• Section 1 - Preamble
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Procedures
• Part A - Documents to be Provided to a Meeting of the Board of Assessors
• Part B - Responsibilities of the Chair, Board of Assessors
• Part C - Board of Assessorss' Procedures
• Before the Meeting
• During the Meeting
• After the Meeting
• Trimester and Asian Semester
• Semester

Section 1 - Preamble

(1) This Procedure replaces part of Appendix 1.40(e) of the Academic Policy (December 2010). The remaining information is contained in the Board of Assessors Meeting Plan Template.

Section 2 - Definitions

(2) For the purpose of this Procedure, refer to the Academic Board's Definitions Policy.

Section 3 - Procedures

(3) The quorum for a meeting of the Board of Assessors (the Board) will be six (6) consisting of the Chair, BoA, Director, Student Services or their nominee and four other members.

(4) Minutes of meetings will be kept. The meeting will formally resolve to accept, reject or amend grade submissions put to it by Unit Assessors. The Board of Assessors will also resolve on other matters relating to assessment.

(5) The Board of Assessors shall consider the grades recommended by the unit assessor for each student and shall determine the student's final grade in a unit:

1. As stated in Rules Relating to Awards Rule 3, clause (69), prior to approval of final grades, the Board of Assessors shall ensure quality in assessment practices in accordance with the Student Assessment Policy.
2. Prior to the moving of a motion to accept, amend or reject grade submissions, the Board of Assessors shall consider the extent to which:
   1. follow up from resolutions at the previous meeting have been dealt with;
   2. academically at risk students have been identified;
   3. students with language difficulties have been identified;
   4. assessment processes have followed the unit statement and the assessment criteria provided to students;
   5. appropriate moderation of assessment tasks marking and grading standards has taken place;
   6. the grades in a unit have been checked for accuracy;
   7. there were unforseen events in the assessment processes of a unit;
   8. the distribution of grades in a unit is within the Rules Relating to Awards and any Academic Board guidelines;
   9. benchmarking has taken place; and
   10. interim notations (incomplete and Not Available) from the previous Board of Assessors meeting been converted to a final grade.
3. The Head of School /Head of College is responsible for ensuring that monitoring of assessment tasks has taken place so as to establish that graduate attributes have been appropriately assessed in individual units in an award. A report will be made by the Head of School /Head of College to the School Board /College Board and the next Board of Assessors.
4. For all units taught in degrees and assessed in the English language:
   1. Individual unit assessors will identify students who were not able to communicate orally or in writing at a professional or scholarly level.
   2. The list of such students will be provided to the Chair, BoA prior to the meeting.
   3. The Board of Assessors may grant an interim notation of 'not available' instead of a passing grade where the Board of Assessors determines that the student is unable to communicate orally or in writing in the English language at a professional or scholarly level.
   4. Following the meeting the Chair, Board of Assessors shall provide a list of such students to the Head of School /Head of College for individual assessment and academic language assistance if required.
   5. The interim notation may be converted to a passing grade on the presentation of evidence to the Head of School /Head of College that the student has reached a satisfactory communication level. This will be reported to the next Board of Assessors.
5. Units with high attrition levels (as defined from time to time by Academic Board on advice from the Office of Planning, Quality and Review ) shall be identified and reported to the Head of School /Head of College.

Part A - Documents to be Provided to a Meeting of the Board of Assessors

(6) The following documents will be provided to the Chair, Board of Assessors who will distribute to the members of the Board of Assessors prior to the meeting.

Part B - Responsibilities of the Chair, Board of Assessors

(7) Distribution of all relevant documents prior to a meeting of the Board of Assessors.

(8) Liaison with Student Services, Unit Assessor and Head of School /Head of College as appropriate.

(9) Conduct of meetings of the Board of Assessors.

(10) Provision of list of academically at risk students and students with language difficulties to the Head of School /Head of College.

(11) Distribution of the Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Assessors to the relevant Head of School /Head of College, Executive Dean, Deputy Vice Chancellor and the Secretary, Executive Committee of Academic Board and Student Services.

(12) Any other follow up required after a meeting.

Part C - Board of Assessorss' Procedures

Before the Meeting

(13) The Chair, Academic Board or the Chair, School Board who is the Chair, Board of Assessors and the Secretary, Board of Assessors will:

1. where possible distribute all relevant documents prior to a meeting of the Board of Assessors including University or School/College policies relating to assessment, e.g. School/College Moderation Policy; and
2. liaise with Student Services and Unit Assessors as appropriate.

(14) Unit Assessors who are unable to attend the meeting are required to organise for a nominee to attend in their place, with the authority to make decisions regarding the finalisation of grades for the unit.

(15) Unit Assessors will have submitted grades to Student Services who will in turn provide:

1. Proposed final grades for students in a unit to the relevant Unit Assessor
2. Proposed final grades for students in an award to all Unit Assessors
3. Distribution of grades for units to all Unit Assessors
4. List of student academically at risk
5. List of attriting students - 'fail', 'withdraw', 'withdraw fail' and 'absent fail' to all unit assessors (The report will extract students with a GPA less than 4. It will list students by course, within School/College. It will order students from the lowest GPA to the highest and show all their grades for the particular study period)
6. List of students with high GPA (for Honours selection).

(16) Unit Assessors will compile the following as it relates to their units ready for tabling at the meeting:

1. List of students 'academically at risk' (based on 4 and 5 above and any other relevant information)
2. List of students with language difficulties
3. Details of benchmarking undertaken.

During the Meeting

(17) A list of attendees will be taken and included in the minutes for the meeting. All attendees (or nominees) to sign this sheet.

(18) The Chair, AB will ask the following questions in sequence and the Unit Assessors and, where relevant, Course Coordinators will answer them as they relate to their unit or course:

1. Confirm Minutes of previous meeting
2. Business arising
   1. What follow up occurred regarding students identified at that meeting as
      1. being at risk
      2. having language difficulties
3. identify academically at risk students
   1. has any action already taken place to assist these students
   2. table list
4. identify students with language difficulties
   1. action required or already taken. Chair to check whether there are any particular cohorts with language difficulties
   2. table list
5. Assessment
   1. List units in which the assessment processes did NOT follow the unit statement and the assessment criteria provided to students.
      1. reason why assessment differed
      2. Were students notified?
      3. when?
   2. List units where moderation of assessment items and of marking and grading did NOT take place in accordance with any relevant Academic Board Policy or, Faculty or School/College procedures.
      1. what moderation was used if policies were not followed?
   3. List units where grades have not been checked for accuracy
      1. reason why grades have not been checked
   4. Were there any unforeseen events in the assessment processes of a unit?
      1. what were the unforseen events? How were they solved?
      2. will these events affect the unit in the future?
      3. are other units affected? If so, which ones?
   5. Does the Board of Assessors wish to seek an explanation about grades from any Unit Assessor?
   6. For the units under review is there any evidence of equivalence of assessment standards with those common across other Australian universities in the discipline? Where is the evidence for this?
6. Have all interim notations (incomplete and Not Available) from the previous Board of Assessors meeting been converted to a final grade?
   1. reason why not converted

(19) Once the above discussion has taken place the following motion will be put by the Chair:

1. The Board of Assessors agrees to:
   1. accept the grade submissions - LIST,
   2. accept the grade submissions as amended - LIST, or
   3. reject, defer or seek further information on the following grade submissions - LIST

After the Meeting

Trimester and Asian Semester

(20) In accordance with the Student Retention Policy the Chair, Board of Assessors will refer items to relevant Head of School /Head of College for follow up with regard to academically at risk students and students with language difficulties.

(21) The Secretary, BoA on behalf of the Chair, Board of Assessors will distribute the Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Assessors to:

1. members of the Board of Assessors;
2. Student Services; and
3. relevant Head of School /Head of College.

(22) The Chair, Board of Assessors will organise or carry out any other required follow up.

Semester

(23) In accordance with the Student Retention Policy the Chair, Board of Assessors will refer items to relevant Course Coordinators for follow up with regard to academically at risk students and students with language difficulties.

(24) The Secretary, BoA on behalf of the Chair, Board of Assessors will distribute the Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Assessors to:

1. members of the Board of Assessors; and
2. Student Services.

(25) The Chair, Board of Assessors will organise or carry out any other required follow up.