The purpose of assessment is to ensure that effective learning of the content of the course has taken place. Evidence of this learning is required to demonstrate your achievement. Some of this evidence is collected by the VLE plus a formal assignment, which will be marked by the examiners.
The examiner assesses your work against the course published learning outcomes and grades your work the grading criteria given below. Your work will be graded as a pass, merit, or distinction. To assess your achievement, the examiner will give you activities that include a series of tasks or assignments, reflecting typical practice in the sector concerned. The complexity of the assignments is dependent to their level (1-8) of the course. Below the generic definition of each grade is described.
PASS
A pass is awarded once you achieve the following at the satisfactory level.
Completion of the online course, this includes attending to all the element of online course, completion of any online test, and participation in any discussion forums (in the case of face-to-face teaching 80% minimum attendance)
Achievement of all the course’s outcomes in the final assignment.
MERIT
A merit grade describes your performance over and above that for a pass grade. The evidence produced needs to be qualitative and of a substantial nature in the context of the sector. The generic indicative characteristics for the merit grade are as follow:
You have to identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions. You must apply the relevant theories and techniques and make effective judgments. You have to explore complex problems with more than one variable. Finally, your work should show a coherent and effective approach to your studies and research. You must present your findings in an appropriate structure with the use of suitable media.
DISTINCTION
A distinction grade describes your performance over and above that for a merit grade. The evidence produced needs to be qualitative and of a significant nature in the context of the sector. The generic indicative characteristics for the distinction grade are as follow:
You must use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions. You have to justify your conclusion and show the evidence of the critical examination of your findings against a clear and realistic set of criteria. Your work should demonstrate your degree of independence, substantial amount of investigative work. Your final report must demonstrate convergence, innovation, and creative thinking.
REFERRAL
Your work will be referred to you if it does not achieve the “PASS” mark. You are allowed one more submission. The maximum mark will be a “PASS” on the second submission.