Skip navigation to main content

You are here: UNE Home / EBL / NEBS / Assignment Policy

NEBS Assignment Policy

Submission

You must keep a copy of your assignment (in hard copy form, electronic form or both) until you receive the marked original back.  If your assignment goes astray and you cannot provide us with a copy of the assignment when requested, we will assume the assignment has not been written and the penalties for late assignments will be applied.

Off-campus students can use e-submission or send their assignments, with their signed Plagiarism Declaration Form (included on the assignment cover sheet), to the Teaching and Learning Centre, according to the instructions provided. If you post your assignment it is your responsibility to ensure that the assignment reaches the Teaching and Learning Centre by the due date. The best way to check that your assignment has been received is to fill out an ‘acknowledgement of receipt’ postcard for each assignment and remember to affix a stamp. Alternatively, you could ring the Teaching and Learning Centre on 02 6773 2712.

Internal students must place their assignments, together with a signed Plagiarism Declaration Form, in the NEBS assignment box by 4pm on the due date. Please do not rely on another person to deliver your assignment – if they forget or place it in the wrong box you are the one who pays the price.

Word limits

You are required to comply with word limits. They have a dual role. In the first instance, they limit the burden on the person marking them. More importantly, they encourage conciseness, a hallmark of good academic writing. They also provide a good indicator of the depth to which you are expected to go. You are, of course, not expected to achieve exactly the required length and a 10% leeway on either side is acceptable. However, deviations beyond that 10% may be penalised at the discretion of the unit coordinator.

Non-discriminatory language

You must be careful to use non-discriminatory language in assignments. You must avoid language that makes inappropriate reference to sex, disability, language, race and ethnicity. More information is available from the UNE Equity Office (02 6773 3591) and the Aboriginal Unit, Oorala (02 6773 3034). A fact sheet on Using Non-discriminatory Language is also available from the Academic Skills Office at http://www.une.edu.au/aso/resources.htm#handouts.

Presentation

Your assignments are to comply with the following format:

Plagiarism

You must comply with the University's policy on Plagiarism (go to http://www.une.edu.au/rmo/policies/acad/plagiarismpolicy.pdf for details). Your work will be checked for plagiarism.

Plagiarism is the action or practice of taking and using as one's own the thoughts or writings of another without acknowledgment. The following practices constitute acts of plagiarism and are a major infringement of UNE's academic values:

where paragraphs, sentences, a single sentence or significant parts of a sentence are copied directly, are not enclosed in quotation marks and appropriately referenced;

where direct quotations are not used, but are paraphrased or summarised, and the source of the material is not referenced within the text of the paper; and

where an idea which appears elsewhere in any form* is used or developed without reference being made to the author or the source of that idea.

* Some examples of this are books, journals, WWW material, theses, computer stored data and software, lecture notes or tapes.

Your responsibility

You need to:
  • read, understand and respect the policy on plagiarism and academic misconduct found in the University Handbook and at the web site above;
  • familiarise yourself with the conventions of referencing for your discipline(s);
  • avoid all acts which could be considered plagiarism;
  • seek assistance from appropriate sources with any academic writing areas where you are aware you need more knowledge and skills;
  • submit a separate signed and dated Plagiarism Declaration Form with every task, report, dissertation or thesis submitted for assessment or examination:
  • for external students, the pre-printed assignment cover sheets include this declaration which must be signed before submission;
  • for internal students, the attached Plagiarism Declaration Form must be printed, signed and submitted with the assignment;
  • if the unit provides for electronic submission of assignments, hitting the 'Send' or 'Submit' button to submit the assignment electronically means you are deemed, in effect, to have signed the declaration.

Avoiding plagiarism

You should refer to the University Handbook and to the following web sites or to academic units for further advice and assistance:

STUDENTS MUST FILL OUT AND SUBMIT A PLAGIARISM DECLARATION FORM WITH EACH ASSIGNMENT UNLESS SUBMITTING ELECTRONICALLY IN WHICH CASE THEY SHOULD TICK THE PLAGIARISM DECLARATION BOX.

Extensions

If you find that you cannot meet the published due date for an assignment, you must contact the unit coordinator in writing no later than the due date to request an extension. Any required supporting information, such as a medical certificate, should be provided to the Unit Coordinator no later than the due date.

Extensions will be granted on the basis of unavoidable or unforeseen circumstances. However, requests that relate to avoidable time management issues such as ‘heavy work commitments in other units’ or ‘leaving my run a little late’ will not be considered favourably.

The maximum possible extension that may be requested is two weeks (except under exceptional circumstances) and only one extension is possible per assignment.

Special extension of time

If you have been prevented, through illness or other unavoidable circumstances, from completing essential coursework requirements for a unit by the date specified by the unit coordinator, and no later than the final date of submission (the day before the commencement of examination period for a semester unit) you may apply for a special extension of time.

An application form is available online from the Student Centre home page at: http://www.une.edu.au/studentcentre/.

Your application should explain your circumstances and must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation confirming the circumstances which prevented you from completing the work by the due date. Please be aware there are deadlines for submission of these applications. They vary by faculty and the deadlines are listed on the Student Centre web site indicated above.

Late assignments

Assignments are deemed to be late if (i) they are not submitted (in accordance with the submission requirements outlined above) on, or before, the published due date or (ii) they are submitted after an assignment extension date that was previously negotiated with the unit coordinator.

The penalties for late submission and for non-submission are as follows.

A compulsory assignment that is submitted late (or is not submitted) will result in the grade NI (Failed Incomplete) for the unit.

A non-compulsory assignment that is submitted late (or is not submitted) will receive 0%.

Return of assignments

The unit coordinator will endeavour to have a student’s assignment marked and either (i) available for collection by internal students, or (ii) returned to the Teaching and Leaning Centre within four weeks of receiving the assignment. Please note, we will return internal assignments only to their author; no student will be permitted to pick up assignments for other students.

Of course, if you receive an assignment extension you can expect the return of your work to be later than assignments submitted on time. This means that in some cases assignments may not be returned before the next assignment is due or before the exam.

Marking of Assessment Tasks

Students are advised that their assessment tasks may be marked by someone other than a member of the teaching team. If this is the case, the Head of School will approve the appointment of all casual markers, and the unit coordinator will moderate the marking process to ensure competence, fairness and consistency.

General assessment criteria

Your assignments will be assessed according to how you have:

  • argued your case based on the evidence/ideas you cite
  • expressed your ideas clearly and succinctly and in logical sequence
  • critically analysed the relevant literature
  • demonstrated your understanding of the subject matter of the unit
  • presented your work
  • complied with the University of New England Referencing Guide and the New England Business School policies
  • complied with the UNE Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct policy.

Grading of assignments

In this unit we seek to comply with the UNE policy on marking. You can view this policy at http://www.une.edu.au/policies/pdf/assessment.pdf.

The following grade ranges will apply to the assignment, the exam and to your result in the unit overall.

Less than 50% ..................................................... Fail (N)

50 to 64% ........................................................... Pass (P)

65 to 74%........................................................... Credit C

75 to 84%................................................... Distinction (D)

85% and above................................ High Distinction (HD)

The grade that you receive will depend upon the degree to which you display in your work that you have achieved the unit objectives.

Descriptions of each grade range are provided in the table below.


Marking criteria

Grade (Code)

Explanation

Fail (N)

Unsatisfactory performance indicating inadequate and insufficient understanding and/or application of the subject matter; achieves few or none of the basic and higher-order intended goals for the assessment tasks; numerous substantive errors of fact, omission and/or application present; clear and unambiguous evidence of non-possession of most or all required skills; insufficiently demonstrated level of interpretive and/or analytical ability and intellectual initiative; inadequate level of competence.

Pass (P)

Satisfactory performance indicating adequate but incomplete or less well-rounded understanding and/or application of the subject matter; achieves many basic but very few or none of the higher-order intended goals for the assessment tasks; several more serious flaws or many minor ones; clear and unambiguous evidence of possession of an adequate level of an acceptable number of required skills; demonstrated adequate level of interpretive and/or analytical ability and intellectual initiative; adequate level of competence.

Credit (C)

Good performance indicating reasonable and well-rounded understanding and/or application of the subject matter; achieves all basic but only a few higher-order intended goals for the assessment tasks; a few more serious flaws or several minor ones; clear and unambiguous evidence of possession of a reasonable level of most required skills; demonstrated reasonable level of interpretive and/or analytical ability and intellectual initiative; reasonable level of competence.

Distinction (D)

Very good performance indicating reasonably complete and comprehensive understanding and/or application of the subject matter; achieves all basic and most higher-order intended goals for the assessment tasks; some minor flaws; clear and unambiguous evidence of possession of a high level of required skills; demonstrated high level of interpretive and/or analytical ability and intellectual initiative; high level of competence.

High Distinction (HD)

Excellent performance indicating complete and comprehensive understanding and/or application of the subject matter; achieves all basic and higher-order intended goals for the assessment tasks; minimal or no errors of fact, omission and/or application present; clear and unambiguous evidence of possession of a very high level of required skills; demonstrated very high level of interpretive and/or analytical ability and intellectual initiative; very high level of competence.

Plagiarism Declaration

The UNE Plagiarism Declaration Form is available here (PDF file)