1. PURPOSE
1.1 The policy outlines the principles that underpin School of Theology (SOT)’s approach to assessment, as well as the processes involved.
2. SCOPE
2.1 This policy applies to all students enrolled in, and all staff involved in the delivery of SOT coursework modules.
3. DEFINITIONS
Lecturer Faculty member primarily responsible for the delivery and / or grading
4. POLICY
4.1 Principles of Assessment
4.1.1 SOT’s approach to assessment is based on the following principles:
(1) Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning. This is achieved when:
a) There is alignment between the stated course learning outcomes and assessment;
b) Meaningful and timely feedback is given;
c) Marks for all pieces of assessment and the overall grade for a course are decided by standards linked to the specified course learning outcomes; and
d) Marks reflect the actual achievement of the student.
(2) Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance. This is achieved when:
a) The range of assessment types is sufficiently extensive and varied to permit valid and reliable judgement of student performance.
b) Assessment practices are to be conducted and undertaken ethically and with honesty and integrity by staff and students.
c) Staff should not be responsible for the assessment of student(s) with whom they have, or have had, a family, personal or other significant relationship.
(3) Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned. This is achieved when:
a) Students are given timely information about assessment.
b) Students are given timely opportunities to discuss concerns about assessment outcomes with academic staff.
c) Wherever possible, the grading of an assignment for each course module is done by a single lecturer or a single SOT staff. Where this is not feasible, each assessor is given the marking rubic to ensure that the marking allocation is done fairly for all students.
4.2 Submission of Assignments
4.2.1 Students are to use the Student Portal to submit all assignments. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they submit assignments correctly, and on time, according to instructions.
4.2.2 Students are expected to submit their assignments by the due date. Late submission of assignments may be subject to a deduction of marks. This is communicated to students, usually via the course module outline.
4.2.3 SOT takes a strict view over plagiarism. Students found to have plagiarized or inappropriately collaborated with other students on assignments will face disciplinary actions.
4.2.4 SOT believes that the academic journey for each student is important, and each assignment is set with the intention to ensure that students are able to demonstrate a good grasp of both the knowledge and the application know-how of each module, as well as their attitude towards learning. Hence, it is important for students to submit all assignments. Non-submission of any assignment will result in a failure to graduate from the course with full credits. Students with valid reasons for non-submission may appeal to the school for the exemption of this requirement, and it will be reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Principal.
4.2.5 Students may be asked to resubmit assignments which fail to meet the minimum standards by a certain due date, failing which they will get a ‘0’ (zero) for that assignment.
4.3 Examination Guidelines
4.3.1 SOT will determine the date, time and place of all examinations.
4.3.2 For non open-book examinations, students are not allowed to bring any notes or bibles to the examination hall, or to have them during the online examination.
4.3.3 Students who are absent on any given examination day without a valid reason may not be allowed an alternative date for examination. Such students will not attain any marks for that portion of the course or the entire course itself. This will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Dean of Students or Student Administration Manager.
4.3.4 Students who are absent due to medical reason have to produce a Medical Certificate to be given an alternative date for examination.
4.3.5 A re-examination will be conducted for students who fail. However, the highest attainable grade in any re-examination is the passing mark.
5. INVIGILATION OF EXAMINATION
5.1 Where students need to complete an examination remotely (that is, not within the SOT campus), SOT will determine a date and time for the online examination to be invigilated over Zoom. All guidelines stated in Para 4.3 will also apply for online examinations.
6. PROCEDURES
6.1 Online Examinations:
6.1.1 Students will be put into breakout rooms, with an invigilator assigned to each room.
6.1.2 Students are required to turn on their cameras at all times during the online examination, with their virtual backgrounds switched off.
6.1.3 Students are to wait for the invigilator’s instructions before starting on the examination.
6.1.4 Students should be alone while taking the examination, avoid talking during the examination, or turning their heads to look around.
6.1.5 If disconnected, students are to log back to the Zoom immediately. Upon completing the examination, students should inform the invigilator via the chat function before exiting the Zoom.
7. RESPONSIBILITIES
7.1 The Dean of Students is responsible for implementing this policy.
8. FORMS & RECORDS
8.1 All forms and records should be retained for archival purposes, or for a minimum of five years, whichever is longer. This is consistent with CHC’s document retention policy.