour must not disturb, distract or adversely affect any other student.
Students are not permitted to remove any examination material from the examination room at any point in time. All examination papers and materials must be handed to an examination invigilator before leaving the examination room.
Students are not permitted to enter or leave an examination room unless instructed by, or with the permission of, an examination invigilator. Students are not permitted to leave an examination room for any reason other than an emergency:
Students who arrive late but before 30 minutes of working time have elapsed will be permitted to undertake the examination. However, no additional working time will be allowed.
Students who arrive after 30 minutes of working time have elapsed will not be permitted to enter the examination room.
Upon entry to an examination room, a student will not communicate by word or otherwise with any other person except the examination invigilator or examiner.
Students are not allowed to have mobile phones or other electronic devices in their possession during the examination. All mobile phones must be turned off prior to entering the examination room and may be left at the front of the examination room with the invigilator.
Students are permitted to take into the examination room:
Students who are found to have breached any of the above rules for examinations may be found to have engaged in academic misconduct and are subject to the Academic Misconduct Policy.
If a student is unable to sit an examination in the scheduled time due to special circumstances beyond the student’s control the student may be granted an alternate examination sitting. The Registrar will prescribe an alternative examination, time and place.
Alternate examination sittings will only be approved in the following circumstances:
Applications for special circumstances must be made to the Academic Program Coordinator and must include documentary evidence to support the case for an alternate examination sitting. Students will need to provide documentation from a doctor, counsellor, employer or independent member of the community, which states:
Students with disabilities are normally required to sit the examination at the scheduled time and place however reasonable adjustments will be made to address the effects of their disabilities.
Each student has the right to appeal against an assessment decision, based on the valid grounds identified by the college. The student is the only person who can lodge an appeal. In the case of an assessment appeal, the student must approach the unit educator directly and every attempt should be made to resolve the issue at this level.
Appeals must be lodged by students within ten (10) working days of notification of the assignment decision. To lodge an appeal the student must complete the Assessment Appeals Form and sent it to the appropriate address on the form.
If an assessment appeal is accepted as valid, the assessment will be re-marked by another educator. The old mark will be deleted and the new mark will be recorded as the mark received for the assessment. If a student is dissatisfied with the appeal decision, they may follow the Academic Grievance and Appeals Policy and Procedure .
Valid grounds for appeal
Invalid grounds for appeal:
Please note: Personal, medical and employment difficulties will not be considered as valid grounds for an assignment appeal. Students experiencing such difficulties should consider deferring their studies with special circumstances. See the enrolment section of this handbook or the ACAP website (http://www.acap.edu.au) for further information.
Students are generally expected to attend all scheduled classes, however, some allowances are made for misadventure.
In order to pass a unit, the minimum requirement for class attendance for students enrolled in higher education courses is 75% of scheduled classes. Students undertaking a unit through weekend and/or Summer School must not be absent for more than 1 full day of the 5-day course or more than 25% of the class time for the unit. Please note that students are expected to attend all classes where possible unless illness or other extenuating circumstances prevent them from doing so.
Students who do not meet the minimum attendance requirement will be awarded a grade of Fail. This is irrespective of whether the student has met all other requirements of the unit.
Students experiencing difficulty in attending a class should contact their educators directly or leave a message for them with Administration.
To optimise a positive learning environment, only enrolled students are permitted to attend class.
Please be aware that time missed due to significant and repeated late arrivals to and early departures from class accrues towards the period of absence from class, and will be taken into account in the overall attendance for that class.
Each unit generally has two or more assessments. Each assessment carries a percentage weight of the total mark. Where the assessment is an assignment it is generally accompanied by an attachment with specific guidelines to assist students in the development or presentation of an assessment. These guidelines are intended to assist students to meet the assignment standards and learning outcomes.
Individual assessment grades: Each assessment is marked and awarded a grade of High Distinction, Distinction, Credit, Pass, Fail, Ungraded Pass and Ungraded Fail. Results Pending is recorded as a temporary grade indicating that the student has been granted a resubmission or an extension by Academic Programs and the results are pending marking of the assessment.
Overall unit grades: For their overall academic performance in a unit students are awarded a grading of High Distinction, Distinction, Credit, Pass, Fail, Ungraded Pass and Ungraded Fail. Results Pending is recorded as a temporary grade indicating that the student has been granted a resubmission or an extension, and that the results are pending marking of the assessment.
Please refer to the specific unit manual or unit plan for pass requirements.
Students will be able to view their results when they are released by logging in to my.acap and clicking on “My Academic Results” on the left hand Navigation Panel.
Each assessment component of a unit, including coursework assignments and examinations, is assessed according to the criteria listed below. There are two categories of results:
Unit manuals or plans indicate the result category that applies to each assessment component.
For units where all assessment components are graded, a final result for the unit is awarded by combining the marks for each assessment according to the weight assigned to that assessment as specified in the unit outline or plan. To be awarded a grade of Pass or higher students must:
Components assessed using ungraded pass/fail receive a grade only with no mark assigned:
Ungraded passes are used to assess acquisition of essential professional skills. For units that include components in which essential skill acquisition is assessed with ungraded pass/fail grades the final result for the unit will be UP or UF (no mark).
Ungraded pass/fail assessment grades are not included for the purpose of calculating student grade point averages. To be awarded a grade of Ungraded Pass students must:
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Result |
Description |
Code |
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Result Pending |
Result Pending Result Pending is a temporary grade which indicates that the result for an assessment or unit has not been finalised. |
RP |
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49% or below or failure to meet all requirements |
Fail A Fail is awarded for an assessment:
A Fail is awarded to a unit:
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F |
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50-64% |
Pass A Pass is awarded for an assessment:
A Pass is awarded for a unit:
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P |
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65-74% |
Credit A Credit is awarded for an assessment:
A Credit is awarded for a unit:
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C |
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75-84% |
Distinction A Distinction is awarded for an assessment:
A Distinction is awarded for a unit:
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D |
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85-100% |
High Distinction A High Distinction is awarded for an assessment:
A High Distinction is awarded for a unit:
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HD |
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Pass/Fail
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Ungraded Pass An ungraded pass is awarded for assessments of essential professional skills where students have achieved specified criteria of performance at an appropriate level within a specified time. Ungraded pass may be awarded for component assessments or units and for student placement.
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UP |
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Ungraded Fail An ungraded fail is awarded for assessments of essential professional skills where students have failed to achieve specified criteria of performance at an appropriate level within a specified time. Ungraded fail may be awarded for component assessments or units and for student placement. |
UF |
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Result |
Description |
Code |
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First Class |
First Class Achieved a range of above 80% |
H1
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Second Class Division 1 |
Second Class Division 1 Achieved a range of 70 to 79% |
H21
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Second Class Division 2 |
Second Class Division 2 Achieved a range of 60 to 69% |
H22
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Third Class |
Third Class Achieved a range of 50 to 59% |
H3
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Result |
Description |
Code |
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Advanced Standing |
Advanced Standing relates to the credit or exemption received by a student for recognised prior learning and/or recognised current competency or credit transfer of formal learning in a unit or unit of study. Advanced Standing provides due recognition for an individual’s formal and informal learning experiences against each of the specified assessment criteria for a unit or unit of study. |
AD |
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Attendance Only |
Attendance Only is to be recorded when the student is not required to submit any assessments for the unit or unit of study. |
AT |
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Deferred Special Circumstances |
Indicates that the student has had to defer study due to special circumstances beyond their control. |
DSC |
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Withdrawn Special Circumstances |
Indicates that the student has had to withdraw from study due to special circumstances beyond their control. |
WSC |
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Continuing Unit |
Continuing Unit is recorded when a unit is taken by a student over more than one trimester and no formal result is issued until the final trimester of the unit or unit of study |
CU |
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Withdrawn Fail |
Recorded when a student has withdrawn by completing a Unit or Course Withdrawal prior to the end of week 7 of the relevant term and appears on the student's statement of results |
WF |
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Fail No Submission |
Recorded for a unit for which the student has submitted no assessment and appears on the student’s statement of results |
FNS |
Requesting an extension of time for an assignment
Class attendance for on-campus students