COMMUNICATION WITH UTAS
*** All communication in UTAS courses must be in English.***
UTAS staff and students are encouraged to be open, honest, reliable and responsible
in their communication. This means:

checking email regularly and, for locally engaged staff, keeping in constant
contact with the UTAS unit co-ordinator/visiting lecturer

using the UTAS email account, not Hotmail, Yahoo or other accounts

replying promptly to any emails

students dealing with problems in this order
1. approach the local tutor;
2. approach the Unit Co-ordinator/visiting UTAS lecturer;
3. approach the UTAS Academic Co-ordinator.
If the problem still has not been resolved after the third step, it is possible for
students to take further action. Ask the UTAS Academic Co-ordinator about
this or visit the UTAS website at this address:
http://www.admin.UTAS.edu.au/ac_serv/complaints_info.html

being respectful of others when contributing ideas to Discussion Boards. on
the Internet. It is not appropriate to say unkind or untrue things about students
or staff on the Internet. When such comments damage a person’s reputation it
can be described as ‘slander’, ‘libel’ or defamation’. There are laws to protect
people from this type of behaviour. The consequences are serious.
Many of the points above are covered by UTAS policies. See Code of Conduct for
Teaching and Learning at:
http://www.UTAS.edu.au/tl/policies/index.htm
ASSESSMENT
Introduction
Assessment practices in universities are undergoing revision for a number of reasons.
Some of these reasons include:

the possibilities offered through flexible delivery;

the increasing concern over plagiarism;

the perceived need to embed generic skills in the curriculum (commonly in
the form of Generic Graduate Attributes);

increasing student numbers; and

the changing nature of the student population (James et al. 2002).
The University of Tasmania Teaching and Learning website contains comprehensive
resources to assist staff with assessment.
(http://www.utas.edu.au/tl/supporting/assessment/index.html)
Defining terms
Assessment refers to the processes and procedures used to measure or otherwise
evaluate student achievement of the learning objectives/outcomes of a unit or program
of study.
Continuous assessment refers to assessment tasks undertaken during the teaching
semester, while final assessment refers to an assessment task or tasks undertaken
following the conclusion of the teaching semester.
Formative assessment refers to tasks that are part of the developmental or ongoing
teaching/learning process. It should provide ongoing feedback to the student.
Summative assessment refers to tasks that often occur at the end of a unit and is used
primarily to provide information about how much the student has learned.
Norm-referenced assessment compares students against the performance of other
students in a task. This might, for example, involve ranking students in order of their
multiple choice test results.
Criterion-referenced assessment is based on explicit criteria for the task. Criteria are
little like a set of ‘statements’ (e.g. ‘Uses a wide range of supporting references’).
Students are given feedback on how well they perform on each of those ‘statements’.
Authentic assessment mirrors and integrates the stated learning objectives/outcomes in
a realistic way.
Moderation is a term used to describe a process whereby all markers involved in the
marking of one set of assignments meet to discuss and share some examples of their
marking. This is done to help ensure fairness and similarity of standards between
markers. This applies only to assessment practices where there isn’t just one correct
answer (as there is in a Multiple Choice test). Assignment marking that relies on
criteria (see above) needs to be moderated.
At UTAS a range of assessment strategies are used. For example, some of the units in
which you’re teaching will use a mixture of summative, formative, criterionreferenced and norm-referenced assessment strategies. Your UTAS Unit Co-ordinator
is responsible for making these decisions about assessment.
How do I find out about the assessment in the units in which I’m teaching?
You will be provided with a unit outline for each unit in which you are teaching at
UTAS. Each unit outline will contain details about the assignments that students are
required to complete. The unit outlines will also include information about how these
assignments will be assessed. It will state clearly what the assignment requires
students to do, how students are to submit their assignment (by electronic means, via
WebCT, or in hard copy), when to submit it (the due date) and how they will receive
feedback (comments about, or marks for, submitted work). Feedback may be written
on the hard copy, or through electronic marks via WebCT.
What assessment tasks are there at UTAS?
Assessment at UTAS takes many forms. It includes, for example, practical laboratory
sessions, fieldwork, oral presentations, group problem-solving exercises, essays,
reports, portfolios, tests and exams. Each unit will have different forms of assessment.
Generic Graduate Attributes
Even though each unit will have its own special assessment practices, there is one
thing about assessment that is common to all UTAS units – Generic Graduate
Attributes. Generic Graduate Attributes are those qualities that UTAS wishes to
develop in graduates whichever course they complete. The University of Tasmania
has five core attributes:

Knowledge

Communication skills

Problem solving skills

Global perspective

Social responsibility
DESCRIPTOR
ATTRIBUTE
Knowledge
Communication
Skills
Problem-solving
Skills
Global
Perspective
Social
Responsibility
Graduates will have an in-depth knowledge in their
chosen field of study and the ability to apply that
knowledge in practice. They will be prepared for
life-long learning in pursuit of personal and
professional development
Graduates will be able to communicate effectively
across a range of contexts
Graduates will be effective problem-solvers, capable
of applying logical, critical and creative thinking to a
range of problems. They will have developed
competencies in information literacy
Graduates will be able to demonstrate a global
perspective and inter-cultural competence in their
professional lives
Graduates will act ethically, with integrity and social
responsibility
These Generic Graduate Attributes have been developed because UTAS recognises:

that graduates will enter a world that is continuously and rapidly changing.
Graduates need a broad range of skills and knowledge in order to contribute
positively and effectively to that rapidly changing world. They can apply
these skills to all areas of life, not just work.

that employers require graduates to be flexible if they are to be useful
employees. This means employees need to have a broad range of skills and
knowledge that extend beyond the specific discipline or course they are
studying. Graduates need to be able to transfer their knowledge and skills to a
range of work settings.
UTAS is committed to helping students develop competence in these five areas.
All units must link their assessment to these Generic Graduate Attributes. This is why
you will notice that some units specifically set assignments that require students to
practise and demonstrate their communication skills, for example. This is why it is
essential that students participate actively in tutorial sessions, for example, that
require them to engage in group problem-solving activities.
(Please note that not all attributes will be assessed in all units. Some units may assess
two attributes, some may assess four, for example).
Some important points about assessment
All staff and students, regardless of the unit, must abide by the following:

All assignments must be submitted by the due date. If students have been ill or
there are other genuine reasons why they have not been able to complete their
assignment on time, they may ask the Unit Co-ordinator/visiting UTAS
lecturer for an extension of the due date. They must ask for an extension
before the due date. Each School or Faculty has their own special procedure
for applying for extensions. For some schools there is a form that can be
downloaded from the UTAS website. The Unit Co-ordinator or visiting UTAS
lecturer will tell students how to apply for an extension. Please note that there
are penalties for late assignments that aren’t covered by an extension. The unit
outline will tell you what the penalties are. For example, in some units, 10% is
deducted from the final result for each day (or part thereof) that the
assignment is late.

All assignments must have a UTAS cover sheet. This can be downloaded from
the following address:
http://www.admin.utas.edu.au/academic/cover_sheet.doc
Sometimes Schools and Faculties have their own special cover sheet. If this is
the case, the Unit Co-ordinator/visiting UTAS lecturer will explain where this
can be found.

Students must keep a back-up copy of all their assignments. This is to protect
them in case their assignment is lost.

All assignments must be original, independent work. They must not be
plagiarised.

Students must adhere to the word limit specified for each assignment.

Many Schools and Faculties have their own Guide to the Presentation of
Assignments. These guidelines include information on formatting, use of
abbreviations, referencing style etc. If the Unit Co-ordinator/visiting UTAS
lecturer does not provide students with a Guide to the Presentation of
Assignments, the general UTAS library guidelines available at the following
address should be used:
http://www.utas.edu.au/library/assist/gpoa/gpoa.html

If students have a concern about one of their results (either assignment or
exam) it is possible to have the result reviewed. There are special procedures
to follow. The Unit Co-ordinator/visiting UTAS lecturer is the best person to
ask about this.