Policy on Alternative Assessments
1. Various categories of students may experience difficulties with the University's normal assessment procedures through circumstances beyond their control. In order to overcome these difficulties, the normal place, time or form of assessment or re-assessment may need to be changed. Such changes yield an alternative assessment.
2. Alternative assessments are available only for students in approved categories where the need is foreseeable.* Disabled students will be treated according to the separate Guidance on Assessment for Disabled Students. Individual students who experience unforeseen difficulties will normally be treated according to the separate Policy on Mitigating Circumstances and Coursework Extensions, which include provision for alternative assessments.
3. A designated University office will have oversight of each approved category of students.**It will mediate arrangements for such students, confirm their status and the need for alternative assessments, and provide advice and support on alternative assessments.
4. Schools that systematically admit students in approved categories will devise their policy on alternative assessments, and will publicize the arrangements well in advance so that students and staff can prepare accordingly. Faculties will be responsible for ensuring that the policies of their Schools are appropriate across the Faculty.
5. Schools will recognise in their work-load allocations the staff effort resulting from setting and marking alternative forms of assessment.
6. Alternative forms of assessment must assess the same intended learning outcomes as the normal ones and be of the same standard. They must be approved through the normal examination procedures of the School that provides them.
7. Alternative assessments will be conducted under conditions that are as far as possible equivalent to those of normal assessments, including appropriate supervision.
8. When an assessment is conducted in the same form as the normal assessment but in a different place, it should be conducted at the same time. If that is not practicable (for example, because of a difference in time zones), then to avoid the risk of compromising the security of the normal assessment, the alternative assessment should be conducted as soon as possible after the normal one.
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* At present the categories so approved are students on recognised exchange or collaborative programmes including Erasmus; and students who hold an approved sports scholarship.
** The office designated for students on recognised exchange or collaborative programmes is the International Programmes Office; and the office designated for students who hold an approved sports scholarship is UoM Sport. The office designated for disabled students is the Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS.)
Alternative Assessments for Study Abroad, Exchange and Erasmus Students
For a guidance document on alternative assessments for Study Abroad, Exchange and Erasmus students (produced by the University's International Programmes Office), please see below: