Policy Title –Policy on Examination
Policy Number – 06
Functional Area – Academic, Non-academics and students
Effective and Revised Dates – 08.11.2018
Approving Authority – The Council, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Administrative Responsibility – Heads of Departments, Deans of Faculties, SAR Examination Branch, Senate
Rationale & Purpose –
The University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJP) recognizes assessment as an essential component of the teaching and learning process that promotes and measures student learning. Therefore, the university conducts in-course assessments as a formative component and final examinations as a summative component within a course unit/programme. This policy provides the principles for central/faculty level administered examinations that are conducted adhering to the approved examination schedules.
Scope –
Heads and all academic Staff members, students, SAR examination and SAR/AR of faculties.
Policy Statement –
- Diverse assessment types are used to measure the accomplishment of the desired learning outcomes acquired by students.
- Assessments should reflect the academic standards of awards.
- USJP will conduct examinations to moderate and validate the student’s continuous assessment and summative performances; to assess the extent to which the student has achieved the desired learning outcomes of the course; to satisfy the requirements of external bodies e.g. professional associations, which may stipulate that a certain components of particular courses need to contain assessments that are undertaken by students independently, and supervised accordingly.
- In-course assessments should be conducted at critical points of learning and regular and timely feedback should be provided to students following in-course assessments.
- Duration of examinations of a course will be determined based on the credit value of the subject/course.
- Staff involved in assessing the students should be competent to undertake their roles and responsibilities and should have no conflict of interest.
- For each examination of a subject/course, the first examiner will be the staff member who teaches the subject/course. The first examiner should submit the examination paper and the marking scheme for moderation to the moderator or to the moderation/scrutiny board. The first examiner is responsible for setting the examination papers aligning with the ILOs, which should be conducted confidentially, monitoring ‘packeting’ of the examination papers and securely storing of the paper in the examination branch till the exam date.
- Weightages (marks) for different components of assessments are assigned based on the time spent on acquiring the assessed ILOs
- The 1st examiner who sets the examination paper should be the supervisor. In absentia, another staff member can be appointed by the Head of the relevant department.
- The second examiner will be appointed by the Head of the relevant department, in consultation with the senior departmental staff members. In the case of external examiners, they should possess relevant qualifications and competence in the subject to be the 2nd
- The moderation of the examination papers (to ensure validity, accuracy and fairness) should be carried out by the 2nd examiner who is competent in the subject.
- The second examiner is responsible for checking the feasibility of answering the paper within the examination hours; the questions are aligned with ILOs.
- They permit access to examination papers that are limited to appropriately qualified staff of the USJP, and other institutions, for the purposes of peer review, moderation and benchmarking.
- Assessments should be valid (evaluate the desired learning outcomes; conform to national, discipline and professional standards) and fair (provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate their learning).
- Standardization of marks is allowed in keeping with the accepted examination marks using standardization methods in finalizing the results.
- Examination Time Tables specific to each faculty will be prepared by respective faculties adhering to the Academic calendar of the USJP and published giving adequate notice prior to the commencement of the examination. It will indicate the time, date, duration, and venue for each examination.
- Only those students who have obtained admissions to a particular examination will be permitted to sit for the relevant examination.
- Any unauthorized materials will not be allowed to the examination venue.
- Student/s with disabilities sitting an examination, should inform the university according to the university disability policy.
- USJP will take steps to provide necessary adjustments/ assistance/facilities for student/s with disabilities sitting an examination, upon request in keeping with the accepted university disability policy.
- Question papers need to be marked independently by the first and the second examiners and any discrepancies more than 15% need to be agreed upon or sent to a third marker. Conference marking of the question papers is also accepted.
- Examination results need to be released within 2 months after completion of the examination.
- Within two weeks after release of the results in keeping with the UGC circular, the students are allowed to apply for the re-scrutinization of marks and the re-scrutinization will be conducted according to UGC guidelines.
- Records of the marks and the results should be maintained in the department as well as in the faculty. It is best to be made available online as well as in printed form for students.
- Confidentiality of all examination records should be maintained by relevant departments and faculty record rooms.
Definitions –
Outcomes-based education: A learner-centered, results oriented approach to education that requires students to demonstrate evidence that they are able to achieve stated learning outcomes.
Intended Learning outcomes: High quality, culminating in demonstrations of significant learning in context.
Titles of related Policies, Procedures, Forms, Guidelines –
Curriculum development procedures, learning outcome policy, Assessment policy