Requirements to Pass
In order to pass this unit a student must obtain a mark of 50 or more for the unit (i.e. obtain a passing grade P/CR/D/ HD).
For further details about grading, please refer to Schedule 1 of the Assessment Policy.
Students must also pass any hurdle assessments as stipulated in the Assessment Section of this Unit Guide.
Grading
Students will be awarded common result grades as specified in Schedule 1 of the Assessment Policy.
Students will receive criteria and standards for specific assessment tasks, which will be aligned with the grading descriptors given in Schedule 1.
The attainment (or otherwise) of learning outcomes for a unit of study will be reported by grade and mark which will correspond to the Schedule 1 and as outlined below.
Grade
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Mark Range
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Outcome
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Description
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HD
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High Distinction
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85-100
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Pass
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Provides consistent evidence of deep and critical understanding in relation to the learning outcomes. There is substantial originality, insight or creativity in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critical evaluation of problems, their solutions and their implications; creativity in application as appropriate to the course/program*.
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D
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Distinction
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75-84
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Pass
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Provides evidence of integration and evaluation of critical ideas, principles and theories, distinctive insight and ability in applying relevant skills and concepts in relation to learning outcomes. There is demonstration of frequent originality or creativity in defining and analysing issues or problems and providing solutions; and the use of means of communication appropriate to the course/program* and the audience.
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CR
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Credit
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65-74
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Pass
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Provides evidence of learning that goes beyond replication of content knowledge or skills relevant to the learning outcomes. There is demonstration of substantial understanding of fundamental concepts in the field of study and the ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; convincing argumentation with appropriate coherent justification; communication of ideas fluently and clearly in terms of the conventions of the course/program*.
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P
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Pass
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50-64
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Pass
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Provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the course/program*; routine argumentation with acceptable justification; communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the course/program*. The learning attainment is considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the specified outcomes.
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F
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Fail
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0-49
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Fail
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Does not provide evidence of attainment of learning outcomes. There is missing or partial or superficial or faulty understanding and application of the fundamental concepts in the field of study; missing, undeveloped, inappropriate or confusing argumentation; incomplete, confusing or lacking communication of ideas in ways that give little attention to the conventions of the course/program*.
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FA
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Fail
|
|
Did Not Attend
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The student has failed for non-submission of assessment task or non-attendance at a required assessment
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FH
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Fail
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49
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Failed
Hurdle
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Student has obtained a raw mark over 50, yet failed all available attempts of at least one hurdle assessment (as described within Schedule 2: Unit Assessment Requirements).
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*Note – In accordance with the Curriculum Architecture Policy, from 1 January 2020 ‘programs’ are known as ‘courses’. Other grades (FW, I, IS, UD, UJ, UL) may be allocated where the student has withdrawn after the Census Date, not submitted or completed one or more components of the assessment, has been awarded a supplementary assessment, has applied for special consideration, or because of an unresolved matter such as allegations of academic misconduct. These grades are outlined in Schedule 1 of the Assessment Policy.
Where to find information about assessment
General assessment information (including the number and nature of assessments, due dates and weightings) has been provided in this unit guide.
Specific assessment information including assignment instructions, questions, marking criteria and rubrics as well as examples of relevant and related assessment tasks and responses will be available in the Assessment section on iLearn. For units that have final examinations, students may access past final exam papers using MultiSearch.
Student Responsibilities
Students should note that they should engage with unit material outside of class hours. Below is a Table that provides an estimate of the out of class independent study hours required.
Face-to face class hours per week
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Independent study hours per week
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6 hours
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16 hours
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8 hours
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14. 5 hours
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10 hours
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13 hours
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12 hours
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11 hours
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14 hours
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9 hours
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16 hours
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8 hours
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These hours should be devoted to studying, researching and preparing for assessment tasks.
As per the Assessment Policy, students are responsible for their learning and are expected to:
- actively engage with assessment tasks, including carefully reading the guidance provided, understanding criteria, spending sufficient time on the task and submitting work on time;
- read, reflect and act on feedback provided;
- actively engage in activities designed to develop assessment literacy, including taking the initiative where appropriate (e.g. seeking clarification or advice, negotiating learning contracts, developing grading criteria and rubrics);
- provide constructive feedback on assessment processes and tasks through student feedback mechanisms (e.g. student surveys, suggestions for future offerings, student representation on committees);
- ensure that their work is their own; and
- be familiar with University policy and College procedures and act in accordance with those policy and procedures. *This includes ensuring you have a thorough understanding of the rules and expectations for open book examinations.
Submission of Assessment Tasks
Assessments must be submitted in accordance with instructions provided in this Unit Guide and iLearn. Assessment tasks will not be marked unless they are submitted as required. Any tasks that are not submitted as required will be considered a non-submission and zero marks will be awarded for the task.
Late Submissions and Penalties (applicable to non-time limited assessment tasks)
Late submissions are possible but they will be penalised unless the student has been granted an approved extension (refer to the Special Consideration Policy). Late penalties will be calculated based on the marks allocated to the specific assessment task. The penalty for late submission is as follows:
- 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted if it is late by up to 30 minutes
- 10% of the total possible marks will be deducted if it is more than 30 minutes late and up to 24 hours late
- A further 10% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each 24-hour period up to 3 days (including weekends)
- 100% of the marks will be deducted after 3 days and zero marks will be awarded
Please note that online submissions are electronically tracked, and the electronic record of submission will be used to determine late penalties. This means that submitting your work even a few seconds after the allocated deadline will result in a late submission which will attract the penalty noted above. There is no flexibility with the applying of penalties as they must be applied fairly and consistently to all students. It is your responsibility to allow sufficient time for submission of your work and any uploading of documents so try to avoid submitting your work just prior to the deadline.
The above late submission penalties do not apply to time-limited assessment tasks. A time-limited assessment task must be submitted by its deadline. Any time-limited task that is not submitted as required will be considered a non-submission and zero marks will be awarded for the task.
Examples:
If the assessment task is due on a Friday at 5.00pm
Submission day/time
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Deduction penalty
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Before/at 5pm Friday
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0%
|
After 5pm to 5.30pm Friday
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5%
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After 5.30pm Fri to 5.00pm Saturday
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10%
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After 5.00pm Sat to 5.00pm Sunday
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20%
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After 5.00pm Sun to 5.00pm Monday
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30%
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After 5.00pm Monday
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100%
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If the assessment task is due on a Wednesday at 11.55pm
Submission day/time
|
Deduction penalty
|
Before/at 11.55pm Wednesday
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0%
|
After 11.55pm to 12.25 am Thursday
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5%
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After 12.25am Thurs to 11.55pm Thursday
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10%
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After 11.55pm Thurs to 11.55pm Friday
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20%
|
After 11.55pm Fri to 11.55pm Saturday
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30%
|
After 11.55pm Saturday
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100%
|
Please see “In class assessment” section for further information on assessments that take place during class time.
Extensions (applicable to non-time limited assessment tasks)
Extensions will only be granted as a result of a successful application for Special Consideration. To apply for an extension of time for submission of an assessment item, students must submit their application for Special Consideration via ask.mq.edu.au.
An approved extension will not incur late penalties. However, where a student has been granted an extension and submits late (i.e. after the stipulated due date following extension), late penalties will be applied as per the new due date. See the section “Late submission and penalties” above.
Resubmissions (applicable to non-time limited assessment tasks)
Students are responsible for ensuring that they make correct submissions (uploaded the correct document in the required format to the correct submission link). Following an initial submission, students may resubmit their work up to 3 days after the due date if, for example, they have submitted the incorrect document or forgotten to include information. In order to resubmit your work, you will need to contact your teacher via email and attach a copy of your submission. If you make a resubmission after the due date, your submission will be counted as late and penalties will apply. See the “Late submissions and penalties” section. After the third day, a record of submission will be made, and feedback will be provided on the new content, but the student will receive zero marks for the assessment task.
Retention of Originals
It is the responsibility of the student to retain a copy of any work submitted. Students must produce these documents upon request. Copies should be retained until the end of the grade appeal period each term.
In the event that a student is asked to produce another copy of work submitted and is unable to do so, they may be awarded zero (0) for that particular assessment task.
Requests for original documentation will be sent to the student email address. Students must retain all original documentation for a six (6) month period and must supply original documents to the University within ten (10) working days of such a request being made.
In-Class Assessments (time-limited assessments)
Assessments could be scheduled during live-streamed lessons and students may be asked to switch on their webcams and microphones and produce their Student ID Card if required. Students may be refused the opportunity to take an in-class assessment task if unable to do so. When an assessment is to be held or submitted during a scheduled lesson, students must be ready to submit, present or sit the assessment task at the start of the lesson; however, not all assessments may commence at the beginning of a lesson. No additional time or adjustment will be made for late arriving students or students not ready to submit an assessment at the start of the lesson, and late penalties will apply. Any time-limited task that is not submitted as required will be considered a non-submission and zero marks will be awarded for the task.
For example, if a one-hour test or quiz is due to take place in a 2-hour lesson, the test or quiz may start at any time in the first hour or at the start of the second hour, so students must be ready to take the test at the beginning of the lesson. No additional time will be given or adjustment made for students who arrive late. While they may still be permitted to take the test, depending on the task, the student will have only the remaining time to complete the task. Similarly, when an assessment task is due in a given lesson, late penalties may apply to a student who submits the task at the end of the lesson, depending on submission instructions for the task.
Revision Sessions
When relevant, a revision session may be scheduled prior to the final examination. Revision sessions will usually be scheduled on Monday and/or Tuesday of Week 7. Details of the revision session will be provided in the teaching schedule section of the unit guide and reminders may be posted in iLearn. When revision sessions are available, students are strongly encouraged to attend.
Final Examinations
The final examination period is Week 7. Students must be available to take exams and submit assessments on any day of this week.
*Note that when you click the link to open an examination, you are confirming that you are FIT TO SIT the examination. If you are unwell and considering submitting an appeal for special consideration due to illness, you must not open an examination.
For unit specific details please refer to the Assessment section of this unit guide.
Final Examination Timetable
The University will publish the Final Examination Timetable at least 4 weeks before the commencement of the final examination period and students will be able to access their final examination schedule in Week 3 of the Term/Session.
Final Examination Requirements
Schedule 4 of the Assessment Policy explains what students are responsible for:
- checking the final examination timetable;
- commencing the examination on time, knowing the structure and format of the examination;
- adhering to the final examination timetable; and
- ensuring they are available for the full duration of the final examination period and supplementary examination period.
Details of the structure and format of the final examination will be made available to students via iLearn prior to the start of the final examination period. These details will include:
- a copy of the examination coversheet, giving the conditions under which the examination will be held
- information on the types of questions the examination will contain, and
- an indication of the unit content the paper may examine.
Students must follow directions given by the College.
Students may be required to present their Macquarie University Campus Card as photographic proof of identity for the duration of the final examination and may be refused the opportunity to take a final examination if unable to show their student ID card.
Students are not permitted to:
- Obtain, or attempt to obtain, assistance in undertaking or completing the final examination script.
- Receive, or attempt to receive, assistance in undertaking or completing the final examination script (unless an application for reasonable adjustment has been approved).
- Communicate in any way with another student once they have entered the final examination venue.
Missed assessments and examinations
The Special Consideration Policy establishes the principles that support students seeking to notify the University when they experience short-term, unexpected, serious and unavoidable circumstances, which affect their performance in assessment. This Policy applies only to short-term, serious and unavoidable circumstances that arise after a study period has commenced, and where specific assessment task/s have been affected. Students with a pre-existing disability/health condition or prolonged adverse circumstances are advised to seek support from Campus Wellbeing and should also refer to the Student Disability Support Policy.
In order to support students who have experienced serious and unavoidable circumstances, the University will attempt to provide affected students with one (1) additional opportunity to demonstrate that they have met the learning outcomes of a unit or units. An additional opportunity provided under such circumstances is referred to as Special Consideration, and may be granted after careful evaluation of the supporting evidence.
Students are expected to plan their work so that they can meet assessment deadlines at the same time as other obligations which they may have, both inside and outside the University. Special Consideration will not be granted when students are unable to complete an assessment task due to planned or foreseeable absence (e.g. holidays, recreational activities or normal work commitments or changes).
All applications for Special Consideration must be substantiated by original, independent documentary evidence in the format and by the deadline prescribed in the Procedure.
Please refer to the Special Consideration Policy section under Policies and Procedures below.
Supplementary Tests, Supplementary Examinations
When a student has been granted a supplementary test or examination as a result of an application for Special Consideration, they will be advised of the time, date and location for the supplementary task.
Supplementary interim assessments (i.e. assessments held during the term) will be held throughout the term and students who have been granted an opportunity to sit a supplementary exam will be informed of times and dates via ask.mq.edu.au.
The supplementary final examination period for formal, end-of-term examinations will be the fortnight following Week 7. Students who have requested special consideration for a final examination must be available to undertake examinations during the supplementary examination period.
No more than one (1) supplementary assessment will be offered to a student in each affected unit, so it is essential that students make themselves available for alternative assessment activities. Please refer to the Special Consideration Policy for further details.
Results for supplementary final examinations may not be available for up to two weeks following the supplementary examination. Students in their final term of study who undertake supplementary final exams and students who apply for special consideration for a unit which is a prerequisite to another unit in their program should note that formal completion of their Program will not be possible until supplementary results are released, and this may impact on their ability to enrol in subsequent programs of study on time.
Second Attempts at Hurdle Assessments
In cases where students have made a serious first attempt at a hurdle requirement but failed to meet it, they will be given one further opportunity to meet the hurdle requirement if their performance in the unit is otherwise satisfactory.
When a student is eligible for a second attempt at a hurdle assessment, this will typically be scheduled during the supplementary interim/final examination periods unless stipulated otherwise in the assessment section of the unit guide. Students who are awarded second attempts at hurdles will be notified via email so please ensure you are checking your student email regularly.
Any second attempt at a hurdle assessment will be marked on a pass/fail basis. This means the mark for the second attempt at the hurdle will be capped at the designated hurdle pass mark. For example:
A hurdle task is a multiple-choice quiz marked out of 50 marks with a pass of 50% for the hurdle (25/50) and a serious attempt is defined as 40-49% (20-24.5 marks).
In their first attempt, a student gets 45% in the quiz (22.5/50). The student will be granted a second attempt as they made a serious first attempt. If in the second attempt, the student scores 75% (37.5/50), the final mark that the student would receive for the hurdle assessment would be 50% for quiz (25/50) as this is the hurdle pass mark.
Accessing your Results
Students will be able to view their results for internal assessments via the Grades section in iLearn.
Marks for all assessment tasks will be released to students once marking has concluded.
Final results for the unit will be released at 00:01 on Thursday of Vacation Week. Students will be able to view their final result for the unit via eStudent.
Calculating your WAM
WAM (Weighted Average Mark) is the average of the actual marks students achieved in all units of their course and is a mark out of 100.Please refer to the WAM Estimator.
Obtaining Feedback
Teaching staff will provide students with feedback about their academic progress and performance in assessment tasks or a unit of study. When relevant, other staff such as Senior Teachers, Program Managers and members of the Student Administration and Services Team will provide feedback and advice to students about their performance in a program of study. Feedback may be provided to individual students, a group of students or a whole class and it may be written or verbal in nature.
Some examples of feedback include:
- Teaching staff member reviewing a draft submission and giving a student advice on how to improve their work before making a final submission
- Teaching staff member telling a class that they need to improve their editing of grammar in their recently submitted assignment
- Teaching staff member discussing progress of an individual student before census date to allow the student to decide whether they should remain enrolled in the unit
- Online feedback via announcements or forums, an online marking rubric or various iLearn activities employed in a unit. Please note that feedback on written assessments is usually provided via Feedback Studio in iLearn
- Written marks and comments on a marking sheet or essay
- Recorded voice comment in iLearn provided in response to an essay submitted online
- A student receiving advice that they should consider withdrawing from a unit because they have missed too many classes / too much work to be able to catch up or for other reasons
It is a student’s responsibility to:
- attend sessions, be present and actively engaged during times when feedback is provided in scheduled class times
- organise an alternative time with the teacher so that they can receive their feedback if absent from an in-class feedback session due to unavoidable circumstances
- ensure that they have received sufficient feedback prior to their next assessment task and/or final assessment in the unit
- act promptly on feedback provided (e.g. incorporate advice provided into their work and study habits)
If you are unsure how or when feedback has been or will be provided, or you feel that feedback provided is not sufficient, you must approach relevant teaching or administrative staff and request additional feedback in a timely manner during the term and prior to any subsequent assessment task or the final assessment task for the unit. Claims that not enough feedback has been provided are not grounds for a grade appeal, especially when a student has not made any effort to approach staff about obtaining additional feedback in a timely manner. Students may seek general feedback about performance in a unit up to 6 months following results release.
If you have any problems contacting your teacher, you must seek help from a member of the Student Administration and Services team.
Contacting Teaching Staff to Obtain Help
Students may contact teaching staff at any time during the term by using the contact details provided in this Guide. Students should expect a response within 1-2 business days. Teaching staff are unable to accept assessment submissions via email; all assessments must be submitted as outlined in the Unit Guide.
For all University-related correspondence, students must use their official Macquarie University student email account, which may be accessed via the Macquarie University Student Portal. Enquiries from personal email accounts will not be attended to.
Academic Integrity
All members of the University community must abide by the principles of academic integrity as per the Academic Integrity Policy. The fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that:
- all academic work claimed as original must be the work of the person making the claim;
- all academic collaborations of any kind must be acknowledged;
- academic work must not be falsified in any way; and
- when the ideas of others are used, these ideas must be acknowledged appropriately.
All breaches of the Academic Integrity Policy are serious and penalties apply. Students should be aware that they may lose marks, fail an assessment task, fail a unit or even be excluded from the University for breaching the Academic Integrity Policy.
Unacceptable activities include, but are not limited to, the following academic (including learning and teaching and research) activities:
- Cheating: is any attempt to dishonestly give or obtain assistance from another person, material, or device in an academic task.
- Contract-cheating: is having another person or entity conceive, research or write material for an assignment and submitting the work as one’s own, irrespective of whether the other person or entity was paid for the material.
- Collusion: is unauthorised collaboration in producing an academic exercise that is designated as an individual task.
- Deception: is providing false or misleading information to the University.
- Fabrication: is to forge or falsify any information or citation in an academic task or report false or misleading results or conclusions of any research.
- Impersonation: is pretending or assuming another person’s identity or using a substitute person for the purposes of providing an advantage.
- Obstruction: is intentionally impeding or interfering with another person’s academic activity.
- Plagiarism: is adopting or reproducing the work or ideas of another person, whether intentionally or not, and presenting this as one’s own without clearly acknowledging the source of the work or ideas.
- Sabotage: is acting to prevent or hinder another person from completing an academic exercise to the best of their abilities including by making information or material unavailable to others or disrupting or interfering with an academic task, experiments, research or other academic activity of any other person.
- Self-plagiarism: is unacknowledged use of material you have previously published or submitted.
Penalties for Plagiarism and Collusion
The University may commence applicable disciplinary procedures if a person breaches the Academic Integrity Policy.
If your work is found to be similar to another source and considered to include instances of plagiarism or collusion, you will be penalised.
Plagiarism is taking someone else's work or ideas and presenting them as your own, that is, without acknowledging where they came from originally.
For example, if you were awarded 52/100 marks for an essay, which contained 30% similarity (i.e. 30% of the work was identified to be copied from another source), the 30% of the 100 marks allocated to the task (i.e. 30 marks) could be deducted as a penalty. The final score you would receive would be 22/100 marks.
Penalty calculations may vary by unit.
Collusion takes place when a student copies work or ideas from another student with or without this student’s consent to complete a task that is supposed to be done individually. Please note that all students are penalised in collusion cases, regardless of who produced the original work.
For example, if a friend asks for your assistance and you provide them with a copy of your work, you will receive exactly the same penalty as they do for the act of collusion.
Turnitin
To uphold principles of Academic Integrity, Macquarie University uses online anti-plagiarism software called Turnitin. Turnitin compares electronically submitted papers to a database of academic publications, internet sources and other student papers that have been submitted to the system to identify matching text. It then produces an Originality Report which identifies text taken from other sources and generates a similarity percentage.
All text-based assessments must be submitted through Turnitin on iLearn as per instructions provided in the Unit Guide. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that work is submitted correctly prior to the due date. This includes verifying that correct files have been submitted as no special consideration will be given to students who have uploaded incorrect documents. No hard copies of assessments will be accepted and only Turnitin records will be taken as records of submission.
Multiple submissions may be possible via Turnitin on iLearn prior to the final due date and time of an assessment task and originality reports may be made available to students to view and check their levels of similarity prior to making a final submission. Students are encouraged to use these reports to ensure that they do not breach the Academic Integrity Policy through high levels of similarity (plagiarism).
Students should note that the report on the initial submission will be immediate but on a second or subsequent submission it will take at least 24-36 hours for the similarity report to be generated. This may be after the due date, so students should plan any resubmissions carefully. If you have not planned your submission time carefully and note high levels of similarity in your work after the due date, you can still resubmit your work (if it is not a time-limited assessment); however, a late penalty will apply. For instructions on how to resubmit your work, please see the “Resubmissions after the due date” section in this Unit Guide.
Teaching staff will use the originality report to judge whether plagiarism has occurred and whether penalties should apply for breaches of the Academic Integrity Policy. Any similar text identified by Turnitin on iLearn will be considered carefully to see if it is indeed a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.
There is no set percentage which indicates whether plagiarism has occurred; all identified matching text should be reconsidered carefully. If plagiarism has occurred or is suspected and resubmission is possible prior to the due date, students are advised to edit their work before making a final submission. Help may be sought from teaching staff and students may also access Assignment and Study Support provided by the library or Learning Skills.
Please refer to these instructions on how to submit your assignment through Turnitin on iLearn and to access similarity reports and feedback provided by teaching staff.
Should you have questions about Turnitin on iLearn or experience issues submitting through the system, you must inform your teacher immediately. If the issue is technical in nature, you may also lodge a OneHelp Ticket; please refer to the IT help page.
Submission of Drafts through Turnitin.
In some instances, students may be required to submit drafts of written work via Turnitin in iLearn prior to the due date of the assessment task so that they can receive feedback prior to making a final submission. If the student does not make a final submission prior to the due date, their draft will be counted as the final submission or late penalties will be applied.
Missed Assessment: Please refer to the missed assessment section above.
Late Submissions: Please refer to the late submission section above.