Examinations Policy

Examinations Policy v1.0.docx

	Examinations Policy
Document Owner: Office of the Dean
Date of Creation: 1 March 2024 Date of Review: 1 May 2024	Members of the Review: John Clark Tom Mallinson Fenella CORRICK
Document Type: Internal Regulations	Contact/Creator: Fenella CORRICK

Scope

All college examinations are governed by this policy. Students are advised to read and understand this document.

General Regulations Governing Academic Conduct

A. Good Academic Practice
Please refer to the Good Academic Practice policy.

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

A. Candidates found to breach regulations of good academic practice may face disciplinary review by College Faculty.

B. Academic misconduct includes:

1. Presenting others’ work as their own, whether by copying or paraphrasing material (candidates should clearly attribute the origin of text or ideas).
2. Unauthorised acquisition or dissemination of examination material or questions intended to be confidential.
3. Failure to follow examination instructions in a way that may result in gaining academic advantage.

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4. Co-operating with other candidates where work is presented as an individual’s work.
5. Attemptedimpersonationofacandidate.

C. Self-plagiarism: Students must seek prior approval from examiners to reuse work previously submitted. Failure to do so will be treated as plagiarism.
D. Plagiarism or AI detection software may be used. Concerns about a candidate’s submission will be reviewed by Faculty.

Access to External Information/Resources

1. Where access to external information sources is not permitted (e.g., OSCE examinations), this will be clearly indicated in examination instructions.
2. Academic misconduct includes:
   1. Bringing or wearing communication devices during the examination (except a computing device used to access the examination itself).
   2. Taking unauthorised information into the examination, such as notes or unauthorised annotations on permitted texts.
   3. Unauthorised and unsupervised absence from the examination venue.

A. Students must maintain confidentiality regarding examination content.

General Examination Regulations

1. Time Limits: Examinations may be timed, and students must complete them within the allocated timeframe. Late submissions may not be accepted unless specified by the examiner/invigilator.
2. Submission Guidelines: Students must adhere to specified submission guidelines, including file formats, naming conventions, and submission deadlines. Non-compliance may result in penalties or disqualification.
3. Communication Restrictions: Students must refrain from communication with others during the examination unless explicitly permitted by the examiner.
4. Language: Candidates must provide answers in English unless the question specifies another language or special circumstances have been approved in advance.
5. Evaluation Criteria: Examinations will be evaluated according to predetermined criteria appropriate to the level of study.
6. Extensions: Extensions of up to three days may be requested for most coursework due to unexpected short-term circumstances. Requests must be made before submission deadlines.
7. Special Circumstance Accommodations: These may be available for unforeseen situations such as injury, illness, or mental health issues

Confidentiality

Examinations Policy V1.0 Created March 2024 v1 Page 2 and should be applied for as soon as possible within seven days of the relevant coursework/examination.

Special Examination Types

A. Additional Regulations for Online Examinations
1. Candidates are responsible for ensuring they have access to a reliable internet connection and compatible device required for the examination.
2. Candidates may only participate in online multiple-choice examinations if they are actively undertaking the module concerned.

2. Additional Regulations for Oral Examinations 1. Scheduling: Oral examinations will be scheduled at a mutually agreed-upon time between students and examiners, considering course requirements.
   2. – Presentation Format: Students may be required to present responses orally in person or through virtual platforms, following a specified format.
   3. – Etiquette: Students must respond to examiners’ questions respectfully and professionally.
   4. – Recordings: Examinations will usually be recorded and stored by the college for up to seven years for quality assurance purposes.
   5. – Examiners: Oral examinations will usually be graded by two internal examiners. External examiners may be included for quality assurance purposes.
3. Additional Regulations for Dissertations/Theses
   1. Submission Deadline: Dissertations/theses must be submitted by the specified deadline. Late submissions may incur penalties or may not be accepted.
   2. Formatting: Dissertations/theses must adhere to specific formatting guidelines, including margins, font size, citation style, and page numbering.
   3. Revisions: For doctoral theses, students will receive feedback from examiners and must address any suggested revisions in a timely manner.
   4. Defence: Students may be required to defend their dissertation orally in a viva voce presentation, discussing their research methods, findings, and conclusions.
4. Additional Regulations for Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Assessments
   1. OSCE examinations will consist of a series of standardised stations assessing specific skills, competencies, or learning outcomes.

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Appeals

2. Students will rotate through multiple stations with a predetermined amount of time to complete tasks and/or answer examiner questions.
3. Clear instructions will be provided for the station.
4. Examiners must assess students consistently and fairly according to established criteria.

Appeals Process

If a student is surprised by their exam/coursework result, they should first discuss this with the relevant course instructor. If they wish to take it further, they may request a review of their result.

The college will undertake the following actions if a student appeals their result:

1. Ask the relevant faculty to check their marks have been calculated accurately
2. Intheeventofanerror, immediately correct it.
3. Provide feedback to the student on the parts of the examination in which they under-performed.

If a student has reason to believe the assessment was not conducted correctly, they may formally appeal their result. Appeals must be submitted within ten working days of the communication of the decision that is being appealed.

In this case the college will:

1. Request an external examiner assess the examination script or recording (if relevant) to check if the marking was severe or did not adhere to the predetermined marking criteria.

2. If a student asserts that misconduct by faculty or examiners is at issue, two members of faculty outwith the relevant course faculty* will be nominated by the college dean as an Appeals Committee. The Appeals Committee will undertake a review wherein they will question the appellant student and any concerned faculty. The appellant student will be informed of a decision and the Committee’s reasoning no later than ten working days after the committee deliberation.

*Where a course awards a professional qualification as an outcome of the examination process, an Appeals Committee will need to comprise persons with relevant experience and professional background and may therefore introduce external examiners in the first instance.

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Possible Outcomes of Appeal

1. The Appeals Committee may recommend one of three options:

1. a)  Instruct the examiner/examining group to reconsider the result with specific requirements or conditions.
2. b)  Confirm the original decision of the examiner/examining group.
3. c)  Vary the decision of the examiner/examining group (not an option for courses awarding a professional qualification).

Completion of the Appeal Process

1. The Appeals Committee will record its reasoning and decision and report it to the Dean. The student will be informed of the decision and reasoning within ten working days of the process completion. There are no further appeal procedures beyond these stages. If unsatisfied with the outcome, the student may appeal to the accrediting body.

Policy Review

Review and update this policy every three years or as necessary to reflect changes in educational standards and program requirements.

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