Assessment and Marking

The Dean and the Academic Board are primarily responsible for the setting of academic standards and thus the operation of this policy.

Assessment is concerned with those activities required of a student to demonstrate that he/she has reached the required academic standards in his/her course of study.

Assessments will include various component types:

Participation in on-line, group seminars, workshops, laboratories and other teaching programs.
Completion of assignments as set by the lecturer in the Module
Examinations based on the content of the Module.
Completion of designs, reports and dissertations as required for the Module.

Assessment components may be provided at set times, or require submission of work on or before set dates and times. Students are required to participate at the set times and submit the set work on or before the set dates and times.

The outline for each Module includes:

The types of assessment for that Module and the marks allocated to each.
Specific requirements for submission or work, including the format and modes of submission.

For a Module that has an examination assessment component the student:

Must complete the participation and assignment assessment components.
Sit and pass the set examination (the pass mark is set at 50%).

If the examination is not passed at the first attempt, the student may re-sit the examination at his/her own expense (3 attempts in total) to achieve a pass. If the examination of a Module is not passed within three attempts the Module shall be considered failed. The student may apply to the Dean for approval to re-enrol in the Module and repeat the interactive/online tasks or activities.

A failure to be present or to meet a set date or time will result in a mark penalty. Late submission of assignments shall be penalized at the rate of 5% (of the full marks of the assignment) for each 24 hour period the submission is late. Submissions later than 7 days will be given a fail mark.

Extensions to deadlines or deferral of assessment may be granted by the lecturer for that Module providing:

The lecturer is satisfied that valid medical or personal reasons justify the extension of time.
The application for extension is in writing and submitted before the final submission deadline is reached.

Only in exceptional circumstances will an extension be granted after the final submission deadline is passed. Approval for such extensions can only be made by the Dean, and will only be granted if the reasons are clearly outside the control of the student.

Submission Requirements

All assignments must be submitted to the lecturer by the due date.

Students are to complete the assignments in the format specified by the instructor (generally Word/Excel etc). All documents should be clearly named to indicate their content:

[Module Code]_[Assignment Number]_[Student name].ext

e.g. MEC1021_2_RobertGreen.doc

Assignments sent as email attachments, to the lecturer, will receive an email acknowledgement from the lecturer. If an acknowledgment is not received within 24 hours, the Institution’s administration office should be contacted to ensure that the submission has been received.

Returning Assignments and Feedback

Marked assignments will be returned to students by email. Students will receive a model answer sheet, the original assignment, feedback from the instructor, and the assignment grade.

The feedback will ensure the grade allocation is explained and understood in terms of the learning outcomes and marking criteria set for the assignment

Overall Course Grade

To complete a Course, all the required Modules must be passed. A Course can be awarded the following grades of pass:

Pass	When the weighted average marks for all Modules is in the range 50 to 70%
Credit	When the weighted average marks for all Modules is in the range 70 to 80%
Honours	When the weighted average marks for all Modules is in the range 80 to 100%

The weighted averages are calculated on the basis of the point values of the Modules contained in the Course.

Overall Module Grade

The overall mark for a Module shall be determined by the Lecturer according to the guidelines set out in the Module outline and will fall into the following classifications:

Grade Mark Range Description

A	80-100%	Excellent
B	70-79%	Very Good
C	60-69%	Good
D	50-59%	Pass
N	< 50%	Fail

Grade Disputation and Re-Marking

If a student disputes the mark given, a formal request for a remark should be submitted to the lecturer. Another lecturer will mark the assessment and the new mark will apply (even if it is less than the original mark).

Participation Marks

Instructors will be required to monitor each student’s interaction and contribution during webcasts. For each webcast instructors will be required to complete a participation grading sheet. A Student will be allocated a participation mark, for each topic, based on the following levels:

Contribution Levels:

1 – Student has limited participation and communication

2 – Student participates with others and contributes to discussions

3 – Student frequently participates and contributes to discussions

Assignments and webcasts are designed to ensure that each student has understood the topics covered, and is abley prepared to apply this knowledge in the real world.

Assignment Marking

The following classifications are to be used for assignments:

Grade Mark Range Description

A 80–100 Excellent

B 70–79 Very Good

C 60–69 Good

D 50–59 Pass

N 0-49 Fail

The following table provides a set of guidelines that indicates the level of achievement required to match these classifications.

Marking guidelines

Grade A
Marks: 80-100

Demonstrates ability to use full range of learning resources
Consistently and correctly communicates using precise industry and technical terminology
Demonstrates a thorough understanding and application of a range of tools and theoretical applications
Applies in-depth industry and technical knowledge and understanding relevant to specific competencies
Evaluates all stages of specific tasks within the topic
Demonstrates an extensive understanding of the theory covered as it applies to industry
Exhibits a comprehensive understanding of drawings, diagrams and documentation and their importance in industry practice
Demonstrates critical judgment and sound reasoning to select, organise, synthesise and evaluate
Accurately and logically applies relevant formulae and perform mathematical calculations
Participates and engages confidently in academic and professional communication with others

Grade B
Marks: 70-79

Manages own learning using full range of resources for the discipline(s) with minimum guidance
Communicates, using specific industry and technical terminology
Demonstrates a detailed understanding and application of a range of tools and theoretical applications
Demonstrates detailed industry and technical knowledge and understanding relevant to specific competencies
Analyses all elements of specific tasks within the topic
Demonstrates an understanding of the theory covered as it applies to industry
Exhibits a thorough understanding of drawings, diagrams and documentation and their importance in industry practice
Demonstrates accomplished judgement and reasoning to select, organise and evaluate
Logically and competently applies relevant formulae and perform mathematical calculations
Participates effectively in academic and professional communication with others

Grade C
Marks: 60-69

Manages learning using resources for the discipline
Communicates using appropriate industry and technical terminology
Demonstrates a sound understanding and application of the performance required in the use of a range of tools and theoretical applications
Demonstrates sound industry and technical knowledge and understanding relevant to specific competencies
Analyses elements of specific tasks in the topic
Demonstrates a basic understanding of the theory covered as it applies to industry
Exhibits a general understanding of drawings, diagrams and documentation and their relationships to industry practice
Structures written responses in a descriptive manner
Logically applies relevant formulae and perform mathematical calculations
Participates and contributes in group discussions

Grade D
Marks: 50-59

Works within an appropriate ethos and can use and access a range of learning resources
Communicates using basic industry and technical terminology
Demonstrates an understanding of the performance required in the use of a limited range of tools and theoretical applications
Demonstrates basic industry and technical knowledge and understanding relevant to specific competencies
Comprehends basic elements of specific tasks in the topic
Displays a limited understanding of the theory covered as it applies to industry
Exhibits a general understanding of drawings, diagrams and documentation
Structures written responses using unsupported generalisations
Demonstrates a basic understanding of the application of formulae and mathematical calculations
Participation and contribution is limited
Uses and accesses a limited range of learning resources
Communicates using non-industry specific terms
Demonstrates a superficial understanding of the performance required in the use of a limited range of tools and theoretical applications
Demonstrates limited technical and industry knowledge and understanding relevant to specific competencies
Recounts elements of specific tasks in the topic
Displays an elementary understanding of the theory covered as it applies to the industry
Exhibits some understanding of drawings, diagrams and documentation
Structures written responses using unsupported generalisations and irrelevant material
Demonstrates limited ability to apply relevant formulae and perform mathematical calculations
Commnicates and participates rarely