Research and Inquiry in Action

Important Course Information and Assessment Policy


Course Attendance and Participation

General Requirements: This 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.   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 -On-Campus Students: Students are required to attend and participate in course activities / learning and engage with materials sufficiently to meet the course learning outcomes and the UC General Conditions for Credit Regulations. On-campus 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.
Attendance -Distance Students: Students are required to attend the course introductory class at OSI, plus are encouraged to join all scheduled lectorials ‘live’ through the provided Zoom link. If lectorials cannot be attended, distance students must view the lectorial recordings in a timely manner, following the course programme schedule. Also, distance students must participate in course activities / learning (as outlined in the course LEARN site), and engage with materials sufficiently to meet the course learning outcomes and the UC General Conditions for Credit Regulations. 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.

BYOD (Bring your own device): Key aspects of this course are web-based. Many of the course materials, videos of lectures, tasks and communications are provided via the course Learn site. Students need to have ready access to a computer and the Internet and have a digital device that they can use in class. Use of digital devices in support of learning and teaching is encouraged. However, these need to be used to aid engagement with learning materials. It is a courtesy to others to refrain from using devices for personal purposes (e.g. checking emails, social media apps) until after class. If phones are not required in class, it is polite to turn them off or have them muted.  
Student questions and inquiries: All inquiries, other than those relating to personal matters, should be conducted through online forums (e.g. questions about assignments should be posted in the Assessment Questions forum). That way everyone gets the same information.  
Lecturers in the course will endeavour to respond to queries within 48 hours.  

Using Forums: Forums for the course provide a way of engaging online around content and experiences in the course. Students are encouraged to use these forums, but need to remember that they are public venues and what is posted in the forums can be seen by everyone in the course. The tone needs to be professional, collegial and supportive.  

Partial Exemption of assessment in a course: A student who has had a previous enrolment in the course can apply for assessment results that received a passing grade to be carried over. Students must email the Course Coordinator within the first two weeks of the course and include the following details in the application: a) their name and student ID number b) the year of the prior enrolment and course delivery method (e.g., Distance) c) the name of the assessment(s) and d) their assessment result(s). The Course Coordinator will convey the outcome of the request to the student via email within two weeks of receiving the application. Changes to course content, course assessments and assessment weightings may impact the ability for assessment results to be carried over.  



Assessment Guidelines

Assignment Grading: Assignments are graded according to the UC assessment policy and common grading scale.   All assignments in this course must be submitted and passed. The score for each assessment item will be aggregated for the final grade.  Final grades will be calculated and reported using the UC Common Grading Scale.

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.

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 via UC Office 365 cloud storage. Marks for assignments will be communicated electronically, through Gradebook. Turnitin (plagiarism checking software) may be used to check for plagiarism.

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 (C- or 52.5%). 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 coordinator may approve extensions and 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). If an extension is granted there will normally be no resubmission opportunity given for that assignment. An extension will normally be for no more than two weeks and the date of the extension will be provided to the student in writing. The extension date will also be recorded in Gradebook. Extensions will not be granted because of pressure of university study, e.g. several pieces of work being due around the same time.  


Academic literacy and conventions: It is expected that all written work will demonstrate a high standard of academic literacy. This includes accurate use and mastery of punctuation, spelling, syntax, macrons in the spelling of Māori words, and APA referencing conventions.


APA referencing: The form of referencing used for all BTchLn assignments is APA style 7th edition. See the link to the UC Library information on APA referencing.


Academic and professional integrity: Honesty and integrity are important qualities for teachers. Students need to become familiar with Our Code, our Standards the ethical code for teachers. Also, students need to be familiar with the risks of plagiarism and how to avoid these. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. The UC Library has useful information on plagiarism and how to avoid it. Academic integrity involves acting honestly, ethically, fairly and respecting others in teaching, learning, research and administration. Academic integrity means producing honest and ethical work and is one of the key foundations to being a good student and is a key principle at UC.

While you may be tempted to use AI text generators like ChatGPT, please be aware that using such text in your assignments may amount to academic misconduct, unless your lecturers have stated that this is allowed and you follow their instructions as to how you should do this. It is also important to retain evidence of your document history and revisions as you might be asked to evidence how you developed your assignment.  

It is also important to use OneDrive as your repository for UC work as this cloud storage system will save version histories of your documents.  Please refer to the post in Tūpono | The Insider’s Guide to UC which can be found here: Can I use AI (like ChatGPT) in my UC work? - Tūpono | The Insider's Guide to UC (canterbury.ac.nz) and the Misconduct Procedures - Guide for Students for more information.  

All forms of cheating and dishonest practice are taken seriously, and penalties will result. Students should refer to Regulation J of the General Course and Examination Regulations and the College of Education Assessment Guidelines for Students.  

Assessed work in Te Reo Māori: Recognising that Māori is an official language of New Zealand, the University provides for students who may wish to use the Māori language in assessment. See Assessment in Te Reo Māori Policy. Please note that if you want to submit work that is written in te reo, you need to advise the course coordinator no later than 10 working days after the start of the course. This is to allow the University sufficient time to make arrangements for translation and marking. Course coordinators will notify the registry of the need for support for assessment of course work in Māori, and the Office of the AVC Māori works with students to support them with the process and ensure fair and appropriate assessment procedures are in place.



Resubmissions: The decision to grant a resubmission will be made by the course coordinator and will be subject to the student concerned having demonstrated a regular and sustained level of course engagement. Normally a resubmit will only be considered for assignments which meet most of the pass criteria and the tertiary literacy standards, and which are within the ‘D’ range (40.00 – 49.99%).  Assignments which have been resubmitted are restricted to a minimum passing grade (C- or 52.5%) 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.  

Partial Exemption of assessment in a course: A student who has had a previous enrolment in the course can apply for assessment results that received a passing grade to be carried over. Students must email the Course Coordinator within the first two weeks of the course and include the following details in the application: a) their name and student ID number b) the year of the prior enrolment and course delivery method (e.g., Distance) c) the name of the assessment(s) and d) their assessment result(s). The Course Coordinator will convey the outcome of the request to the student via email within two weeks of receiving the application. Changes to course content, course assessments and assessment weightings may impact the ability for assessment results to be carried over.  

Special Considerations: Special Consideration for assessment is for students who have covered the work of a course but have been prevented from demonstrating their knowledge or skills at the time of the assessment (worth 10% or more) due to unforeseen circumstances, such as illness, bereavement or other critical circumstances outside of their control at the time of the assessment. 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.

Further details are available at Special Consideration | University of Canterbury. Please note that applications must be supported by evidence and must be submitted no later than five working days after the assessment due date.  

Special consideration for late discontinuation: 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.
Further details are available at Special Consideration | University of Canterbury. Please note that applications must be supported by evidence and must be submitted no later than five working days after the assessment due date.

Support Services

A reminder that the following support services are available to you as a member of the UC learning community.:

Academic Skills Centre: Te Pokapū Pūkenga Ako | Academic Skills Centre (ASC) is a free advisory service and resource hub that focuses on writing and study strategies to maximise student achievement at all levels. Click here for more information.
• Level 3, Puaka-James Hight (Central Library)
• academicskills@canterbury.ac.nz


Student Care: If you need any advice, support or help with anything that might be affecting your studies or wellbeing then please contact UC Student Care.
• Telephone: 03 369 3388
Email: studentcare@canterbury.ac.nz
• Website: www.canterbury.ac.nz/support/getsupport/

UC Health Centre: For access to confidential counselling, medical treatment or other general practice services please contact the UC Health Centre.
• Telephone: 03 369 4444  
Email: healthcentre@canterbury.ac.nz
Website: www.canterbury.ac.nz/healthcentre/
• Open hours: Monday to Thursday 8.30am–5pm,
Friday 9am–5pm, with extended hours and days during exam times.
After hours care: phone 03 369 4444 for recorded out-of-hours directions.



Your Feedback

Feedback on the course is welcome. Being able to provide constructive feedback is an important skill for teachers. Constructive feedback involves making positive suggestions for improvement and development (feed forward), not just negative comments about perceived weaknesses.

Formal and informal evaluation of the course will take place in accordance with the University of Canterbury (UC) Course Evaluation Policy, to provide feedback to course staff about the relevance and validity of the intended learning outcomes, what has been learned and the quality of course organisation and delivery.

Your opportunities for course evaluation and feedback will be:
• informal opportunities for feedback during the course
• formal end of course evaluation and/or lecturer teaching evaluations.