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Examinations Procedures

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Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) These procedures operationalise the University's Examinations Policy.

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Section 2 - Definitions

(2) For the purposes of these procedures, definitions that apply can be found in the Examinations Policy and the Policy DDS Glossary, in addition to the following:

  1. Examination clash means:
    1. two examinations timetabled at the same time including any overlap
    2. less than one and a half hours between examinations that are held on the same site or online
    3. less than three hours of travelling time between examination venues at different campuses or off-campus sites
    4. three examinations scheduled on one day for a student
    5. more than three examinations scheduled on two consecutive days for a student or
    6. an evening examination that finishes after 8.30pm followed by a morning examination that starts before 9.30am on the next day for a student, and
    7. does not include Take Home Examinations (refer to the Examinations Policy).
  2. School for the purposes of these procedures includes Research Institutes. 
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Section 3 - Policy Statement

(3) See Examinations Policy.

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Section 4 - Procedures

Part A - Examinations Administered by Schools

Supplementary Examinations

(4) Schools may arrange and other examinations, including Supplementary Examinations and In Term examinations. As far as practicable, any examinations coordinated by Schools should be conducted in accordance with the procedures in place for centrally coordinated examinations.

In Term or Other Examinations

(5) A School may organise an In Term or other examination if it is part of the subject's assessment regime and students have been advised in the relevant Subject Learning Guide. Students must be notified of the date, time and delivery mode of the examination as early as possible, particularly if the examination is scheduled at a different time or location from the class time and location.

Supplementary Examinations

(6) Schools may administer and organise Supplementary Examinations in accordance with the Assessment Policy, and must advise students of the date, time, format, and place of the examination as early as possible.

Part B - Final Examinations

(7) Data Integrity, Quality and Operations centrally coordinate the delivery of Final Examination Periods, Deferred Exams and select Supplementary Examinations.

Examination Papers

(8) Schools must have procedures in place to ensure:

  1. they provide the examination to Data Integrity, Quality and Operations or build their exam in the official platform supported by the University for online examinations in accordance with advised timelines and in an accessible format
  2. examinations must be accompanied by the exam quality checklist, completed by the Subject Coordinator or their delegate
  3. exams delivered online must be built in accordance with the required settings in the University's Learning Management System (LMS) and in a timely fashion with the relevant security measures
  4. any resources permitted in the examination or variations to standard exam conditions are specified on the examination coversheet or advised in the exam build quality checklist and include online specific requirements, and are consistent with those specified in the Learning Guide for the relevant subject
  5. access to examinations is only permitted to authorised staff at the University, and other institutions, for the purposes of peer review, moderation and benchmarking, or online quality checking
  6. examinations are retained and stored in accordance with the Records and Archives Management Policy and students’ completed examinations are stored in accordance with the Assessment Policy
  7. examinations prepared for main, deferred, and supplementary examinations are different from but academically equivalent to each other, and
  8. examinations differ in substance from examinations prepared for previous terms.

(9) Subject Coordinators must ensure:

  1. they provide the examination paper or build their examination in the LMS as required, following the directions provided and in accordance with timelines
  2. they provide oversight over the collection of examination papers to ensure they are collected as soon as possible following the conclusion of the exam
  3. examinations are marked so that results are submitted within the published timeframes for each term
  4. they prepare, store and distribute examinations and questions in a robust manner, with due regard for confidentiality, security and the overall integrity of the examinations.

(10) Data Integrity, Quality and Operations must have procedures in place for ensuring it stores and distributes examination papers provided to it by Schools in a secure manner, with due regard for confidentiality, security and the overall integrity of the examinations.

Examination Timetable

(11) Data Integrity, Quality and Operations will:

  1. publish the Central Examination timetable prior to the commencement of the examination period in accordance with the advertised timelines
  2. include in the timetable the time, date, duration, and mode of delivery for each examination. Where an examination is to be held on-site, the campus and venue will be included in the timetable and
  3. endeavour to develop the examination timetable to avoid clashes for students, however, some students may have examinations that clash.

(12) Central Examinations may be scheduled to start between 8.30am and 6.30pm on Mondays to Sunday (Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) or Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT)). 

(13) Any student who has a clash between two exams on their timetable must advise Data Integrity, Quality and Operations as soon as possible and within five working days after the examination timetable is released. The University may not be able to provide alternative arrangements where it receives written advice after the five working day period.

(14) Data Integrity, Quality and Operations will make every effort to adjust a student's examination timetable in the Formal Examination Period to remove the clash. The identification of a clash does not mean that a Deferred Exam will be granted automatically.

Special Arrangements

(15) The University will make reasonable adjustments for a student with a disability undertaking an examination where the student advised the Disability Service of their needs by the advertised timelines.

(16) Arrangements for breastfeeding mothers will be accommodated in line with the Breastfeeding on University Premises Policy.

Entering and Leaving the Examination Venue 

(17) When attending an examination, students must:

  1. present their valid University Student Identity Card (ID) to the Exam Supervisor or Online Proctor as requested
  2. display their ID card on their desk during an on-site examination or follow the instructions of the Online Proctor in an online invigilated exam
  3. sit in the seat allocated to them as directed by the Examination Supervisor
  4. follow the instructions of the Examination Supervisor
  5. for on site examinations, not leave an examination venue until 30 minutes after the examination commences, and during the last 10 minutes of the examination, unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as illness or a technology issue during an online exam.

(18) If, for reasons beyond the student’s control, they are unable to show their valid University Student Identity (ID) Card to an Examination Supervisor, they may provide an alternative valid government issued photo ID such as a passport or driver’s license, provided it is hard copy. Digital IDs will not be accepted. 

(19) A student may temporarily leave an examination venue where:

  1. the Examination Supervisor has granted permission
  2. they are supervised during the whole period they are outside the venue
  3. the Examination Supervisor reports the absence to School academic staff and it is recorded
  4. they are aware that there may be grounds to review the incident for potential misconduct under the Student Misconduct Rule.

Questions Arising in Relation to an Examination Paper

(20) If a student has a question during an invigilated exam in regards to the content of the exam, they will be advised “to answer the question to the best of their ability” and will be given an opportunity to complete an exam condition report outlining their concern. A copy of this report will be provided with the completed exams and be available for consideration by academic staff. Students can also be provided a copy if they wish to apply for a Disruption to Studies Provision.

(21) Academic staff will be contacted if there is a significant issue with the instruction, question, or any extenuating circumstance that might affect the exam condition. During exams, the Subject Coordinator or delegate must make themselves available at the time and date of their exam in order that they can be contacted.

(22) Schools must ensure that an appropriate academic staff member is on campus or available by telephone for Central Examinations to resolve problems and answer questions if a significant issue with the exam instructions or any extenuating circumstance that might affect the exam condition arises.

Conclusion of an Examination

(23) Students are responsible for managing their time during an examination.

(24) For on-site examinations, the Examination Supervisor will notify students when there are 10 minutes of the examination time remaining. 

(25) At the end of the examination time, students must:

  1. stop work by ceasing writing, typing or conducting practical work etc., as relevant
  2. remain in their seat until all examination materials are collected and the Examination Supervisor has given them permission to leave and
  3. not communicate with other students until they have left the examination venue.

Breach of these Procedures

(26) If a student does not adhere to the requirements in these procedures, action may be taken under the Student Misconduct Rule.

Part C - Deferred Examinations

Applications

(27) Students who are unable to attend a Final Examination due to serious illness, misadventure, accident or circumstances that are beyond their control may apply for a Deferred Exam.

(28) Applications for a Deferred Exam will only be considered when submitted using the online Request for a Deferred Exam form.

(29) Students who have entered an exam room or viewed an online examination paper are not eligible for a Deferred Examination and should apply for a Disruption to Studies Provision if they have been impacted by a Disruption to Studies Event during an examination (refer Disruption to Studies Policy).

(30) Applications for a Deferred Exam must include an explanation as to how one or more of the following circumstances prevented attendance on the scheduled date of the Final Examination:

  1. medical conditions or events
  2. psychological trauma, impairment or incapacity arising from an event
  3. physical trauma leading to impairment or incapacity resulting from an accident
  4. substantial change to routine employment arrangements or status
  5. substantial unanticipated change to routine accommodation and residential arrangements or status
  6. sporting or cultural commitments only where a student has been selected, through a formal documented process, to represent or participate in a state, national or international event
  7. military commitments where a student is a member of the armed forces involved in a compulsory exercise
  8. military reserve commitments where a student is required to attend a compulsory exercise
  9. emergency service commitments only where a student is required to attend an emergency situation and the requirement to attend is specified in supporting documentation
  10. legal commitments, where a student is called for jury duty or is subpoenaed to attend a court, tribunal or hearing, and the requirement to attend is specified in supporting documentation
  11. compulsory involvement in a ceremony or significant cultural activity of a unique nature where the requirement to attend is specified in supporting documentation from a relevant official or leader of the event/activity.

(31) A Deferred Exam may be granted for a student who has new individual exam arrangements or changes to their individual exam arrangements approved within 30 days of their scheduled exam, and those changes are unable to be arranged by the original exam date.

(32) The following factors would not normally be considered as grounds for a Deferred Exam:

  1. routine demands of employment and employment-related travel
  2. difficulties adjusting to university life, to the self-discipline needed to study effectively, and to the demands of academic work
  3. stress or anxiety normally associated with exams, required assessment tasks or any aspect of program work
  4. routine financial support needs
  5. lack of knowledge of requirements of academic work
  6. difficulties with English language
  7. difficulties with visa arrangements that could have been reasonably anticipated
  8. scheduled anticipated changes of address, moving home, house moves etc
  9. demands of sport, clubs, social or extra-curricular activity (other than to represent or participate in state, national or international sporting or cultural events)
  10. recreational travel (domestic or international)
  11. planned events, such as birthdays and weddings.

(33) Applications for a Deferred Exam may be submitted before the Final Examination, but no later than the second working day after the scheduled date of the Final Examination.

(34) In exceptional circumstances, a student may provide documentary evidence to justify why they did not submit a Deferred Exam application within that time.

Supporting Evidence

(35) Applications for a Deferred Exam must be accompanied by written evidence, which must identify and support the serious illness, misadventure, accident, or circumstances that prevented attendance on the scheduled date of the Final Exam. The requirements for supporting evidence are outlined on the Deferred Exams webpage.

(36) Applications will normally not be considered if documentation does not provide sufficient information to support the claims made in the application. The University will not approach third parties, such as hospitals or the police, to obtain documentation on behalf of the student.

(37) The University may contact medical practitioners or other third parties to verify the documentation submitted. Students are required to keep all original or certified copies of supporting documentation for a period of 12 months from the date of submission of their application, as this may be requested at any time for auditing purposes.

(38) If a student submits falsified documents, the University may take action in accordance with the Student Misconduct Rule.

Consideration of Applications

(39) Staff in Data Integrity, Quality and Operations will:

  1. consider applications for Deferred Exams on a case by case basis
  2. notify the student in writing of the decision
  3. refer the application to the School if the documented duration of the student's incapacity extends beyond the dates when Deferred Exams are held, and
  4. publish the Deferred Exam timetable to students at least five working days prior to the Deferred Exam, where possible.

(40) A Deferred Exam will only be approved where the severity and/or gravity of disruption or circumstances is of such an extreme nature that the student will not be able to sit the exam and where a rescheduling of the exam is demonstrated to be the only reasonable option.

(41) Deferred Exam applications should not be utilised repetitively in order to manage longer-term illness, disabilities or ongoing severe disruptive circumstances. In such circumstances students should refer to the University's Disability Policy and should seek advice from staff in the Counselling Service and Disability Service.

(42) The decision regarding a Deferred Exam may be appealed in accordance with the Academic Appeals Procedures on the grounds that there was a breach of procedural fairness or substantial and relevant new or fresh evidence is available that was not available for the student to provide when the decision was made.

Students Unable to Attend the Deferred Exam

(43) Students who are unable to attend the Deferred Exam because of illness or misadventure may apply for Disruption to Studies. Refer to the Disruption to Studies Policy for more information.

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Section 5 - Guidelines

(44) Exams webpage.

(45) Breastfeeding on University Premises Policy.

(46) Children on University Premises Policy.