Please note - Swinburne University of Technology

Procedures Relating to Student
Assessment and Appeals
Preamble
The aims of these procedures are to facilitate learning, to
safeguard academic standards, to ensure that assessment
relates to the objectives and content of the programs taught,
to enable students to have reasonable redress in cases where
they may feel that an injustice has been done, and to ensure
the prompt approval and accurate documentation of all results.
One of the most effective ways of facilitating learning is to
provide the student with feedback. That is, to let the student
know, as soon as possible after they are discerned, any specific
errors, misunderstandings and shortcomings, and then to assist
in overcoming them.
Academic Board believes that a variety of forms of assessment
should be accepted for programs at Swinburne University of
Technology to enable divisions to select those they consider
most appropriate to each course.
Although these procedures concentrate chiefly on the
certification aspect of assessment, Academic Board considers
that the other objectives of assessment stated in section 2
below are of even greater importance in the educative process.
1. Definitions and interpretation
Academic Board
The principal academic committee of the Higher Education
Divisions of the University.
Assessment categories
The range of results which may be issued for a subject.
Awarding Divisional Board
The Divisional Board responsible for making recommendations
to Council for the granting of a particular award.
Awards
Includes the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Professional
Doctorate, Master, Bachelor with Honours, Bachelor and
Associate Degree, and the awards of Graduate Diploma,
Diploma, and Graduate Certificate granted by Council to
persons who have successfully completed a course of study
accredited by Council.
Chief Examiner
The position of Chief Examiner is held by the Vice-Chancellor.
The responsibilities of the Chief Examiner are currently
delegated to the Divisional Pro Vice-Chancellors. If unavailable
Divisional Pro Vice-Chancellors may request a member of staff
to act on their behalf for the purpose of these procedures.
Convener
The academic staff member designated to convene meetings
of the particular subject panel established under section 4 of
these procedures.
Council
The Council of Swinburne University of Technology.
Course
A set of subjects, the completion of which makes the student
eligible for the granting of an award by Council.
Examination
The formal testing, during a period specified by Academic
Board for the purpose, of students enrolled in a subject. Such
an examination is subject to the control of the Academic
Registrar through a designated officer.
Examination notice-board
A public notice board on each Swinburne campus designated
by the Academic Registrar as such.
Examination Supervisor
A person authorised by the Academic Registrar with
responsibility for the supervision of a particular examination.
Examinations Officer
The member of staff of the Academic Registrar's Department
who is responsible for the day-to-day administration of
examinations.
Faculty Board
The Divisional Board is a properly constituted sub-committee of
the Academic Board.
It includes any properly constituted sub-committee of a
Divisional Board authorised to approve results for a subject.
Head of School
A person appointed Head of School in a Higher Education
Division of Swinburne University of Technology.
Irregularity
An irregularity is the unauthorised use or attempted use by or
for any student of any means to gain unfair advantage in any
examination, test, assignment, essay or other work, the marks
for which form part of the final assessment. An irregularity
includes misconduct and plagiarism.
Misconduct
A deliberate action by a student which is in breach of any
directions issued by the examination supervisor, or printed on
the examination material or notices. This includes taking into
an examination any material with the intention of using said
material to obtain an unfair advantage.
Non-Standard subject
A subject that runs in a different time frame from the official
Swinburne Academic Calendar.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the action or practice of taking and using as one's
own, the thoughts, writings or other work of someone else
with the intent to deceive. Plagiarism includes:
a) the unauthorised use of the whole or part of a
computer program written by another person;
b) the use of paragraphs or sentences in essays or other
assessable work which are neither enclosed in
quotation marks nor properly acknowledged;
C) the paraphrasing of another's work without
attribution.
Individual divisions/schools may issue supplementary
statements in regard to typical examples of plagiarism. Such
statements must be notified to Academic Board and published
in the Handbook in the year following notification to Academic
Board.
Schoal - --.--.
A School is a Higher Education Division of Swinburne
University of Technology which has the responsibility for the
teaching of a particular subject.