JMP Appeal Against Final
Result Procedure
Document Number |
000886 |
Date Approved |
3 December 2008 |
1.
Content
1.1 This procedure applies only to
students enrolled in the Joint Medical Program and applies only to
courses/units with the prefix MEDI as offered by the Schools of Medicine and
Public Health (UON) and Rural Medicine (UNE).
1.2 Appeals against results awarded
for elective courses/units will be processed in accordance with the following
policies:
i.
at UON:
Appeal Against Final Result (Refer to Section 20. of Course Management and Assessment
Procedure Manual 000996)
ii.
at UNE: Academic
Assessment Appeals Policy.
2.
Definitions
In the context of this document:
Dean means the
Dean of Medicine – Joint Medical Program;
Deputy Vice-Chancellors means the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) (UON) and/or the Deputy
Vice-Chancellor (UNE);
Faculty means the
Faculty of Health and Medicine (UON) final result means the
cumulative mark for all the assessment items in a MEDI course/unit as approved
by the Head of School responsible for the course/unit;
Head of the School means the Head of the School of Medicine and Public Health at UON
and/or the Head of the School of Rural Medicine at UNE who is/are responsible
for delivery of JMP Teaching & Learning Committee-approved MEDI
Course/Units;
Joint Medical Program (JMP) means the
Bachelor of Medicine – Joint Medical Program (BMed – JMP) or Bachelor of
Medical Science/Doctor of Medicine – Joint Medical Program (MD – JMP); as
delivered in partnership by UON and UNE;
JMP Progress and Appeals Committee means the
Committee established to jointly consider and make determinations regarding the
appeals submitted by, or progress of JMP students at the University of
Newcastle (UON) and University of New England (UNE)
major assessment item means any assessment item, including the final examination, worth 20%
or more of the final result; or an assessment item that is an essential criterion (i.e., a compulsory
assessment item that must be satisfactorily completed in order for a student to
receive a pass mark in that course/unit);
I Grade at UON
means Incomplete and indicates that the result in the course is yet to be
finalised (see RU Grade at UNE);
in writing means
either on the form provided by the University or a paper based, email, fax or
other electronic form of delivery which is capable of being converted to
hardcopy;
Pro Vice Chancellor – means the Pro Vice Chancellor, Faculty of Health and Medicine at UON;
RU Grade at UNE
means Results Unavailable and indicates that the result in the unit is yet to
be finalised (see I Grade at UON);
S Grade at UON is
an administrative code which indicates that a student has sought consideration
in accordance with the JMP Adverse
and Special Circumstances Affecting
Assessment Procedure.
Determination of a final grade is dependent on further specified task(s) being
completed by the student (see SPE Grade at UNE);
School means the
School of Medicine and Public Health (UON) and/or the School of Rural Medicine
(UNE);
SPE Grade at UNE is
an administrative code which indicates that a student has sought consideration
in accordance with the JMP Adverse
and Special Circumstances Affecting Assessment Items Procedure. Determination of a final
grade is dependent on further specified task(s) being completed by the student (see S Grade at UON);
Year Assessment Decision Committee means the committees responsible for recommending final grades to the
Heads of School and for reviewing the assessment of courses / units in
accordance with the Universities’ quality assurance principles.
3.
Procedure – MEDI Courses/Units
3.1 Amending a Final Result
3.1.1 A student who wishes to question
a final result must refer to the following:
i. the
Course / Unit Outline;
ii. the Course / Unit description as
approved by the JMP Teaching & Learning Committee;
iii. the criteria for the assessment
of major assessment items of the Course / Unit;
iv. weightings for the individual
components of the Course / Unit; and
v. weightings / marks for the
individual components of the examination (if appropriate).
3.1.2 Students wishing to obtain
further information on a final result in a Course / Unit, or to query that
result, should, initially, contact the Course/Unit Coordinator.
3.1.3 If an error is found by the
Course/Unit Coordinator under the following criteria:
i. error in determination of the result; or
ii. all marks contributing to the final result have not been
correctly weighted and their total accurately obtained; or any other
administrative error.
a JMP
Amendment to Result Form is completed and forwarded by the Course/ Unit
Coordinator for approval to the Head of School and the Dean of the JMP (where
the query has been made within six months of the result release) or to the
Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor (UON) or the Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic (UNE) and
the Dean of the JMP (where the query is made later than six months after the
result being posted). Such records are then amended through forwarding for
action to the relevant Examinations office.
3.2 Appealing Against a Final
Result
3.2.1 After
seeking a review by the Course/Unit Coordinator a student may lodge an appeal against their
Final Result for a course / unit.
To lodge
an appeal a student must complete the JMP
Application to Appeal against A Final Result Form and email it, together with a
supporting statement, to appeals@newcastle.edu.au within seven (7) calendar days
of the publication of the final result online. Appeals must be submitted in
this way to be considered by the JMP Progress and Appeals Committee.
The JMP Progress
and Appeals Committee will consider all valid appeals and determine an outcome
for:
i. appeals by students against a final result in a course / unit;
and
ii. appeals by potential graduates against a failure in a course.
3.2.2 To be valid an appeal must
address one or more of the following criteria and include relevant supporting
documentary evidence:
i. the mark for one or more major assessment item(s)
(including the final examination) does not reflect the quality of the work
submitted. The student must demonstrate how the quality of the work is better
than the mark suggests, e.g., through marking schema or matrix.
ii. all required parts of the assessment were not included in the
final determination of the result. The student must show proof an item was not
included.
iii. all marks contributing to the final result have not been
correctly weighted and the total inaccurately calculated. The student must
demonstrate how this has occurred.
iv. the type and/or weighting of major assessment items differ from
information in the Course / Unit Outline. The student must provide the relevant
section of the Course / Unit Outline.
v. the content of a major assessment item does not reflect the
content of the course / unit. The student must provide the item and the
relevant section of the Course / Unit Outline and identify how they differ.
vi. Special circumstances are as defined in Clause 3.1 of the JMP
Adverse and Special Circumstances Affecting Assessment Items Procedure. Special
Circumstances may be used as a basis for an appeal against a final result only
where extreme circumstances, such as extended hospitalisation, have prevented
the student from applying for special consideration at the time of the
assessment task.
3.2.3 Appeals
that do not provide evidence of the student having:
i. contacted or attempted to contact the Course / Unit
Coordinator (or nominee); and
ii. addressed at least one of the appeal criteria listed in Clause
3.2.2 of this Procedure and included relevant supporting evidence in writing will be rejected by the JMP Progress and Appeals Committee and the final
result for the course will stand.
The JMP Progress and Appeals Committee may (but is
not obliged to) request any additional information required to determine the
outcome of an appeal.
3.3 Appeals against a final
result in a course / unit
The JMP Progress and Appeals
Committee may determine that:
i. no amendment to the final result is required; or
ii. an amendment to the final result is required; or
iii. referral to the Dean of Medicine - JMP is required. If the JMP
Progress and Appeals Committee determines that there has been a significant
error in the assessment processes, advice will be forwarded to the Dean of
Medicine - JMP who shall, in consultation with the Chair of JMP Assessment and
the Head of School of Rural Medicine, determine what remedial action (such as
moderation) may be taken. Such remedial action will be referred to the
Examinations unit at UON and/or the Student Administration and Services Office
at UNE. Where a moderation is initiated, all students who may be affected will
be informed that the process is being undertaken and warned that their marks
may be varied upwards or downwards; or
iv. granting of an alternate/supplementary assessment item is
required. This will only be the case when extenuating circumstances have
prevented earlier consideration of a student’s circumstances under the
provisions of the JMP Adverse and Special Circumstances Affecting Assessment
Procedure 000880.
3.3.1 In
accordance with the Delegation Schedule for Academic Governance and Support
(AUB1) the
Chair of the JMP Progress and Appeals Committee may undertake urgent business
between scheduled meetings. Actions taken under delegation must be ratified by
the JMP Progress and Appeals Committee at the next meeting.
3.4 JMP Progress and Appeals
Committee
3.4.1 The JMP Progress and Appeals Committee shall include in its membership:
i he Deputy Head, Faculty of Health
and Medicine (Teaching and Learning) (UON), or their nominee, who shall chair
the Committee;
ii. the Heads of the Schools of Rural Medicine (UNE) and Medicine
and Public Health (UON) or their nominees;
iii. one senior member of professional administration staff from UON
and UNE as nominated by the Chair;
iv. co-opted members from within or outside the Faculty or Schools
for particular cases as determined by the Chair.
3.4.2 The JMP Progress and Appeals Committee shall have responsibility for
matters referred to it:
i. under the JMP Review of Progress Procedure 000879;
ii. under the JMP Appeals Against a Final Result Procedure 000886;
iii. under the JMP Adverse and Special Circumstances Affecting
Assessment Items Procedure 000880; and
iv. any other student progress or appeals issues forwarded to it by
the Dean of Medicine - JMP.
3.5 Outcomes
The student should usually receive notification of
the outcome within twenty-five (25) University working days after publication
of the final result online. The notification should identify which appeal
criteria formed the basis of the decision.
3.6 Late Appeal Against A Final
Result
A late appeal will only be accepted in exceptional
circumstances and provided that the student has not already lodged an appeal
against the final result in that course and the late appeal is lodged no longer
than two (2) months after the publication of the final result online. A student
lodging a late appeal must:
i. complete and submit the JMP Application to Appeal
against A Final Result Form; and
ii. provide evidence of having contacted the Course/Unit
Coordinator; and
iii. provide supporting documentation including information about the
exceptional circumstances that caused late submission.
A review of final result request against a mark or
grade awarded as a consequence of academic misconduct must be made in
accordance with the JMP Student Academic Misconduct Rule [001008].
3.7 Review of
a JMP Progress and Appeals Committee Outcome
Students
may request a review of a JMP Progress and Appeals Committee outcome. Such
requests must be:
i. made on procedural grounds (i.e. the student must be able to
demonstrate that correct process was not followed);
ii. submitted via email;
iii. addressed to:
a. At UON, the President of the Academic Senate; and
b. At UNE, the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic); and
iv. submitted within three (3) University working days of the receipt
of the official written notification of the outcome of their Appeal Against
Final Result request.
Students
will be notified of the outcome of their appeal via email within twenty-one (21)
University working days.
3.8 Appeals lodged by a Potential
Graduate following Failure in a Course/Unit
3.8.1 A potential graduate may lodge an
appeal against a final result when a failure prevents them from completing
their degree.
The appeal must meet ALL the following
criteria to be considered by the JMP Progress and Appeals Committee:
i. the course/unit that has been failed is a twenty unit course (UON)
/ twelve credit point unit (UNE);
ii. the student has not previously failed this course/unit;
iii. the student has undertaken the course/unit in the last two (2)
terms of study (subject to iv) below) and all other program requirements have
been satisfied;
iv. the final result achieved for the course/unit is not less than
40% of the total marks for the course/unit;
v. the student has not already undertaken supplementary assessment
(other than on the basis of special consideration) in the course/unit; and
vi. the student has submitted all required assessment items
throughout the relevant semester on time (subject to any applications under the
JMP Adverse and Special Circumstances Assessment Procedure 000880).
3.8.2 The JMP Progress and Appeals
Committee shall determine the legitimacy of the appeal.
If the appeal is upheld, it will be referred to the Course/Unit
Coordinator, who will determine the nature, timing and content of a supplementary
assessment item. The outcome of the supplementary assessment item will ensure
that:
i. the student will not be awarded a final mark greater than 50% (a minimum pass) in the course/unit
irrespective of the marks awarded for the supplementary assessment item;
ii. the marks awarded in the supplementary assessment item may
result in a Fail grade being changed to an Ungraded Pass grade; and
iii. if the student does not obtain an
Ungraded Pass grade as a result of the
marks given for the supplementary assessment item, the Fail grade will remain
and the student will not be eligible to graduate.
3.9 Administrative Error
If an administrative error is identified in a final
result, an Amendment to Result Form will be completed by the Course Coordinator
(e.g. not all required items of assessment were included in the final
determination of the result). This will be submitted to the Dean of Medicine - JMP
for approval and notification of the student affected.
3.10 Reporting
The JMP Progress and Appeals Committee will report
annually on the activities initiated under this procedure. These reports must
be available for compliance and monitoring if requested by Academic Senate (UON)/Academic
Board (UNE).
Approval
Authority |
Academic
Senate (UON) / Academic Board (UNE) |
Date
Approved |
3 December
2008 |
Policy
Contact |
academicpolicy@newcastle.edu.au |
Amendment
History |
18 July
2019 – link to Appeal Form corrected. 30
November 2016 – changes made to titles, headings and definitions. 8 December
2015: Minor numbering typo amended (3.2.2). Revised
procedure approved by Academic Senate on 8 July 2015 and co-approved by UNE
Vice Chancellor on 9 July 2015. Minor
edits made to formatting and hyperlinks, 10 October 2014 Appeal
Against Final Result Procedure 000261 rescinded and replaced by Clause 20.3
of Course Management and Assessment Procedure Manual 000996, approved by
Academic Senate Resolution AS13:057 22 May 2013. Amended to
include hyperlink for appeal form 23 March 2010 |
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