He taonga te tangata | The person is a treasure

Course Attendance and Participation

General Requirements: This Ako: BTchLn qualification is designed to prepare you for entry into the teaching profession. Attendance enables you to demonstrate key aspects from ‘Our Code, Our Standards’ (Education Council, New Zealand, 2017); specifically, your commitment to the teaching profession and your commitment to learners.  The UC General Conditions for Credit Regulations (general-regs-general-conditions-for-credit-regulations.pdf (canterbury.ac.nz) section 3 a) states “A student seeking course credit must engage satisfactorily in all required course-related activity, work and assessment specified in the course outlines.”  Subsequently for all students (campus or distance), attendance at all scheduled course sessions, and independent engagement with associated course content (online), is a course requirement.  

Attendance Distance: To meet the learning outcomes and requirements in this course, distance students must attend and participate in all distance intensive sessions indicated in the timetable. Distance students must also demonstrate regular and sustained engagement with all of the compulsory online course content to be eligible to seek course credit and receive a passing grade for this course.  

Absences: Students must notify course lecturer prior to their absence (via email) from any scheduled course sessions with an explanation. Extended absences must be accompanied by a medical certificate or similar. Absent students may be required to complete and submit tasks that demonstrate engagement with the content from missed classes to meet the course requirements.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the landscape of higher education, presenting both opportunities and challenges for teaching and learning at UC. AI tools are becoming more accessible and powerful, potentially impacting how students approach their studies, complete assignments, and engage with course material. Developing AI literacy is crucial for students to navigate these tools ethically and effectively, ensuring they gain the skills and knowledge expected in their chosen fields.

UC is committed to supporting students in navigating this evolving landscape. You need to be aware of;
• AI and Assessment: Learn about the use (or not) of AI as part of your assessment practices, including knowing when it is ok to use Ai and how to acknowledge AI use.
• AI Literacy: Understanding how AI can support your study and being aware of academic integrity in an AI-enhanced learning environment.

AI and Assessment
It is important you read the course assessment statement for each assignment. It will be made clear by your course co-ordinator how AI can be used within the assessment. There are four levels of AI use that may be applicable to your assessments;

1. Unrestricted Use Permitted: Generative AI tools may be used without limitation for this assessment.
2. Selective Use Allowed: Generative AI tools may be used for specific purposes within this assessment.
3. Selective Tools Allowed: Specified generative AI tools may be used within this assessment.
4. Use Prohibited for Specified Reasons: Generative AI tools must not be used within this assessment due to specific considerations, which will be clearly communicated to students.

If you are allowed to use AI, then you will be asked to cite sources that inform your ideas and by acknowledging any generative AI tools employed in the creation of their assessment submission. The primary means of disclosing AI use will be through either an acknowledgement section in the assessment document or an AI use declaration.

Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct is student conduct that is in breach of academic integrity and includes the improper use of AI tools. This occurs when a student, in completing an assessment, uses a generative AI tool that is not expressly permitted or fails to acknowledge the use of a generative AI tool as instructed.

Most assignments are subjected to Turnitin AI detector. Lecturers are also very familiar with the academic content of their field of study and also the authors and key articles, readings, theories in this field.  Therefore lecturers will pick up on;
• False information, such as references that do not exist.
• A failure to meet assessment requirements.
• Material that is outside the scope of the assessment or course, or is otherwise unexpected and/or irrelevant.
• Language that is unusual and/or is inconsistent with a student’s previous submissions.

Where a lecturer identifies a submission that may have been completed using AI tools not permitted for the assessment, they should inform the course coordinator. Where a course coordinator considers that academic misconduct may have occurred, they should refer the matter to their Academic Integrity Officer (AIO). This will typically involve providing information about the assessment, the student’s submission and details on the indicators of unpermitted AI use. Course coordinators who are unsure how to proceed should also seek advice from their AIO.

Academic misconduct is serious and may lead to students failing the course and other penalties. Penalties from a Proctor and/or the Misconduct Committee may include fines, academic penalties and limits on academic progression or in a worst case scenario expulsion from the University.

Please refer to the Academic Integrity section on the UC website.

Assessment Grading
Assignments are graded according to the UC assessment policy and common grading scale. Aegrotats are not available for this course and all assignments must be completed. The score for each assessment item will be aggregated for the final grade.

Normally a student will need to pass all assignments in a course. However, at the time of the examiner’s meeting when one of the grades for an assignment is just below the passing grade and the other grades are at a satisfactory level, the examiner may also consider factors such as attendance, engagement and the tertiary literacy standard of the assignment. In consultation, the examiner may decide to award the aggregated scores/grades.  Final grades will be calculated and reported using the UC Common Grading Scale.

The University provides for students who may wish to use the Māori language in assessment. The steps involved in having student work assessed in Māori, are outlined in Assessment in Te Reo Māori Policy.

Assessment Submission
Normally, assignments will be submitted and returned via the Learn site. It is the responsibility of the students to check their emails at least twice a week and ensure Internet access and ability to submit their work via the online system is functioning. Any technical difficulties should be notified well in advance of the due date so that assistance can be provided or alternative arrangements can be negotiated. If you require assistance, please email ictservicedesk@canterbury.ac.nz, or phone 366 7001 ext. 6060.

It is a student’s responsibility to uplift marked work and feedback in a timely manner. It is strongly recommended that students retain a back-up copy of all submitted work. Marks for assignments will be communicated electronically, through Gradebook. Turnitin (plagiarism checking software) may be used to check for plagiarism. More information can be found in the UC student support guide for Academic Integrity

Late Work, Extensions and Resubmissions
Late work: All assignments must be submitted on or before the due date. If an assignment is late (without a prior arranged extension) then it will normally not be marked. However, if the course lecturer is notified within 24 hours of the due date and there is a genuine issue, for which evidence must be given, it may be considered but the assignment grade is usually restricted to a minimum passing grade (50%) for that assessment. If the assessment is late it is automatically excluded from a resubmission opportunity unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Extensions: Extensions are reserved for exceptional circumstances only and are not granted automatically. The course lecturer responsible for the assessment must be contacted by email a minimum of two working days before the due date, and the application must be supported by relevant evidence (e.g. medical certificate, letter from counsellor). The student’s course lecturer will then make a recommendation to the course coordinator who will make a final decision. If an extension is granted there will normally be no resubmit given for that assignment. An extension will normally be for no more than two weeks and the date of the extension must be provided to the student in writing. Extensions will not be granted because of pressure of university study, e.g. several pieces of work being due around the same time.

Resubmissions: The decision to grant a resubmission will be made by the course lecturer in consultation with the course coordinator and will be subject to the student concerned having demonstrated a satisfactory level of course attendance and participation. Normally a resubmit will only be considered for assignments which meets most of the pass criteria and meets the tertiary literacy standards and which is within the ‘D’ range (40.00 – 49.99%).

Assignments which have been resubmitted are restricted to a minimum passing grade (C- or 50%) for that assessment. Students may only be granted one resubmission per course. The timeframe for students resubmitting work will normally be no more than two weeks and the date of the resubmission must be provided to the student in writing. Policy and procedures relating to late work, extensions and resubmissions are more fully outlined in the UC College of Education  Assessment Guidelines for Students (.pdf).

Special Considerations
Students may apply for special consideration if their performance in an assessment is affected by extenuating circumstances beyond their control, where:
(a)
they have suffered an acute illness, injury, or other reasonably unforeseeable circumstances:
i.    which has prevented them from completing any major item(s) of work for assessment in a course; or
ii.   which has impaired their performance (including by interruption of pre-assessment revision) to the extent that the result(s) are likely to underestimate their true and evidenced level of mastery of the material in the course; or
(b)  
i.    they have been selected to perform, compete, adjudicate, or officiate as a national sporting representative at national or international competitions; or
ii.   they are members of a national cultural group on tour nationally or internationally.
Please note that applications must be supported by evidence.  Further details are available at the above link.
Applications for special consideration should be submitted via the Examinations Office website http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/exams/ within five days of the assessment. Where an extension may be granted for an assessment, this will be decided by direct application to the Course Co-ordinator and an application to the Examinations Office may not be required. Special consideration is not available for items worth less than 10% of the course and may not be available for some other items of assessment as specified in Course Outlines. (Refer to specific Course Outlines for this information.) Students prevented by extenuating circumstances from completing the course after the final date for withdrawing, may apply for special consideration for late discontinuation of the course. Applications must be submitted to the Examinations Office within five days of the end of the main examination period for the semester. NB: This information replaces any previous references to special consideration, Aegrotat or Backdated (Late) Withdrawal in the Course

Information System, Learn or Course Outlines. If you are unclear about the implications or process please discuss with your Course Coordinator or contact the Student Advice team for assistance. For more information see http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/exams/special-consideration.shtml