Guide to policies and procedures

Students should refer to the University Academic Regulations website for a number of important policies and guidelines, which have been designed to inform you about what is expected of both students and staff of the University.

Enrolment

The Faculty urges students to adhere to the recommended enrolment patterns as detailed in the relevant sections. Completion of pre-requisite and/or co-requisite courses is mandatory unless approval has been granted by the Administration Co-ordinator (Student Support).

Maximum course load

The course load for on-campus students is four courses per semester. The normal load for external students is two courses per semester. However, students may vary this load, depending on individual circumstances, up to a maximum of four courses per semester in semester one and two and a maximum of three courses in semester three.

Study pattern adjustments

The Faculty's Senior Administration Officers (Student Support) reserve the right to amend, add or delete courses as deemed appropriate and in accordance with suggested study patterns, enrolment requirements, maximum course load or other reasons. Students will be notified of any changes to their enrolments that are initiated by the Faculty.

Important dates for drops/adds

Students are reminded to be aware of the important student dates of the University.

Single course enrolments

It is possible for students from other tertiary institutions to undertake single course enrolment as of cross-instititutional students. Approval from your home institution is usually required. Please contact Student Administrative and Academic Support, telephone +61 7 4631 2609 for further details.

Maximum duration of programs

Maximum duration applies to all programs offered by the Faculty (see individual program entries for details). Study should be completed within the maximum duration. Extensions may be granted in extenuating circumstances.

Credit/exemptions

Claims for exemptions for previous study need to be submitted prior to or at the time of enrolment in a program. Each claim will be assessed on individual merit in line with USQ, Faculty and relevant Professional Bodies exemption policies.

Examinations

Examination periods are conducted at the end of each teaching period and these dates are mailed to external students.

USQ Student Administrative and Academic Support (Examination/Graduations Section) is responsible for advising students of when and where they are to sit for deferred and supplementary examinations

Assignments

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure assessment items are submitted by the due date. External students may be requested to provide proof of submission date.  If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances then a penalty of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late up to a maximum of ten working days at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment.

Full-time on-campus students are to print tutorial based assignment cover sheets and submit their assignment inside the cover. An assignment submitted without the appropriate cover, shall be deemed `not received'. The 'late penalty' shall apply until the student re-submits the assignment in the appropriate form (external students are to use the assignment folders provided with their study material). Assignments submitted to an incorrect Faculty will be dated the day received in the correct Faculty. Closing time is 5pm on the due date. Assignments received after 5pm will be deemed received the next working day.

Students must keep a copy of their assignments. Computer hardware failure will not be accepted as a reason for not being able to produce a copy of an assignment.

If the University fails to provide access to the learning resources by the date specified in the calendar then the due date for the first assignment only shall normally be adjusted by the amount of the delay.

The University shall normally return marked assignments to students within three weeks of being sent to a marker.

No further assignments will be accepted for assessment purposes after marked assignments or model solutions have been released except in extenuating circumstances.

If students submit assignments after the due date and wish to claim extenuating circumstances then they shall provide validated documentary evidence with the assignment, explaining the circumstances.

The decision of the Dean shall be final on any dispute that may arise in the implementation of these guidelines.

Student enquiries/concerns/complaints about academic matters

Award of a grade

The Examiner, Moderator or delegate is responsible for responding to student enquiries concerning the calculation of their grade. This may be verbal or written or, where specifically requested by the student, a written report shall be provided which shall include at least:

• the rules by which grades are determined including the cut off for the course

• distribution of grades for the course

• the student's actual percentage mark.

Results for individual assessment items

Examiners are responsible for dealing with student enquiries (be they verbal or in writing) concerning official results for individual assessment items. If a student is unhappy with the Examiner's determination and advice with respect to a final grade, the student is entitled to recourse in accordance with procedures for lodging an appeal against the grade.

Complaints against content of study materials or teaching delivery of members of the course team

• The Examiner or delegate is responsible for responding to student enquiries in relation to complaints/concerns about contents of study materials or members of the course team. Such enquiries may be verbal or written and shall be made to the relevant Head of School (or Dean where the staff member involved is the Head of School) no later than 14 days after the official examination results have been released.

• The Head of School is to respond in writing to the student within 10 working days.

• Any documentation of the issue must be provided to the staff member concerned.

• The Head of School/School Administration Officer is to maintain a file of all correspondence relating to concerns/complaints.

• Students are able to provide anonymous input with respect to course content and teaching delivery as well as suggested improvements via the Student Evaluation of Teaching process.

Appeal against the award of a final grade

Time limit:

Any appeal against a final grade must be lodged within 20 working days of the posting of official results.

All appeals must be accompanied by the prescribed fee

Late appeals will not be accepted.

Process to follow:

The student:

1. receives notification of results and does not agree with the result

2. must contact the Examiner or Moderator of the course and request that the Examiner check that no administrative error has occurred in the addition or recording of the marks gained for the assessable components of the course or in recording the grade awarded

3. must discuss with the Examiner or Moderator of the course, the grounds upon which the student feels the grade awarded is incorrect.

The Examiner or Moderator must:

1. check arithmetic used in awarding the result

2. check that all marks and assessments that should have been used in awarding the grade have been used

3. check that all marks have been correctly recorded

4. consider the grounds upon which the student feels the grade awarded is incorrect

5. advise the student of the outcome of their investigations in writing. A copy is to be placed on the student's file.

Note:There is no onus on the Examiner to re-mark assessable material as part of this pre-appeal process.

If the student is still not satisfied a formal written appeal against the award of the final grade in a course may be lodged in accordance with Student Grievance and Appeal Procedures. Grounds for appeal are either:

1. that there has been a breach of University's regulations, procedures or assessment policy, or failure to adhere to the approved assessment procedures for that course, sufficient to cause disadvantage to the student

2. that the student has been unfairly treated in the process of assessment, or

3. that the student has been unfairly treated by persons involved in the conduct of the examination.

When the student writes a letter of appeal, they must outline the basis for the claim and must show that a reasonable effort has been made to resolve the dispute at the pre-appeal stage. The letter should be addressed to the Secretary, Faculty of Business Appeals Committee and the prescribed fee should be enclosed. Appeals will not be processed unless the fee has been paid.

Please note:

1. it is recommended that students seek advice from the Student Guild before proceeding to appeal

2. no appeals will be accepted after the relevant deadline for lodgement. Where a student cannot provide complete documentation by the deadline, they should lodge their appeal together with a written request for an extension of time to complete their documentation. The request will be considered by the Chair of the Faculty Appeals Committee, whose decision shall be final

3. an appeal cannot succeed unless the grounds for appeal are addressed. A request for a remark without addressing the grounds for appeal does not satisfy this requirement

4. the Faculty Appeals Committee will then hear the student's appeal. This Committee is made up of:

   • a senior academic staff member from another Faculty (Chair)

   • Dean of the Faculty or Dean's nominee

   • one academic staff member elected by the Faculty Assembly (or, in the absence of an elected staff member, an alternative should be appointed in accordance with the Faculty's rules)

   • one of the elected student members of Faculty Board

   • a person nominated by the Student Guild

5. once the student's appeal has been considered, the student will be notified by letter of the outcome. If the appeal is upheld the fee paid for the appeal will be refunded

6. if the student is not satisfied with the Faculty Appeals Committee's decision, they may apply for a review or appeal to the University Appeals Committee (within 20 days of receipt of the letter referred to in (5) above). A student may appear before the University Appeals Committee on his/her own behalf and/or be represented by a nominated representative who must not be a legal practitioner, such as a representative of the Student Guild. A staff member may appear before the University Appeals Committee either alone or accompanied for advice and/or note taking by another staff member. However, an appeal to the University Appeals Committee can only be made on the basis that procedures in the University Regulations for Appeals have not been followed by the Faculty Appeals Committee

Appeal against exclusion

The Chair of the Faculty Appeals Committee (or a delegated member of the Faculty) will, in consultation with appropriate Faculty staff, consider students' replies.

If the student's reply shows acceptable cause why he or she should not be excluded, then the student will be so informed and the decision will be circulated to the Appeals Committee for the Faculty noting.

If the student's reply does not show acceptable cause why he or she should not be excluded, the reply will then be referred to the Faculty Appeals Committee for further consideration.

The Dean, or their nominee, will inform students of the Faculty Appeals Committee's decision by Registered Post to the student's mailing address on the University's records and, if required, of the right to appeal to the University Appeals Committee on grounds of process and of the right to representation by the a nominated representative, who must not be a legal practitioner, such as a represenative of the Student Guild.

A student whose appeal has been rejected by the Faculty Appeals Committee will have 20 days from the date of receipt of the letter of notification to lodge an appeal in writing to the University Appeals Committee. Students who do not appeal within those 20 days will be excluded forthwith and will have no further right of appeal.

Rescheduling of examinations

A rescheduled examination is an examination that is offered to a student at a time different to that published in the official examination timetable, but within the official examination period. Normally, a rescheduled examination will be held after the published date of the examination. An application for a rescheduled examination must be submitted to the Faculty Assessment Manager and must address exceptional circumstances and provide supporting documentary evidence that will demonstrate severe hardship should the student sit the examination at the scheduled time. The application will be considered by the Dean or the Dean's nominee. Rescheduling of examinations is rarely approved.

Application for rescheduled examination must be submitted at least 28 days before the examination period begins. Where a late application is made, a rescheduled examination cannot normally be approved owing to administrative constraints. In these cases, the Dean or Dean's nominee has the discretion to approve a deferred examination.

Supplementary examinations

Faculty policy on supplementary examinations

A supplementary examination for a course is an examination awarded at the discretion of the Examiner of the course and is available only where a student has undertaken all the required assessments in a course but has not demonstrated satisfactory levels of achievement in all objectives considered essential for passing the course.

The award of a supplementary examination for a course is signified by a grade of either IS or ISM on the student's academic history or result certificate.

Students who have been awarded a supplementary examination, shall only be assigned a passing grade of `C' or a failing grade of `F' for the course in which the supplementary assessment was awarded.

Once official results have been issued, Examiners do not have discretion to award further supplementary examinations.

Supplementary examinations will be offered in the next semester examination period.

Students who do not sit a supplementary examination, for any reason, will be given a Fail grade for the course.

Deferral of examinations

Faculty policy on deferred examinations

A deferred examination for a course may be offered to a student on the basis they could not attend a scheduled examination for medical reasons, family/personal reasons, or employment related reasons. Deferred examinations must be recommended by the Faculty Assessment Manager and approved by the Examiner or Moderator or Dean's Nominee. The granting of a deferred examination for a course is signified by a grade of IDS on the student's academic history. A student offered a deferred examination is eligible for the full range of grades available for that course.

To apply for a deferred examination in a course offered by the Faculty, a student should submit a request to the Faculty Assessment Manager within 10 calendar days of the missed examination.

The application must:

1. clearly state the student's name, student number and current address

2. contain a request for a deferred examination in a specific course (alpha-numeric course identifier and name must be included)

3. contain medical and/or other supporting documentation:

   • USQ's Student Medical Certificate should be used and must cover the day(s) of the missed examination(s)

   • a student's medical condition must be stated clearly in ENGLISH. Certificates stating a student has a 'medical condition' will not normally be sufficient grounds for a deferred examination

   • unsupported student statements relating to family/personal issues will not normally be sufficient grounds for a deferred examination. Applications must be supported by a statement from a medical practitioner, counsellor or independent member of the community and must be stated clearly in ENGLISH

   • unsupported student statements relating to employment related reasons will not normally be sufficient grounds for a deferred examination. Applications must be supported by a statement from the student's employer and must be stated clearly in ENGLISH

   • only original or suitably endorsed documentation will be accepted

   • an application may be faxed to meet the deadline.

A deferred examination will not be offered to a student if:

1. the student will fail the course irrespective of the outcome of the examination

2. the student has not submitted a genuine attempt at all other mandatory assessment items.

If a student sits the examination whilst ill, then the student is unable to apply for a deferred examination. In the case of illness, a student should not attend the examination, but should obtain a medical certificate and apply for a deferred examination.

Unsuccessful applicants for a deferred examination will be notified in writing as soon as practicable.

Deferred examinations will be offered in the next semester's examination period.

Successful applicants will be issued an appropriate Academic History showing an IDS result for the course. Deferral of an existing deferred examination is not permitted and students who do not take an offered deferred examination for a course will be given a Fail grade for the course.

Cancel

Students considering cancelling their program of study should refer to the website below for further advice

http://www.usq.edu.au/studentservices/counselling/academicassist/dropping.htm

Exit from a program

There may be opportunities for students to exit their program with a lesser qualification if there personal circumstances change.

Leave of absence

Students may wish to undertake a leave of absence from their studies.

Reinstatement (after exclusion)

Students requesting reinstatement following a 12 month exclusion period may apply to the Director of Undergraduate Studies for reinstatement into their program. Readmission is not automatic and students will need to demonstrate that the factors which contributed to their exclusion are unlikely to affect future studies. Email such requests to: business.support@usq.edu.au