Course Assessment Regulations

 >> effective as from 1^st August 2005
 

Overview
 

These Regulations apply to assessment of all courses and study modules included in the University of Kuopio curricula, as well as of any separate study blocks. Section 1 includes general guidelines concerning assessment and Section 2 covers specific instructions for written examinations.

Assessment of learning is part of the learning process and an essential factor that guides learning. Assessment should guide students to adopt working practices and methods that they can use when working as researchers and experts.

Instead of final assessment, assessment of course performance may also be based on continuous assessment of the learning process. Instead of written examinations, it is also possible to use alternative assessment methods, such as oral exams, essays, take-home exams, portfolios, project papers, learning logs, online exams, or other methods for assessment of learning. Course assessment should support students in learning scientific thinking and methodology as effectively as possible.

The schedule and methods for completing courses included in lower, higher and postgraduate university degrees and in separate study modules and study blocks are decided when curricula are confirmed. More specific guidance on completion methods and assessment may also be given at the beginning of individual courses.
 

1. General guidelines concerning course assessment

Acceptance and assessment of completed courses
 

Completed courses will be assessed as passed or failed. In addition, passed courses may be assessed with verbal grades adequate, satisfactory, good, very good and excellent and/or with numerical grades, where 1 corresponds to adequate, 2 corresponds to satisfactory, 3 corresponds to good, 4 corresponds to very good and 5 corresponds to excellent. Master’s theses, Licentiate theses and Doctoral theses may also be assessed using the traditional Latin scale as follows: approbatur (Latin for ‘passed’), lubenter approbatur (‘satisfactorily passed’), non sine laude approbatur (‘passed not without praise’), cum laude approbatur (‘passed with praise’), magna cum laude approbatur (‘passed with much praise’), eximia cum laude approbatur (‘passed with exceptional praise’), and laudatur (‘praised’). The scale may also be satisfactory, good and excellent, or passed or passed with praise.

Assessment of proficiency in the second national language will take into account the provisions of the Act on the Knowledge of Languages Required of Personnel in Public Bodies (424/2003) and the Decree on Demonstration of Proficiency in the Finnish and Swedish Language (481/2003).

NB! In terms of grades for study modules, for example, old grades (courses completed prior to 1^st August 2005) will be automatically converted to the new scale by computer as follows: old grades 12 and 11 correspond to new grade 5; old grades 10 and 9 to grade 4; old grades 8 and 7 to grade 3; old grades 6 and 5 to grade 2; and old grades 4 and 3 to grade 1.

Publication of course assessments and registration of credits

The results of course assessments must either be published on a noticeboard or in some other way as determined within the curriculum or during instruction within three (3) weeks of completion. Information about any delays in assessment results must also be provided as above within three (3) weeks. More flexible procedures may be observed when publishing assessments of courses completed outside the period of instruction (generally from 1^st June to 15^th August).

Regardless of the assessment method selected for a specific course, students must be informed of the general assessment criteria prior to final course assessment. In terms of written examinations, this means stating the maximum score for each assignment in the exam session. When alternative assessment methods are used, this involves clarification of the level of requirements set for assignments.

Examiners of Master’s theses and other theses submitted as part of advanced studies must provide a written statement on a thesis and, for Master’s theses, a proposal for its verbal grade no later than one month from the date when the student submitted the final version of the Master’s thesis or another thesis as part of advanced studies for examination as determined by the Faculty.

Students must have an opportunity to learn about the assessment criteria applied to their performance in at least one of the following ways: a) analysis of answers or model answers published with the results; b) a specifically organised feedback session; or c) personal feedback (discussion, letter, telephone call, e-mail).  

Accepted courses must be entered in the University study record as soon as possible. In the event of an error, the student in question must be heard when it is being corrected.

Rectification of assessments

If a student is not satisfied with the assessment of his or her course performance, he or she may make an oral or written request for rectification to the teacher who conducted the assessment within 14 days of the date when the student first had access to information about the assessment results and criteria. A student who is unsatisfied with a decision on rectification may appeal to the Examination Board of the Faculty that arranged the course in question within 14 days of receiving the decision. A written appeal should be addressed to the Examination Board and submitted to the University Student Affairs Office. In terms of subjects organised outside the Faculties, appeals should be addressed to the Examination Board of the Faculty within which the student is completing his or her degree.

Written course performance papers must be retained for a month after publication of the results. Students are entitled to get copies of their performance papers at their own expense.

Deception in course performance

If it is noticed that a student’s course performance was based on deception, the performance will be failed. A student found guilty of deception in an examination will be removed from the examination session immediately. A course will also be failed in cases where deception is only detected after the performance has been accepted. Deception must be reported to the Dean, who will decide on any possible further action.

Applying for and registration of substitution

As a general rule, substitutions are dealt with as part of each student’s individual study plan. Nevertheless, students may apply for substitution for a course or part of a course on the basis of previous studies (and, in exceptional cases, also of other activities, such as work performance), which are equivalent to the specific course or part of one in terms of content, level and scope. In such cases, students must submit an application for substitution, using the standard form, to the director of the course in question or to another person appointed by the Faculty Council, who will decide to grant substitution in accordance with the general criteria issued by the Faculty Council. In cases of doubt, the matter may also be submitted to the Faculty Council for settlement.

A substituted course or part of one will not be graded; instead of a verbal grade, information added to the study record will include details of when and where the substitute performance was completed. In the exceptional event that verbal and numerical grades are required for a substituted course as referred to in Subsection 1 of Section 1 of these Regulations, this will be decided by the person granting substitution after hearing the student in question.
 

2. Instructions concerning written examinations

Examinations and registration

University Faculties and departments organise general examinations for which students will register using the standard general examination envelope or in another separately determined way no later than seven (7) days prior to the examination date. In addition, there are course-specific initial, placement, partial, set-book and final examinations for which students can register through the Wossikka service or in another way as specified during the course.

Number and dates of examinations

The number and dates of examinations will be decided as part of the annual curricula approved by the University Senate and Faculties. If there are cogent reasons that necessitate changes to be made to the date of an examination, teaching materials, etc., students must be informed of such changes, as far as possible, no later than two weeks prior to the examination. Where special reasons so require, the teachers and students involved may also agree on arranging additional examination sessions. Students must be provided with an opportunity to take examinations for courses or parts of courses at least three (3) times per academic year.

Re-examinations must be equivalent to the primary examination in terms of degree of difficulty. The first re-examination must be organised within 1 to 5 weeks (1–8 weeks in summer) of publication of the examination results.

Practical arrangements for written examinations

The maximum duration of an examination is six hours. As a general rule, examinations will start on the hour. Students may leave an examination session no earlier than thirty (30) minutes from the start, after which time latecomers may no longer be admitted.

There must be a sufficient number of supervisors in examination sessions in order to ensure that the start, supervision and end of examinations can be arranged without delay. Students may go to the toilet under supervision during examinations lasting more than two hours.

Each student participating in an examination must prove his or her identity using the Student Union card or a document validated by a public authority and showing a photograph. A list of participants in each examination must be kept. If students are not allowed to take the examination paper with them when leaving, they must be specifically informed of this.

3. Miscellaneous provisions

Implementation of the Course Assessment Regulations is supervised by the Dean of the Faculty in question, who may also grant exceptions from the provisions of the Regulations for special reasons. In independent units operating outside the Faculties, implementation is supervised by the heads of such units.

Complaints against any breach of the Regulations should be addressed to the Dean or to the head of an independent unit referred to above and they should be submitted to the office of the Faculty in question or to the Student Affairs Office.

These Course Assessment Regulations will enter into force on 1^st August 2005 and will repeal the previous University of Kuopio Examination Regulations issued for each Faculty.

Legal protection relating to course performance and theses

A course performance means a written or oral examination, presentation or other performance included in the University curricula, or a thesis submitted as part of advanced studies or a Licentiate Thesis or a Doctoral Thesis.

If a student is not satisfied with assessment of his or her performance, he or she may request rectification as specified in Section 1 of these Assessment Regulations. A student who is unsatisfied with a decision made as a result of such a request may appeal to the Examination Board within 14 days of receipt of the decision. Claims for rectification should be addressed to the Examination Board of the Faculty in question and submitted to the Student Affairs Office. Decisions issued by an Examination Board as part of the rectification procedure are not subject to appeal.

Each Faculty has an Examination Board responsible for dealing with requests for rectification of course assessments. An Examination Board consists of a Chair, who is appointed by the Rector and who must be a professor, and members including at least three other professors and three representatives of the teaching or research staff. In addition, the Board has two student members. The Rector also appoints personal deputies for the Chair and other Board members, who must have the same qualifications as the permanent members. The term of office for an Examination Board is three years.

Students may make a written request for rectification of assessment of a Doctoral Thesis, Licentiate Thesis or an equivalent performance to the Faculty Council within 14 days of receipt of the decision. Prior to resolving the issue, the Faculty Council must request a statement from the Faculty Examination Board. The Faculty Council will make a decision on the request for rectification upon receipt of the statement.

7.6.2005