Intent

This Procedure supports the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Policy (LTA Policy) and provides guidance and direction to staff relating to the conditions and processes for the conduct of examinations.

Scope

This Procedure applies to all staff involved in the delivery of Undergraduate and Postgraduate coursework assessment by examination at James Cook University (JCU; the University), including Brisbane and Singapore campuses.

This Procedure applies to the following examination options:

• Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examinations, generally held during published Examination Periods
• On-Course Examinations - held outside published Examination Periods
• Supplementary Examinations
• Deferred Examinations
• Special Examinations

This Procedure does not apply to:

• Assessment in English Language courses and short courses; or
• Assessment undertaken by JCU students in courses or units at other education institutions (e.g. cross-institutional study, outbound mobility study arrangements).

Definitions

Except where otherwise indicated in this procedure, the definitions used in this procedure are found in the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Policy or the Policy Glossary.

Deferred Examination – is a delay (postponement) to the start date of an examination, awarded in accordance with the Special Consideration Procedure.  These examinations are timetabled during the Supplementary/Deferred Examination Period. These dates are designated on the Academic Calendar as Supplementary/Deferred Examination Periods.

Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examination – an examination (also known as a formal examination) for a study period that is timetabled within the Examination Period or, by exception where it does not fit within the Examination Period, during teaching weeks as agreed between the Academic Unit and the Examination Office.

Examiner – Academic staff member or affiliate responsible for setting and/or marking the examination.

Examination Period – the span of days designated on the Academic Calendar when the Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examinations may be scheduled.

Examination Supervisor – a person approved by the University who is assigned to oversee and invigilate the conduct of examinations.

Examination Office – a centralised unit that undertakes the administration and timetabling of Centrally Administered End of Study Period, Deferred and Supplementary examinations. This is the:

• Examinations and Graduation Unit for JCU Australia campuses (excluding Brisbane)
• Brisbane Examinations for the Brisbane campus; and
• Singapore Examinations for the Singapore campus.

On-Course Examination – an examination held outside the Examination Period for a study period and managed by an Academic Unit and advised to the student in the Subject Outline. These examinations may also be referred to in the Subject Outline as “examination - on-course College administered”.

Permitted Materials – are materials made available/allowed during an examination.

Special Examination – an examination approved by a College Dean where a formal Supplementary or Deferred Examination cannot be attended due to Special Circumstances. Managed by the Academic Unit.

Supplementary Examination – an additional examination to determine whether a student has achieved the subject learning outcomes and/or requirements to pass the subject. These examinations are timetabled during the Supplementary/Deferred Examination Period.

Procedures

1. Examination Responsibilities

1.1 The following areas are responsible for the preparation and publication of student Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examination timetables and the Supplementary/Deferred Examination timetables:

a. The Examinations and Graduations Office for JCU Australia campuses excluding Brisbane.

b. The Singapore Examinations Office for students studying at the Singapore campus.

c. The Brisbane Examinations Office for students studying at the Brisbane campus.

1.2 The Academic Unit is responsible for the preparation and notification to students of any On Course Examinations and Special Examinations.

1.3 The requirements for timetable development are outlined in Clause 6 of the Examinations Procedure for Students.

1.4 Once the examination timetable has been published to students, timetable changes must be authorised by the Academic Head, and will occur only in exceptional circumstances. Approved changes will be emailed by the relevant Examinations Office to all affected students via their JCU student email address.

1.5 Special Examinations will be timetabled by the relevant Academic Unit to occur as soon as practicable once awarded so as not to disadvantage the student.  They should occur before the next Examination Period or Supplementary/Deferred Examination Period.

1.6 Examination instructions will be advised to the student by the Academic Unit.

2. Examination Preparation Deadlines for Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examinations, Supplementary Examinations and Deferred Examination

The examination preparation deadlines are as follows:

2.1 Any Hard Copy Examination papers not received by the specified deadline may result in the Examination type being changed to an online examination.

2.2 The relevant Examination Office may amend the above timeframes in consultation with relevant Academic Units and in consideration of any impacts on staff and students.

3. Examination Request Requirements for Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examinations, Supplementary Examinations and Deferred Examinations

3.1 Academic staff must submit their examination requests as per the deadlines specified in clause 2.

3.2 The content of the examination request is used to publish the timetable for students and must reflect the same detail as stated in the Subject Outline.

3.3 Examination requests must adhere to the requirements in Appendix 1 Examination Type Rules.

3.4 Examination papers must be the same for all availabilities of the subject within the same Study Period, or across Study Periods where the Examination is scheduled to occur at the same time.

3.5 Practical and Oral Examination requests are required for the purpose of timetabling and to request examination supervisors, which is arranged by the Examination Office. All other arrangements are made by the Academic Unit.

3.6 Hard copy examination requests must include the examination coversheet with the examination paper, and must reflect the relevant examination period and may not be changed or altered in any way as this information appears on the student timetable.

4. Draft Timetable Review for Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examinations

A draft timetable will be made available in accordance with clause 2 to the Academic Unit. The Academic Unit will confirm that the details provided in the Examination Request match the details to be published in the timetable. Any changes to the examination request must be advised to the relevant Examination Office before the release of the final timetable.

5. Submission of examination content for Centrally administered End of Study Period Examinations, Supplementary Examinations and Deferred Examinations

5.1 Hard Copy Examination Papers

5.1.1 The Subject Coordinator must prepare Examination papers for Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examinations, Supplementary Examinations Deferred Examinations and any additional examination papers for students requiring Reasonable Adjustments. All examination papers must be submitted by the deadlines in clause 2. Any Supplementary/Deferred Examination paper that is not used may be used for a future examination.

5.1.2 Before submitting examination papers the Subject Coordinator must ensure that all examination papers are checked for the following:

• Alignment with learning outcomes delivered during the teaching of the subject
• Alignment of information on the examination paper with the coversheet created from the Examination Request
• Instructions for students section completed (if applicable)
• Clarity
• Spelling and grammar
• Formatting
• Mark allocations are correct

5.1.3 Each examination paper will be signed off by the relevant Academic Head or the relevant Dean if there is no Academic Head  overseeing the subject or the Academic Head is the Examiner. Examinations for Singapore subject availabilities will also be signed off by the Singapore Campus Dean.

5.1.4 The relevant Examination Office will check examination paper details against the information provided in the original examination request completed under clause 3 to ensure it matches. These checks include:

• Examination type
• Start time, duration and reading time
• Examination conditions
• Permitted Materials
• Other instructions as indicated on the timetable

5.1.5 The relevant Examination Office will check and confirm accuracy of any examination papers requiring Reasonable Adjustments.

5.2 Online Examinations in LearnJCU

5.2.1 The Subject Coordinator or Examiner is responsible for ensuring that the examination is uploaded in LearnJCU according to the deadline in clause 2.

5.2.2 The relevant Academic Unit will check the online Examinations match the details presented in the timetable.

5.2.3 For JCU Australia, the Examinations Office is responsible for the final audit of examination settings for all centrally administered examinations in LearnJCU. Checks will include but are not limited to:

• Assessment folder is visible to students;
• Release conditions are correct;
• Grade Category is set to ‘Examination’;
• Assessment results disabled; and
• Examinations contact details for technical support are correct.

5.2.4 For subjects run at Brisbane and Singapore campuses, the Subject Coordinator is responsible for ensuring the examination settings are correct.

5.3 Practical and Oral Examinations

For Practical and Oral Examinations, the relevant Subject Coordinator and/or Academic Unit are responsible for:

a. checking examination paper details;

b. preparing for and running the examination, including room bookings;

c. submitting a request to the Examination Office for an Examination Supervisor if required;

d. contacting students to advise of any specific attendance requirements

6. Examinations requiring Reasonable Adjustments

Where Reasonable Adjustments are approved for Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examinations, and where students apply for reasonable adjustments for any on-course assessment, the relevant Examination office is responsible for arranging:

a. the Examination;

b. the adjusted Examination conditions; and

c. an Examination Room and Supervisor.

7. Staff Attendance Requirements

7.1 On the day of the examination a member of the teaching team must be contactable to respond to urgent questions or issues arising with the examination.

7.2 For invigilated examinations, all staff, excluding the Examination Supervisor/s, must leave the examination room when requested by the Examination Supervisor unless permitted to stay by the Manager, Examinations and Graduation Team.

8. Conflicts of Interest

8.1 In accordance with the Conflict of Interest Policy, staff must discharge themselves from being involved in the preparation and checking of Examination papers where they are the student or a student is a relative, family or personal friend.

8.2 Where the Examiner for a subject has a conflict of interest as described in 9.1, a replacement examiner should be appointed who is not conflicted. The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Education can approve the appointment of an Examiner who is related to a student undertaking an Examination where a College/Academic Unit is unable to appoint either a non-relative of the student or the previous Examiner for the subject.

9. Examination Supervisors

9.1 Each Examination Office is responsible for managing the appointment of Examination Supervisors where required for all examinations held including online where:

a. The examinations are conducted within the designated Examination Periods for Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examinations and designated Supplementary/Deferred Examination Periods for Supplementary or Deferred Examinations unless otherwise arranged; or

b. The responsible College or Academic Unit has requested supervision for an On-Course Examination occurring during the teaching weeks of the study period. All supervision costs will be charged to the College or Academic Unit; or

c. The responsible Academic Unit has requested supervision for an On-Course Examination or Practical Examination (including OSCE/MSAT) occurring during the formal examination period. The College or Academic Unit must provide the relevant Examination Office 5 weeks' notice of these requests and supervision costs may be charged to the Academic Unit.

10. Security of Hard Copy Examination Papers for Centrally Administered End of Study Period Examinations

10.1 The relevant Examinations Office is responsible for securely holding hard copy examination papers, including how papers are packed and transported, if applicable, when they leave the Examination Office.

10.2 Completed examination papers are kept by the Examinations Team in a secured office for a period of 4 weeks until collected by the Academic Unit.  Any uncollected papers will be notified to the relevant Dean.

10.3 If an examination paper is lost or compromised, the Manager, Examinations and Graduations or the Singapore campus Examinations Manager or the Brisbane campus Academic Support Manager (as appropriate) will seek approval from the Subject Coordinator to offer the affected students a Deferred Examination to be sat during the next available Supplementary/Deferred Examination Period, unless otherwise arranged.

Related policy instruments

Learning, Teaching and Assessment Policy

Learning, Teaching and Assessment Procedures

Student Code of Conduct

Academic Misconduct Procedure

Special Consideration Procedure

Conflict of Interest Policy

Schedules/Appendices

Appendix 1 Examination Type Rules

Administration

NOTE: Printed copies of this procedure are uncontrolled, and currency can only be assured at the time of printing.

Approval Details

Revision History