Assessment and student policies

• Plagiarism
• Results
• Examinations
• Conceded Passes

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious act of academic misconduct. The University adheres strictly to the following policy:

1. Plagiarism is expressly forbidden under the University’s Rules for Examinations and Other Forms of Assessment (based on existing Statute Chapter 17). The full text of the Statute is at: www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/241

The Statute states that:

No candidate shall submit for assessment whether by examination or otherwise, any piece of work which is not entirely the candidate’s own except where either:

a) use of the words or ideas of others is appropriate and duly acknowledged, or
b) the examiner has given prior permission for joint or collaborative work to be submitted.

No student shall assist any candidate in an examination or other piece of assessed individual work, and no candidate shall accept assistance in such an examination or other piece of assessed individual work, except in accordance with approved study and assessment schemes.

2. Plagiarism consists of a person using the words or ideas of another as if they were his or her own. The University regards plagiarism as a very serious offence. At the very least it is a misuse of academic conventions. Where it is deliberate and systematic, plagiarism is cheating and false pretences. It is the obligation of every member of the University to understand and respect the rules concerning plagiarism. The excuse of ignorance will not be accepted.

3. Plagiarism can take several forms:

i) presenting substantial extracts from books, articles, theses, and other published or unpublished works such as working papers, seminar and conference papers, internal reports, computer software, lecture notes or tapes, and other students’ work, without clearly indicating their origin with quotation marks and references such as footnotes;
ii) using very close paraphrasing of sentences or whole paragraphs without due acknowledgement in the form of reference to the original work;
iii) quoting directly from a source and failing to insert quotation marks around the quoted passages. In such cases, it is not adequate to merely acknowledge the source.

NOTE: Be careful when taking notes in lectures or tutorials/seminars, because plagiarism may arise inadvertently. Make sure that quotations and paraphrasing are clearly marked in your notes, so that you do not later mistake the work of another for your own, and so that you can provide full details of the source of the work in your final draft.

4. Related forms of cheating that will be treated in the same way as direct plagiarism include:

i) submitting under your own name an essay or assignment written by somebody else on your behalf;
ii) submitting another student’s work whether or not it has been previously submitted by that student;
iii) two students separately submitting the same piece of work upon which they have illicitly collaborated.

NOTE: You can work together on projects and assignments. However, the work of each student that is submitted for assessment must be the work of that student alone, except for material that is acknowledged as being derived from another – even another student. It is perfectly legitimate to study together and discuss your assignment with others – but ensure that the work you submit is your own. Do your writing independently. When in doubt, consult your lecturer and if appropriate, get written permission to worktogether on projects or assignments.

iv) a student submitting a piece of his or her own work for two (or more) different courses.
If a student admits, or is found to have committed, conduct in breach of any of these clauses which prejudices the interests of other candidates in an examination or the integrity of an assessment scheme itself, the Head of the School shall refer the matter to the Board of Conduct, which may impose any penalty authorised under Chapter 17 or in Chapter 12 of the Statutes.

Penalties

The penalties for plagiarism are designed both to impose sanctions on offenders that reflect the seriousness of the offence, and to deter other students from contemplating or committing plagiarism. As such, the penalties are necessarily severe.

This resource provided by the Centre for Learning and Professional Development (CLPD) may assist with avoiding plagiarism:

• http://www.adelaide.edu.au/clpd/plagiarism/

Results

Students may access their results through the University website, Access Adelaide After logging in, select “Students” and then “Academic Results”.

Students will be notified by email when the course results are available.

Examinations

Examination Timetables

Examination timetables are posted on the University Website: www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/timetable.html Students can also access their individual timetables via Access Adelaide. Information concerning examination dates or times will not be given over the telephone or otherwise by academic or administrative staff.

Primary examinations are held in June/July and November each year and supplementary examinations are held in July and December respectively:

Applying for Supplementary Exams

Supplementary examinations may be granted on the following grounds:

• academic
• medical
• compassionate or
• ‘final semester’

The supplementary lodgement policy is outlined below.

Each lecturer should announce the supplementary examination policy at the commencement of each course. Written information about assessment and grading will be provided at the commencement of each course.

A supplementary examination will not be awarded to a student who misses an examination, or arrives late for an examination, as a result of misreading the examination timetable.

On Academic Grounds

Students achieving a mark of 45 to 49 will automatically be granted a supplementary examination on academic grounds. The student’s result will be based 100% on this exam and cannot be higher than ‘50 Pass’.

On Medical Grounds

Where a student is prevented by illness or injury from attending an examination and/or where a student believes that an illness or injury has significantly impaired his or her preparation for or performance at an examination, an application for supplementary examination on medical grounds will be considered if it is submitted within seven (7) days of the occurrence of the problem.

On Compassionate Grounds

Where a student is prevented by circumstances beyond his or her control from attending an examination or believes that such circumstances significantly affected him or her before or during the examination, an application for a supplementary examination on compassionate grounds will be considered if it is submitted within seven (7) days of the occurrence of the problem.

Final Semester Grounds

If a B.Com or B.BIT student fails a course in their final semester of study, they may apply for a “Final Semester” supplementary examination in that course. If the course is the last course required to complete the student’s degree, the supplementary examination will be granted. If the course is not the last course required for their degree, the supplementary examination may be granted at the discretion of the Head of Commerce. An example where the supplementary examination might be approved is when the course is the last course required to complete one of the Commerce pathways.

A student cannot be granted more than one “Final Semester” supplementary examination.

The student’s final result from a “Final Semester” supplementary examination will be based 100% on this exam and cannot be higher than ‘50 Pass’.

Students seeking a “Final Semester” supplementary examination should apply for a supplementary exam as soon as possible.  On the applications students should circle Compassionate and note "Final Semester" in the details section.

Supplementary Lodgement Policy

Application forms and Guidelines and Procedures for Medical and Compassionate supplementary examinations are available from the Commerce Office, or can be downloaded from the Web at: www.adelaide.edu.au/studentadmin/exams.htm

Further information may be obtained from the Education Office.

Conceded Passes

Please note from 2007 a result of 45-49 will be displayed as a Conceded Pass on a student’s transcript. You must check the program rules regarding Conceded Passes for all programs in which you are currently enrolled.

Further information about conceded passes is available in the Academic Program rules.