Vocational Education and Training (VET) assessment is based on national benchmarks, called competency standards, for the occupation or industry in which an individual is training. A successful result in VET assessment is recorded as ‘Competent’ according to industry standards.
The emphasis in VET assessment is on the student’s ability to perform practical tasks and describe/explain how and why tasks are completed in particular ways. While the emphasis on academic writing in VET courses is different to Higher Education courses, students are expected to have a good standard of literacy for Diploma level qualifications and need to be able to express themselves clearly in written English.
As a student progresses through a module and completes the various assignment tasks, they are assessed on each task as ‘satisfactory’ or ‘not satisfactory’. If a student is assessed as 'not satisfactory' they are given one (1) opportunity to resubmit. Once all tasks for the module have been completed satisfactorily, the outcome result of ‘competent’ or ‘not yet competent’ is recorded.
Teaching staff make decisions about whether a task has been satisfactorily completed based on the following considerations:
a) all parts of the assignment task/s have been completed to a standard that satisfactorily meets the requirements set out in all of the marking criteria (as set out in the module)
b) the student’s work is of a standard to be acceptable in the workplace for an entry-level employee in the occupation in question, including acceptable formatting, expression, language, spelling and grammar
c) the assignment and assessment tasks are the student’s own work, except as appropriately acknowledged by the use of referencing
The College acheives consistency in assessment marking through validation and moderation activities held regularly to improve the way assignment tasks are described and explained and to assist teaching staff to interpret and apply marking criteria consistently.
Assessment is a broad term and it is used to describe all the assignments that are required to be submitted by a due date. Assignments are completed under non supervised conditions. To achieve a result of Competent for a VET module, a student must satisfactorily complete all assignments. It is the student’s responsibility to read and follow all instructions for all assignments.
As appropriate for the assignment, a student can choose from a range of formats, including:
a) continuous written paragraphs of text
b) headings and sub-headings to organise text
c) bullet points rather than (or as well as) continuous text
d) use of examples and illustrations from their own experience – particularly their relevant work experience
e) use of examples and illustrations from textbooks, journal articles, internet sites and other sources, provided these are appropriately acknowledged
f) role-play or practical activities in class, for example, counselling practice sessions or case management meetings
g) video-taped recordings of themselves undertaking tasks at work or in a simulated workplace, for example, counselling practice sessions or case management meetings
It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of mechanisms within the College for seeking assistance and advice in relation to assignments and submission of assignments.
Plagiarism is defined as taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another person by failing to give appropriate acknowledgement. This includes material from any source, staff, students, the Internet - published and unpublished works.
Examples of Plagiarism are:
The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make notes of where you find information, and then acknowledge the source of the information used in the assignment. Such work may include sections of text, quotations, original ideas, graphics, diagrams, charts, tables and figures. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that full acknowledgement is given to the use of another person’s work, thoughts and/or intellectual property. (Link to Academic Skills Tutorial click here)
Referencing
While a variety of referencing styles and systems are in use, the College requires all Higher Education students to use the APA Referencing Style. For this reason, VET students should also use this style when referencing. However, students will not be penalised in their overall assessment result for inconsistency in referencing style. Poor referencing alone will not result in a ‘not yet competent’ result unless referencing has not been attempted, resulting in plagiarism. Students should refer to the Referencing Guide for details and examples of this referencing style.
Students must acknowledge the work of others whenever they include it in their assignments and assessment tasks, both to acknowledge the work and ideas of the originator and also to enable the reader to follow up the original work if required. It is the student’s responsibility to follow The American Psychological Association Publication Manual (6th edition) style for any referencing that is included in assignments.
Assignment Submission and Turnitin
All written assignments must be submitted through Turnitin. This is an automated process. Turnitin compares a text 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. Draft assignments are able to be checked through Turnitin and are able to be reviewed and reworked by the student prior to final submission. When an assessment 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 assessment is found in other sources. All written assignments must be submitted to Turnitin in Microsoft Word format. PDF format will not be accepted. (Frequently asked questions about Turnitin)
All assignments must be submitted by the due date unless an extension has been granted. The due date is midnight Sunday at the end of the week specified by the module assignment requirements. All written assignments must be uploaded onto the online grade book in my.acap (for instructions about how to upload assignments click here)
All written assessments must be submitted in Microsoft Word format. PDF format or hand written assessments will not be accepted.
All assignments must be named with the following file naming convention prior to uploading them for marking: After selecting ‘save as’, insert your Surname_Assignment Number and Module Name '. An example of how this should look is: Jones_Assignment 1_Addressing Client Needs_doc
Audio-visual assessments (e.g. role-play sessions) are required to be submitted online or in hardcopy on DVD. Students must be aware of the following when completing audio-visual assessments:
a) Online submission of audio visual assignments is required (for upload instructions click here)
b) There are no DVD hardcopy submissions: If you are having difficulty with uploading your DVD, please refer to the User Guide and/or the IT helpdesk.
c) 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.
d) Students are required to engage persons who are 18 years of age or over for the purposes of recorded sessions, role-plays and interviews and must not engage family members for the purposes of these recorded sessions, roles plays and interviews
e) Upon completion of the program of study at the college, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the recorded role-play or interview is erased or disposed of appropriately
Students will have one (1) opportunity to resubmit a module assignment if the first submission is assessed as not satisfactory. The educator will provide feedback and the student must resubmit by the revised deadline determined by their educator.
Late Assignments will not be accepted. 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 at the discretion of VET Coordinators and with proof of extenuating circumstances. Students who are granted permission to submit a late assignment will not be permitted to resubmit if the assessment outcome is 'not satisfactory'.
All students have the right to apply for an extension for an assignment in accordance with the following:
a) For an extension of up to one (1) week it is the responsibility of the student to make the request directly to the module teacher at least one full working day before the assignment is due, unless special unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from applying within this period. The teacher will only grant an extension on medical, compassionate or other serious grounds.
b) Requests for an extension in excess of one (1) week from the original assignment due date must be submitted to the appropriate VET Coordinator, using an Assessment Extension Application Form. This form must be completed and submitted for approval in person, by email or fax at least three (3) full working days before the revised due date of the assignment unless the special unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from applying within this period.
c) ACAP reserves the right to refuse an application for an extension. Students will be notified of the outcome of their application for an extension within two (2) working days by email. Students who have not received a response within this timeframe should contact the appropriate VET Coordinator.
d) No extension can exceed three (3) weeks from the original due date. The number of days granted for an extension will be based on the evidence supplied in the student’s supporting documentation.
e) A student has the right to appeal a decision to refuse an extension by following the college’s Academic Appeals and Grievances Policy and Procedure.
f) Extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances which are judged to be unforseen and beyond the student’s control.
g) Extensions will not be considered or granted for resubmitted assignments.
All students have the right to apply for special consideration due to illness or other misadventure. However, please note that personal, medical and employment difficulties will not be considered as valid grounds for an assessment appeal. Students experiencing such difficulties should consider deferring their studies until a later date.
All students have the right to appeal against academic decisions. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the procedures for lodging an appeal. Valid grounds for appeal include:
a) the grade was not based on the assignment marking criteria as specified in the ACAP assignment outline
b) other grounds accepted for appeal by the staff member coordinating the review
If an assessment appeal is accepted as valid, the assignment will be re-marked by another member of the teaching staff. The old outcome will be deleted and the new result will be recorded as the outcome for the assignment. If a student is dissatisfied with the appeal decision, they may follow the Academic Grievance and Appeals Policy and Procedure.
It is the student’s responsibility to:
a) behave and act in an honest and ethical manner at all times.
b) behave in a manner that does not result in either unfair academic advantage or disadvantage.
c) act with integrity and not engage in academic misconduct of any kind.