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Coursework Assessments Policy

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Purpose | Scope | Principles | Policy statements | Roles and responsibilities  | Definitions  | Approval information  | Version history  | References  | Appendix 1: Results and grades

1. Purpose

1.1 The Coursework Assessments Policy (the policy) articulates the principles and expectations for the assessment of coursework subjects at UTS.

1.2 This policy should be read in conjunction with the Coursework Assessments Procedure (the procedure) and the Student Rules related to assessment, academic misconduct and appeals processes.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all staff and students and the assessment of all coursework subjects at UTS. UTS recognises that the forms of assessment used throughout UTS are diverse and vary according to academic discipline, however, all must comply with this policy.

2.2 This policy does not apply to the thesis component of graduate research degrees.

3. Principles

3.1 Assessments must promote learning and prepare students for future learning and practice.

3.2 Assessments must include authentic assessments (refer Definitions) and allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills on meaningful, practice-oriented tasks.

3.3 Assessments must be fair and equitable (providing reasonable opportunities for all students to demonstrate their learning) with requirements clearly communicated in the subject information and any supporting documents.

3.4 Students’ work must be assessed against clearly stated and consistently applied criteria that are aligned with the task and the intended learning outcomes of the subject.

3.5 Students must be provided with opportunities for feedback on their assessed work in a timely manner to facilitate understanding and improvement. Feedback must be consistent with the learning outcomes.

3.6 Assessments must promote academic integrity in line with the Academic Integrity Policy. Students must be provided with clear guidance on how to achieve academic integrity and subject information must clearly outline students’ obligations in relation to academic integrity.

3.7 Assessments must be designed across the ‘whole of the course of study’ to:

  1. support students across the student lifecycle, from their transition to study and their progression through their studies, to their transition to employment or further learning (refer Support for Students Policy)
  2. enable students to develop and demonstrate their achievement of the desired graduate attributes (refer Our graduate attributes) and intended learning outcomes for the course as a whole
  3. assess learning outcomes to a standard appropriate for the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level of the course and any relevant professional standards
  4. ensure students have opportunities to experience different types of assessment
  5. be consistent with the UTS model of learning in ways that are relevant to the professional/disciplinary domains of the course
  6. include assessment experiences that enable students to prepare for their intended future contexts and develop their capacities for professional and personal judgement and lifelong learning.

3.8 Subject assessment patterns must involve reasonable workloads for both students and staff, consistent with the:

  1. credit points allocated to the subject
  2. relative weightings of tasks reflective of the expected workloads, and
  3. number, type and timing of assessment tasks designed to allow reasonable time for task completion, marking and feedback.

3.9 Assessment processes and tasks must be kept private and confidential. Staff must not divulge any information related to an individual student’s assessment to unauthorised people.

3.10 UTS will provide reasonable learning and assessment arrangements, in line with the Accessibility and Inclusion Policy and Rule 8.2, to enable students to demonstrate their achievement of the learning objectives of the subjects in which they are enrolled.

4. Policy statements

4.1 This policy supports section 8, Student Rules and is implemented via procedures approved by the Provost and implemented by the Lifetime Learner Experience Unit.

Assessment strategy at UTS

4.2 Assessments must focus on students’ capacity to develop and apply their knowledge and skills on meaningful, practice-oriented tasks. The assessment pattern in a subject should include at least one substantial authentic task or component. Where this is not appropriate, a substantial task or component must be performance-based. Open-book rather than closed-book or restricted open-book examinations should be used where these are appropriate.

Assessment design and approval

4.3 Subject assessment patterns are approved, reviewed and changed as part of the subject information in line with the Student Rules and the Subject Information Procedure, with further details of assessment pattern design outlined in the procedure.

4.4 An assessor must be nominated for each subject by the relevant responsible academic officer (RAO) and approved in accordance with faculty board procedures. Assessors must be full-time or fractional members of academic staff.

4.5 Subject coordinators and assessors are usually appointed at the same time. Assessors are expected to work with subject coordinators, acting as peer reviewers to review and improve the appropriateness of assessment tasks.

4.6 Any exceptions to normal assessment requirements must be discussed with the assessor and approved through the faculty subject approvals process. Disputes should be managed by the RAO.

Marking, feedback, grades and results

4.7 The total mark or grade for each assessment task and final subject results are determined as described in the subject information and any supporting documentation provided by the faculty.

4.8 Faculties are responsible for developing and implementing marking procedures for subjects they administer in a manner consistent with the principles and practice outlined in the Student Rules, this policy and the procedure. This responsibility may be assigned to the subject coordinators and/or RAOs at the discretion of faculty boards.

4.9 Marking must only be undertaken by appropriately qualified and employed staff approved by the subject coordinator and/or assessor.

4.10 Markers must be provided with adequate information regarding what is to be marked, marking procedures and the return date of assessed work.

4.11 Marking must be consistent with the specified criteria and standards for the task.

4.12 Marking procedures must ensure that criteria and standards are applied in similar ways across different markers.

4.13 Students should receive timely feedback on each assessment task before the submission of the next summative task. Some opportunities for feedback on learning must be provided before the relevant census date for the subject.

4.14 Grades are based on a student’s level of performance in achieving stated learning objectives and must never be norm-referenced. UTS assessments never apply negative marking techniques.

4.15 Grades are awarded so that UTS can provide a statement for students and the outside community that indicates a student’s achievement of the learning objectives in subjects and intended learning outcomes for a course.

4.16 UTS results and grades are outlined in Appendix 1.

4.17 Faculty boards have authority to determine the appropriate grading type (as outlined in CASS) and set of grades for each subject.

4.18 The subject information must outline the approved form in which subject assessment results will be provided to students.

Result ratification

4.19 The Provost will approve procedures for the approval of:

  1. final results of students in each subject
  2. ratification of final results
  3. release and publication of student results by the Director, Student Administration, as outlined in Rule 8.4 and the Delegations.

Assessment arrangements and extensions

4.20 Assessment extension arrangements must be fair and applied consistently by each faculty in line with the procedure. The late submission of assessments without an approved extension will incur a late penalty (refer the procedure).

4.21 Staff and students must comply with learning and assessment arrangements outlined in Rule 8.2.

4.22 UTS will make all reasonable arrangements to enable students to demonstrate learning outcomes in an equitable manner in accordance with the Accessibility and Inclusion Policy and Rule 8.2.

Progression, sanctions and misconduct

4.23 Section 10, Student Rules provides for UTS’s management of academic progression and the management of repeated failures. Students who fail a subject more than once should refer to section 10, Student Rules and seek advice from an academic adviser.

4.24 Procedures for managing subject assessment sanctions are approved by the Provost and published on the UTS website.

4.25 Misconduct under the Student Rules is as follows:

  1. Rule 16.2 defines misconduct
  2. Rule 8.7 addresses misconduct in assessments
  3. Rule 9.6 manages misconduct during examinations (centrally conducted and faculty-based).

4.26 Where the allegation is not a first offence, and/or of a serious nature, the university’s procedures for misconduct will be applied (section 16, Schedule 3 and Schedule 4).

4.27 Vivas or other invigilated tasks may be used to verify student achievement of learning outcomes.

Assessment records and privacy

4.28 Faculties are required to keep assessment-related records (including but not limited to assessment tasks, marks, grades and final results) for the required minimum retention period (Rule 8.4.1) or in keeping with external accreditation requirements. Refer Records Management Policy.

4.29 Assessment records, in any format, including marked exam scripts and uncollected assignments, must be stored securely in an appropriate university-controlled location with access only by authorised staff.

  1. For hard copy records, this will be on UTS premises or other location as approved under the Records Management Policy.
  2. For digital records, this will be an approved university information system for the submission, management and storage of assessment records.

4.30 Students, staff and affiliates must report serious misuse of assessment records or other forms of serious wrongdoing in line with the Whistleblowing and Public Interest Disclosures Policy.

5. Roles and responsibilities

5.1 Policy owners: The Provost is responsible for enforcement and compliance of this policy, ensuring that its principles and statements are observed. The Provost is also responsible for approval of any associated university-level procedures.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) is responsible for the educational strategies that underpin this policy.

5.2 Policy contacts: The Director, Student Administration has central responsibility for the implementation of coursework assessments.

Responsible academic officers, subject coordinators and appointed assessors are responsible for the implementation of this policy in the faculties.

The Director, Teaching Learning and Curriculum is responsible for the implementation of UTS’s educational strategies that underpin this policy.

6. Definitions

The following definitions apply for this policy. These are in addition to the definitions outlined in Schedule 1, Student Rules. Definitions in the singular also include the plural meaning of the word.

Academic integrity is defined in the Academic Integrity Policy.

Assessment pattern means the assessment types and weightings in a subject and their relation to learning outcomes (at subject and course level). These are approved at faculty level (refer Subject Information Procedure).

Assessment requirement means the combination of assessment tasks, the timing of assessment tasks, the outputs to be submitted for assessment, and the conditions for assessment that must be undertaken to ensure that the learning objectives and requirements of a subject have been met.

Assessment task refers to the various types of assessment used to assess a subject (refer Subject assessment: Types of assessment). They include but are not limited to student presentations, literature reviews, laboratory reports, essays, creative works, group assessment, peer assessment, self-assessment, online assessment, vivas, oral examinations, class quizzes, reflections, experiential activities, simulations, clinical experiences, practical exercises, performances, folio presentations and class participation, examinations.

Authentic assessment focuses on students developing and applying knowledge and skills through meaningful, practice-oriented assessment tasks. Authentic assessment supports students to develop graduate attributes (in line with the graduate profile framework (available at Our graduate attributes)), apply theory to practice and engage with problems similar to those they will encounter in the workplace. Authenticity levels are judged on the extent to which the attributes students use, their activities and the context reflect work and/or life practices outside the course.

Closed-book examination means an exam where students are not permitted to bring any printed or electronic materials into the exam other than: 

  1. a calculator of a specific type permitted in the subject information and on the examination request and on the examination coversheet (or equivalents) 
  2. relevant common reference materials (such as formula sheets or case notes) as provided by the subject coordinator alongside the exam paper. 

Note on the use of calculators: Use of calculators may be restricted or permitted in open, closed or restricted open-book exams. This should be specified in the subject information and the exam coversheet.

Criterion-referenced assessment means assessment tasks where a student’s work is assessed against stated criteria, and marks or grades are awarded according to the level of achievement of these criteria. UTS only engages in criterion-referenced assessment.

Criterion-referenced assessment differs from norm-referenced assessment in which grades are determined in relation to other students’ performance and the grade distribution is managed in such a way that only a certain percentage of students are able to attain each grade. Assessment at UTS is never norm-referenced.

Feedback means information about aspects of a student’s learning used to guide or improve their understanding, performance or achievements. Feedback can be gained informally or formally, from formative activities as well as summative assessment tasks. It can be gained in multiple ways, including but not limited to group discussions in class or online, automated online responses, and self, peer or teacher reviews of work using rubrics, checklists or comments. It includes information from self, peers, teachers, other people, online and other sources.

Marking means the process of assigning an assessment score or grade to a piece of work produced, performed or submitted by a student as outlined in the subject information using academic judgement.

Open-book examination means an exam for which students are permitted to bring and use any printed materials (including notes and textbooks) and to annotate, tag or otherwise organise them for easy access. Electronic devices or online access are permitted only when specified in the subject information and on the examination request and on the examination coversheet (or equivalents). Library materials are only permitted where they can be made available to all students undertaking the examination, at the examination time. Note on the use of calculators: Use of calculators may be restricted or permitted in open, closed or restricted open-book exams. This should be specified in the subject information and the exam coversheet.

Restricted open-book examination means an exam in which students are permitted to bring with them a limited number of specified materials (printed or other, and specified calculators). Permitted materials must be specified in the subject information and on the examination request and on the examination coversheet (or equivalents). Materials must be clearly defined (for example, rather than saying ‘notes are permitted’, it must be specified the maximum number of pages, page size, whether the pages are double or single sided and whether the pages are permitted to be typed or must be handwritten). Clarifications may be requested by the Lifetime Learner Experience Unit and must be provided as part of the approval process. Note on the use of calculators: Use of calculators may be restricted or permitted in open, closed or restricted open-book exams. This should be specified in the subject information and the exam coversheet.

Viva means an oral or spoken examination.