• Section 1 - Purpose and Context
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Examination Delivery Modes
• Examination Duration
• Examinations Conditions 
• Conduct During Examinations
• Deferred Examinations
• Responsibilities
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Section 5 - Guidelines

Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) The University's Assessment Policy outlines the overarching approach to designing and delivering tasks which assess student learning and contribute to and assure subject and program learning outcomes. 

(2) This policy establishes the framework through which the University manages the delivery of Central Exams, which form part of the overall suite of assessment tasks used to assess learning as outlined in the Assessment Policy. Schools should adhere to this policy to the greatest extent possible for any examinations that are managed by the School. 

(3) This policy and Examinations Procedures should be read in conjunction with the Assessment Policy, Breastfeeding on University Premises Policy, Children on University Premises Policy, Curriculum Design and Approvals Policy, Disability Policy, Disruption to Studies Policy, Records and Archives Management Policy, Student Code of Conduct, and Student Misconduct Rule.

Section 2 - Definitions

(4) For the purposes of this policy, the following definitions that apply can be found in the Policy DDS Glossary, in addition to the following:

1. Central Examinations are examinations at the end of term including final, deferred, and selected supplementary that are centrally coordinated by Examinations.
2. Deferred Exam means an examination conducted after the timetabled final examination period where a student has not commenced or viewed a scheduled Final Examination due to serious misadventure, accident, or other extenuating circumstances.
3. Examination Supervisor means a person who supervises an examination and monitors students' conduct during the examination. This includes an online proctor for online proctored exams and assessor for practical examinations. 
4. Final Examination means an examination that takes place during the Formal Examination Period at the end of a term. Final Examinations may be online examinations, online proctored examinations or on-site invigilated theory or practical examinations.
5. Final Examination Period means the period at the end of a term when examinations are conducted.
6. Supplementary Examination is a type of examination provided by the Assessment Policy and Disruption to Studies Policy.
7. School Examinations refer to assessments held under examination conditions during the Term. These examinations are managed by Schools. 
8. Online Examinations refer to an examination that is delivered via the University's Learning Management System (LMS).  
9. Online Proctored Examinations are examinations that are delivered via the University's online proctoring partner. 
10. On-Site Examinations are examinations that are held on a University campus or other site designated by the University for the purposes of sitting a theory or practical examination. 
11. Take-Home Examination is a form of assessment that is released to students by a Subject Coordinator at a set time and must be complete within a set window.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(5) In some subjects, examinations are conducted as part of the overall subject and/or program assessment strategy to evidence student’s achievement of the subject and/or program's learning outcomes (refer to the Assessment Policy). 

Examination Delivery Modes

(6) Examinations may be conducted: 

1. online, with or without proctoring
2. on-site paper based invigilated
   
   and permit students to access: 
3. any resources (‘open book’)
4. specified resources
5. no resources (‘closed book’).

(7) The University primarily delivers examinations online via the LMS. 

(8) Examinations may be delivered online with a proctor, or on-site with invigilation where they meet the following criteria: 

(9) Any requests to conduct an examination online with a proctor, or on-site require approval from the Deputy Dean (or equivalent) of the School. 

Examination Duration

(10) The normal duration of Central Examinations is two hours, including reading time. The examination duration must be provided in the Subject Learning Guide.

(11) Examinations of three hours are not recommended and only permitted where:

1. explicitly required for professional accreditation of a program or subject, or
2. an academic case has been presented in the subject approval documentation justifying that this examination duration is essential to fully test whether a student has achieved the learning outcomes, and
3. the assessment was approved in line with the Curriculum Design and Approvals Policy.

(12) Take Home Examinations may be available for longer durations, commonly 24, 48, or 72 hours.

(13) Final Examinations and Deferred Examinations may not exceed three hours’ duration, except where provided in an individual student's Academic Reasonable Adjustment Plan (ARAP).

Examinations Conditions 

(14) Examination conditions must be clearly stipulated in the subject learning Guide, including any resources permitted in the examination. This information will also be provided on the exam cover sheet.

(15) Students may only bring into an examination the resources specified in the Subject Learning Guide and on the examination cover sheet or in the LMS for online examinations. Bringing or accessing anything outside the listed approved resources can lead to academic misconduct. Refer to the Student Misconduct Rule for more information.

(16) Where calculators are permitted in an examination:

1. students may only use a device that has the primary purpose of calculation (i.e., no tablets or mobile phones can be used). If Schools have particular requirements or wish to restrict the type of calculator that can be used, they must specify the make and model of the calculator in the Learning Guide.
2. calculators must be removed from their cases and may be checked by the Examination Supervisor prior to the examination.

(17) Students must bring their own writing materials in a clear bag as these will not be supplied. The only writing materials to be used in an examination include standard pens, pencils, erasers, highlighters, and rulers.

(18) Students who have an ARAP may bring into an examination any item specified within that plan for an examination.

(19) For on-site examinations, unless specified in the relevant Subject Learning Guide, students must not bring the following into an examination venue:

1. notes or material of any kind, whether related to or distinct from the subject's content, on the student's person or in their possession
2. pencil cases.

(20) Students may bring their mobile phones, smartwatches or similar electronic devices into an examination venue. However, these devices must be:

1. switched off, and
2. placed on the student's desk, face up and visible to the Examination Supervisor, or
3. put away as instructed by an Examination Supervisor in the case of an online proctored exam. 

(21) The Examination Supervisor is entitled to ask a student whether they have a mobile phone or any other electronic devices on their person and to demonstrate that the device is switched off for on-site exam or being put away for an online proctored exam.

(22) If a student has an electronic device in the examination venue and does not adhere to the examination requirements, of if the device emits an audible sound during the examination, the incident will be documented and referred to the appropriate delegate for consideration under the Student Misconduct Rule.

(23) Students should secure valuable possessions or avoid bringing them to campus during examinations as the University does not guarantee safe keeping of students' possessions inside or outside examination rooms.

Conduct During Examinations

(24) During an examination, students must not:

1. disturb, distract or behave in a manner that may adversely affect another student
2. refuse or disobey any instruction given by the Examination Supervisor
3. obtain or attempt to obtain assistance in their work
4. provide or attempt to provide assistance to another student in their work
5. communicate with any other person other than the Examination Supervisor or Online Proctor
6. eat inside the examination venue, except where prearranged as part of Individual Examination Arrangements specified in an approved ARAP
7. remove the examination paper or unused material from the examination venue, unless the examination states these can be removed, including downloading exam content or taking screenshots of online exams, or sharing content from an online exam in any form, and
8. bring any unauthorised resources or materials into the examination venue.

(25) Students must comply with all directions given by the Examination Supervisor, and all instructions set out on the examination. A decision by an Examination Supervisor is final, although a student may appeal the decision in accordance with the Academic Appeals Procedures. 

(26) The Examination Supervisor may request any student who disrupts an examination, displays inappropriate behaviour, or who attempts to intimidate an Examination Supervisor, to leave the examination venue immediately or terminate an online examination.

(27) If a student does not adhere to the requirements in this policy, action may be taken under the Student Misconduct Rule.

Deferred Examinations

(28) If a student has been impacted by a Disruption to Studies Event and they have commenced an examination, they may apply for Disruption to Studies Provisions in line with the Disruption to Studies Policy.

(29) Students who have been impacted by a Disruption to Studies Event and have not commenced or viewed a Final Examination may apply to sit a Deferred Exam.  

(30) A Deferred Exam may be granted to students:

1. in exceptional circumstances where the University considers the severity or gravity of the misadventure, accident or illness prevented a student from commencing an examination
2. where a student could not reasonably have been expected to avoid the circumstances that led them to miss an examination, and
3. where the student has not entered the examination room or accessed an online examination. 

(31) Deferred Exam applications must be made on the prescribed form and by the published deadline for the relevant examination period.

Responsibilities

(32) Students must ensure that they are:  

1. available throughout the entire examination period, including the deferred examination period. Absence on holiday will not be accepted as justification for a Deferred or Supplementary Examination
2. arrange appropriate space and technology to complete any online examination
3. act consistently with the requirements of this policy, the Student Honour Code and the Student Code of Conduct during an examination
4. comply with any reasonable directions by Examination Supervisors during an examination. 

(33) Subject Coordinators:

1. are responsible for developing examination questions and papers
2. are responsible for developing online examinations on the University's LMS, including the configuration of the examination 
3. must provide contact details to Data Integrity, Quality and Operations and be contactable for the duration of any Central Examination. 

(34) Director, Academic Programs, or nominees are responsible for ensuring appropriate quality checks have been carried out in relation to the preparation, marking, and moderation of examinations (refer to the Assessment Policy).

(35) Deputy Deans, or equivalent:

1. have overall accountability for the preparation of Central Examinations for the subjects offered by their School and must ensure the examination papers are fit for purpose and are written in clear and unambiguous language. This includes the development and release of online examinations in the University's LMS
2. must ensure their School has appropriate processes in place, endorsed by the School Academic Committee (SAC), or equivalent, to assure the academic quality of the examination questions, model answers and/or guidelines, and moderation of the marking scheme in line with the Assessment Policy
3. will report to their SAC, or equivalent, on the discharge of their responsibilities at the conclusion of each Formal Examination Period, identifying any matters that have impacted on the quality and effectiveness of the examinations process within the School
4. have overall accountability for the collection and marking of Central Examinations for the subjects offered by their School and the submission of results within the published timeframes for each term.

(36) Data Integrity, Quality and Operations: 

1. are responsible for managing the delivery of Central Examinations, including data collection and approval processes, examination scheduling, and student communications
2. may issue administrative directions to ensure the effective delivery of Central Examinations, including published timelines and quality assurance checklists.

Section 4 - Procedures

(37) Examinations Procedures.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(38) Assessment Guide.

(39) Breastfeeding on University Premises Policy.

(40) Children on University Premises Policy.