Appeal against Academic Assessment At School Level
Appeal Against Academic Assessment at School LevelSubmission of Appeal Form 20. If after seeking informal feedback, including an arithmetical check, on a result issued by the University, a student believes they have reasons for appeal against the result, they must within twenty* University working days of the release of the formal result submit an appeal form to the head of the school concerned, with a copy to the faculty office concerned. * Students are strongly encouraged to lodge their appeal at the earliest possible date—preferably within twelve University working days of the release of the formal results—in order to enhance the possibility of the appeals process being finalised prior to the start of the next semester. Responsibilities of Head of School 21.(1) The head of school must consider whether the process of assessment used to arrive at the disputed result was satisfactory and whether there is reason to question the academic judgement which gave rise to the result. (2) If the head of school is satisfied that the process of assessment used to arrive at the disputed result was satisfactory, the appeal is not upheld. The head of school must inform the student in writing of this outcome and also advise the student of the next step in the appeals process (see Regulations 23-26). (3) If the head of school is not satisfied that the disputed result is fair in all the circumstances, then the head must ensure that appropriate action is taken as soon as possible to have the mark reviewed, or in exceptional circumstances, the work reassessed. Review by the original assessor (4) Where the head of school is not satisfied that the process of assessment used to arrive at the disputed result was satisfactory, the head must first consult with the original assessor to ascertain the reasons why the mark was awarded and to request a re-assessment of the work if appropriate. (5) The head of school must inform the student in writing of the outcome of this review, normally within 20 University working days of receipt of the appeal. (6) If the student and/or head of school is not satisfied with the outcome of the review by the original assessor, the student may request that the piece of work be referred, or the head of school may refer the piece of work, to an/other assessor(s) within or outside the University. Review by another assessor (7) If the head of school refers a piece of work to an/other assessor(s) within or outside the University for re-assessment, the head must provide the other assessor(s) with a copy of the piece of work from which the student's name has been deleted but which indicates the mark awarded and preserves any comments made by the original assessor. (8) The head of school must also— (a) where possible, provide to the other assessor(s), for the purposes of comparison, copies of the same piece of work completed by two or more other students from which the students' names have been deleted, but which indicate the marks awarded and preserve any comments made by the original assessor and, where possible, are sufficiently close to, but differentiated from, the appellant's mark as to provide a reasonable point of comparison; (b) ensure that the appellant's work is identified as such; (c) request the other assessor(s) to— (i) rank the pieces of work in order of relative merit; (ii) indicate whether the mark awarded to the appellant's work was reasonable; (d) ensure that the other assessor(s) are aware of the expected standard of work and criteria against which this should be judged; (e) provide an explanation from the original marker as to why the mark was awarded; and (f) provide a copy of the Appeal Form lodged by the student setting out the grounds on which the appeal is made. (9) It is the responsibility of the head of school to try to ensure that any external assessors used by the school have no connection with any of its staff or students, beyond professional acquaintance within the academic community, and to request the assessors, in submitting their assessment, to sign a statement confirming that position. (10) If it is not possible for the head of school to find an external assessor who does not have a connection with any of the staff and students of the school, beyond professional acquaintance within the academic community, the head must document the reasons for not being able to do so. (11) If after work has been reviewed, the head of school proposes to change a student's final result, the head must inform the dean in writing, giving a brief explanation of the way in which the work was reviewed and the reason for the recommended change. Any change in a Progress Status that arises from a change in mark must be made. The head of school must also inform the student in writing. (12) If after the work has been reviewed, the head of school determines that no change to the student's result is warranted, they will, if possible, inform the student in person, with a follow-up in writing, copied to the faculty office, giving a brief explanation of the way in which the work was reviewed. (13) If the student is not available to be advised in person, the head of school must inform the student in writing as required in sub-Regulation (12). (14) If the head of school has been involved in the assessment under appeal, they must request the dean to refer the appeal to another senior academic staff member of the school who will act in place of the head for the purposes of these Regulations. (15) If the head of school is the same person as the dean, they must nominate another senior academic staff member of the school to act in place of the head for the purposes of these Regulations. Responsibility of Dean 22. The dean will take whatever action is appropriate, within the limits of their delegated authority from the board of examiners or faculty, in relation to any change to a result arising from a head of school's recommendation, and must advise the student in writing of the action taken. |