Policy Academic Governance Special Consideration Procedure - effective from 01/01/2025

Special Consideration Procedure - effective from 01/01/2025

Effective from 01/01/2025. Subjects that commenced in 2024 please refer to version 23-1.

Intent

This Procedure supports the Student Special Circumstances Policy and the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Policy and Procedure, which requires students to make themselves available for assessments and examinations at the scheduled times and may apply for Special Consideration if affected by Special Circumstances.

This Procedure addresses Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF) Standard 2.2: Diversity and Equity, and 2.3: Wellbeing and Safety.

Scope

This Procedure applies to students enrolled in coursework subjects at all JCU campuses including Singapore and Brisbane who meet the definition of Special Circumstances.

This Procedure does not apply to JCU students enrolled in subjects at other institutions.

Definitions

Except where otherwise indicated in this procedure, the definitions used in this procedure are found in the Student Special Circumstances Policy or the Policy Glossary.

Short term extension – A 48-hour extension provided to students for eligible assessment types upon application to the University with no supporting documentation required.

Long term extension – An extension in excess of 48-hours for eligible assessment types, upon application to the University with supporting documentation required.

Procedure

1. Application

1.1 Students must apply for Special Consideration using the relevant Special Consideration Application form which can be found on the Special Consideration webpage and provide supporting documentary evidence as outlined in Appendix 1 Special Circumstances Supporting Documentation.

1.2 Students who have obtained reasonable adjustments through an Access Plan can use their Access Plan as supporting documentation where applicable. If the special circumstance is outside the scope of the Access Plan, an application with separate supporting documentation must be lodged.

1.3 Supporting documentary evidence (details of which are outlined in Appendix 1 Special Circumstances Supporting Documentation) must:

1.3.1 be independent. Evidence signed by family members will not be accepted. A statutory declaration (or equivalent for students residing overseas) from the student may be accepted for compassionate or emergency grounds or unscheduled or unexpected events relating to religious or cultural consideration if no independent evidence exists.

1.3.2 identify the circumstances.

1.3.3 include dates and/or the period of the circumstances.

1.3.4 explain the severity and impact of the circumstances.

1.3.5 clearly describe how the circumstances have adversely affected the student’s capacity to attend or submit an assessment or examination; and

1.3.6 include the date(s) on which the student was seen by a professional providing evidence.

1.4 Where students are providing supporting documentation for medical or psychological reasons students should use the JCU Medical Certificate. or evidence as outlined in Appendix 1. If this certificate is not used or correctly completed, students may be asked to seek additional information from their medical professional.

1.5 Supporting documentation for medical or psychological reasons must have resulted from a face to face or online consultation with a medical practitioner. Medical certificates where there has been no consultation (e.g., receiving a medical certificate based on a questionnaire a student has submitted) will not be accepted.

1.6 Students may be asked to provide original documents or to authenticate any documentary evidence provided as part of their application. These documents must be written or translated into English.

1.7 Students may lodge more than one Special Consideration application for the same assessment item only if:

1.7.1 the same Special Circumstances unexpectedly extends beyond the dates provided in the original documentary evidence; or

1.7.2 new Special Circumstances have occurred; and

1.7.3 the student can support this with updated documentary evidence.

1.8 Students must comply with the timeframes outlined in Clause 2.5 for submission of a Special Consideration application.

1.9 If an application is submitted without documentary evidence, the student must specify the evidence they intend to provide. This evidence must be provided within two days of their original application submission.

1.10 Late applications will only be accepted by the decision maker where the student can demonstrate with independent supporting evidence or a statutory declaration (if independent supporting evidence is not available) that Special Circumstances prevented the student from applying within the timeframe under Clause 2.5.

2. Application assessment

2.1 Short Term Extension

Short term extension applications are automatically approved without requiring any supporting documentation. This type of application can only be used once per eligible assessment item. Assessment types that are ineligible for a short term extension include online quizzes, oral/viva exams, placement, tests and other scheduled online assessments, practicals, examinations and in-person presentations. Additionally, short term extensions may not be applicable to some subjects, with exemptions specified in the subject outline.

2.2 All other applications

The decision maker (as detailed in the table below), when assessing a Special Consideration application, must:

2.2.1 consider the equity measures as outlined in Clause 3.3 of the Student Special Circumstances Policy and the subject outline; and

2.2.2 ensure that modes and methods of assessment are equitable for all students enrolled in a subject; and

2.2.3 not compromise the integrity of assessment requirements and processes; and

2.2.4 not allow an undue advantage for the student; and

2.2.5 make a decision based on individual circumstances; and

2.2.6 consider the approved adjustments of an Access Plan, if an Access Plan is in place.

2.3 The decision maker can seek approval from the Academic Head for a change to the mode of assessment, for example the submission of a workbook in lieu of an online examination.

2.4 Decision makers must record any changes to the assessment items, and modes and methods of assessment in college records.

2.5 Outcomes (including reasons for a decision if the application is denied) will be notified to the student by their JCU email in accordance with the following due dates:

No	Application Type	Application Due Date	Potential Equity Measures & Decision Makers	Outcome Due Date
1	Short term extension.	Before the due date of the assessment.	A short term extension request will be approved automatically.	Automatic - same day as submission.
2	Long term extension	Before the due date of the assessment.	A long term extension request may be approved by the Subject Coordinator and a revised due date assigned.	Within two university working days of receiving that application.
3	Reschedule the start date/time of an assessment item such as: oral or practical assessment. Online quizzes Presentations Any timed assessments or Reschedule an On-Course Scheduled Examination	No later than two university working days after the scheduled date of the activity.	A rescheduled assessment or examination may be approved by the Subject Coordinator.	Within five university working days of receiving that application.
4	Notification of missing one or more mandatory attendance requirement such as laboratory/practical/class or placement.	No later than three university working days after the scheduled date of the activity.	An alternative class attendance, activity or assessment submission may be required by Subject Coordinator to fulfil compulsory class attendance requirements as specified in the Subject Outline. Alternative placement attendance can be granted by the Placement Coordinator to fulfil placement participation requirements as specified in the Subject Outline.	Within five university working days of receiving that application.
5	Deferral of an End of Study Period Examination where Special Circumstances will prevent exam attendance.	No later than two university working days after the scheduled date of the End of Study Period Examination	A deferred examination is approved by the Manager, Examinations and Graduations. The application outcome may also be applied to all remaining examinations in that study period.	Within three university working days of receiving that application.
6	Special Circumstance occurring the day before or day of a Supplementary or Deferred Examination that prevented attendance at that Examination.	No later than two university working days after the scheduled date of the Supplementary or Deferred Examination	A Special Examination approved by the College Dean	Within two university working days after the results release date for the subjects supplementary and deferred results.
7	Listed subjects in Bachelor of Medicine-Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Medicine-Bachelor of Surgery (Honours) [Embedded] and Bachelor of Dental Surgery Refer to Appendix 2 Notification of Special Circumstances that occurred during the study period or at the end of the study period that specifically impacted performance or completion of On-Course assessments or examinations, or End of Study Period Examinations, but did not prevent submission or sitting of the assessments or examinations.	No later than two university working days after the sitting date of the assessment/examination impacted.	An equity measure will be considered during the College Assessment Meeting and recommended to the Dean for approval. Equity measures may include: Supplementary examination or assessment Special examination or assessment Amendment of final subject result	Where a supplementary or special examination is approved within three university working days of the Result Publication Date for the study period of the subject. There is no notification for amendments to final subject results.

3. Fit to Sit

3.1 If a student becomes unwell immediately prior to an examination, they should not start the examination. Instead, they should seek appropriate medical advice and provide a medical certificate within 2 University working days of the examination. An Application for Special Consideration to sit a deferred examination may be submitted.

3.2 If a student becomes unwell immediately prior to sitting an on-course scheduled assessment they should not start the assessment. Instead, they should seek appropriate medical advice and provide a medical certificate within 2 University working days of the assessment to apply for Special Consideration requesting to reschedule.

3.3 If a student becomes unwell during the assessment or examination, they must notify the exam invigilator or subject coordinator as soon as possible and submit the relevant Special Consideration application.

4. Scheduling of equity measures

4.1 Any approved equity measures should be scheduled so that, where possible:

4.1.1 students are not disadvantaged; and

4.1.2 pre-requisite subjects can be completed in a timely manner; and

4.1.3 deferred and supplementary examinations occur within the next immediate Deferred and Supplementary Examination Period or earlier at the discretion of the college; or

4.1.4 special assessments or examinations occur as soon as practicable within 4 weeks of approval.

4.2 If a student cannot complete a deferred or supplementary assessment or examination due to Special Circumstances, the student should submit a new Special Consideration application following the requirements of this procedure.

4.3 If a student cannot complete a special examination when scheduled, the student will be required to apply for a withdrawal without financial and/or academic penalty. Alternatively, the student, if they have grounds, can submit a review of final subject result.

Related policy instruments

Student Special Circumstances Policy

Learning, Teaching and Assessment Policy

Learning, Teaching and Assessment Procedure

Student Disability Policy

Student Disability AccessAbility Support and Plans Procedure

Student Results Policy

Information Privacy Policy

Administration

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

Approval Details

Policy Domain	Academic Governance
Policy Sub-domain	Student Experience
Policy Custodian	Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education
Approval Authority	Academic Board
Date for next Major Review	18/11/2029

Revision History

Version	Approval date	Implementation date	Details	Author
24-2	07/01/2025	07/01/2025	Minor amendment to clause 4.3 to correct error - removed statement “(for reasons other than Special Circumstances)”, which conflicts with policy.	Policy Officer
24-1	18/11/2024	01/01/2025	Review of Student Special Circumstances Policy, Appendix 1 and Special Consideration Procedure to include: Introduction of 48 hour short term extension Introduction of fit to sit clause Special consideration applications to be submitted within 2 days not 3 days due to trimester timelines Removal of adverse impact for all subjects except subjects listed in Appendix 2.	Director, Student Services
23-1	17/07/2023	03/08/2023	Amendment to accommodate students accessing AccessAbility.	Deputy Director, Student Services
22-1	15/12/2022	01/01/2023	Student Special Circumstances Policy established, with rules from procedure moving to policy.	Deputy Director, Student Services
21-1	28/05/2021	31/05/2021	Minor amendment to Table 1 clarifying requirements for supporting documentation in the circumstances of issues with technology during timed online exams.	Deputy Director, Student Services
20-1	02/11/2020	01/01/ 2021	Procedure established to support the Learning Teaching and Assessment Policy and Procedures.	Dean, Learning Teaching and Student Engagement

Keywords	Examinations, assessment, defer, medical certificate, extension, special exam, supplementary, students, change assessment, change exam, deferred exam.
Contact person	Director, Student Services