Assessment
Details of all in–course assessment will be available from the start of the unit. In–course assessment will vary and can take almost any form, such as a traditional essay, a business report, annotated slides for a presentation or even a video recording of a short presentation. Coursework may be individual or group work.
Details of the in–course assessment will be defined for each unit and deadlines will be clearly shown in the Unit Schedule and the Assessment Brief. All coursework can and should be submitted electronically. You are advised to always keep a copy of what you submit and to check that you have submitted the correct file(s).
If you are unable to complete an in–course assessment within the specified time for reasons that are genuinely outside your control, you may request an extension. You will need to complete a Mitigating Circumstances form and provide written evidence to support the request to the Programme Administrator before the due date. Extensions will not normally be considered once the submission date has passed. Please refer to the Mitigating Circumstances Code of Practice in your Student Handbook for further information.
For your information – reasons for possible extensions include medical circumstances, bereavement, or exceptional circumstances in paid employment. PC failure is NOT usually considered to be an acceptable reason. If you are in any doubt whether your situation qualifies as mitigating circumstances, please do consult us before the due date.
In all cases of assessment submission, failure to submit by the stated time and date without an agreed extension will result in a mark of 0% being awarded.
Assignments/Courework
Assignments are submitted online in myBU.
Examinations
Many of you will be familiar with this kind of assessment. They are usually used for the ‘Knowledge’ units where it is possible to assess your understanding of the principles of the subject with a set of questions. We also use this medium for assessing some ‘Application’ units when we often use case studies so that you can apply your knowledge to a particular situation. Sometimes the case studies are issued in advance so that you can do some preparation, although you will not know what the questions will be until you get into the examination room.
For security and fairness, examinations take place in a formal setting at a prescribed time and you will be provided with clear instructions about the process. You will be identified by your student number and not your name. Although they can be stressful (and we will give you information on what help you can get to relieve the stress) they have the advantage of being over in a finite time. From an educational point of view they have distinct advantages in enabling us to make a check on your progress and give us a record of work that is solely yours. Examiners try to design the exam so that it adds to your learning rather than just being a test of memory.
Group Work
In your course handbook you will find a rationale for assessing the work of groups. Essentially we recognise that we increasingly work in groups or teams, particularly in an international setting. The Business School has worked for a number of years with multi–national clients helping them build effective work teams. On the one hand many tasks can only be carried out by a team of people and on the other it is important that the individuals understand how groups operates. We call this ‘Task’ and ‘Process’. Our group working activities are structured to explore both sides. We also recognise that the Masters degree is awarded to individuals so in all units where group work is used there is an element of individual assessment. This might include a reflective diary that explores what you have learned through the process.
Presentations
Increasingly in work you will need to make presentations, to peers, subordinates, superiors or clients. These can be nerve–wracking experiences, particularly if you are operating in your second language. We therefore believe that you should have the opportunity to try out presenting in a ‘comfortable’ environment. Usually you will be asked to prepare and make the presentation in a group, which relieves the pressure in one way but in another makes it important that you work well with your colleagues. A feature of modern presentations is the use of computer based presentation packages such as PowerPoint and we will show you how to use this. Presentations are usually made to a member of staff who may have a colleague or an outside visitor with him or her.
Pass Mark
The pass mark for each unit will be 50%. Where the unit is assessed by a combination of formally defined separate elements of assessment a pass will be awarded where the total unit mark is at least 50% and the mark in each separate element of the unit assessment is not less than 46%.
Re–Submission
If you receive a fail grade for a piece of coursework or an exam the Board of Examiners may require you to ‘re–submit’ the assignment or ‘re–sit’ the exam. (This decision is not automatic as it depends on your grades across all units). Where this occurs, you will be required to complete a specified piece of work, or complete another exam, within a specified timeframe. You will be given detailed instructions should this be required.
Re–Assessment
Normally students will be required to make good a failure prior to the commencement of the next stage of the course.
Plagiarism and Referencing
Plagiarism is essentially taking someone’s work and passing it off as your own. There are two main ways this happens:
Clearly the first form is wrong as it:
- Penalises honest students
- Degrades academic institutions – degrees become worth less
- Degrades professional standards – students can graduate without really knowing the subject
- Is cheating
The second form is more complicated and there are certain skills that need to be developed in order to avoid plagiarising in this way. However, the consequences for both are the same.
Please note: PLAGIARISM or COPYING is a serious academic offence and may incur severe penalties beyond a Fail Grade. Bournemouth University reserves the right to use electronic means to identify plagiarism.
