Assessment Guideline for Undergraduate Programs at College of Health Sciences

Guideline Statements

This guideline specifies the assessment policy for courses offered for undergraduate programs (including the Medical Doctor and Bachelor of Nursing) at the College of Health Sciences. Aside from adhering to the University’s course assessment policy, the following will provide more information on specific requirements. All specified requirements are intended to support quality improvement and programmatic accreditation.

1. Assessment Philosophy

The purpose of the assessment in the undergraduate programs is to:

• ensure that the learning outcomes of the program are achieved.
• facilitate student learning through providing support and remediation.

2. Types of Assessment

2a. Summative Assessment

Refers to assessments to determine the progress of students in the course.

This comprises In-Semester (Mid-term, Continuous assessment) Examinations as well as the End-Semester (Final) Examination.

2b. Formative Assessment

The purpose of the Formative Assessment is to provide students with an opportunity:

• to practice where a new assessment tool is used
• to receive feedback and improve
• for self-assessment

2c. For any course with 2 or more credit points, formative assessment is compulsory to be provided to the students.

2d. Barrier Assessment

A summative assessment is required for students to pass at the end of the semester as outlined in the assessment plan. Failing to pass the barrier assessment constitutes a failure of the course. The course instructors and the teaching team will decide whether to include the barrier assessment in their courses.

3. Summative Assessment

3a. The Final Assessment cannot count for less than 20% of the overall course grade. An exemption from the relevant BOE is required in cases where it is not possible to follow this requirement.

3b. No more than two summative assessments will be offered for a course up to 2 credit points.

3c. No more than three summative assessments (excluding class attendance and participation) will be offered for a course with 3 or more credit points in one semester. This excludes the professionalism component.

4. Assessment Tools

4a. Multi-choice questions shall not comprise more than 60% of summative assessment in any course. The proportion of multiple-choice questions in the summative assessment should not exceed 60%. An exemption from the relevant BOE is required in cases where it is not possible to follow this requirement.

4b. Where a Group Project is used, both process and product will be assessed.

4c. Professionalism will be a component of grading in all the courses and will be on a Pass/Fail basis.

4d. No bonus marks are to be awarded to students.

5. Attendance

5a. Attendance score will contribute to the overall assessment plan for the course. Detailed information regarding attendance can be found in the Attendance Policy.

6. Communication to the Students

6a. All students should be provided with a link to the assessment policy and guidelines through the Learning Management System.

6b. The assessment blueprint or framework for each course should be made available to students through the Learning Management System before the students enroll in the course.

6c. The teaching team has a responsibility to present the assessment blueprint or framework on the first day of class.

7. Role of the Course Instructor

7a. The course instructor and the teaching team have the responsibility to design relevant course assessments that are aligned with learning outcomes and that comply with principles and standards of the University.

7b. The course instructor and the teaching team have responsibility to follow the timeline for assessment tasks as detailed in the Examination Policy.

8. Final Assessment Format and Schedule

The format of the final assessment could be in the form of multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, OSCE, long cases, short cases, presentation, an essay, coursework, final report, or a combination thereof.

9. Marking the Examinations

9a. For certain courses that need two or more graders, in case of disagreements on the final grade between the two graders, the final grade shall be considered as the arithmetic average of two grades. In instances of large disparities between markers, i.e., more than 25%, a third grader will be requested for review and their assessment shall be considered final.

9b. Students who do not attend the final exam without a valid reason and a proper request for postponing the test, shall be considered as having sat the exam once and receive a zero (0) score in the main exam. These students, if permitted by the Board of Examiners or the delegated authority may retake the exam at an appropriate date.

9c. Students who are absent in the main final exam with a valid reason (excused absences), may be allowed to take supplemental exam. The final exam score shall be considered as the first-time exam score.

9d. A student who is absent in the final assessment without a valid reason if allowed to appear in a supplemental assessment, his/her final assessment scores will be capped to 50% if the student passes the assessment.

9e. If the student fails the supplemental assessment, they will be required to repeat the course in the following semester/year or sub-semesters (i.e., Summer Session) when the course is offered, with approval of BOE.

10. Special Consideration

10a.  A student who has faced extraordinary/unforeseen circumstances that go beyond the excused absences list and impact academic preparation/performance can request special consideration.

10b. Students applying for special consideration must write to the Program Director as soon as possible but no later than 3 University working days after the date on which the work for assessment was due or examination held (except in mitigating/exceptional circumstances). The Program Director will present the case to the BOE if a student is at risk of failing the course and the BOE will decide on the following measures but not limited to:

• Extension of assignments
• Withdrawal from program
• Changes to the final grade in a course
• Supplemental Assessment.

11. Submission of Assignments

11a. All students’ assignments including but not limited to quizzes, homework, presentation, reflective writing, etc. should be submitted through the Learning Management System.

11b. Word Count: A range of word count should be provided by the course instructor and teaching team for a written assignment, exclusive of bibliography/appendices. Any text beyond the exceeded word limit in the assignment will not be marked.

11c. Late Submissions: If an assignment is submitted after the deadline without proper request, as indicated in item 10b, it will be considered as a late submission. Depending on the course instructor’s decision, the following penalties will be applied in marking the assignment.

• Submitted within 24 hours: 10% of the total marks allocated to the assignment.
• 2 – 3 days: 20% of the total marks allocated to the assignment.
• After 3 days: An assignment will not be marked, and the student receives a mark of zero. Where it is a barrier assessment, the student fails the course.

12. Pass Score

To pass a course, a student need to:

• Obtain a minimum of 50% score in the overall assessment score of a course and
• Obtain a minimum of 50% score in courses with barrier assessments.

13. Remediation

13a. All students who fail the final examination in a course will be offered the opportunity to meet the course instructor/teaching assistant and plan remediation within five working days of when the results are announced.

13b. The scheduling and format of the remediation sessions will be determined by the course instructor.

14. Supplementary Assessment

14a. A supplementary assessment will be provided for students who:

• Fail in the final examination,
• Were unable to attend the final examination for excused or unexcused circumstances,
• Wish to retake the exam to improve their grade.

14b. For students who failed the final exam, the supplementary exam score will be capped at 50% score.

14c. For students who were unable to attend the final exam for excused absence with mitigating/exceptional circumstances, the supplementary exam score will be considered as the first-time exam score.

14d. For students who were unable to attend the final exam for an unexcused absence, the supplementary exam score will be capped at 50% score.

14e. For students who wish to retake the exam to improve their grade, they may do so if they have passed the main assessment. The supplementary exam score will be considered as the first-time exam score. The most recent score from the supplementary exam will be calculated into their GPA. The responsibility for retaking examinations for this reason lies with the student, and they do so at their own risk. If students fail the supplementary exam for this reason, the supplementary exam score will be capped at 50% score which will be calculated in their GPA. An administrative fee will be levied for students who wish to retake the exam according to the University policy.

15. Progression Rules

15a. A student will repeat the course/s in the following year if he/she:

• Does not complete all the requirements satisfactorily.
• Failed the professionalism part of the course.

15b. If a student’s total number of failed credits for the semester exceeds more than half of the number registered for the semester, the student will be referred to the BOE, and potential remedial actions will be considered and discussed. Refer to Academic Regulations for Full-time Undergraduate Program.

16. Archiving the Examination Scripts and Graded Material

16a. The Registrar Office set out regulations on protection, marking procedures and storage of exam answer sheets.

16b. Written tests, essays, coursework, final reports, and other graded material shall be stored in accordance with the University policy.

17. Implementation of the Assessment Policy and Guidelines

17a. The Assessment Policy and Guidelines may be revised to comply with any subsequent regulation from MOET.

17b. The Assessment Policy and Guidelines shall be applied to the undergraduate courses in the College of Health Sciences unless an exemption is received from the relevant curriculum committee or delegations.

ABBREVIATION AND DEFINITION