Postgraduate Coursework. Special Consideration Policy

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1 Postgraduate Coursework Special Consideration Policy Guidelines on Application for Special consideration by Postgraduate Coursework Students in the Faculty of Veterinary Science Do you need more than 5 days extension on your work? If so, read on. If not, an extension of up to 5 calendar days duration for an assignment may be provided, for justified reason, without application for special consideration. Supporting documentation may be requested. Extensions of up to 5 days should be requested by to the facilitator and copied to the Learner Support Coordinator. The facilitator will assess each request in consultation with the Postgraduate Coursework Coordinator. The student will be notified by return of the outcome and any penalty marks that will be deducted. What situations are covered by special consideration? In case of serious illness or circumstance of misadventure requiring in excess of 5 days extension on an assignment, a student should submit a formal application for special consideration. (Note: These terms and the overall policy are evaluated in accordance with the Assessments Procedures which sets out the procedures relating to the University s policy on assessment and examination of coursework award courses and units of study) How is serious illness defined? A serious illness is one that has the potential to have a significant impact on academic performance. It is one that is likely to result in: absence from class of more than one week - based on documented professional advice, frequent absences of less than one week - based on documented professional advice It is recognised that serious illness may be identified on a retrospective basis. Therefore students are encouraged to obtain a medical certificate if a doctor advises one to five days of home rest. Such certificates should be retained by the student for later submission if illness becomes serious or prolonged. An application for special consideration may be based on a brief debilitating illness IF the illness is close to the assessment due date and rest has been advised by a professional. A less serious illness is not likely to be regarded as sufficient to explain poor academic performance. However, if you are unsure, check with program staff. How is misadventure defined? Misadventure may be defined as a circumstance beyond the reasonable control of the student. Only a circumstance that may have a serious impact on academic performance is a basis for an application for special consideration. While it is impossible to define all such instances, the following may be used as a guideline, particularly when the incident occurs in proximity to assessment. 1

2 the death, serious illness or injury of a partner or close relative a sudden or unexpected personal or family crisis involvement in a traumatic incident eg natural disaster, accident Students experiencing misadventure of a serious nature may obtain professional support from the University Counseling Service or the International Student Support Unit. Important note: The following may be included as misadventure in the under the following conditions: Computer failure will be accepted as reason for special consideration only when students are in remote regions with no possibility of gaining access to the internet by other means. Evidence of computer failure must be provided. Work is not usually a valid reason for special consideration. Exceptions to this may apply in exceptional cases eg. Emergency investigation of disease outbreak. A valid work emergency would be unforeseen and unavoidable. Evidence for a work emergency must be provided by the student s employer. What is NOT covered by special consideration? See Appendix 1 for situations that are not covered. How do I lodge an application? 1. Contact the program administrator as soon as possible as to any incident that may obstruct study- within days of the event usually and certainly before the deadline for an assignment. Advise the administrator and facilitator, and ensure that you receive acknowledgement of this from the program. 2. Make every effort to contact your group (where a group assignment is involved) as soon as possible. 3. Read through these guidelines to see if the situation would be covered by special consideration. If in doubt, ask! (the Program Administrator) 4. Begin the process of negotiating a new deadline with your facilitator, who will consult program staff if necessary. 5. Obtain a copy of the Application for Special Consideration form, and in the case of illness, the Professional Practitioner Certificate form. These are available from the Postgraduate Coursework Student Forum in the Sydney e-learning site and the Student Centre website. 6. Complete the form and attach all relevant supporting documentation. If there is insufficient space on the form to detail the circumstances, attach a letter. Document the details in a chronological sequence. Supporting documentation may include: a Professional Practitioner Certificate (copies available from the aforementioned sources), completed by the appropriate authority (eg registered medical practitioner, psychologist, counsellor). This person must not be a family member. The form requests an evaluation from the practitioner as to the severity, duration and effect on the student s ability to attend classes, learn or complete compulsory course requirements. a letter of support or official report concerning circumstances of misadventure. a letter from the Learner Support Coordinator or other Faculty member familiar with the circumstances. other relevant documentation supporting the student s account of events 7. Submit documentation to the Postgraduate Coursework office. Applications related to illness or misadventure during the semester should be submitted within 7 days of the 2

3 illness. However in the case where serious illness involves multiple short absences from class, the application should be submitted no later than 1 week prior to the last assignment due date in a unit of study. The application will be acknowledged by , a copy of which should be kept by the student until an academic judgment is received. How does the Postgraduate Coursework Office deal with my application? 1. Once the application is received, and if it has appropriate supporting documentation, the Postgraduate Coursework Office will consult with the relevant facilitator(s) and/or the Academic Supervisor and agree on a recommended academic judgment. 2. The student will be advised of this recommendation once the special consideration has been approved. 3. The Postgraduate Coursework Office will keep a copy on file. What length of extension will be granted? In general the following factors will be considered: severity and length of illness/misadventure length of time originally provided for assignment completion workload in other units of study where this workload coincided with illness/misadventure. What work does special consideration apply to? Special consideration will not be applied to more than two assessments for any one unit of study, except in exceptional circumstances. Participation in online classes Where special consideration for online participation has been approved, the student will be granted that portion of the grades for participation that refer to contribution only. The quality of online participation cannot be assessed under special consideration. Individual Assignments Where special consideration for an individual assignment has been approved, the student will be granted an extension on the assignment due date. Additional marks will not be allocated for assignments submitted under special consideration. Group Assignments Where special consideration for an individual within a group assignment is likely, the group will first be offered an extension, to be discussed by the group. Where special consideration for a group assignment has been approved, the student may be waived penalties for under-contribution or failure to contribute at the discretion of the facilitator in consultation with program staff in consideration of the circumstances. What if there will be ongoing effects from the incident? If a student, as a result of illness or misadventure, has concern about their ability to demonstrate academic knowledge under the standard assessment procedure employed within a unit of study, the student should seek an interview with a University Disability Officer. All documentation concerning the circumstances should be taken to this interview. Students who have registered with the unit may be eligible for Accessible Examination and Assessment Arrangements. Students seeking registration with the Disability Services Office must meet the definition of disability within the Disability Discrimination Act (1992). How will my privacy be respected? 3

4 It is recognised that applications for special consideration and attached documentation contain sensitive personal information. This material will be managed in accordance with the University s Privacy Management Plan. Access to the information is limited to those staff who require it in order to carry out their responsibilities and it is stored securely in a manner that prevents unauthorised access. The Postgraduate Coursework Office will retain these records until the student completes the current enrolled course or withdraws from the course, provided a period of 12 months has elapsed since initial submission of the application. Disposal of the records will be in accordance with the University policy in operation at that time. If the matter is confidential, documentation should be placed in an appropriately addressed envelope marked confidential and sealed. Submit the envelope to the Postgraduate Coursework Office, retaining a copy of the enclosed information. A date-stamped acknowledgement of receipt of a confidential envelope will be issued by the Postgraduate Coursework Office. The envelope will be delivered to the addressee who will then discuss with the student to whom the information may be released. How would I appeal a decision? If an application for Special Consideration is rejected, a student may appeal against the decision. Such application should follow the Appeal Against an Academic Decision procedure and must be lodged within 10 working days of receipt of advice of the rejection. The appeal should be addressed to the Associate Dean for Staff and Students and lodged with the Postgraduate Coursework Office. An acknowledgement will be ed to students and a copy lodged with the Faculty Office. A response to the Appeal application will be forwarded to the student, by , within 10 working days. CONTACT INFORMATION Postgraduate Coursework Office Phone: vetscience.pgcinfo@sydney.edu.au Veterinary Public Health Programs VPHMgt Learner Support Officer Emmeline Yeo Phone: emmeline.yeo@sydney.edu.au Animal Science, Veterinary Studies and Wildlife Programs: Kate Lowrie Phone: kate.lowrie@sydney.edu.au 4

5 Appendix 1: Instances ineligible for Special Consideration: illness and misadventure that have prevented or will prevent the student from acquiring a Pass grade level of knowledge. For example, absence from 50% or more of class or compulsory course related activities. Note: absence of less than 50% in relation to compulsory course-related activities (eg practical classes, clinical tutorials, clinical rotations) may render a student ineligible for special consideration. Attendance criteria for these activities are stated in Unit of Study Handbooks. (Students for whom a long absence is necessary must contact the Sub Dean for Postgraduate Coursework). brief or trivial illness necessitating absence from class when the absence occurred one week or more prior to the assessment inadequate documentation or supporting documentation post-dating the period for which special consideration is sought (in relation to illness/misadventure prior to assessment) application lodged after assessment for which special consideration is sought (in relation to illness/misadventure on day of assessment only) application lodged more than seven days after assessment for which special consideration is sought OR after receipt of assessment results, whichever is the earlier date. (In exceptional circumstances when an application cannot be lodged within seven days, the student or a delegated person must, within the period, inform the Postgraduate Coursework Office of an intention to do so and explain the delay). workload from other units of study. (Conflict between assessment in one unit and workload in other units will be assessed by the Academic Supervisor who should be advised as soon as the situation arises). an illness or circumstance of misadventure for which the Disability Unit have allocated assessment support, unless there is a sudden deterioration in the condition for which support was allocated misadventure related to computer hardware/software loss as students are expected to make back-up copies of all essential course-related material. (However, cases of calamity, with appropriate supporting documentation and in close proximity to assessment, will be considered. Calamity could be theft, fire, virus attack, hard disc collapse: supporting documentation could be police report, computer repair invoice, University IT virus confirmation, copies of prior backup files) employment or other planned commitments As noted above: The following may be included as misadventure in the Postgraduate Coursework Programs under the following conditions: Computer failure will be accepted as reason for special consideration only when students are in remote regions with no possibility of gaining access to the internet by other means. Evidence of computer failure must be provided. Work is not usually a valid reason for special consideration. Exceptions to this may apply in exceptional cases eg. Emergency investigation of disease outbreak. A valid work emergency would be unforeseen and unavoidable. Evidence for a work emergency must be provided by the student s employer. 5