These guidelines should be read in conjunction with the Policy on Determination of Systems and Consultation on Assessment.

1. Introduction

1.1 These guidelines are intended to develop a University-wide approach to participation and attendance in University assessment by Semester 1, 2006.

1.2 The subjective nature of such assessments and the inability to moderate or re-mark such processes in the case of, say, an appeal, means that guidelines about their use are necessary.

1.3 While much assessment within university study is of enduring student outputs, such as essays, lab reports, written examinations, and other material effects, the outcome that best assesses the objectives of a course is, on occasion, some kind of real time or unrepeatable process or performance. Such assessments include oral presentations, dramatic or musical performances, and the contributions that a student makes in class (often expressed through participation and/or attendance item of assessment). Clearly the University wishes to encourage student participation in all aspects of learning. It also needs, however, to have a more uniform approach to unrepeatable items of assessment.

1.4 These Guidelines apply to:

• undergraduate courses, and
• as far as they are consonant with professional accreditation or training requirements, to graduate courses.

1.5 They serve as a guide for practically oriented courses (eg clinical programs) where the provisions are less applicable.

2. Guidelines

2.1 No more than 10% of the marks in any course may be awarded on the basis of attendance alone.

2.2 No more than 10% of the marks in any course may be awarded for general class participation. Explicit criteria of assessment of this participation should be stated in the course and assessment guide and promulgated by course convenors/coordinators at the start of each course. Staff should record comments against these stated criteria for each student, when recording a mark for such participation.

[Note: the maximum mark that may be awarded on the basis of attendance and participation is 20%: 10% maximum for attendance and 10% maximum for participation.]

2.3 Where an item of assessment is presented in real time, or is otherwise non-reviewable, explicit criteria of assessment should be stated in the course and assessment guide and promulgated by course convenors/coordinators at the start of each course. Where the percentage of total course assessment devoted to such an item is considerable - for instance, above 30% -- consideration should be given to the use of more than one assessor or the (video) taping of the assessment, either on a uniform or a sampling basis.

2.4 The use of the term "participation" in current assessment schemes should be reviewed by course coordinators/convenors, and, where possible, expressed in terms of specific items of assessment which demonstrate skills that the course objectives are trying to elicit (for example, a written summary of pre-reading for the class, a specific form of individual or group class presentation, a reflective paper on class activity).

2.5Seminars will be run by CEDAM on the topic of assessment, including "Assessing Student Participation at ANU" and "Assessing Group Projects".