Examination information | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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Examination information

This information is for centrally scheduled exams only.

A central examination is an examination that is timetabled within a centrally scheduled examination period or supplementary/deferred examination periods.

Key dates

You are expected to be available throughout the published examination periods.

Dates Semester
12-23 June 2023 Semester 1, 2023 centrally scheduled exam period
24–28 July 2023 Semester 1, 2023 deferred / supplementary exam period
6–17 November 2023 Semester 2, 2023 centrally scheduled exam period
22–25 January 2024 Semester 2, 2023 deferred / supplementary exam period and Session 8 (Summer) centrally scheduled exam period

Please refer to the academic calendar for the scheduled examination dates for upcoming semesters.

Zoom exams for ACC and BUS courses
Does my course have a Zoom-invigilated exam?

The following courses have Zoom-invigilated exams for Semester 1, 2023:

 

ACC106 Accounting Principles

ACC211 Business Finance
ACC221 Company Accounting
ACC310 Management Accounting 
ACC311 Taxation Law and Practice

BUS101 Exploring Business

BUS102 Economics for Business

BUS108 Information Systems in Organisations

BUS203 Business Law

 

Students sitting the Zoom-invigilated exams will need to provide ID during the Zoom session. Permitted ID includes a student ID card, driver's licence, 18+ card or passport.

 

Zoom-invigilated exams will be recorded and subsequently securely stored in line with UniSC's policies and procedures. Online exam recordings will be securely disposed of once no longer required (within six months). Because your exam will be recorded, it's important to plan to undertake it in a quiet, private space.

 

If you do not wish to be recorded, or have other extenuating circumstances, you can nominate to sit your online exam on campus. For the abovementioned Accounting and Business courses, there will be an invigilator present in your assigned room and you will need to bring photo ID. If you request to sit another online exam (not listed above) on campus, it will not be supervised.

 

Information for Zoom-invigilated exams

For these exams you will need access to:

  • A working personal computer device.
  • A stable and reliable internet connection.
  • A working webcam and speakers.
  • An up-to-date internet browser (Chrome, Firefox or Edge).
  • An up-to-date Zoom client software installed on your device (Version 5.7.3 and above).
  • A suitable workspace in a quiet and private environment.

Before you start your exam:

  • Make sure your face is visible on the webcam.
  • Turn off any background effects on Zoom (including blur effects).
  • Check the audio to make sure you can hear your invigilator.
  • Log on 30 mins before.
  • Ensure you are logging in with your student account, not your personal. Once the exam session starts your webcam feed will be recorded.
  • On the day you will need to provide photo ID via your webcam. Photo ID that will be accepted is your Student ID, Driver's License, Passport or Proof of Age Card. Please note only the invigilator will be able to view your webcam.

During the exam:

  • If you need to communicate with the invigilator, use Chat.
  • Your invigilator will ask you to show your photo ID using your webcam.
  • The invigilator will briefly review the conditions of the exam.
  • When asked by the invigilator, start sharing your screen.
  • Keep your screen sharing on throughout the exam.
  • Only the invigilator will see your shared screen.
  • When prompted by the invigilator, start your exam on Canvas.
  • Submit your exam when finished.
  • Leave the Zoom meeting after submitting your exam.

Issues during your exam:

 

If you lose your access to Zoom, but still have access to the internet and Canvas, stay on Canvas, re-connect to the Zoom session and complete your exam.

 

If you lose your connection to the internet, Zoom and Canvas or your device encounters a technical issue, please do not stress. Please continue to try and log back in to Zoom and/or Canvas to continue your exam. If possible, take a screenshot of any error message, and then send an email to your course coordinator and Student Central as soon as possible, and attach the screenshot. You will receive a response with further instructions within two working days.

 

Please refer to the troubleshooting section below for further details.

 

Further information:

 

For further information on your zoom invigilated exam please refer to Canvas under your course code.

 

Before your exam
Examination timetable and times

Students will be emailed their exam timetable at the end of week 8, and students with Learning Access Plans will receive their personalised timetables (including adjustments) in week 12. Students will need to check their student email account for details.

The session times will commence at 9am and 1pm. There will not be any evening sessions. Some course coordinators have elected to have their exam accessible over a longer period of time – where the exams team are aware of these arrangements, they will be noted on your exam timetable.

Getting ready for online exams
Starting late or submitting late

Students with an online examination start time noted in their examination timetable (ie. 9am or 1pm) will commence their exam at the time specified. Students who do not commence their examination within 30 minutes of the examination start time may be asked to provide evidence of circumstances that prevented them commencing on time (section 9.1.1 of Central Examination – Procedures).

Online exams that are available to commence over an extended period (indicated by a time and/or date range in their timetable) do not have to start their exam at the beginning of the exam window, but must submit by the due date and time.

Penalties may apply for late submission of online examinations, unless a student can demonstrate system and/or process issues beyond their control. Penalties and further information can be viewed in section 7.1.8 of the Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs – Procedures.

If a student experiences technical issues/s which impact their ability to submit an online examination, they must contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible via email to resolve the issue, and take screenshots of the issue for evidence if required.

Procedures relating to arriving late to an on-campus centrally-scheduled examination can be found in section 8.3 of the Central Examination - Procedures.

Permitted materials

Most UniSC centrally scheduled exams will be open book exams. Some courses may have other exam conditions, including closed book exams. Please refer to your course outline for more details regarding your examination conditions.

What browser should I use for my exam?

Supported Browsers

Canvas supports the current and first previous major releases of the following browsers:

  • Chrome 98 and 99
  • Firefox 97 and 98 (Extended Releases are not supported*)
  • Edge 98 and 99
  • Respondus Lockdown Browser (supporting the latest system requirements)
  • Safari 14 and 15 (Macintosh only)

You can verify that the browser you are currently using is up to date, or find further information on browsers via the Instructure Canvas Community page.

Alternative examination arrangements

If you require alternative exam arrangements on the basis of a medical condition and/or ongoing or temporary disabilities, you need to make a telephone call back appointment with an Ability Adviser through Student Hub prior to the end of week 9. Students with Learning Access Plans will receive a standard timetable in week 8, and a personalised timetable, including adjustments, will be emailed in week 12.

Deferred examinations

If you, through medical or other exceptional circumstances, are unable to attend an examination at the required time, you may apply to sit for a deferred examination by completing the Application for Deferred Examination form.

Applications are made to Student Central and should normally be submitted prior to or within three working days of the examination date. See the grounds for approval of a deferred examination below.

Limits on deferred examinations

A deferred examination is a final opportunity for a student to sit their central examination at a specified later date in order to complete requirements for the course. The student must take this opportunity to sit their examination to complete the requirements of the course.

An examination may normally be deferred no more than once (after the original scheduled examination). If you are again unable to undertake the scheduled deferred examination, a further deferral will not normally be granted.

A student who does not sit for their deferred examination will receive zero marks for the examination.

If a student is unable to undertake a deferred examination and they can provide evidence to support exceptional or special circumstances they may submit an application for a Review of Final Grade on the basis of special consideration.

View the scheduled examination dates at the top of this page for information on when the deferred/supplementary examination period will be held.

More information

For further information regarding the Deferred Examination process, please contact Student Central.

Grounds for approval of a deferred examination

The following are accepted as grounds for approval of a deferred examination by the Director, Student Central (or nominee) provided relevant independent supporting documentation is submitted with the application:

Grounds for application Supporting documentation required
Illness or serious health problem

Have a qualified medical practitioner complete the USC Medical Certificate attached to the Application for Deferred Examination form before or on the day of the examination.

For confirmed COVID-19 cases, you can attach the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) - positive result email confirmation as supporting documentation.

Serious personal trauma A letter from a doctor, counsellor, funeral director, or police officer depending on the situation
Cultural or sporting commitment at State, National or International representative level Supporting documentation formally confirming the dates of the activity and your requirement to attend
Jury duty Supporting documentation formally confirming the dates of the activity and your requirement to attend
Defence Forces Reserve commitments Supporting documentation formally confirming the dates of the activity and your requirement to attend
Serious incapacity during the central examination period Have a qualified medical practitioner complete the USC Medical Certificate attached to the Application for Deferred Examination form before or on the day of the examination
Religious obligations Documentation to confirm your recognised affiliation with the religious group
Exceptional family, work or personal circumstances Documentation from an employer to confirm the nature of the work commitment to be undertaken at the time of the examination and why it is unavoidable (Note that ordinary work commitments will not be accepted as a reason for a deferred examination)

Approval to sit a deferred examination will not be granted where you could reasonably have been expected to avoid the circumstances of missing or performing poorly in an exam, for example:

  • holiday arrangements including international students returning home
  • misreading an examination timetable, or
  • social and leisure events including sporting or cultural commitments not at State, National or International representative level.

View the scheduled examination dates at the top of this page for information on when the deferred/supplementary examination period will be held.

During your exam
Troubleshooting

Issues accessing your exam

  • If you are experiencing issues prior to logging into Canvas to start your exam – for example, internet or power outage – please record the nature of the issue and, if possible, get photographs/screenshots from your service provider website showing the outage. It would be worthwhile getting several captures to show the issue lasted throughout the exam session. Continue to keep trying to log-on while the exam link is available in your Canvas site. If you are unable to log in and do your exam at all, please submit an Application for Deferred Examination and include photographs/screenshots as evidence of the outage. If you have any questions, please contact Student Central.
  • If you are experiencing issues with Canvas passwords, please contact the IT Student Help Desk.
  • If the link to access the exam is not working in Canvas, please contact your course coordinator.

Issues during your exam

  • If you experience issues during your exam with internet/power outages, please log back into Canvas and continue with your exam as soon as you can. Canvas will track times when you were logged in. If possible, please take a photograph or screenshot of your internet/electricity service providers page noting the outage. This will assist you if you are unable to log back into Canvas, and need to apply for a Review of Final Grade.
  • If there is a question in the exam that you don’t understand, please answer it as best you can, including any assumptions you made (if a short-answer or long-answer question). Some course coordinators may invite students to contact them via email during the exam – just be aware that you may not get an immediate response so you should attempt to answer the question.
Illness or other difficulty during an exam

If you become ill during an examination but wish to finish the examination:

  • attend a medical practitioner as soon as your examination is complete and obtain a medical certificate
  • once your final grade is released, you can complete an Application for Review of Grade form and give the details of your illness under the Special Consideration section.

If you become too ill during an examination to complete the examination:

  • attend a medical practitioner on the day of your examination and obtain a medical certificate
  • once your final grade is released, you can complete an Application for Review of Grade form and give the details of your illness under the Special Consideration section.
After your exam
Supplementary examinations

You will be offered a supplementary assessment in a course if the following conditions apply:

  • your final mark is in the percentage range 47 per cent to 49.4 per cent
  • the course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
  • you have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct.

If you are granted a supplementary assessment, you will be given an interim grading notation of Supplementary Assessment - Exam (SU) or Supplementary Assessment – Other (SO).

View the scheduled examination dates at the top of this page for information on when the deferred/supplementary examination period will be held.

If you are not granted supplementary assessment and believe you are entitled to supplementary assessment, you may request a review using the University’s Review of Grade process.

Additional info
Procedures

Make sure you understand and comply with the procedures that apply to centrally scheduled University examinations.