With student assessments coming up, we wanted to share more details with you about online assessment, including adjustments to assessments and what support is available.
All students (apart from Medicine students) were sent an update on Tuesday (12.01.21) from your Faculty Blackboard Hubs including what you need to know about online assessments.
We will be in touch via email early next week with more details regarding the mitigation measures we have put in place for students this semester.
We’ve included the headlines below.
If your modules are assessed by coursework only, we’d like you to know that these will operate the same as usual.
However, some modules, which usually have exams, are being evaluated by timed assessments. The below information is aimed at students with timed assessments only.
What do I need to know about timed assessments?
- The Semester 1 Assessment period takes place for the majority of students between 18 and 29 January.
- The Assessment timetable is available via the usual Exam Timetable link on the SUSSED Homepage for all students, apart from Health Sciences.
- Each timed assessment is typically intended to take no more than a few hours, but is timetabled into a long slot (24 to 72 hours) to give you flexibility.
- You cannot be granted a deadline extension for a timed assessment running in the semester 1 assessment period, just as you cannot have an extension for an exam. Late penalties (as applied on coursework) will NOT be applied. Students who do not submit by the deadline will receive a mark of zero, just as you would if you failed to attend an exam.
- We do understand that situations outside your control can occur. If you experience difficulties participating in the assessment, and/or submitting on time, you should use the Special Considerations process, as you would with an exam.
- If you miss the submission deadline, please contact your Student Office for advice.
- Should you have technical or other difficulties on the day of the assessment, please contact your Student Office as soon as possible. Student Office opening hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00. For this reason, you should attempt your assessment as soon as you can; don’t leave it until the last minute.
For students with Additional Educational Requirements:
- We appreciate that the change from traditional exams to timed online assessment will mean that many of you are able to manage your own needs – such as working from a computer and organising a room alone. Also, due to the extended window for most assessments (i.e. 24 to 72 hours), extra time is already embedded into the schedule. If however you are undertaking a time assessment where the fixed time is less than 24 hours (i.e. a maximum of 2 to 3 hours), then you remain entitled to extra time.
What support is available for me?
The University has a wide range of support available for students to guide you through your studies. Here are just some of the resources that are currently available:
- Enabling Services have created some online resources designed to help you manage your own assessments. These provide some handy tips on what you can do before, during and after and assessment to make it as stress-free as possible.
- The Academic Skills Hub is a great online tool to help you study online and prepare for your assessments. They have virtual one to one appointments available for you to meet with an advisor and help you develop your academic and writing skills further.
- SUSU have a whole host of online support and events specifically designed to remind you that, You Are More Than Your Studies. Make sure that alongside studying and revision you take some time to relax, do something you enjoy and check-in on your mental health and wellbeing.
- Have a question? The Student Support Hub is here to answer your queries and provide you with the relevant help and support.
