Assessment Procedures & Regulations

Aromatawai Mahinga | Assessment Procedures

The following describe the procedures and regulations for Programme at Unitec. Each Programme will determine its own specific requirements and these will be approved by NZQA. Therefore the procedures and regulations for assessment for each programme will be noted in specific Programme Regulations.

Ākoranga Aromatawai | Course Assessment

Courses employ both summative and formative assessment activities. All summative assessment elements are compulsory unless otherwise approved. Formative assessments do not contribute to the final grade for a given course. Students must attempt all compulsory assessment activities in order to pass and receive credit for any course. Students who do not attempt a compulsory item of assessment may be awarded a ‘Did Not Complete (DNC) grade’ for the whole course and may not earn any credits.

Aromatawai I Roto I Te Reo | Assessment in Te Reo

All students have the right to submit any summative assessment task in Te reo Māori. The process for submission of summative assessment work in Te reo Māori is governed by the Assessment in Te Reo Maori Procedure and detailed in the Student Handbook. Academic guidelines for assessors and for students submitting in Te Reo Māori support this Procedure.

Tāpaetanga Tōmuri | Submission and late submission of work

Each Programme established the specific conditions relating to submission and late submission of assessment work. Courses assessment elements may be excluded from late submission requirements only if required by a regulatory body or other approved circumstance.

The following are standard provisions for submission and late submission of assessment work:

The due dates for all summative assessment work will be notified at the commencement of each course.
Any assessment that is submitted late (and does not have a prior approved extension) will be penalised by a deduction of 10% per day of the student’s assignment mark, up to five (5) days, inclusive of <OR for Master’s the following applies:> Unless an extension has been granted by the relevant Academic Authority and except in exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the candidate, no late work will be accepted for marking.
Applications for extensions must be made according to a process specified in Student Information/Handbooks.
Any extension will be carried out within a specified time period as agreed with the relevant academic authority and no further extensions will be granted.
No assignment will be accepted five (5) days (inclusive of weekends) after the due date. If the assessment is not compulsory, the student will receive a ‘zero’ grade for that assignment. If the assignment is compulsory, then the student will receive a Did Not Complete (DNC) grade for the entire course.

There is no provision for late submission for Postgraduate Research Project or Thesis.

Whakamātautau Anō | Resubmission or Reassessment

Each Programme established the specific conditions relating to resubmission or reassessment of failed assessment work. If a resubmission or reassessment for a failed assessment is granted, a deferred grade (DEF) is entered as a placeholder with a defined date for the resubmission or reassessment to be completed. Course assessment elements may be excluded from resubmission or reassessment requirements only if required by a regulatory body or other approved circumstance.

A student may apply to undertake a resubmission or reassessment for a failed assessment element within 5 days of receiving their marked assessment if they have achieved a minimum fail grade as specified in programme regulations, for example: ‘which scored a ‘D’ grade’, or ‘between 45-49.9%’.

The following conditions apply (specified for each programme in regulations):
1. only one resubmission of each failed assessment event.
2. a maximum of # resubmissions for each failed assessment event.
3. only one reassessment or resubmission per course.
4. no more than #% of the course value of assessment may be submitted for re-assessment.
5. resubmission/reassessment is not available for <specify course(s) here>
6. resubmission/reassessment is not available for any controlled assessments (i.e. tests, and examinations).
Any approved resubmission or reassessment will be carried out within a specified time period as agreed with the relevant academic authority.
In all cases for resubmission, the original marked assignment will accompany resubmitted assignments. If resubmitted work is not accompanied by the original marked assignment, the resubmitted work will not be marked and the original grade will stand.
The maximum grade for any resubmission or reassessment of an assessment is the lowest pass grade.
Assignments that are handed in late are not eligible for resubmission or reassessment.

Additional requirements for Master’s Programmes

Any candidate who is required to re-submit or significantly revise a Master’s research thesis, dissertation, or research project must do so within three months from the date of notification of the result.
In exceptional circumstances, this period may be extended by the relevant Academic Authority.
If submission is not completed by the end of the period for which fees have been paid, the student must re-enrol and pay for 15 credits.

Āhuatanga Aromatawai Motuhake | Affected Performance Consideration

See Affected Performance Considerations (APC) for details.

Pāhi Rāhui | Restricted passes

The PAQC may award a Restricted Pass (R) if it is allowed in Programme Regulations. A restricted pass is usually awarded in a course that was narrowly failed and where the PAQC considers that marginal failure is compensated by good overall performance. The conditions that apply to a restricted pass shall be included in the relevant Programme Regulations.

A restricted pass is awarded at the discretion of the relevant academic authority and may not be applied for directly by a student.
The relevant academic authority may, at their discretion, use a restricted pass to:
1. set conditions for future performance in other courses, for example a minimum grade, or no further restricted passes, etc.
2. prevent a student from using a restricted pass to meet the prerequisite requirements of another course
A student may decline the award of a restricted pass by notifying the relevant academic authority in writing not later than 20 working days from notification of the

No restricted passes shall be awarded for courses in a Master’s degree.

Other programmes may be excluded from offering restricted pass only if required by a regulatory body or other approved circumstance.

Tuaruatanga | Repeating Courses

Students who are repeating a Level 1-8 course would normally be required to submit all assessment items. In some cases, with the prior approval of the relevant academic authority, students may not be required to repeat an equivalent assessment item that they had previously passed. This should be negotiated within the first two weeks of the commencement of the course and will specify any course grade that will be carried over.

There are no provisions for repeating a Level 9 Course.

Students may enrol and repeat a course that they have failed only once. Permission to enrol for a third time is governed by Exclusions provisions below.

Whakakorenga | Exclusions

No student will be allowed to enrol in any course more than twice unless there are exceptional circumstances approved by the relevant academic authority.

Any Student who fails to achieve at least 50 per cent of the credits that he or she is enrolled in in any 12-month period may be excluded by the relevant Academic Authority from re-enrolling in any further courses. The decision whether students can re-enrol in further courses will be based on a student’s likelihood of succeeding in further study and will be made by the relevant Head of School.
When calculating the 12-month period in a. above, Unitec reserves the right to include any relevant time spent by the Student studying at another tertiary institution.
A Student who has not achieved a Pass Grade:
1. <for undergraduate> in the same Course on two occasions shall not be enrolled again for that Course except with the permission of the relevant Academic Authority.
2. <for postgraduate> for a Course shall not be enrolled again for that Course except with the permission of the relevant Academic Authority.
The relevant Academic Authority will advise the Student in writing of their decision, and the reasons for such decision, and any orders made.

There are no provisions for enrolment in a Course more than three times.

Examination Regulations

If formal examinations are included in the programme, reference will be made to Examinations Regulations.

Tono Pīra | Appeals

Students can make an Academic Complaint if they have reasonable grounds for thinking that they have suffered an academic disadvantage. If the student is not happy with the outcome of a complaint, they may formally Appeal the decision. See Academic Complaints and Appeals for further details.