Special Considerations, Special Arrangements And Simple Extensions
Introduction
University policy
How to apply
See also
Introduction
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences assesses student requests for assistance relating to completion of assessment in accordance with the regulations set out in the University Assessment Policy 2011 and Assessment Procedures 2011. Students are expected to become familiar with the University’s policies and Faculty procedures relating to Special Consideration and Special Arrangements.
Students can apply for:
- Special Consideration - for serious illness or misadventure
- Special Arrangements - for essential community commitments
- Simple Extension – an extension of less than 5 working days for non-examination based assessment tasks on the grounds of illness or misadventure.
- Please note: Where an application for simple extension is declined, a student may be eligible to apply for Special Consideration but must supply supporting documentation.
University policy
Special Consideration is available to well-prepared students who experience a serious illness or misadventure which prevents them from attempting or completing a particular piece of assessment.
Special Consideration may not be appropriate for repeated short term illness which may indicate that a student's assessment may be better managed through other processes within the University. Students experiencing ongoing illness or misadventure, or recuperation from illness or bereavement that will seriously interfere with their capacity to study for a long period of time, are advised to contact the Student Support Officer or the Disability Services Office about other options, such as academic assistance, counselling, taking leave or setting up a Personal Academic Plan.
How to apply
All applications are made online, via our Online Special Consideration system. The only exceptions are units of study offered by the Music department, the Koori Centre or the United States Studies Centre. You will need to submit a paper based application form, available on the university Student administration page, when applying for special consideration in these cases.
Please note that;
- Informal or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Contact Student Services for advice if you are having difficulty obtaining supporting documentation and this is likely to cause a delay in applying.
- Students should not assume that applications for special consideration, special arrangements or simple extensions will be approved, or wait for the result of their applications before submitting work. Students should attend exams if at all possible, and submit all essays and assignments as soon as practicable. If a student does not attend an examination and their application for special consideration is not approved, they will receive a mark of zero for the assessment and, if the assessment was a compulsory task, an absent fail grade for the unit of study.
- Applications are assessed by the relevant Unit of Study Coordinator and the Chair of Department. Applications will only be approved if the following conditions are met;
- There is sufficient well attested evidence of serious illness or misadventure. Due to reasons of privacy, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is not able to contact doctors to seek further or better information. Students must complete the application in as much detail as possible so that the Panel has the maximum amount of information possible to allow it to make decisions. In line with the University Policy, information not supplied by the student with the original application will not be taken into consideration, unless the additional information is noted in the original application, but was not available at the time the application was submitted.
- All applications will be assessed balancing the nature, severity and type of illness or misadventure, the timing and duration of the illness or misadventure, the timing of the assessment and other relevant factors.
If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of an application for 'special consideration, special arrangement or simple extensions', or believes that due process was not followed, they may appeal against the decision following the appeal an academic decision process.