Assessment Regulations for Undergraduate Bachelor of Engineering Degree With Honours [BEng (Hons)] Programmes

Transcription

1 1 Assessment Regulations for Undergraduate Bachelor of Engineering Degree With Honours [BEng (Hons)] Programmes Issued by the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee in the School of Engineering, CBU March 2014 Edition 2014

2 2 CONTENTS PREAMBLE: APPLICABILITY OF THE REGULATIONS 4 INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS, LECTURERS AND EXAMINERS 5 Glossary Terms 5 Additional Terms GENERAL INFORMATION IN THE ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS Duration of Study Attendance Requirements and Submission of Assessed Work Penalties for the Late Submission of Assessed Work Penalties for Exceeding Specified Word Limits in Written Assignments The Use of Unfair Means Course Assessment and its Contribution to Pathway and Programmes Credit, Learning Time, Assessment Norms and Pass Marks Course Load, Extra and Repeated Courses Pre-requisite Courses Designation of the Level of Courses Designation of the Type of Courses Elective Courses Admission to Courses Changing Course Withdraw from Courses GENERAL PRINCIPLES ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS FOR UNDERGRADUATE BENG (HONS) PROGRAMMES School-Level Assessment Boards for Undergraduate BEng (Hons) Awards Forms of Assessment Assessment Criteria and Marks ASSESSMENT, PROGRESSION AND AWARD Examiners Assessment of Taught BEng(Hons) Degree Programmes 21

3 3 3.3 Conduct of Assessment Other Forms of Examinations Determination of Results of Assessment Failure in Assessment PROGRESSION AND AWARD BENG (HONS) DEGREE Progression Appeals Award of Bachelor of Engineering Degree with Honours (BEng(Hons)) MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES 37

4 4 PREAMBLE: APPLICABILITY OF THE REGULATIONS (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) These Assessment Regulations, which conform to and are to be interpreted within the Copperbelt University and School of Engineering s Academic Regulations on the Assessment of Students, apply to all undergraduate BEng (Hons) programmes, including any constituent pathways and courses, which lead to a Copperbelt University award at Year 5 in the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ). The regulations encompass those eligible programmes of study which cross the boundaries of individual Schools, Research Centres and Central Services (hereafter referred to as Schools), or which are developed by individual students through regulations, as well as any elective courses from other programmes of study which are not themselves subject to these regulations but which are taken as part of a programme which is encompassed by them. All students entering the School of Engineering through the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences with required qualifications will register for BEng (Hons) Degree only through the Direct Route that takes Five years for Full-Time (FT) and Six years for Evening. Those who have acceptable credits from their prior learning (APL or APCL) will register for BEng (Hons) Degree through Diploma Graduate Route that takes Four years for Full-Time (FT) and Five years for Evening if a student meets the criteria to entre at Year 2. Any BEng (Hons) programme of study which wish to depart from these regulations in any way must apply to have their own specific variations from these regulations considered by the School of Engineering Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee through its normal procedures of validation preparation to be presented to the Academic Development Committee (ADC). Supplementary Assessment Regulations (conforming to the University s Academic Regulations on the Assessment of Students) will then define the variations from the Assessment Regulations given below. In considering such variations the Academic Development Committee or equivalent body, in accordance with the University Academic policy, will not accept any deviation from the structural requirements of the Assessment Regulations for Undergraduate BEng (Hons) Programmes (i.e. equivalencies to the standard numbers of courses and their credit ratings) and will wish to see all programmes of study operating regulations which facilitate student choice wherever possible, both within the area concerned and from the wider range of elective provision offered within the University s BEng (Hons) programmes. Further, it will wish to be convinced that the rationale for the variations sought is justifiable in the light of the Copperbelt University's stated goal of operating all cognate programmes within a common regulatory framework of undergraduate Honours Degrees. All BEng (Hons) programmes under these Assessment Regulations will be introduced to the Copperbelt University in a pilot mode within the School of Engineering for a number of academic years before rolling the Bachelor with Honours Degree Programmes to other Schools and Centres of the Copperbelt University.

5 5 INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS, LECTURERS AND EXAMINERS Glossary of Terms (i) APEL Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning. The process through which learning achieved outside Copperbelt University education or training systems is assessed and, as appropriate, recognised for academic purposes. (ii) APCL Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning. The process through which previously assessed and certificated learning is considered and, as appropriate, recognised for academic purposes. (iii) Assessment The process by which the University establishes whether or not students have achieved the learning outcomes required for the award of credit or of a Certificate, Diploma or Degree and determines the appropriate classification of such awards. (iv) Average Method One of the methods by which the classification of an award may be determined, based on the average mark obtained by the student over all courses comprising the programme of study or over all the courses taken in specified stages of the programme. (v) Aegrotat Pass The process by which credit may be awarded for failed courses where there is evidence that failure was due to illness or other mitigating circumstances and that programme learning outcomes have been achieved. (vi) Award A qualification given to a student following successful completion of a programme of study. (vii) Classification Signifies the level of achievement of a student who receives an award. This is classified as Honours degrees and may be awarded with Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude; while others who do not meet Honours classification can be awarded Degrees classified as Meritorious, Credit and Pass. (viii) Compensation or Compensatory Pass The process by which credit may be awarded for a narrowly failed course on the basis of good performance in other courses and achievement of programme learning outcomes. (ix) Credit A measure of volume of learning. The Copperbelt University defines one credit as corresponding to approximately Fourteen hours and twenty minutes (14h 20 min) of learning time i.e. including all taught or supervised classes and all private study and research. Each course corresponds to a specified number of credits.

6 6 (x) Credit Transfer The process by which students are exempted from part of a programme of study on the basis of previously acquired credit, either through undertaking formally assessed learning at the same or another institution or via accreditation of prior learning or accreditation of prior experiential learning. (xi) Deferral Permission to undertake assessment at a later date than is normal and as for the first time following absence or failure to submit or failure. Deferral can only be permitted where there is evidence of illness or other mitigating circumstances. (xii) Fail A student will be deemed to have failed a course if he/she does not provide evidence via assessment that he/she has achieved the learning outcomes specified for the course. A student will be deemed to have failed a programme of study, or a stage of a programme of study, if he/she does not obtain all the required credits for the programme or stage. (xiii) Fallback Award A qualification which may be awarded to a student who meets the requirements for this award but does not meet the requirements for the award for which he/she is registered. NOTE: The Honours Degree Programmes at the Copperbelt University have NO Fallback Awards. (xix) Honours The Degree classification system used by CBU School of Engineering for its undergraduate programmes. Honours Degrees are awarded with Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude according to the student s level of performance. (xx) Intermission Interruption of study for a prescribed period of time. Intermission must be formally applied for and permission granted. (xxi) Learning Outcomes Statements of what a student is expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate after successful completion of the learning process concerned. (xxii) Level An indicator of relative difficulty, complexity, depth of study and learner autonomy. Each course is at a specified level. (xxiii) Level Descriptor A statement which describes the characteristics of teaching and learning at that level. (xxiv) Course A self contained component of a programme or programmes of study with defined Learning Outcomes, Teaching and Learning Methods and Assessment requirements.

7 7 (xxv) Clear Pass A student will be deemed to have Clear Passed a course if he/she has demonstrated achievement of the Learning Outcomes of the course. A student will be deemed to have Clear Passed a programme of study, or a stage of a programme of study, if he/she has obtained all the required credits necessary for the programme or stage. (xxvi) Plagiarism Plagiarism is the act of reproducing in work submitted for assessment material derived from work authored by another person, or by the student themselves in other work, without clearly acknowledging the source. (xxvii) Preponderance Method One of the methods by which the classification of an award may be determined based on the average mark obtained and the number of credits for which the marks obtained are in a particular classification. (xxviii) Programme of Study A schedule of courses and a set of Learning Outcomes approved as leading to the award of the Degree with Honours. (xxix) Programme Specification A detailed description of a programme of study prepared in accordance with an agreed template and providing information about the programme of study to students, lecturers and other interested parties. (xxx) Proceed Permission to continue under the same programme (Full time/evening) despite not having clear pass. (xxxi) Proceed and Repeat Permission to continue under the same programme despite not having clear pass. This is on condition that the student repeats the failed course in the next academic year. (xxxii) Proceed and Carry Permission to continue under the same programme despite not having clear pass. This is on condition that the student does not register for courses for which pre-requites have not been cleared. (xxxiii) Progression Permission to proceed from one stage of a programme of study to the next stage. (xxxiv) Part-Time Permission by the Board of Examiners to allow a student who has failed three courses to continue on this mode of study called Part-Time. (xxxv) Referral and Deferral

8 Referral is the opportunity to undertake further assessment following failure of a course or courses. Deferral is the opportunity to undertake missed assessment following illness or other reasonable causes. (xxxvi) Re-Admit Permission to allow a student who has been away on study leave for whatever reason to re-register. (xxxvii) Not Registered Recorded when a student does not enroll at the beginning of the academic year. (xxxviii) Repeat Course The opportunity to take for a second time a course or courses which have been failed. (xxxix) Repeat Year The opportunity given by the Examboard to allow a student to repeat a year of study. (xxxx) Re-Sitting Only The opportunity given by Examboard to allow a student to re-sit examination only without pursuing studies under any programme. (xxxxi) Stage Programmes of study are divided into a number of stages and students must achieve specified requirements in each stage except the final stage before being permitted to progress to the next stage. (xxxxii) Suspension A student is temporarily not permitted to pursue the programme of study for disciplinary reasons. (xxxxiii) Validation The process by which the University permits the Academic Development Committee devise and deliver programmes of study leading to awards of the University. The University retains responsibility for approval and quality assurance of such programmes except in the case of accredited institutions to the University. (xxxxiv) Viva Voce Examination An interview of a student by examiner or examiners intended to assist examiners in determining the outcome of assessment. (xxxxv) Withdraw with Permission Permission given to student by the examboard or university authority to take a study leave for a specified period. (xxxxv) Withdraw without Permission This is where a student has gone on study leave or absconded for a specified period of time without permission. 8

9 9 Additional Terms (i) Change of School Permission is given to the student by the Senate to change an academic faculty. (ii) Continuous Assessment (CA) Rule This is a mode of appraisal that requires submission of student work on continuous basis prior to examination. Students are not allow to sit for Sessional Examination if they have not cleared the CA. (iii) Deceased This is recorded when a student has passed away during a specific academic year. (iv) Expelled This is recorded when a student has been permanently excluded from the university by the Senate for various disciplinary reasons. (iv) Exclude School This is recorded when a student has been excluded from the school by the examboard for not attaining the requirements laid down by the school. This can happen for instance when a student has failed four or more courses in an academic year. (v) Exclude University This is recorded when a student has been permanently excluded from further study at the University by the Senate. (vi) Graduate This is recorded when a student has undergone the entire programme and achieved the necessary number of credits (360 credits) that make him/her becomes eligible to be awarded Honours with Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude degree. If he/she has not met the Honours grading classification the student is awarded Degrees classified as Meritorious, Credit and Pass according to his/her level of performance. (vii) Incomplete This is recorded when a student has not completed a course or part of the programme in a specific academic year. (viii) Maximum Duration of Study This is the maximum period allocated to a programme of study in which a student is allowed to complete. It is calculated by adding two years to the duration of formal learning. (ix) No Examination Taken This is recorded when a student did not sit for final examination only. (x) To Full Time

10 10 This is recorded when a student is returning to full-time. (v) Assessment regulations The rules governing assessment of a programme of study including marking scheme, pass mark, requirements for progression to subsequent levels or stages of a programme and award and classification requirements (for instance in terms of credits to be achieved and specific marks to be attained). (vi) Credit value The number of credits, at a particular level assigned to a body of learning. The number of credits is based on the estimated notional learning hours (where one credit represents 14 notional hours and 20 minutes of learning). (vii) Credit accumulation A process of achieving credits over time in relation to a planned programme of study.

11 GENERAL INFORMATION IN THE ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS 1.1 Duration of Study (expressed in academic years) The normal planned weighted duration of the CBU Degree with Honours is 5 years of full-time study (or its Evening equivalent) through Direct Route or 4 years through Diploma Graduate Route to Year The maximum period of registration is normally approximately 5 years of the normal planned duration plus 2 years. Board of Examiners may, having regard for the standard of the award and the programme objectives and regulations, use discretion to allow a student to be assessed beyond the maximum period of registration. The maximum period of registration will normally include any sabbatical periods taken out by a student. 1.2 Attendance Requirements and Submission of Assessed Work In order to progress and achieve the award for which they are registered, students must attend the classes for each individual course regularly and in accordance with any compulsory attendance requirements defined for such courses. Assessment Boards will respect any such compulsory attendance requirements for individual courses in making decisions on student progression and will also have regard to the general attendance requirements of the University. The general attendance requirements of the University are specified in the University s Attendance Policy QA(TA) 15. Failure to abide by this requirement may result in failure in individual courses and/or failure of a stage of the programme for which they are registered It is a requirement for all students to submit and/or attend for the assessment of each component of course assessment at the dates and times prescribed. Failure to submit and/or attend without good reason, supported by written evidence, will result in the student being deemed unsatisfactory in the particular component of assessment and a mark of zero will be recorded. It is a student s responsibility to provide written evidence according to the University s procedures for the submission of Mitigating Circumstances Attendance should be recorded for all elements of a programme. Students who have attendance problems should be reported to the appropriate lecturer as defined in the programme handbook for appropriate follow-up action. Students should be warned verbally at first and then if they still persist with low attendance they should be informed in writing and any sponsoring body informed. Students who do not respond to the written warning may be recommended for expulsion from their programme by a Board of Examiner on academic grounds Students who fail to give formal notice in writing by the specified date of their intention to withdraw from their programme or its elements and who do not complete assessments will normally be deemed to have failed the programme or its specific elements Students must formally request permission from their Section Head if they wish temporarily to suspend their studies If students (by reason of absence, non-submission of work, or poor performance) do not satisfy Departmental/School Board of Examiners in the assessment for any courses and it is established to the satisfaction of the Board that this was due to proven illness or other circumstances found valid on production of evidence, then the Board shall use its discretion to ensure that the students are not disadvantaged or advantaged as a result In the case of coursework assessments, Section Heads have, in cases of proven illness or other mitigating circumstances found valid on production of evidence by the student, discretion to allow the assessments to be submitted late and for them to be marked as if submitted on time. The cases shall then be submitted to the Lecturer responsible for Quality in the School of Engineering or any other School/Centre who shall monitor and regulate the circumstances in which short term extensions are

12 granted. The maximum extension to be granted under these circumstances are five (5) working days. Any request for an extension to a submission deadline must normally be made by the student, and decided upon by the Section Head, before the original submission date Requests for extensions for periods longer than 5 days must be made using the Mitigating Circumstances procedures Should a student submit coursework beyond 5 days after the original submission date then in order to be accepted it will need to be accompanied by an application for mitigating circumstances. In cases where the application is successful, the normal outcome will be a defer decision In exercising its discretion a Departmental/School Board of Examiners may decide to allow students to be assessed as for the first time and to vary the form of assessment to be used. A Board may also, provided that there is sufficient evidence to support its judgment, deem students to have passed and, at the award level, ascribe a mark or grade to the course(s) Students, by reason of special educational need proven by acceptable evidence, may be assessed by methods other than those approved for the programme, subject to the operation of the University s published arrangements for such circumstances. 1.3 Penalties for the Late Submission of Assessed Work Students who fail to submit assessments by the prescribed date without an extension being granted or without accepted Mitigating Circumstances, shall be subject to the following penalties. Students who have had a request for an extension granted by the appropriate authority who fail to submit assessments by the negotiated date shall also be subject to the following penalties. Notification of these penalties should be included in the programme handbook for the courses which the students are studying. Departmental/School Board of Examiners will accept assessment marks which have had approved penalties applied to them. 12 Up to 5 calendar days late Up to 10 calendar days late More than 10 calendar days late = 10 marks subtracted but if the assignment would normally gain a pass mark, then the final mark to be no lower than the pass mark for the assignment. = 20 marks subtracted but if the assignment would normally gain a pass mark, then the final mark to be no lower than the pass mark for the assignment. = 0 marks awarded All assessed work should be submitted as defined in the programme handbook. Extensions may be granted by Section Heads but only in exceptional circumstances and in accordance with above. Coursework not submitted will be recorded as failed, except under the circumstances noted in and Cases of persistent late submission should be brought to the attention of the Departmental/School Board of Examiners which shall exercise its discretion to determine the student's final results Where assessments are graded Pass/Fail only they will not be accepted beyond the deadline date for submission and will be recorded as a Fail. Students may request an extension to the original published deadline date as described in above.

13 Penalties for Exceeding Specified Word Limits in Written Assignments Course Lecturers may choose to specify a maximum word limit for a written assignment (a penalty applies for exceeding this, see below), OR to specify an indicative word length for a written assignment (a penalty applies for exceeding this, see below), OR to specify a guide to the word length of a written assignment (no penalty applies for exceeding this), OR not to provide any guidance on the number of words in a written assignment Where a maximum word limit or an indicative word length is specified for a written assignment, students shall be informed in the assignment brief of the requirement and of the penalty system to be applied if they exceed the specified number of words in the written assignment Where a maximum word limit or an indicative word length is specified for a written assignment, students shall include the number of words at the end of the assignment Any specified maximum word limit or indicative word length of a written assignment shall not include references cited in the text, rubric associated with tables, figures, diagrams etc, appendices and reference lists at the end of the assignment but will include any direct quotations Students who exceed a specified maximum word limit for a written assignment shall be subject to the following penalty system. A line will be drawn across the assignment at the point of the maximum word limit and the assignment will be marked only up to that line Students who exceed a specified indicative word length for a written assignment shall be subject to the following penalty system. Up to 10% over the specified indicative word length = no penalty 10% 20% over the specified indicative word length = 5 marks subtracted but if the assignment would normally gain a pass mark, then the final mark to be no lower than the pass mark for the assignment. More than 20% over the indicative word length =10 marks subtracted but if the assignment would normally gain a pass mark, then the final mark to be the pass mark for the assignment.

14 The Use of Unfair Means Cases of suspected use of unfair means (for example, cheating or plagiarism) shall be investigated according to University regulations. Where the case is proven, a School Board of Examiner (where necessary acting upon the advice of an appropriate Course Results Board), shall exercise its discretion in relation to the seriousness of the academic misdemeanour and in accordance with University Regulations on the use of Unfair Means in Assessment. PENALTIES FOR USE OF UNFAIR MEANS OFFENCE ACTION PENALTY (a) Where there is evidence of an attempt of cheating in an examination by a candidate (b) Continuing to write an answer after the Chief Invigilator has announced the expiry of time. (c) Tearing off any part of the answer book or attempts to remove from the examination room a written answer book, blank answer book or any part thereof. (d) If he/she aids or attempts to aid another candidate or obtains or attempts to obtain aid from another candidate or communicate with another candidate. (e) Bringing into examination hall any written printed or other unauthorized materials. Chief Invigilator in consultation with other Invigilators should confiscate the unwanted materials from the candidate. Transmit candidates scripts for marking but record on script that student continued writing after expiry of time. Immediate expulsion of the candidate(s) from the examination hall. Immediate expulsion of the candidate(s) from the examination hall and recommends to the Registrar for disqualification in course or other written/unwritten courses. Immediate expulsion of the candidate(s) from the examination hall and recommends to the Registrar for disqualification in course or other written/unwritten courses. Sternly warn the candidate(s) of their conduct and send them out of examination hall. REPORT ON FORM QA(TA)29 Reduction of grace to the next lower grade. REPORT ON FORM QA(TA)29 Reduction of grace to the next lower grade. REPORT ON FORM QA(TA)29 Suspension of the candidate for specific period of time. REPORT ON FORM QA(TA)29 Dismissal or expulsion of the candidate from the examination hall. REPORT ON FORM QA(TA)29 (f) Bringing into examination hall pre-written answers for the course(s) being examined. Immediate expulsion of the examination hall candidate(s) from the Expulsion from the University. REPORT ON FORM QA(TA)29 (g) Disorderly conduct likely to disturb other candidates. (h) Discovery of alleged plagiarisms (e.g.) Thesis project reports etc collusion i.e. the representation of another s work or ideas as one s own without appropriate acknowledgement of referencing, where the owner of the work knows of the situation and both work towards the deceit of a third party (while in plagiarism the owner of the work does not knowingly allow the use of his or her work. (i) Obtaining Examination Papers ahead of its authorized released. (j) The use of unauthorized books notes, electronic aids, pre-written material or other materials in an examination. Immediate expulsion of the candidate(s) from the examination hall. Refer to the Dean of School for consideration and recommendation to the Registrar to write for disqualification in the course Immediate suspension and barring from writing any examinations in that Term/Sessional exam. Immediate expulsion of the candidate(s) from the Examination Hall. Nullification of the candidate s result in the course being examined at the material time and suspension from subsequent exams in a particular year. Expulsion from the University. REPORT ON FORM QA(TA)29 Expulsion from the University. REPORT ON FORM QA(TA)29 Expulsion from the University. REPORT ON FORM QA(TA)29

15 The University has a responsibility to ensure that the standards of its awards are maintained and that its qualifications are not achieved through the use of unfair means. The regulations on the Use of Unfair Means in Assessment cover not only students who deliberately set out to cheat, e.g. by taking unauthorised material into exams, but also those who do not follow normal academic rules, e.g. by not acknowledging the ideas of others through proper referencing. Unfair means includes plagiarism (giving the impression that you have written or thought something when you have borrowed it from someone else), collusion (working collaboratively with another student and then submitting the work as all your own work), and cheating in examinations. Students should familiarise themselves at the earliest opportunity with the University s Unfair Means Regulations which are available from the Registrar s Office. If a student needs to complete Repeat/Defer work he/she needs to consult with the Section Head. Alternatively, where the repeat/deferral is an exam there will be a standard file attached, advising which exam session the repeat/deferral exam will take place and a reminder that he/she should consult the exam timetable. The Awards Ceremonies usually take place at a specified period in the Academic Calendar Year. Invitations to the ceremonies will be sent to finalists beginning a month prior to the occasion Course Assessment and its Contribution to Pathways and Programmes Credit, Learning Time, Assessment Norms and Pass Marks (i) Throughout all undergraduate BEng (Hons) programmes: One credit is associated with 14 hours 20 minutes of notional learning time. The distribution of the total notional learning time for a course is part of the course specification and it is equivalent to 200 hours. The distribution of the total notional learning time for a programme is part of the programme handbook and it is equivalent to 1720 hours, e.g. as shown below Scheduled learning and teaching activities Programme Year 1 (Y1) 2 (Y2 ) 3 (Y 3) (34%) (30%) 4 (Y 4) 492 (29%) 5 (Y 5) 522 (30%) Guided independent study (66%) 1198 (70%) 1228 (71%) 1198 (70%) - - Placement/study abroad TOTAL HOURS/YEAR (ii) The assessment norms for courses carrying equal credit should be comparable within and across courses and should take into account the total learning time associated with the credit value of the course. The precise requirements for individual courses will be defined in the programme handbook and will take into account the particular conventions of individual courses.

16 16 (iii) (iv) (v) Assessment and progression will be based upon the marks achieved in an array of courses studied by the student including, for an Honours Degree, a dissertation, project or other course requiring a student to engage in independent inquiry under supervision. Each course may be assessed by a defined combination of examination and coursework assessment, examination only, or coursework assessment only which will be approved by the Academic Development Committee (ADC). All courses are either Core or Elective and have either 24 credit value for Standard Course (Full) or 12 credit value for Non-Standard Course (Half). The programme has one double full course, the Individual Final Year Project that has 48 credit values and is required for the assimilation and integration of all learned topics and materials. BEng Honours Degree cannot be awarded without passing the Individual Final Year Project. The overall Pass Mark for all courses is Fifty percent (50%). The mark awarded will be made up, where specified, of the weighted average of the examination and coursework assessment marks. (vi) Normally, students will be expected to have achieved an overall course mark of 50 percent, with no item defined in the assessment pattern for the course having a mark below 50 percent, in order to be awarded the credit for a course. (vii) Exceptions to the regulations on pass marks must be expressly applied for and approved as part of the variations contained within any Supplementary Assessment Regulations proposed at the time of validation of a course, although Boards of Examiners may in any case use their discretion to exceptionally allow compensation between course assessments in individual cases Course Load, Extra and Repeated Courses (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Students may be allowed to take courses over and above the number prescribed for their award. These courses will be known as extra courses. Students may be allowed worth up to 72 credits (24 credits at each of Years 3, 4 and 5). However, normally, full-time students will not be allowed to take courses worth more than 72 credits per year and parttime students no more than 100 credits per year, distributed no more unevenly across years. These total limitations shall apply to students whether they are taking extra courses, as defined, and/or repeating courses. Where students do take extra courses and complete the assessments, the marks for any core courses must be included in the calculation of the award. Otherwise the courses in which the student has received the highest marks will count towards any degree classification, provided that any specific requirements of the programme are met in terms of successful completion of core courses, prerequisites and other mandatory elements. All courses which a student wishes to take as extra courses will NOT count towards the Degree classification. All courses that are repeated by the student will be awarded the appropriate absolute marks then capped at 50%.

17 Pre-requisite courses Where a course is defined as a pre-requisite course, students must normally pass such a course before being allowed to proceed to take any linked further course(s). Exceptions may be allowed at the discretion of a Departmental/School Board of Examiners, on the advice of the Lecturer(s) for the linked further course(s). This is known as Proceed and Carry Designation of the Level of Courses Courses may be designated as Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5, as per the integrated credit framework being developed at CBU and that meets the world standard such as the Higher Education levels correspond to Levels for instance in the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ - UK) published by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA - UK). Please note that this is in the absence of the Zambia Higher Education Authority that has yet to be created Designation of the Type of Courses Courses may be designated as Core (compulsory) or Elective within a specific programme Elective Courses (i) (ii) (iii) Students may take an agreed number of electives as part of their programme of study but shall be subject to any specific requirements and mandatory curricula for their awards which are laid down in the regulations for their programme. Students whose programme of study includes a course taken as an Elective from another programme of study will have such a course assessed by the appropriate course Lecturer concerned and this assessment will be verified by the subject external examiner. The results of an elective course will be transmitted from the host course Results Board to the Departmental/School Board of Examiners ultimately responsible for the student's overall programme of study and be subject to that Board's assessment regulations on progression and reassessment Admission to Courses Admission to individual courses will be at the discretion of the relevant programme authorities based upon academic grounds, and upon the minimum and maximum permissible student numbers allowable, as determined from year to year by the School concerned Changing Courses A student may only change courses with the agreement of the Section Head and Course Lecturers. Any such changes after a course commences may only take place in exceptional circumstances and normally within the first two weeks of the course commencing, failing which the change will not be permitted and the original course will remain on the student's record Withdrawal from Courses A student may normally only withdraw from a course within the first two weeks of the course commencing and with the approval of the Course Lecturer and Section Head. Withdrawal without permission and/or beyond this point without good reason will be recorded as a failure in the Course (including any project or dissertation course).

18 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS FOR UNDERGRADUATE BENG (HONS) PROGRAMMES 2.1 School-level Assessment Boards for Undergraduate BEng (Hons) Awards The School Board of Examiners is the final board for the determination of awards and progression respectively for those programmes which fall within their jurisdiction. It constitutes the final tier for receiving results from the Departmental Board of Examiners which contribute to those programmes of study falling within their jurisdiction. The School Board of Examiners will receive the grades and marks and make decisions on progression, failure, referral (including repeat), deferral, exclusion or awards as appropriate. In making their judgments they will consider the decisions of The Departmental Board of Examiners concerning the academic standards attained by students on their specific programmes and the courses of which they are made up. 2.2 Forms of Assessment The School Board of Examiners will accept the forms of assessment which are approved for individual courses and which are specified in the relevant programme and/or course specifications as approved by the Academic Development Committee (ADC) or equivalent body through validation. 2.3 Assessment Criteria and Marks The generic assessment criteria used by all Board of Examiners will be those which are defined in the University s Academic Regulations on the Assessment of Students and which will be adopted at School level. Where non-percentage forms of grading are in use, for example letter grades or points, they should be converted to percentages for presentation to the Departmental/School Board of Examiners. All recommendations coming to all Board of Examiners should be formulated in accordance with these criteria and expressed in the form of a numerical mark as follows:

19 19 BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING DEGREE WITH HONOURS GRADE RANGE CBU GRADE POINT CBU HONOURS DEGREE UK USA EQUIVALENT CLASSIFICATION** GRADE EQUIVALENT EQUIVALENT FULL COURSE HALF COURSE POINT CLASSIFICATION DEGREE CLASSIFICATION DEFINITION DEGREE CLASSIFICATION GRADE POINT AVERAGE A + 86% SUMMA CUM LAUDE Exceptional Quality First Class A 76% - 85% MAGNA CUM LAUDE Exceptional Quality First Class B + 68% - 75% CUM LAUDE Very Good Quality Second Class Upper Division B 62% - 67% MERITORIOUS Good Quality Second Class Lower Division C + 56% - 61% CREDIT Satisfactory Quality Third Class C 50% - 55% PASS Ordinary Pass Pass D + 40% - 49% BARE FAIL Bare Fail Bare Fail 0 D 39% DEFINITE FAIL Definite Fail Definite Fail 0 ** (i) To be eligible for the CBU Honours Degree Classification, a student has to accumulate a total of 360 credits at YEAR 3 (120 Credits), YEAR 4 (120 Credits), YEAR 5 ( 120 Credits) (ii) Then the Point Classification is calculated and Degree Classification awarded by applying the CBU Grade Point Equivalent For Fifteen (15) courses at YEAR 3 (5 FULL COURSES), YEAR 4 (5 FULL COURSES) AND YEAR 5 (5 FULL COURSES).

20 The Simplified definitions of the criteria are: Grade A/A + Work of Exceptional Quality Virtually all of the relevant information/skills accurately deployed. Excellent and exceptional grasp of theoretical, conceptual, analytical and practical elements. Very effective integration of theory, practice and information, in relation to the objectives of the assessment. Substantial evidence of originality and creativity as appropriate to the subject. Grade B + Work of Very Good Quality Most of the relevant information/skills accurately deployed. Very good grasp of theoretical, conceptual, analytical, practical elements. Effective integration of theory, practice and information, in relation to the objectives of the assessment. Significant evidence of originality and creativity as appropriate to a subject. Grade B Work of Good Quality Some of the relevant information/skills accurately deployed. Reasonable to good grasp of theoretical, conceptual, analytical and practical elements. Fair integration of theory, practice and information, in relation to the objectives of the assessment. Some evidence of originality and creativity as appropriate to the subject. Grade C + Work of Satisfactory Quality Some omissions in the deployment of information/skills. Adequate grasp of theoretical, conceptual, analytical and practical elements. Limited integration of theory, practice and information, in relation to the objectives of the assessment. Limited evidence of originality and creativity as appropriate to the subject. Grade D + Bare Fail Deficiencies or omissions in information, skills, theoretical, conceptual, practical elements. Limited integration of these in relation to the assessed work s objectives. Some relevant content and marginal evidence of skills, knowledge or creativity, which could, in the light of overall performance, constitute the basis for a pass Class in the examiners judgement. Grade D Definite Fail Little evidence of the information, skills, theoretical, conceptual, analytical, creative or practical elements relevant to the assessment. Mainly irrelevant and/or incorrect information provided. Scant evidence of understanding of the requirements of the assessment.

21 ASSESSMENT, PROGRESSION AND AWARD 3.1 Examiners General Registered Students shall be examined by external and internal examiners Internal Examiners (a) Heads of Principal Academic Units (Head of Departments) or their nominees shall be responsible for the appointment of internal examiners. (b) For taught programmes the procedures for the appointment, including eligibility criteria, and role of internal examiners shall be as specified in the Assessment Protocols approved by Senate or under delegated authority from time to time. (c) (d) Where there are taught elements of research degree programmes the Assessment Protocols shall apply to such elements with respect to internal examiners. For research degree programmes the procedures for the appointment, including eligibility criteria, and role of internal examiners shall be as specified in Code of Practice for Assessment of Research Degree Theses External Examiners (a) The Senate shall have responsibility for and oversight of the appointment of External Examiners. (b) No University award with taught elements shall be awarded without the participation in the examining process of at least one examiner external to this University acting as a full member of the relevant Board of Examiners. Exceptions to this requirement shall be granted by the Senate. (c) For taught programmes of study the procedures for the appointment, including eligibility criteria, and role of External Examiners shall be as specified in Code of Practice on External Examining (Taught Provision). (d) For research degree programmes the procedures for the appointment, including eligibility criteria, and role of External Examiners shall be as specified in the Code of Practice for Assessment of Research Degree Theses. 3.2 Assessment of Taught BEng (Hons) Degree Programmes General (a) All courses must be assessed. The purpose of assessment is to measure the achievement of the intended learning outcomes. The form(s) of assessment for any course shall be appropriate for this purpose. (b) Assessment of courses shall be consistent with the principles specified in the Code of Practice on the Assessment of Taught Programmes and courses. (c) Assessment should not be excessive. In the case of Undergraduate programmes, in normal circumstances there should be no more than six formal written examinations of three hours duration or equivalent for each 120 credits of the programme.

22 (d) Linked courses may be assessed by means of combined assessment, e.g. a single examination paper, essay or project. (e) The timing of assessment shall be as follows: (i) In the case of undergraduate programmes, courses must normally be assessed within the University Session in which they are taken and may be assessed within the term in which they are taken. (ii) In the case of research degree programmes with taught elements, courses must normally be assessed within 12 months of being commenced, unless otherwise specified in the appropriate course description and approved by the Senate or a delegated authority. (f) The assessment of each course shall generate a single mark between 0 and 100 except in cases specified by the Senate or a delegated authority where the mark shall be pass or fail. Linked courses shall produce a single mark. (g) A Registered Student who does not attempt a required element of a course s assessment by failing to attend a required examination without adequate cause or failing to complete other assessed work shall be awarded a mark of 0 for that element (or fail where appropriate). Note also the requirements in respect of Academic duty in relation to assessment and Reasonable diligence below. (h) A course shall be passed if the Registered Student has demonstrated the achievement of the course s specified learning outcomes. (i) The pass mark for Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 courses is 50%. There may be exceptions to this where it is required by external bodies. Such exceptions shall be agreed by the Senate or a delegated authority. (j) Marks awarded for each course will be provisional until confirmed by the relevant Board of Examiners. Subject to this provision, Registered Students shall be given informal guidance with regard to their academic performance in accordance with relevant University Codes of Practice. (k) In order to obtain credit in a course a Registered Student must have gained at least the specified pass mark for the course and completed any other requirements to the satisfaction of the Board of Examiners. (l) Credit may be awarded only for successful completion of the stated learning outcomes of the course. On undergraduate programmes only, where the positive aspects of the overall performance within the course outweigh the area of failure, compensation of a weak achievement by a strong performance elsewhere should be allowed only in relation to assessments within a single course, or between assessments across linked courses which share an integrated assessment, which leads to a single mark. (m) Course marks will be expressed on a Registered Student s official transcript both as a numerical value between 0 and 100 where such marks are generated and letter Grading. Otherwise marks shall be expressed as pass or fail. (n) Credit weighted mean mark (hereafter referred to as the weighted mean mark) of a set of courses means the sum of the products of the marks attained in each course and the credit values of the course, divided by the sum total of the credit values of the courses required. 22

23 Conduct of Assessment Other Forms of Examinations The Senate or a delegated authority shall have responsibility for ensuring the conduct of all other forms of examination other than written examinations (e.g. oral and practical examinations; examination by dissertation, project work and continuous assessment) is fair and is consistent with the requirements of the Assessment Protocols. Such conduct shall be approved in consultation with External Examiners. 3.4 Determination of Results of Assessment (a) The results of courses shall be determined by Boards of Examiners appointed for the purpose. Boards of Examiners shall comprise internal and external duly appointed. (b) Boards of Examiners shall use the results of courses to make decisions or recommendations on final Awards and progression. (c) The Senate or a delegated authority shall have responsibility for establishing codes of practice for the composition and conduct of Boards of Examiners meetings. The codes of practice shall be as specified in the Assessment Protocols. (d) There shall be provision for Boards of Examiners to take account of the effect of any illness or other serious adverse circumstances, i.e. mitigating circumstances, on Registered Students academic performance via the mechanism of mitigating circumstances panels as defined in the Assessment Protocols. Such circumstances shall include where Registered Students are prevented by illness or other sufficient cause from attending examinations or completing assessments. (e) It is the responsibility of the individual Registered Student to bring to the attention of the relevant Boards of Examiners, via the mitigating circumstances procedures, any such circumstances he or she wishes to have taken into account before the meeting of the relevant Board of Examiners takes place. (f) Procedures adopted by Boards of Examiners to consider mitigating circumstances and make consequent decisions shall be fair, equitable and transparent and shall be subject to the scrutiny of the Senate or a delegated authority. (g) Where a Board of Examiners accepts that mitigating circumstances have affected academic performance, the board shall normally award a classification or recommend a progress decision consistent with the performance which, on the evidence available to it, the Board reasonably judges the Registered Student would have achieved if performance had not been affected by extenuating circumstances. (h) In exceptional circumstances, where a Board of Examiners considers that a Registered Student is unable to complete the requirements of his or her programme due to serious illness, death or other significant cause, the Board may recommend the award of an aegrotat degree. This recommendation replaces any decision to award a lower alternative qualification for which the Registered Student may have obtained sufficient credit. Such recommendations must be made in accordance with the Code of Practice on the Assessment of Taught courses and shall be subject to the approval of the Departmental/School Boards of Examiners. An aegrotat degree should be a Pass. Degrees which are subject to fitness to practice requirements shall not be awarded as aegrotat degrees. (i) In exceptional circumstances, where a Registered Student has died having fully completed the requirements of their programme of study but has not graduated or been formally awarded the qualification, Boards of Examiners may recommend the posthumous award of the qualification, subject to the approval of the Departmental/School Boards of Examiners.

24 (j) Marks shall not normally be adjusted in the light of mitigating circumstances and the mark(s) determined by the Board of Examiners will therefore reflect precisely the Registered Student's actual performance irrespective of those circumstances. (k) A confidential written record shall be kept of any decisions or recommendations made in the light of mitigating circumstances and of cases where the mark achieved has been affected by such factors. Such information shall be made available to the Board of Examiners in subsequent years where this is relevant to the determination of the degree classification or other decisions to be taken by the board in relation to the Registered Student concerned. (l) Boards of Examiners shall have delegated authority from Senate, to make final Award and progress decisions within Regulations. (m) Boards of Examiners shall have delegated authority from Senate, to make final Award and progress decisions notwithstanding Regulations where such decisions have been made on the basis of mitigating circumstances. (n) Where mitigating circumstances are not involved, notwithstanding Regulations on final award and progress, the Departmental/School Boards of Examiners may pass recommendations and decisions to the Departmental/School Boards of Examiners which shall have delegated authority to make the Final decision. (o) Where a programme is under the authority of more than one Board of Examiners, the Senate shall, where necessary, make final decisions on individual cases. (p) Decisions made in accordance with this Regulation shall be final, unless a subsequent error in the record or incorrect application of regulations is identified. In such circumstances, the Chair of the Board of Examiners concerned shall have delegated authority, after consulting with External Examiners (or one of their number appointed for the purpose by the Board), to make a revised determination of the result, final Award and/or progress decision in question. (q) Chairs of Boards of Examiners shall be responsible for ensuring that suitably certified and formatted lists of course marks, progress and final Award decisions are available for entry onto the University s central record by any deadlines set by the Senate Failure in Assessment (a) Subject to sub-clause (c) below, all Registered Students who fail a course shall have one opportunity to retrieve the failure, either by re-assessment. Such opportunity shall be normally provided and taken within one year of the initial failure except when, for reasons of frequency of course delivery, the Senate or a delegated authority has agreed otherwise. (b) Where a student fails a course due to the failure of an internal hurdle, the mark shall be capped at 1 mark below the pass mark for that course. If the student passes the course at re-assessment stage, the mark will be capped at the pass mark, as per (j). (c) Boards of Examiners shall determine whether a Registered Student shall be reassessed in or repeat a failed course. In normal circumstances Boards of Examiners will require reassessment unless repetition of the course is specifically justified (due to the nature of the course or the Registered Student s academic circumstances). (d) The following applies where Registered Students are to be re-assessed in a course: (i) The Registered Student is required to complete such further assessment as specified by the Board of Examiners so as to demonstrate achievement of the stated learning outcomes. (ii) The further assessment shall be taken at the next available opportunity.

25 25 (iii) Re-assessment of a course as defined within these regulations does not carry additional tuition fee liability. (iv) Unjustified absence from the deferred examination or failure to submit required coursework will be counted as failure in the assessment/ re-assessment and a mark of 0 shall be awarded. (v) The Registered Student may be designated as a Part-Time Student in which case he or she shall, subject to (i) (iv) above, remain subject to University Legislation. (vi) The Registered Student is required to attend all teaching sessions and to complete all the assessment requirements associated with the course in order to achieve the stated learning outcomes. (vii) The course should normally be repeated within one year of the initial failure. (viii) Repeating a course as defined within these Regulations renders a Registered Student liable to an additional tuition fee liability. This is a proportion of the standard tuition fee, depending on the number of credits to be repeated and whether the Registered Student is classified as Home or International. (f) The nature of some courses (e.g. laboratory-based courses) means that retrieval of failure can only be by means of repetition. Such courses should be designated repeat only in course descriptions. (g) Undergraduate Registered Students shall normally be required to take the opportunities permitted to them to retrieve failure in all failed courses, irrespective of whether successful completion of the course or courses is defined as a requirement for progression or for the award of the qualification. (h) With the agreement of the relevant Head of Principal Academic Unit (HOD) or nominee a Registered Student required to be reassessed in or repeat a course may be allowed to choose a substitute course subject to programme requirements and availability. In such cases, the Registered Student shall be required to attend the course in full and complete all the assessments. In such cases there will be an additional tuition fee liability. The Registered Student shall be permitted one attempt at the substituted course. (i) Registered Students may not normally be reassessed in or repeat any course for which they have obtained credit. If they do the Marks will be capped at 50%. (j) Following an attempt to retrieve failure (via reassessment) the mark used for calculating a Registered Student s weighted mean mark and progress or final degree classification shall be: (i) The pass mark for that course if the Registered Student passes the course. (ii) The higher of the two fail marks if the Registered Student fails the course. (j) Notwithstanding this clause the mark achieved following an attempt to retrieve failure of a course will be recorded on a Registered Student s transcript. (k) Where a Board of Examiners accepts that a Registered Student s failure in a course is as a result of mitigating circumstances (as set out in Determination of the results of assessment, above) then an additional attempt to retrieve the failure may be granted. The additional attempt shall be normally of the same status as the attempt affected by the mitigating circumstances, that is either first or reassessment attempt (i.e. sit or repeat). An additional attempt at a first sitting may therefore be followed by a further reassessment attempt.

26 PROGRESSION AND AWARD OF BEng (HONS) DEGREE 4.1 Progression Registered students are required to pass 132 Credits or equivalent at Year 1; 132 Credits at Year 2; 120 Credits at Year 3; 120 Credits at Year 4 and 120 Credits at Year 5. To progress the student must Clear Pass a given stage or Year of the programme to subsequent stage Progression Rules Progression (a) To proceed to the next year of study, a candidate must pass ALL the courses taken during the academic year of study. (b) The Board of Examiners may permit a candidate who has failed in no more than one course to proceed and repeat the failed in course along with the full load for the subsequent year; except where the failed course is a pre-requisite to a higher course in which case the candidate shall not be allowed to take a higher course for which a failed course is a prerequisite. (c) To complete a programme of study a candidate shall: (i) Attend at least 80% of such classes, tutorials, seminars, practical exercises or field practicals as may be prescribed by the Board of Studies in consultation with the Lecturer(s)concerned; (ii) Perform to the satisfaction of the Board of Studies such prescribed practical, written and other course work as shall be required; (iii) Obtain an overall pass grade in all the courses Continuous Assessment (CA) A student who fails to satisfy the requirements for continuous assessment shall not be allowed to sit for the sessional examinations. The percentages for CA to the full course marks for all programmes are 40% and examination 60% weighting Mitigating Circumstances (Regulations & FORM QA(TA) 17) A candidate may submit FORM QA(TA) 17.1 within 7 days either way of the affected component of assessment if there have been unforeseen personal difficulties which cause exceptional interference with academic performance and which are over and above the difficulties experienced in life. The Mitigating Circumstances Committee will assess the candidate s submission and make a recommendation to the appropriate examboard to be considered in the final results Compensatory Pass (a) A student who fails in a course with D + shall be granted a pass grade, P, in the failed course, subject to the following conditions; (b) A candidate should not have failed in more than two (2) courses in an academic year.

27 (c) A candidate should not have failed in more than one (1) course in an academic year of three courses. 27 (d) A candidate should be doing more than two (2) courses in an academic year. (e) A candidate should have passed in the continuous Assessment component of the course being considered for compensatory pass. (f) If on full time study, the candidate must have obtained an average grade of C + in (X-2) number of courses passed, where X stand for the full load of courses in that particular year. (g) If on part time study, the candidate must have obtained an average grade of C + in the courses passed. (h) Up to a maximum of two compensatory passes may be given to a candidate in any particular year Part-Time The Board of Examiners shall refer a student to Part-Time studies in the following cases: (a) Any student who has failed three courses. (b) A full time student who fails (a) repeat course(s) shall go on Part-Time studies for the failed course(s) only. (c) A final year student who fails a repeat course(s) shall be allowed to repeat the course(s) in the following year together with any final courses failed if he/she is within the maximum period of study Deferred Examinations (a) A candidate, who through illness or other reasonable cause is unable to present himself/herself for an examination sessional or otherwise, may submit a Mitigating Circumstances FORM QA(TA) 17.1 (See (3)). Such application shall be forwarded to the Dean of School 7 days either way from the date of the Sessional examinations. (b) The Mitigating Circumstances Committee through the Chair after consideration of any application may permit the applicant to present himself/herself at a deferred examination if the outcome is positive and acceptable. The results of deferred examination shall be treated in a similar manner as those obtained at scheduled Sessional examinations. (c) Candidates may consult the Mitigating Circumstances Regulations FORM QA(TA) 17 Regulations to see what is acceptable. It should be noted that misreading the examination time-table and pressure of work shall not be considered reasonable cause for a deferred examination. The said unwritten examination shall be written at the next set of Sessional examinations.

28 Repeat Course (a) Subject to regulations governing progression and Mitigating Circumstances Regulations FORM QA(TA) 17, all courses failed with D + and D must be repeated. (b) A student who has failed a repeat course shall go on Part-time study to repeat the failed course. In such cases the awarded marks will be capped at 50%. A student who fails course(s) at Part-time shall be excluded. (c) A final year student who fails a repeat course shall be allowed to proceed on Part-time and complete the said course, subject to the rule requiring a student to complete his/her programme of study within the maximum duration of study Exclusion (a) A student who has failed in four or more courses in one academic year shall be excluded from the School. This will mean that all Mitigating Circumstances Considerations have been exhausted. (b) A student who has failed a repeat course(s) while on Part-time shall be excluded from the school.. (c) A student who without permission of the Board of Studies fails to sit for examinations in any academic year and without submitting Mitigating Circumstances FORM QA(TA) 17.1 shall be excluded from School Re-admission Of Excluded Students (a) Re-admission shall be restricted to higher levels of study i.e. third and Fourth year of study for degree programmes of four years, fourth and filth years of study for degree programmes of five year. (b) Re-admission shall not be automatic but shall be on recommendation by the School after taking into consideration the applicant s previous academic performance. (c) Such an excluded student shall be required to stay away for one academic year before next re-admission. (d) Applicants who had been away from School for more than two consecutive years may not qualify for re-admission. (e) A student excluded while on Part-time when re-admitted shall register for all previous year s courses. (f) Students excluded from the School in lower levels of study shall not be considered for readmission to the same school. However, such students may be considered for admission to the other schools within the University Maximum Duration of Study For a four (4) year Degree Programme with Diploma Graduate Route - six (6) years is the maximum duration of study. For a five (5) year Degree programme with Direct Route - seven (7) years is the maximum duration of study. For the purpose of computing the maximum period for a course of study, the years in which a candidate withdrew from studies with permission shall not be counted.

29 Aegrotat Pass A candidate who has been prevented by illness or injury from presenting himself/herself at any examination in any paper, course or subject or who considers that his/her performance in any examination in any paper, course or subject has been seriously impaired by illness or injury may on application be granted by the Senate an aegrotat pass in such paper, course or subject provided that: (a) The illness or injury was reported in writing to the Registrar within one week of the last day of the examination concerned. (b) As soon as practicable after the illness is reported, the candidate furnishes the Registrar with certificate from a registered medical practitioner stating that he/she examined the candidate medically on a certain date and that in his/her opinion the candidate was unable to present himself/herself for the examination or that in his/her opinion the candidate s performance in the examination was affected by the illness or injury. (c) The nature of the illness or injury shall be sated in sufficient detail to make it clear that the candidate was not responsible for his/her disability. (d) The candidate s responsible lecturers in the paper, course or subject of the examination in question provided evidence that his work during the year was well above minimum pass standard and that in their opinion the candidate was clearly worthy of a pass in that paper, course or subject; or alternatively that the Senate is satisfied considering the quality of the candidate s work during the course of instruction and of the work completed in the current examination that the candidate is clearly worthy of a pass in the paper, course or subject in question Comment Codes (e) Clear Pass Recorded when a student has passed all the courses for which he/she is registered in any year. The student may continue under the same study programme (i.e Full time/evening). The comment is specific to the year and made irrespective or pre-requisites or performance in previous years. (f) Repeat Year Recorded when a student is required to repeat that year of study as specified by the school concerned. Awarded Marks to be capped at 50%. (g) Proceed Recorded when a student has not passed all the courses for which they have registered, but are allowed to continue under the same study programme (Full-Time/Evening). (h) Proceed and Repeat Recorded when a student has not passed all the courses for which they have registered, but are allowed to continue under the same study programme on condition that they repeat the course they have failed in the next academic year. Awarded Marks to be capped at 50%. (i) Proceed and Carry Recorded when a student may proceed to the next level of study but may not register for courses for which pre-requisites have not been cleared. No Capping.

30 30 (j) Part-Time Recorded when students have to continue on Part-Time. Such a student must contact the Academic office within two weeks of publication of results to indicate whether or not they intend to register on part-time. Awarded Marks to be capped at 50%. (k) Graduate Graduate with Bachelor of Engineering Degree with Honours (360 Credits) - Summa Cum Laude - Magna Cum Laude - Cum Laude - Meritorious - Credit - Pass (l) Deferred Examination Recorded when a student has been granted deferred examinations. After the candidate s Mitigating Circumstances submission have been accepted. No Capping (m) Incomplete Recorded when a student has not completed a course or part of the programme for the specific year. (n) To Full-Time Recorded when students are still to return to full-time (applicable to previous re-directed students who have passed two standard courses with C + or above). (o) Exclude School Recorded by the Board of Examiners when a student has failed to complete the School s requirements as laid down by the Senate and therefore cannot complete his/her studies in the present School. (p) Exclude University Recorded when a student is excluded permanently from further study at the University. (q) Withdrawal without Permission Recorded when a student has left the University without permission. (r) Withdrawal with Permission Recorded when a student has been granted leave of absence from the University for one academic year or part of an Academic year after successful Mitigating Circumstances Submission. The student is eligible to re-enter the University in a subsequent year, provided they fulfil the conditions stipulated when leave was granted, without applying for readmission. A student must inform the Academic Office two months before the opening of the University in the year in which they intend to register. (s) Suspended Recorded when a student has been suspended for disciplinary reasons..

31 31 (t) Expelled Recorded when a student has been permanently expelled from the University for disciplinary reasons. (u) No Examination Taken Recorded when a student did not sit for final examination in that particular course and in that particular year. (v) Deceased Recorded when a student has passed away during the Academic year. (w) Re-Sitting Only Recorded when a student is allowed to re-sit the examination only and not studying under any study programme. (x) Not Registered Recorded when a student does not register at the beginning of the Academic year. (This comment will result in the current Academic year. being entered on the record as the year of leaving). (y) Change School Permission is given to the student by the Senate to change an academic faculty. (z) Re-admit Recorded when a student has been allowed to register after being away from School. 4.2 Appeals The University s regulations set out a number of grounds on which you can ask for a review of an assessment decision. These include: illness or some other factor which affected your performance but which you were unwilling or unable to divulge before the Board of Examiners made its decision; a material administrative error, the assessments were not conducted in accordance with the University s regulations, or some other irregularity; the decision of the Board of Examiners about the use of unfair means or the consequent academic action is unreasonably severe. The grounds do not include questioning the academic judgment of the Board of Examiners. You can request a review of the Board of Examiners decision by writing to the Secretary to the Senate or the Registrar, giving reasons and including supporting evidence within 14 days of publication of the Board of Examiners decision. If you would like advice on the Appeals procedure you may wish to contact your Student Liaison Officer or the Students Union. The Students Union is situated in the Mingling Centre.

32 Award of Bachelor of Engineering Degree with Honours (BEng(Hons)) To be eligible for the award of a Bachelor of Engineering Degree with Honours (BEng(Hons)) a student must accumulate the required number of credits within the specified maximum period of learning, i.e. the normal planned duration plus 2 years. Note that credits and course marks from Year 1 and Year 2 courses shall not contribute to the Award or Classification of this Honours Degree Direct programme Route Figure 1 shows the progression route for students who qualify to enter the School of Engineering. The entry qualification for Engineering is stipulated in the University Policy document as accumulative points. The students will register through the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences where they will be required to clear pass Year 1 before entering Year 2 in the School of Engineering. The normal duration for studies under this programme route is 5 years for Full-Time and 6 years for Evening. MEng (240 Credits) DIRECT ENTRY ROUTE BEng (Hons) (360 Credits) YEAR Credits YEAR Credits YEAR Credits YEAR Credits YEAR Credits DIPLOMA GRADUATE ENTRY ROUTE Figure 1. Bachelor Degree with Honours progression structure to Masters

33 Diploma Graduate programme Route Figure 1 also shows the progression route for students who have Diplomas and want to upgrade their qualifications to Honours Degree. Such prospective students will enter the Honours degree progression route at Year 2. This is normally a 4 year Full Time and 5 year Evening route that requires students who are Diploma Graduates (DG) to join the Direct Route Students at Year 2 (Y2) to BEng (Hons) Degree in Engineering. The overall outcomes will be similar to those in Honours Classification The class of Honours degree shall be decided in accordance with Rule ACM20 given in the summary as follows: (i) HONOURS DEGREE UNDER RULE ACM20 comprises of 360 credits at the end of Year 5; including 120 credits at Year 3, 120 credits at Year 4 and 120 credits at Year 5. After collecting 360 credits, the student becomes eligible For Honours Degree classification that is calculated as given below: BEng (Hons) Degree classification is calculated by taking five (5) full courses at each Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 to make a total of 15 courses. Each Course has point Grading of A + = 5, A = 4, B + = 3, B = 2, C + = 1 and C = 0. The year average point grading is calculated and then multiplied by 3 years to get the Point Classification given in bands as follows: GRADE RANGE CBU GRADE POINT CBU HONOURS DEGREE EQUIVALENT CLASSIFICATION** GRADE FULL COURSE HALF COURSE POINT CLASSIFICATION DEGREE CLASSIFICATION DEFINITION A + 86% SUMMA CUM LAUDE Exceptional Quality A 76% - 85% MAGNA CUM LAUDE Exceptional Quality B + 68% - 75% CUM LAUDE Very Good Quality B 62% - 67% MERITORIOUS Good Quality C + 56% - 61% CREDIT Satisfactory Quality C 50% - 55% PASS Ordinary Pass D + 40% - 49% BARE FAIL Bare Fail D 39% DEFINITE FAIL Definite Fail Then the CBU Honours Degree Classification is awarded according to the accumulated Point Classification. In addition, where a student has achieved an average that falls unequivocally into one of the following bands of Point Classification: , , ; ; ; and a student has achieved marks clearly in an Honours classification category higher than their average for courses worth at least 120 credits, then a student shall be awarded an Honours degree in the classification category one higher than that indicated by their average.

34 FIGURE 2. GUIDANCE ON STUDENT STATUS, PROGRESSION DECISIONS AND AWARD 34

35 Re-assessment Conditions Preamble The School Board of Examiners will make recommendations on the re-assessment and progression of students and on eligibility for interim and final awards. In making recommendations and decisions about re-assessment the following regulations will apply. The various forms of re-assessment and the conditions under which they are normally applied are outlined below : Final Awards: Degree with Honours (i) (ii) (iii) Students who do not satisfy the School Board of Examiners that they have passed the required courses to be eligible for the award of Honours Degree, may at the Board s discretion, be reassessed in course(s) at Year 5 in which unsatisfactory performance has been recorded. The re-assessment of any course(s) (or its specific assessment components) must take place within two years of the original assessment. A maximum of 50% marks will be awarded to any re-assessed component of assessment within a course. Normally, following an initial unsatisfactory performance in a course, a Board of Examiners may decide that a student be referred in that course, to be reassessed in the specific assessment(s) in which unsatisfactory performance has been recorded. Alternatively, where a student's unsatisfactory performance is deemed to warrant it an Assessment Board may decide on one or more of the following courses of action: that the student must re-sit Only all of the assessment(s) for any or all of the assessed courses at Year 5 which contribute to the final award within a specified period and with the limitation of obtaining the maximum of Meritorious Degree Classification where applicable; that the student must repeat any or all of the courses up to a maximum of 48 credits at Year 5 and their assessments within a specified period, with attendance, and with the limitation of obtaining the maximum of Meritorious Degree Classification where applicable; that the student must be deferred in any or all the courses at Year 5 upon the acceptance of mitigating circumstance submission. The assessment must be completed within a specified period and with no capping in the final classification. (iv) (v) Where a student has not satisfied a Board of Examiners in their initial re-assessment for any deferred, re-sit only or repeated course(s), a Board at its discretion may decide to permit a final reassessment opportunity within the following limits: deferred courses may be subject to a final refer or repeat decision; re-sit only and repeated courses may be subject to a final refer decision. The class of Honours which may be obtained will be limited to a maximum of Merit, where applicable. Where an Honours Degree student has not satisfied the School Board of Examiners in his/her final re-assessment opportunity, the examboard may decide that the student must fail the course(s) and move to Part-Time. Where substitution of the failed course(s) to aegrotat is not possible, the student must fail and be excluded from school. (vi) Where an Honours Degree student has not accumulated 360 credits according to and is subject to a finish decision, The School Board of Examiners may decide to recommend that the student be assessed under (v).

36 Viva Voce Assessment External examiners have the right to examine any candidate by viva voce in addition to the assessments specified in the programme regulations. The viva voce may be used: (i) (ii) to determine difficult or borderline cases, such additional assessment being used only to raise and not to lower a candidate's marks; as an alternative or additional assessment where valid reasons for poor performance have been established.

37 MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES (Detailed guidance and procedures are published separately) 5.1 Mitigating circumstances will consist of those personal difficulties which cause exceptional interference with academic performance and which are over and above the normal difficulties experienced in life. They will be submitted by a student, supported by acceptable documentary evidence, and may be taken into account by Assessment Boards in determining the progression of students, the recommending of awards and the classification of qualifications. 5.2 No student shall be put in a position of unfair advantage over other students; the aim is to enable all students to be assessed on equal terms All work submitted by students for assessment shall be marked and graded on its merits without consideration of any mitigating circumstances known to the marker. 5.4 Mitigating circumstances will not be used by the Departmental/School Board of Examiners to alter students marks and/or grades. 5.5 Students must submit mitigating circumstances according to the separate written procedures and by the deadlines given therein. 5.6 Mitigating circumstances judged to be acceptable by Mitigating Circumstances Panels will be considered by Board of Examiners under the following circumstances and according to University and programme regulations: In determining whether a student may progress to the next stage of their programme In determining whether a student may be offered an award, whether aegrotat or otherwise In determining the classification of a student s award where the student is borderline and/or there are conflicting classifications in the profile of the students maths and grades In determining whether a student s assessment should be deferred to a subsequent occasion as if for the first time and without penalty. 5.7 Normally, mitigating circumstances will not be taken into account where the circumstances have already been allowed for (for example by virtue of special assessment arrangements). Special assessment arrangements should be pre-arranged in cases of known disability and in all cases should be agreed before any examination period begins. 5.8 Mitigating circumstances submitted beyond the specified deadline should normally only be considered if the student was unable, or for valid reasons unwilling, to submit them prior to the deadline. 5.9 Mitigating circumstances will be scrutinized by the Mitigating Circumstances Panel, noting the documentary evidence submitted, and a summary of accepted cases made available to the School Board of Examiners. Access to the original evidence is restricted to the Chair, Secretary and External Examiners unless the student declares otherwise Only mitigating circumstances submitted directly by the student according to the procedures will be recorded and considered by the Mitigating Circumstances Panel and, if accepted, passed to the Board Examiners. Lecturers and other staff should advise students accordingly.

38 The School Board of Examiners will consider a student s full profile of mitigating circumstances as relevant to the stage in question and which have not previously been taken into consideration. Original evidence should be available for inspection by the Chair and External Examiners if they so desire A note should be made in the minutes of the School Board of Examiners and a record included for entry onto the student record system of the Board s consideration of mitigating circumstances and of the outcome of that consideration The key factors to be taken into account by the School Board of Examiners will be: Whether acceptable documentary evidence has been submitted Whether the student has performed unexpectedly poorly in a given course(s) Whether there is a significant difference between the student s performance in the period in question and their previous or later performance Whether poor performance correlates with the evidence provided Possible outcomes of the School Board of Examiners consideration include: Whether, where it is not possible because of the severity of the mitigating circumstances for the student to undertake further assessment, an aegrotat award may be offered under the regulations in appropriate course Whether the School Board of Examiners has sufficient evidence of a student s performance to be able to permit their progression to the next stage of a programme or to make an award (classified as appropriate), as permitted under the regulations Whether a student may be deferred in the assessments found to be affected by mitigating circumstances and assessed on a subsequent occasion as if for the first time and without penalty Whether, from the evidence available and on the balance of probabilities, there has in the School Board of Examiners judgment been no material adverse impact on a student s performance, in which case the original mark(s) and/or grade(s) should be confirmed and a progression or award decision made accordingly.