INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS Institute of Continuing and TESOL Education The University of Queensland

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1 Institute of Continuing and TESOL Education The University of Queensland POLICY AND PROCEDURES SUBJECT BEP Assessment Policy and Procedures: A guide for Students SECTION MANUAL TESOL OTHER SECTIONS COPIED WRITTEN BY SW/IM AUTHORISED BY JW DATE 14/03/18 1

2 Contents Information for Students 1. BEP Entry and Exit Requirements Page 3 2. BEP 30/25, 20/15 Assessment Overview Page BEP 10 Assessment Overview Page 5 4. Recording of BEP Speaking Assessment Tasks Page 5 5. Results Certificates Page 6 6. BEP 10 Grading Scales Page 6 7. Pre-existing Medical Conditions Page 7 8. BEP 10 Special Examination Requests Page 7 9. BEP 10 Assessment Remarking & Feedback Page BEP 10 Enquiry on Results Page Non-Release of Past Examination Papers Page Academic Misconduct Definitions and Procedures Page Academic Misconduct Procedures Page

3 1. BEP Entry and Exit Requirements For BEP entry and exit requirements see ICTE-UQ website: 2. BEP 30/25, 20/15 Assessment and Progression Overview Assessment occurs throughout the BEP program. The assessment is designed to provide students with feedback to assist their learning. The assessment should also provide an indication of a student s level and improvement across the macro skills. There will be opportunities for students to discuss their results with their teachers. See below for testing schedule. Results on weekly Review Tests and End of Level Progress Tests are entered into the Blackboard grading system as a record of achievement. BEP 15, BEP 20, BEP 25, and BEP 30 are not pass/fail courses and students successfully completing the course are in most cases expected to continue on to study in the BEP 10 course. However, students who demonstrate consistently poor performance, attendance and/or a failure to make academic progress are provided with specific feedback by their teachers/academic Managers (please refer to unsatisfactory student progress policy for procedures related to unsatisfactory student progress Each student will complete a BEP Academic Progress Record. Feedback from their teacher must also be formally recorded by the student in their BEP Academic Progress Record during the course and shared with the class teacher. For each subsequent BEP level, this document will be made available to the new class teachers for reference. 3

4 Table 1 Assessment tasks for BEP 15, BEP 20, BEP 25, and BEP 30 Weeks 1-5, 6-10 Assessment BEP 15, BEP 20, BEP 25, BEP 30 Weekly Review Tests (approx. 50 minutes each) Reading and Listening - The week after they have completed a unit of work, students complete that unit s review tests in class in the scheduled class time or for homework. There are two separate tests - one for each student book. The results are recorded in Blackboard and the average of these test scores will make up 100% of the review test results for BEP 30, BEP 25, BEP 20 and BEP 15. End of level progress tests (approx. 90 minutes each) Reading and Listening - Students will complete an end of course progress test for both Reading and Listening for BEP 30, BEP 25, BEP 20 and BEP 15 in the last week of each course. The results are recorded in Blackboard and will make up 100% of the progress test results for that 5 week block. Speaking Overall speaking grade given after consultation between LS and RW teacher based on performance of in-class speaking tasks for each 5 week block. % of total mark for each macro- skill Tests are formative, but results are displayed in Blackboard 0% of total mark for Reading and Listening for BEP 30, BEP 25, BEP 20 and BEP % of total mark for each skill (Reading, Listening) for BEP25 and BEP % of total mark for speaking for each 5 week block. Writing - Timed writing grade given by RW Teacher for timed writing task at the end of BEP 30, BEP 25, BEP 20 and BEP % of writing grade for BEP 30, BEP 25, BEP 20 and BEP 15 4

5 3. BEP 15, BEP 20, BEP 25, BEP 30 Achievement Levels Students in BEP 15-BEP 30 receive an Achievement Level for the overall course as well as an Achievement Level for each of the four macro-skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). These are shown in Table 2 and 3. Table 2 BEP 15, BEP 20, BEP 25, BEP 30 Overall Course Achievement Levels Overall Course Achievement Satisfactory Achievement (SA) Limited Achievement (LA) Table 3 BEP 15, BEP 20, BEP 25, BEP 30 Achievement Level for each macro-skill (Speaking, Listening, Reading & Writing) Level of Achievement for Each Macro-skill Satisfactory Achievement (SA) Limited Achievement (LA) 5

6 4. BEP 10 Assessment There is assessment in reading, listening, writing and speaking. To meet minimum UQ entry requirements you must receive at least a C or higher in each skill and an overall grade of 4. For UQ courses that require higher entry requirements see Table 4 Assessment tasks for BEP 10. Weeks 1-10 Weeks 3/4 Weeks 10/11 BEP 10 Assessment Weekly Review Tests Focused on Reading, Listening, and Use of English Mock/Diagnostic Tests Writing 1 timed writing (300 words) Speaking Paired speaking test (15 minutes) End of course assessment Listening 2 tests on 2 different days (45 minutes each) + 1 Practice test (45 minutes) Reading 2 tests on 2 different days (1 hour each) + 1 Practice test (60 minutes) Writing 2 timed essays (300 words each) Speaking Paired speaking test (15 minutes) N.B. Paired speaking test will take place on first Monday after course is completed (week 11). % of total mark for each macro skill 0% - feedback on performance will be given. 0% - feedback on performance will be given. 100% for this macro skill 100% for this macro skill 100% for this macro skill 100% for this macro skill 5. Recording of BEP Speaking Tests Audio/video recordings will be made of some speaking tests. These recordings are used for teacher standardisation purposes and/or for the production of classroom teaching materials. All recordings remain the property of the ICTE-UQ and are for internal use for demonstration, moderation and academic review purposes. These recordings will not be made available publicly or made available to other students for distribution. 6

7 6. Results Certificates If requested, students are issued with a certificate(s) of achievement based on the test results of courses completed. Results Certificates show the course studied and an Achievement Grade for Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing as well as the Overall Grade. The certificate also shows the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) proficiency level for the course studied. 7. BEP 10 Grading Scales Students in BEP 10 receive an Overall Grade as well as an Achievement Grade for each of the four macro-skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Overall grades are shown in Table 5 and Achievement grades in Table 6. Table 5 BEP 10 Overall Course Grades Overall Grade Overall Percentage Overall Achievement 7: 95% High Distinction 6: 85 - < 95% Distinction 5: 75 - < 85% Credit 4: 65 - < 75% 3: 55 - < 65% Fail 2: 45 - < 55% Fail 1: < 45% Fail Meets minimum UQ entry requirement Table 6 BEP 10 Achievement Grades for each macro-skill (Speaking, Listening, Reading & Writing) Achievement Grade Percentage for each macro-skill Level of Achievement A+ 90% High Achievement A 80 - < 90% High Achievement B 70 - < 80% Satisfactory Achievement C 60 - < 70% Satisfactory Achievement D 50 - < 60% Low Achievement E < 50 Low Achievement 7

8 8. Pre-existing Medical Conditions Any student who has a pre-existing medical condition which may impact their ability to undertake the BEP program or to complete the BEP examinations must make the Academic Manager BEP & Assessment aware of their condition and provide appropriate, acceptable evidence of the condition during the first week of their BEP program. 9. BEP 10 Additional Examination Requests BEP 10 students may be eligible for alternative examination arrangements if they provide appropriate evidence of medical, or compassionate reasons, or other exceptional circumstances prior to the date of the exam. You must submit a BEP Enquiry Form (hardcopies can be obtained from ICTE-UQ Reception) with supporting evidence to request an additional examination. These requests must be made as early as possible and prior to the day that the exam is scheduled to take place. Where a student does not attend an exam on the scheduled date due to medical reasons, they may be eligible for an additional examination. You must provide a detailed medical certificate providing clear and detailed evidence showing why they were unable to attend the examination session on the test date/s. Medical Certificates should not be provided by a near relative of the student. ICTE-UQ reserves the right to check the authenticity of the medical certificate with the medical practitioner. Medical certificates which do not provide clear detailed explanation of medical reasons for non-attendance will not be considered. Where a student does not attend or is unable to complete an exam due to medical reasons, they may request an additional examination. They must inform the Academic Manager BEP & Assessment or exam invigilator immediately and then provide a medical certificate providing clear and detailed evidence of why they were unable to complete the examination on the test date/s. Medical Certificates should not be provided by a near relative of the student. ICTE-UQ reserves the right to check the authenticity of the medical certificate with the medical practitioner. Medical certificates which do not provide clear detailed explanation of medical reasons for non-completion of the exam will not be considered. The Academic Manager BEP & Assessment and/or the Director of Studies has delegated authority to approve or reject applications for special examinations on these grounds. Students will be notified of the outcome of their request by within five (5) working days of their submission. Where the outcome is favourable for a special examination, the student will be required to sit the test within two (2) weeks of the decision. Where a student is dissatisfied with the decision they have the right to take the matter further through the Institute's Complaints and Grievance Resolution process. 10. BEP 10 Assessment Remarking and Feedback To maintain exam security, no scores can be given for individual exam papers, nor any feedback given on a student s specific areas of strength or weakness in the exam. 8

9 11. BEP 10 Enquiry on Results BEP 10 assessment remarking is not available to ICTE-UQ students. Double marking is used as standard for all BEP assessments and all papers are carefully checked for accuracy. However, if a student believes that there has been a clerical error and that the mark awarded for a particular assessment item does not reflect his/her performance as measured against the assessment criteria s/he may submit an enquiry on results. Please note that an enquiry on results is not conducted simply because a student has not passed the course or because the student is not satisfied with the results that they have achieved. When completing the form the student should explain why the results should be checked. If the reason is considered valid, the student s assessment results will be checked for accuracy. Please note that this check is a clerical check, not a remark. If a student has a compelling reason why their results should be checked, they should complete a BEP Enquiry form and submit it to ICTE-UQ Reception desk, level 5, Sir Llew Edwards Building (Bldg 14) or the form to reception.icte@uq.edu.au An Enquiry on Results can only be conducted within ten (10) working days of the results release date. ICTE-UQ will a response within five (5) working days of receiving the request. 12. Non-Release of Past BEP 10 Examination Papers BEP 10 students will not have access to past examination question papers. 9

10 INFORMATION FOR TESOL MANAGEMENT 13. Academic Misconduct Definitions Definitions Definition of academic misconduct: 1. Academic misconduct is conduct on the part of a student that: a) includes cheating, collusion and plagiarism; and b) seeks to gain for himself or herself, or for any other person, any academic advantage or advancement through the improper use of information; Attempt to commit misconduct A student who attempts to commit misconduct is guilty of misconduct Definition of Cheating Cheating occurs when a student acts before, during or after an assessment or examination in such a way as to seek to gain unfair advantage or assist another student to do so and includes, but is not limited to: a) plagiarising the work of another person and presenting that work as if it is the student's own work, without appropriate acknowledgement b) colluding with other students on individual assessment items c) fabricating data or inventing references d) bringing unauthorised material into an examination without the permission of the supervisor or leaving the material with the examination supervisor immediately on entering an examination e) submitting the same work or recycling work without prior permission of the course coordinator f) violating rules governing administration of examinations g) violating any rules relating to academic conduct of a course or program. Instances of academic misconduct include: a) tampering, or attempting to tamper, with examination scripts, class work, grades or class records b) failing to abide by reasonable directions of a member of staff in relation to assessable work or any other direction by staff relating to assessment at ICTE-UQ c) acquiring, or attempting to acquire, possess, or distribute examination materials or information without approval d) impersonating another student, or arranging for anyone to impersonate a student, in an examination or other assessment task

11 INFORMATION FOR BEP STUDENTS e) altering or falsifying any document that the ICTE-UQ or the University requires of the student (e.g. medical certificate, English Language Proficiency Certificate or any other supporting documentation) for the purposes of gaining academic advantage Disciplinary Action Disciplinary action for misconduct will be taken in accordance with the following principles: a) Disciplinary procedures must be fair and just, and consistent with the requirements of procedural fairness b) Penalties imposed for misconduct must be appropriate and proportionate c) Decision-making on misconduct will be carried out by an academic misconduct committee made up of members of the TESOL Management Group in consultation with the Institute Director or representative d) The initial focus of decision-making is on whether there is evidence of misconduct, with judgments of intentionality being taken into account in determining any penalty that might be applied. e) Confidentiality must be respected and maintained by all parties within the constraints of the need to hear a misconduct allegation or fully investigate misconduct allegations Levels of misconduct Student misconduct is determined according to a system of three levels of misconduct a) Level 1 minimal b) Level 2 moderate c) Level 3 serious Penalties available for academic misconduct Penalties that may be imposed by the Academic Misconduct Committee are based on the level of academic misconduct as follows: Level 1 academic misconduct the Academic Misconduct Committee may impose one or more of the following penalties for level 1 academic misconduct: a) a written warning b) recording the incident on the student s academic record within the ICTE-UQ student information management system which may then be passed on to UQ c) a requirement for the student to resubmit or revise the assessment item in relation to which misconduct occurred by a specified date 11

12 INFORMATION FOR BEP STUDENTS Level 2 academic misconduct the Academic Misconduct Committee may impose one or more of the following penalties for level 2 academic misconduct: a) any level 1 penalty b) zero marks in relation to a specific component of a piece of assessment which is the subject of the academic misconduct c) zero marks for the piece of assessment in which misconduct occurred; or d) imposition of a limit on the grade the student may be awarded for the piece of assessment in which misconduct occurred Level 3 academic misconduct the Academic Misconduct Committee may impose one or more of the following penalties for level 3 academic misconduct: a) any level 1 or 2 penalty b) immediate cancellation of enrolment c) cancellation of enrolment and refusal to re-enrol at ICTE-UQ for a specified period Factors in determining relevant penalty Relevant factors for the Academic Misconduct Committee in determining an appropriate penalty for misconduct include: a) the nature and extent of misconduct b) the student s record c) whether the Academic Misconduct Committee believes the student did not intend to commit the misconduct d) in the case of plagiarism, whether the student should be deemed to have intended to engage in academic misconduct because: (i) the student was provided with a detailed and specific definition of what constitutes plagiarism and; (ii) the student signed a declaration in respect of the relevant piece of work that they read and understood the information on plagiarism, and the penalties that may be imposed where an academic offence is committed; and (iii) the student s act of plagiarism is clearly covered by the information on plagiarism which the student received; e) the nature and relative weighting of an assessment f) whether there is evidence of a deliberate and premeditated decision to engage in misconduct g) the impact of the conduct on other people; or h) whether there are any mitigating circumstances 12

13 INFORMATION FOR BEP STUDENTS 14. Procedures for Allegations of Academic Misconduct When an allegation of academic misconduct is received from a classroom teacher, examiner, test invigilator, student or other person the following procedures are to be followed: 1. All incidents should be reported as soon as possible to the Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment. 2. As soon as an allegation is received the Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment, he/she should meet with the person reporting the incident and record in writing the details of the incident. 3. If not already completed, the person reporting the incident should complete an incident report and submit it to the Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment. The incident report must contain the name of the person reporting the alleged misconduct, the date of the incident, the date the report was written, a brief description outlining the key details of the alleged misconduct and the name(s) and student number(s) of students involved. 4. The student(s) alleged to have been involved in academic misconduct shall receive an allegation notice once the details in incident report have been confirmed. The allegation notice will contain the following information as a minimum: a. A description of the alleged student misconduct and the circumstances in which the alleged misconduct occurred b. A statement inviting the student(s) to attend the hearing with a person other than a legally qualified person if they wish. c. The date, time and location of the hearing (this should be as soon as is practicable). d. A statement that the hearing may proceed in the student s absence if the student(s) does not attend the hearing. e. Reference to this policy f. Advice that the student(s) can request a copy of all substantive material on which an allegation is based. g. Advice that they may provide written statements in the event they cannot attend the hearing. h. If appropriate, it may also be advisable that Academic Manager BEP & Assessment encourage students to seek assistance from the Student Union or Student Services. 5. The Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment and at least one other member of TESOL management and/or the Manager Test Administration will be present at the hearing, and form the Academic Misconduct Committee who will make the decision on what penalties, if any, will be imposed at the end of the meeting. Minutes of the hearing will be taken by the additional TESOL manager/manager Test Administration. While there is discretion for the Academic Manager to conduct a hearing in any manner they see fit, a hearing will usually proceed as follows: 13

14 INFORMATION FOR BEP STUDENTS a. The student(s), and support person(s) if applicable, is welcomed into the hearing by the Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment and introduced to the other manager and other Board members if relevant. b. The Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment states the allegation under consideration and provides the student with an opportunity to inspect all substantive material evidence available (if the student has not already been provided with copies). c. The Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment asks for the student s plea or, if previously indicated, whether they would like to change the plea. d. The student(s) is provided with an opportunity to make verbal submissions and to provide any additional information for the Academic Manager BEP & Assessment s consideration. e. The Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment seeks to clarify any outstanding questions from the material provided. f. If appropriate, witnesses are invited to appear. The witnesses and student(s) should not interact with each other directly, but direct questions instead through the Academic Manager. The student(s) and his or her support person must be allowed to remain in the room while the witnesses give statements. g. Any additional points of clarification are made and the student(s) is provided further opportunity to submit any comments before the TESOL managers and/or Manager Test Administration deliberates the case. h. The Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment asks the student(s) whether there are any issues about the proceedings they would like recorded. i. Should the Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment determine that matters raised at the hearing warrant further investigation prior to making a decision, the hearing may be adjourned to facilitate that investigation, and subsequently reconvened at a later time. j. An adjourned hearing must be reconvened as soon as practicable and preferably not later than 10 working days after the original adjournment. 6.1a Role of Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment in hearing The Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment is responsible for: the general conduct of the hearing and for upholding order throughout the proceedings leading the discussions and ensuring that the student has sufficient opportunity to submit evidence, including verbal submissions considering all the material and independently determining a decision based on findings of facts established on sound reasoning and relevant evidence. 6.1b Role of additional TESOL manager/manager Test Administration in hearing The role of the additional TESOL manager/manager Test Administration in a hearing is to keep minutes of the discussions that take place. It is not expected that notes are verbatim but that the substantive discussion is captured sufficiently. The additional TESOL manager/manager Test Administration will provide advice to the decision-maker on matters of process and policy, and also has involvement in the decision making. 14

15 INFORMATION FOR BEP STUDENTS 6.1c Role of support person to student in hearing The role of the support person is to provide support to the student throughout the hearing process. In some circumstances, a student may request the support person represent them at a hearing by speaking on their behalf. This is not prohibited by policy and should be accepted particularly in situations, where the student believes their ability to adequately represent themselves is impaired in some way. It is important that the Academic Manager BEP & Assessment checks that the representative is not legally qualified. 6.1d Role of witness The role of the witness is to provide evidence as requested by the Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment. Witnesses may include course coordinators, other academic staff members or administrative staff, fellow students and librarians. The witness does not have a role in suggesting outcomes of the hearing and should be judicious in providing opinion. 6.1e Other persons In order to ensure an independent decision is made, the only people to be present for the full hearing and during deliberations are the Academic Manager: BEP & Assessment and the additional TESOL manager/manager Test Administration. 6. The outcome of the committee decision will be communicated to the Institute Director, the TESOL Director of Studies and the Manager Student Administration. 7. Notice of the committee decision will be communicated by to the student in a timely manner, and where possible prior to the date and time that the end-of-course BEP results are released. Notice of decision As soon as practicable after the Academic Misconduct Committee makes a decision, they must: a) inform the Institute Director, TESOL Director of Studies and Manager Student Administration of the decision reached b) give the student a written notice of the decision; and c) inform the student of any appeal rights and timeframes; and d) save a copy of the notice to the student s academic record The notice must state: a) the decision b) the misconduct level c) the reasons for the decision 15

16 INFORMATION FOR BEP STUDENTS d) the student s right to appeal and applicable timeframes; and e) that the outcome of the appeal may be: no change to original decision reduced severity and or level of penalty, or increased severity and or level of penalty Appeals A student may appeal a decision of the Academic Misconduct Committee as to: a) whether the student has committed misconduct; or b) the penalty imposed To appeal a decision the student must lodge an appeal application with the Manager Student Administration, Level 5 Reception, ICTE-UQ within 5 business days of being given notice of the decision. An appeal application must clearly state: a) the decision being appealed and the grounds for appeal; and b) grounds of appeal which must include one or more of the following: a. since the decision was made substantive new information that supports their case has become available; b. the process for making the decision was procedurally incorrect or unfair; c. the penalty imposed by the decision-maker was disproportionate to the level of alleged misconduct. A student must attach all relevant supporting appeal documentation at the time of lodging the appeal application. The Academic Misconduct Committee, comprising of the Manager Student Administration and a member of the TESOL Management Team must hear the appeal within 5 business days from the date the student gives notice of the appeal. An appeal will be heard by the relevant appeal body by way of new hearing and consider all disciplinary material at first instance. 16