Special Consideration

The Special Consideration settings flag complex arrangements for certain assessment tasks. These details inform the Special Consideration team, allowing them to provide outcomes for approved student applications. These settings also determine whether the task will appear to students as an option on the Special consideration application form.

The default Special consideration settings are:

Yes - Special consideration is available / applicable to the activity
No - The activity is not a schedule final assessment
Yes - Short extensions are available / application to the activity
No - There are not any complex arrangements for this activity

This default will automatically grant a 2-day extension without requiring supporting documentation for approval.

Watch the video or expand the accordions below to learn more about each setting

Special consideration is not available / applicable when activities are not graded or do not contribute to the final mark for the unit. Special consideration is also not available for Supplementary assessment or additional assessment for a competency hurdle task.
If No is selected, an additional drop down option will appear.
For Is this a graded activity that contributes to the final mark?:
- If No is selected, no further information is required and you can proceed to saving your changes. This activity will not appear to students in the options for the online Special consideration form.
- If Yes is selected, you MUST specify a reason in the free text field. The information provided in this field will be verified by the Special Consideration team with the faculty Dean (or delegate). If the Dean (or delegate) has NOT approved that Special consideration is not available and you try to save the form, you will receive an error message and will be unable to continue.
Note: In addition to these settings, activities that have Dean (or delegate) approval to be unavailable for Special consideration must also be published in the Handbook. There are two options for publishing this information:
At the unit level in the Handbook summary section. CourseLoop field: Handbook assessment summary.
At the assessment level in the Handbook assessment section for a specific assessment task. CourseLoop field: Short description.
From this drop down list, you can select two options:
- Yes, centrally run
- Yes, departmental run
Based on the option you select, the SpecCon team will direct students to the correct form.
If No is selected, an additional drop down option will appear. For Reason why a short extension is not available/ applicable for the activity, select an activity from the drop down list.
Based on the Special Consideration Procedure, the activities where short extensions are NOT available / applicable are:
- a group assessment
- an in-class test/assessment (including presentations)
- a practical assessment (including laboratories)
- a mid-semester test
- a scheduled final assessment.

Yes - There are complex arrangements for this activity

Complex arrangements are required when an extension for a specific assessment task is not possible. Assessment tasks that are eligible for a short extension may also require complex arrangements to be put in place. Assessment types that may require complex arrangements include:

group assessments,
In-class tests (including presentations),
practical assessments (including laboratories),
quizzes,
sequential assessments, where an extension in the first part impacts the timelines of the second part.

Select an option from the drop down list to specify why complex arrangements are needed.
Where an extension can be provided before complex arrangements are applied, select Yes and indicate the maximum extension date before complex arrangements are applied.

If complex arrangements can be provided, select the relevant arrangement using the checkboxes.

An alternative and equivalent form of assessment	An alternative assessment task should, where relevant, have the following characteristics in relation to the original assessment task, as outlined in Assessment Regime Procedure (section 6): be of an equivalent standard; assess the same learning outcomes; be consistent with the principles of the Assessment and Academic Integrity Policy; not disadvantage other students enrolled in the unit; and be time proximate in the teaching period.
Exemption from completing the assessment (for 10% or less weighted tasks)	The Dean (or delegate) will determine if an assessment task (weighted 10% or less) is eligible to be exempt prior to the teaching period. Refer to Special Consideration Procedure (section 2). A maximum of 10% per unit can be exempt.

An alternative and equivalent form of assessment

An alternative assessment task should, where relevant, have the following characteristics in relation to the original assessment task, as outlined in Assessment Regime Procedure (section 6):

be of an equivalent standard;
assess the same learning outcomes;
be consistent with the principles of the Assessment and Academic Integrity Policy;
not disadvantage other students enrolled in the unit; and
be time proximate in the teaching period.

Exemption from completing the assessment (for 10% or less weighted tasks)

The Dean (or delegate) will determine if an assessment task (weighted 10% or less) is eligible to be exempt prior to the teaching period. Refer to Special Consideration Procedure (section 2). A maximum of 10% per unit can be exempt.

If An alternative and equivalent form of assessment is checked, an additional free-text field will appear. Information specified in the ‘Alternative form of assessment details’ section needs to be as clear as possible so that the Spec Con team can communicate with the student on the Chief Examiner's behalf.

Applications will be transferred to the CE or Spec con delegate to provide an outcome to the student if Alternative form of assessment details are not filled, unclear or incomplete.

If the CE or Spec con delegate intends all applications to be transferred to them, then the text section can be left blank.

You can also check the Enable checkbox to specify a new date for the alternative arrangement.

Learning and Teaching: Teach HQ

Learning and Teaching: Teach HQ

Special Consideration