School of Science and Technology Late Assessment Policy

Assessment Extension Policy

1. Scope of Assessment Extension Policy

The Assessment Extension Policy applies to written assessments submitted through the assessment e-submission process and audio/video assessments in the School of Science and Technology (hereinafter “The School”).

It excludes:

• Group-work assessments
• Other assessments such as quizzes may fall outside of extension policy. These will be noted on the unit MyLearn site. Any extension noted or granted will be at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator or Delegate.

This assessment policy applies to ALL students including those with a current Study Access Plan.

2. Student obligations

The School regards time management as an important graduate attribute. All students have an obligation to submit their assessment on the due date.

Fit to Sit

By submitting an assessment on the scheduled assessment date, a student is declaring that they are fit to do so and cannot later apply for Special Consideration. It is the student’s responsibility to decide in advance of an assessment due date whether they are unwell or facing significant circumstances which will impact their performance.

Study Access Plan

Students who have a current Study Access Plan (SAP) have a responsibility to advise their Unit Coordinator within the first two (2) weeks of the teaching period outlining which adjustments they require for the unit.

Requests for extensions using your SAP must be submitted via AskUNE with your SAP attached as supporting documentation.

Note in some circumstances we are unable to apply the full recommended extension time.

3. Due date

The due date is the date stated on the unit MyLearn site for the assessment task/s. Any changes to assessment tasks or due dates will be published on MyLearn.

4. Method of submission

All assessments must be submitted via MyLearn before 23:59 AEST/AEDT on or before the due date specified in the unit study guide. If for some technical reason this is impossible, written assessments should be emailed to the unit coordinator as evidence of the time the student sought to submit the assessment. Students will still need to later submit through the assessment e-submission process, so that the assessment can be checked by the plagiarism software, "TurnItIn".

5. Extensions

If students are unable to meet the assessment deadlines, due to UNFORESEEN circumstances, they MUST submit an application for an extension to the School's Administrative Office via AskUNE as soon as possible.

Your request for an extension may not be approved, therefore it is in your interest to continue to work on your assessment task as best you can.

5.1 When to apply

Assessment extension applications should be submitted within five (5) days of the assessment due date (inclusive) but at the latest by 23:59 (AEST/AEDT) of the original due date of the assessment. This means the earliest a student can apply is five (5) days before it is due. For example: If the due date is 25 September, the window to apply for a Simple Extension is 12.01 am 20 September to 11.59 pm 25 September.

In certain circumstances the Unit Coordinator or Delegate may grant extension requests made earlier than five (5) days prior or after the due date.

Students who apply for an extension will be notified via AskUNE and will also be able to see the outcome via the MyLearn page for the assessment.

5.2 Valid reasons for an extension

The following circumstances are acceptable grounds for extensions:

• Medical or mental health grounds;
• Unforeseen work commitments, e.g. work not part of usual duties, or that is unexpected or unavoidable;
• Unforeseen difficult personal circumstances including:

• Unexpected primary parental responsibility / carer responsibilities;
• Crisis or trauma, e.g., impact of a crime, domestic violence, car accident or assault;
• Sudden change in, or severe disruption to, domestic arrangements, e.g., eviction, homelessness and serious financial difficulties;
• Family or relationship breakdown, e.g., divorce, separation;  
• Natural or public event, e.g., flood, bushfire, public transport strike;
• Compassionate reasons, e.g., death of a relative, illness of a close family member.

• Other extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control.

The School classifies circumstances unforeseen and unavoidable if they:

• Could not have reasonably been anticipated, avoided or guarded against by the student;
• Were beyond the student's control;
• Caused substantial disruption to the student’s capacity for undertaking assessment for the unit(s).

The following circumstances are UNACCEPTABLE grounds for extensions:

• Difficulties adjusting to university life, to the self-discipline needed to study effectively and to the demands of academic work including balancing workloads from other units of study, including coinciding due dates;
• Stress or anxiety normally associated with examinations, required assessment tasks or any aspect of your studies;
• Lack of knowledge of academic requirements, such as misreading an exam timetable or assessment due date;
• ICT failure, unless publicly documented (ICT failure at the UNE server is treated at a global unit level by the School);
• Foreseeable work commitments including routine demands of employment and employment related travel;
• Routine financial support needs;
• Difficulties with visa arrangements that could have been reasonably anticipated;
• Prebooked holidays;
• Scheduled change of address, moving house, etc.

Please note: The School will take into consideration the student's history of making applications for assessment extensions and on this basis may reject an application. Repeated applications for assessment extensions is an indication of not being able to cope with the workload.

5.3 Length of extensions

The School has a duty of care to ensure that the student will have the ability to maintain their study, assessment and examination preparation. Therefore, the normal maximum extension period is seven (7) consecutive days.

If a student is UNABLE to meet the extended deadline, they are encouraged to withdraw from the unit, as it is unlikely they will not be able to successfully maintain their studies. Applications for a withdrawal are made via AskUNE.

5.4 Supporting documentation required

Students must provide supporting documentation with their application for an extension.

All Supporting evidence must:

• Indicate the impact on the due date including dates and/or the length of the circumstances which clearly support the student’s inability to complete or prepare for your assessment;
• Outline the nature of the circumstances, e.g., illness, misadventure;
• Explain how the circumstances have adversely affected the student’s capacity for effective study related to the assessment/exam;
• Include the date(s) on which the student was seen by the professional providing the evidence (if applicable).

Please see Appendix 1 for the types of supporting documentation required

If students do not have the documentation at the time of application, they should include a note to this effect in the application. Students should forward their documentation as soon as possible.

Please note

• The School will not process applications until supporting documentation is received.
• If supporting documentation is required and not received within three (3) working days, the application will be closed.
• The School has the right to reject any supporting documentation that does not reasonably support your request.
• The School has the right to verify all supporting documentation to confirm the integrity and legitimacy of the claims being made.
• Submitting misleading or fraudulent information or documents is considered a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Such breaches will be reported to the Academic Integrity Team and no extensions will be granted.
• The school has the discretion to grant a student a three (3) day extension without supporting documentation but only three (3) times per trimester when no supporting documentation has been provided

5.5 Notification of outcome of extension application

All applications are advised through AskUNE and are also visible on the MyLearn page for the assessment.

Students should not contact the School's Administrative Office unless they have not received notification from AskUNE or if there is no notification visible on the MyLearn page after three (3) working days from the time they applied for the extension.

Students who have not received a response within three (3) working days should contact the School office directly on (02) 6773 4209.

5.6 Contacts

Extensions are coordinated by the School’s Administrative Office. Unit coordinators are not authorised to issue extensions and students should not contact the unit coordinator about their extension application or the outcome.

6. Late Submission Penalty

Assessment tasks submitted after the due date and time without an approved extension will incur a late submission penalty. The following provisions apply:

• A deduction of 5% of the total marks for the assessment task for each calendar day or part day after the due date will be applied. The relevant Associate Dean Teaching and Learning, considering disciplinary and professional standards, may approve a lower penalty for individual units. The Unit Coordinator will advise students of the lower penalty through the Learning Management System.
• An assessment task received more than ten (10) calendar days after the due date without an approved extension will receive 0% for the task. The relevant Associate Dean Teaching and Learning, considering disciplinary and professional standards, may approve an alternative penalty for individual units.
• Where a task is mandatory to submit in order to complete a unit, a task received more than ten (10) calendar days after the due date but within the relevant teaching period will be deemed as having been submitted.
• The Unit Coordinator will inform affected students when late submission penalties are applied.

If an extension is obtained for the final assessment, it is unlikely that the work will be returned before the examination period commences for that unit. It is University Policy that an extension will not be granted once the examination period has commenced. Students must then apply for a Special Extension of Time through AskUNE and attach appropriate documentation to support their application.

7. Special Extension of Time (SET)

A Student who has been prevented by illness or other unavoidable and unforeseen circumstances from completing any compulsory assessment task beyond any approved extensions noted in this policy may apply for a special extension of time. Applications for a Special Extension of Time must be made in the prescribed manner and lodged through AskUNE

8. Additional Support

The following additional support services are available for students at UNE:

• Counselling and Psychological services (CAPS) - UNE Psychology and Wellness are available to both domestic and international students – CAPS

For 24/7 Urgent Mental Health Support call 1300 661 927

• Medical and Health Services – UNE Life Healthcare Centre
• Academic Skills Office (ASO) – provides free services to all students to promote the development of skills needed to succeed at university – ASO
• Student Accessibility and Wellbeing (SAWO) – If you expect your situation to persist, you might want to consider whether implementing educational adjustments could help you manage both your circumstances and your studies more effectively – SAWO

Appendix 1 – Supporting Documentation Required