Assessment Policies and Practices

Table of Contents

Assessment Practices and Policy        

A Guide to Lecturers, Custodians and Mentors

Background to Shifts in Practice        

Why do we use the term ‘assessment’?        

Purpose of assessment        

Why do we assess?        

Types of Assessment        

Class Tests        

Examinations        

Formative versus Summative Assessments        

Naming Conventions        

Important information for the custodians:

Versions are indicated as follows (example):

Variant definitions:

LMS Description Field

Example:

Maintaining Relevance and Appropriate Standards        

Improving Turn-around of Reporting        

Moderation        

Internal Examinations

Internal Moderation

External Examinations

Assessment Feedback        

Assessment Integrity        

Assessment Administrative Process        

Competence in Assessment Practices        

Assessment Results        

Class assessments

Examinations

Capturing results

Certification        

Ordering Process

Authentication Procedure

General Pass Requirements        

Number of Assessments

Written class tests

Practical summative assessments and graded assignments

Mid year and final examinations

Prescribed Requirements for Final Assessment Admission        

Attendance

Satisfactory Participation in Work in Class

Formative Assessments        

Guidelines to Assessment Composition        

Avid Exams        

1 December 2017 - Memo

Time Allocation        

Assessment Rigour        

Assessment Integrity        

Assessment Practices and Policy

A Guide to Lecturers, Custodians and Mentors

The following information is intended as a guide to lecturers in order to lead us to best practices. It supplemental to the document ‘SoP Section 5 - Assessment Policies and Procedures’

Background to Shifts in Practice

At the time that the programme was designed a lot of thought was given to the blend of the types of assessments and the number of assessments hours required for each Learning Unit.

The original programme outlines were created on a software platform called Omni Outliner. This provided a convenient way to view broad summaries of programmes, modules, or individual Learning Units, and also an ability to easily drill down into the detail of a Learning Unit. However, because this was not an inexpensive piece of software, and because it was also only available on Mac OS, it was difficult to give all lecturers an easy way to keep up to date and aware of the overall programme structure, and the assessment details for each Learning Unit. Omni Outliner is still used by the academic programme managers, the registrar, the managing director and the campus principle, for planning purposes.

Several years ago it was decided to transfer all of the programme outlines to a Learning Management System. This was done, not merely to provide the students with an on-line and interactive prospectus, but primarily to provide a cloud based course outline to the academic staff, which was accessible at all times, in all places. The LMS would also avoid problems of version control that result in distributing multiple copies of an outline file, every year.

Because Learning Unit Custodians have editing privileges on the LMS, the information on the LMS is periodically checked against the original outline on Omni. The Registrar is responsible for ensuring that the assessments remain consistent with the outline. This is particularly important in cases where a student takes a gap year and returns at a later date to complete his studies. Consistency must be maintained to ensure that a the level of assessment for a pre-requisite subject in the current year is reasonably equivalent to that which such a student completed several years before.

Policies and practices concerning assessments have frequently been addressed at Lecturer Summits. Assessment blend, level, and practices are regularly scrutinised by the academic board. The board has frequently made recommendations, and insisted on remedial action to be taken, in certain instances.

Over the years, the institution has been though quite a number of substantial changes in terms of assessment practices.

The first of these major developments was the introduction of the LMS. There was a strong drive from management, and goals set for lecturers, to create several thousand LMS questions in 2010, 2011 and 2012. A number of workshops were conducted with lecturers, to coach them on methods and good practices. Because of this drive, there was a “swing of the pendulum” to a situation where too much of the assessment process was reliant on LMS. Following recommendations of the Academic Board, it was explained that the drive to implement LMS based assessments was a temporary emphasis to “get the ball rolling” and not a blanket instruction that this was to be the primary assessment tool. Thus, about three years ago, a new drive to create more practical and project based assessments commenced.

The second major development was a move away from exam sessions, towards a more regular and integrated schedule of assessment. We used to have a three-week mid-year exam session, and a four-week final exam session. In practice these exam sessions put unnecessary stress on the student, and did not lead to consistent study, but rather encouraged ‘cramming’. They did not provide opportunities for students to review their own assessments, and created unnecessary disconnects between the delivery of the teaching and the timing of the assessments.

Middle Tennessee State University and Berkeley School of Music in Boston, were sources of inspiration to move away from a generally South African practice of big three-hour theory exams, held once or twice a year, to a practice that created an environment of continuous weekly assessments. Larger summative assessments would primarily be conducted through projects and practical assessments that truly demonstrate the summing of a set of skills and the integrated application of theory, technique and knowledge.

Generally assessments for tutorial and laboratory based Learning Units take place in the computer laboratories, or studios. A dedicated two hour test and tutorial slot has also been introduced, so that each student attends approximately two hours of assessments weekly.

A number of training sessions have been held with Mentors, to ensure that standards of invigilation are maintained.

In 2014 and in 2015 the Registrar reviewed the number of assessments and the nature and blend of assessments across all learning units. This review was conducted through individual consultations and email communication with all Learning Unit custodians. This was to ensure that the delivery was in line with the original outlines, or alternatively, that the outline would be changed in accordance with an improved assessment regime for a Learning Unit.

Why do we use the term ‘assessment’?

Test, assessment, examination, these are really synonyms. Though, in general use, examination tends to imply greater weight and importance. So, this word tends to conjure feelings of dread and panic amongst students. For many people a test seems to imply a smaller and less significant exam. The word assessment is widely used in educational circles to imply a method of testing or examining students in a broader generic sense. Thus, an assessment could be a “test” or and “exam”, or an essay, or a project or a practical demonstration. But, in essence, an assessment examines the student, by testing their knowledge or competence in a particular area.

We use the word assessment, because of the “fear factor” implied in the word “exam”; because the word is generally used in educational circles when describing learning programmes and qualifications; and thirdly, because it seems to imply a more general testing of a students competence, and does not lead people to automatically think of a written test.

Purpose of assessment

Let us be clear from the outset that assessments are not intended to produce a ranking system. Assessments are used primarily to measure competence, as mechanism to gauge student progress.

However, it is not only the student who is being assessed, it is also the institution. A mechanism to measure the efficacy of teaching and delivery by the educator is as important as a mechanism to measure retention by the student.

An assessment can also be a learning experience, by shifting a student’s mind from passive to active participation. An effective way to achieve this is through scavenger hunts, that drive the student to access alternative sources of knowledge, and encourage research, participation. Evidence of experience is the primary objective, rather than a ranking of competence.

Assessments can also provide an opportunity for training, by instituting repetition in a  disciplined manner. Please refer to the refer to Tim’s document “The Ladder of Education” for a detailed explanation of this concept of “Training”

Consolidating learning.

Why do we assess?

1. Assessments help the students gauge how well they are progressing on a particular learning path.
   
   A short feedback loop is essential for this to be effective.
2. Assessments help the educators gauge how effective they have been at imparting to the students. This helps the educator to correct misunderstanding, adjust pace and methods to better convey to the students, and to fill in blank areas of learning.
   
   A short feedback loop is essential for this to be effective.
3. Assessments are a method of measuring student competence in specific learning outcomes, to determine if the student has attained the level of competence required for the  conferring of a particular qualification.
4. To shift the learner’s brain function from a passive (receptive) mode to an active (responsive) mode.
   
   Assessments are an important learning opportunity for the students, because an assessment causes a student to view the material from a different perspective. In a lecture the students are in a receptive mode, but in an assessment they are in a responsive mode of thinking. Thus, the assessment provides an important opportunity to reinforce learning. This principle should encourage lecturers to ask spot questions of the class; ask the class for written, or oral summaries of the material covered; encourage paraphrasing rather than parrot phrasing; and to provide time for students to make their own submissions and presentations to the class.
   
   When learners are in a passive mode they take in data and develop an internal mind map of this data that is in most respects similar to the lecturer’s Powerpoint presentation. However, with the slight pressure of knowing that any one of them could be the next to be called on to answer a question, or make a presentation, or to reiterate in their own words, the learners are constantly in a state of reorganising their internal mind maps.
   
   Also, for this reason students should also be encouraged to take notes in class, make doodles or rough mind maps, or randomly arrange key words on the page, even if these are never referred to again. Even though such activities may manifest as an untidy page of dubious value, both teachers and learners need to have faith that such an activity is of great value in producing associations within a set of data. In this case it is the process that is important, rather than the outcome.
5. A method of measuring relative achievement, with a group of students, in order to produce a competitive environment.
   
   This may be useful in encouraging progress and improvement, particularly amongst the high performing students; but, often produces a counterproductive effect with students who shun competitive activities.
   
   We have often been guilty of putting too much emphasis on the “fairness” of assessment delivery and results. Too much emphasis is placed on fair competition for top student awards, rather than producing an environment that promotes the overall competence of the entire student cohort.
6. A means to provide feedback to the patrons of the education, for example to bursars, parents or employers.
7. To acclimatise the student to an environment where every day at work is an assessment. To foster habits of preparing for jobs.
8. To create an objective or goal to a scavenger hunt.

Types of Assessment

For each learning unit, the final mark is made up of a combination of class assessments, a mid- year examination (where applicable) and/or a final examination. The class assessments are composed of written class tests, assignments, projects and in-class summative practical assessments. The amount and type of assessments are outlined in the learning unit summary for each learning unit. This learning unit summary indicates the number of hours allocated to each type of assessment and not the actual number of assessments.

Class Tests

As a guide to lecturers, class test are to be evenly dispersed throughout the programme and each test should not be longer than one hour in duration. In general, one class test should be set at the completion of a major section of the learning unit material, or after approximately ten to twelve hours of lecturing.

If, for example, the learning unit outline indicates twenty-four hours of face-to-face lecturing, it would most likely also indicate two hours to class tests This would imply two separate one hour class tests.

Lecturers are also encouraged to conduct a short five or ten minute ʻmini-quizʼ at each lecture. If the lecturer opts for to do this, then eleven such mini-quizzes can comprise the equivalent of a one hour class test.

Examinations

Formal examination sessions are scheduled each semester. Both written (theory) and practical examinations are held. Written examinations are conducted in the traditional manner, and invigilated by responsible staff-members. Practical examinations are conducted on a one-on-one basis, using the appropriate equipment. Examinations from individual learning units within a particular module are usually grouped together as separate sections of the same examination. Unlike class tests, examinations generally last more than one hour, therefore, if the outline allocates two hours for a final or a mid-year examination, this would constitute a single two hour examination, or perhaps two hours of a three hour examination, if a one hour section from another learning unit in the same module is included on that examination.

Formative versus Summative Assessments

Though not all assessments are summative, at Academy of Sound Engineering we strive to make all assessments formative. Each assessment should be viewed as an opportunity to help the learner view data in alternative contexts, or to experience a new application of a principle or technique.

We have intentionally moved away from our previous practice of hosting a four week final examination session at the very end of the academic year. This provided no feedback opportunity to the learner to reflect on their performance, nor to learn from their mistakes. In most instances the pass mark for these final assessments was 50% A student with a passing grade might not know which half of the assessment they got right and which half they got wrong. Under this regime graduates may enter the work place and persist with poor practices and perpetuate misunderstandings. There is no opportunity for correction.

Furthermore, this final exam emphasis encouraged ‘cramming’ and produced a situation where students concentrated almost entirely on ‘swatting’ for a period of about six weeks. These six weeks could be better spent on producing projects, attending classes, and in experiential learning.

We strive to spread a range of teaching and learning activities evenly over the entire academic year.

We do feel that there is value in a learner spending focused time reading, revising, or ‘swatting’ for an assessment. However, such activities are generally more focused and effective over one or two days at a time, rather than over a period of several weeks. We believe that to extend this over several weeks is counterproductive. Thus, we strive to create timetables for the students that allow for more frequent assessments and one day off from scheduled activities each week. This self study day provides more time for students to do their in-studio projects and to ‘swat’. Wherever possible, assessments are scheduled the day after this self-study day.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this strategy is to improve the utilisation of resources. The nature of our programmes requires the use of very expensive equipment and studio facilities and the training often depends on facilitation by professionals who have their own businesses to maintain. These facilitators are one of our most scarce resource. It is therefor necessary to utilise as much of these resources, evenly across the entire academic year. When we had an exam block of four weeks we typically found that many of these precious resources would be under utilised, or even lie dormant for about five to six weeks.

Education Week 2018/09/27, Reporting by: Sarah D. Sparks | Design by: Lovey Cooper

Assessment Naming Conventions

Assessments need to be named in the following format:

CourseCode ASMTXX version XXXXXX - Cohorts and Year -  Decription (Duration - optional)

For the section of the name "ASMTXX version XXXXXX": 

The two digits after ASMT are the assessment number, e.g. for assessment 1, it would be ASMT01.

The six digits after "version" are the assessment version and variant. The first four digits represent the version and are used to show what year and month the assessment was initially created, while the last two digits denote the variant of the assessment. As an example, if this assessment was created in January of 2019 and is the main/first assessment, then the digits would be 190101. A variant of this assessment, such as a rewrite would be 190102. A variant of an assessment will have the same format (LMS quiz, practical, essay submission etc.), assess the same material and have the same weighting, but the actual assessment will be slightly different in terms of the questions or brief.

At the beginning of every academic year, assessments are set up for the year ahead, and if there are no changes to an assessment, then the assessment version will remain the same. If any changes are made to the assessment or its weighting then the version number must be updated.

For the section of the name "Cohorts and Year":

Cohorts refers to the students for whom the assessment is set. Here we typically classify by campus (JHB or CPT), but this might also be defined by the intake (Intake 1, Intake 2 etc.). The year refers to the academic year in which the assessment is written (i.e students enrolled in the course in this year will write this assessment.

For example, and assessment with JHB 2019 as the cohort and year will be written by Johannesburg students who are enrolled into the course during the 2019 academic year. An assessment with JHB/CPT 2021 as the assessment as year will be written by Johannesburg and Cape Town students who are enrolled into the course in 2021.

For the section of the name "Assessment Name (Duration - optional)":

A simple description of the assessment is necessary (e.g. ‘LMS Assessment One’, ‘Avid Exam’, ‘Mic Setup Essay’). Adding the duration of the assessment is helpful for the students to gauge how long they need to spend on the assessment, but this is optional.

Examples of Assessment Names:

An example of an assessment name may be as follows:

6PrcMx1 ASMT01 version 190101 - JHB/CPT 2019 - LMS Assessment One (50 minute)

A number of things are made clear in this assessment name:

1. This is for the 6PrcMx1course
2. This is the first assessment for the course (ASMT01)
3. This assessment was initially created in January of 2019 and is the first variant of this assessment.
4. It will be written by both Johannesburg and Cape Town students enrolled into the course during the 2019 academic year.
5. It has the description ‘LMS Assessment One’ and a duration of 50 minutes.

Another example may be as follows:

6PrcMx1 ASMT01 version 190102 - JHB/CPT 2020 - LMS Assessment One Rewrite (50 minute)

According to this assessment name:

1. This is for the 6PrcMx1 course
2. This is the first assessment for the course (ASMT01)
3. This assessment was initially created in January of 2019 and is the second variant of this assessment (i.e. it tests the same material as 190101, has the same weighting, but is slightly different in terms of the actual questions).
4. It will be written by both Johannesburg and Cape Town students enrolled into the course during the 2020 academic year. Note that the version year and the academic year in which it is written do not necessarily match.
5. It has the description ‘LMS Assessment One Rewrite’ and a duration of 50 minutes.

LMS Description Field

The following information needs to be shown in the description fields:

CourseCode CourseName

Assessment Name 

Duration / Deadline Date

Content

Example:

5ElcFnd - Electronics Fundamentals 5
Assessment 02
Duration:  50 minutes
Content:  Lectures 1 to 8, with a greater focus of lectures 4 to 8. Assessment includes:

Electrical Safety

Engineering and Scientific Notation

Metric Prefixes

Electric Circuits

Ohm's Law

Watt's Law

Series Circuits

Parallel Circuits

Series-Parallel Circuits

Op-Amps

NB:  Calculators may be used, however, no phones or tablet devices will be allowed.

Maintaining Relevance and Appropriate Standards

Assessments are moderated by custodians of the subject, and programme co-ordinators. All assessments are vetted by senior academic staff on the programme.

The primary mechanism to monitor the efficacy of assessments is the Academic Board, which monitors overall results and compares these across sites of delivery and with year-on-year results.

Tabular reports from the LMS also provide an effective method of finding problem areas or spotting problem questions, by reviewing overall response to a particular question.

Improving Turn-around of Reporting

The Results database, connected to DigiCampus also provides powerful reporting features that allow Mentors, Programme Managers and the Registrar, an efficient means to monitor the performance of individuals or groups. Procedures have been implemented to create an environment in which Mentors can review summary reports, or detailed reports, on a student-by-student basis, or on a group, or on a Learning Unit basis. This system makes it possible to generate such reports within a day of LMS assessments being completed, or within a day of non-LMS based assessment results having been submitted. The goal is to provide results to the academic staff and to the student, with the quickest possible turn around time. This constant and timely review of results is an important tool in monitoring the efficacy of assessments and of teaching.

A number of training sessions and workshops dealing specifically with assessments have been held with academic staff.

Moderation

Internal Examinations

Except for Pro Tools examinations, which are international on-line computer-based examinations, all midyear and final examinations are set internally by Academy of Sound Engineering. It should be noted that the Academy provides its own practical examinations in Pro Tools, and is well-poised to provide its own theoretical examinations in Pro Tools, if necessary.

There are procedures in place for the moderation of the Academy’s internal examinations.

Internal Moderation

Examinations are set by one or more lecturers and then passed on to the Academic Manager who will moderate the content by checking the alignment of the content with the curriculum, the wording of the questions or tasks and the layout and presentation of the examination. Once the learner’s examination scripts have been marked there is a further process of moderation of the marking. First, the tally of marks of every script is checked by a member of the academic department; second, a random selection of scripts is re-marked to check the integrity of the marking. The number of scripts selected for such random selection shall be a minimum of ten percent of the scripts, or a minimum of six scripts, whichever is the greater, selected from a single examination.

External Examinations

Pro Tools examinations are moderated by Avid and by a network of Pro Tools instructors at Avid Accredited Training Partners around the globe. Avid conducts annual training instructor summits in the USA and in the UK, where moderation of the examination questions also takes place. There are also mechanisms in place for individual Pro Tools instructors to give feedback and comments on questions and to submit new questions for the examination database.

6.2

Assessment Feedback

Describe processes to provide feedback to students on assessment tasks.

A large portion of face-to-face learning takes place in tutorial sessions, with small class sizes, in laboratories or studios with equipment at hand. Thus, learners are frequently assessed on the spot, in class or during class activities, due to the outcomes-based format of the programme. Furthermore, more than 20% of the face-to-face learning takes place in computer laboratories, where the nature of the exercises and learning results in immediate affirmation of correct understanding or technique; misunderstanding and problem areas are immediately dealt with before the learner progresses.

Class tests are typically handed back to learners in the following week’s lecture, where the entire test is discussed.

Projects are also given back to learners with a comprehensive marking sheet, including comments on problem areas and commendations.

Learners also receive an academic progress report with all their results, twice per year, after each examination session.

6.3

Assessment Integrity

What mechanisms does the institution have to ensure the explicitness, validity and reliability of assessment practices?

Principles of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) underlie all teaching and learning activities, and therefore the Academy of Sound Engineering believes in the multidimensional and integrated application of assessment principles. The Academy of Sound Engineering Academic Board has been mandated to oversee the integrity of assessment practices as stated in its Frame of Reference, which states that a function of the board is:

 ”to assure that the assessment system is rigorous and secure, that assessment standards (internal and external) are appropriate to the qualification and that learner retention and throughput rates are within acceptable norms.”

Results from assessments, together with moderation reports and any actions taken must be presented by the Academic Manager to the Academic Board after final summative assessments at the end of each semester. Once the Academic Board is satisfied that assessment policies and procedures have been adhered to, assessment principles upheld and integrity of assessment practices assured, the Chairperson of the Academic Board will sign off the results.

8.2

Assessment Administrative Process

Describe the administrative process to ensure the integrity of assessment practices and certification.

All tests and examinations are submitted to the Academic Manager in an electronic format, over a secure system. These tests are moderated by the Academic Manager before the printing of the tests. For each examination the lecturer submits two different examination papers with complete memoranda. These examination papers must be moderated by a moderator appointed by the Academic Manager.

No examination or test questions are discussed or otherwise exposed in any place where any learner might learn of the content, or overhear such conversation.

The Academic Manager, with the aid of the Academic Co-ordinator, finalises the page layout and cover page of tests or examinations and does final preparation for printing. Printing of examinations happens off-site, at commercial printers who are required to make a declaration of confidentiality and give assurances regarding the security of documentation and examination papers in their control.

Upon collection of the examination papers from the printers, the Academic Manager conducts a final inspection of the examination papers, checking for any printing mistakes. If the printing is approved then the examination papers are packaged in envelopes. These envelopes are clearly labelled and sealed. The sealed examination pack is taken to the examination room for the examinations, and is only opened at the examination session in the presence of the invigilator and students to be examined.

6.4

Competence in Assessment Practices

What measures are in place to promote staff competence in assessment practices?

Each year, Academy of Sound Engineering has two lecturer summits where the syllabus and programme delivery is presented, discussed and analysed. Part of this summit is dedicated to the discussion of different assessment methods and the introduction of new or better methods of assessment to the lecturers. Several of Academy of Sound Engineering academic staff-members are Registered Assessors, and staff are regularly sent on assessors’ courses to ensure a high complement of qualified assessors. Regular meetings are also held between the Academic Manager and lecturers, in which assessment techniques and procedures are monitored and managed on an ongoing basis.

6.5

Assessment Results

Describe the process for recording assessment results and settling disputes in relation to assessment results.

Class assessments

For each class assessment, learners sign an Assessment Register, which is generated by the Student Information System (SIS), as proof of attendance. The lecturer captures all the assessment results on the same register and double-checks that each signature has the correct mark. If there is a signature without a mark, this would be taken as evidence that the lecturer has misplaced the test or overlooked a script; thus, comparing marks with signatures prevents any assessment from not being captured and prevents disputes. These registers are then handed in to the Academic Manager.

Examinations

For each examination session, learners sign an Assessment Register, which is generated by the Student Information System (SIS), as proof of attendance. These examination registers are photocopied, and the originals held by the Academic Manager. The photocopies of the examination registers are given to the lecturer together with the examination scripts, for the purpose of capturing marks. These registers are also used for keeping track of exactly how many and which learners wrote the examination. When a lecturer collects examination scripts for marking, he / she will sign out the exact number of scripts taken and will be held accountable for each script taken. Thus, record is always kept of exactly where each examination script is, during the marking and moderation process.

Capturing results

All results are captured by the Academic Department, and are managed by the Academic Manager. Assessment results are captured into the Student Information System from the signed Assessment Register described above. Once these have been entered they are verified by a second person, who compares the data from the SIS with the sheet.

Interim student grade reports and statistical reports can be easily generated from the SIS. Results are printed twice per year, after the two main examination sessions. These reports are also generated  from the SIS.

All queries should be handed to the Academic Manager, in writing. All queries are investigated as a priority and Academy of Sound Engineering will always do a full investigation to find a discrepancy, or explain any misunderstanding of the results.

Certification

Ordering Process

All certificates are ordered through the Academy of Sound Engineering Academic Manager based at the Academy of Sound Engineering administration offices in Auckland Park.  The type of certificate is clearly indicated, and a high level of security is maintained with regard to delivery and possession of all academic certificates.

• All certificates must be accounted for at all times, by way of bi-annual stock-counts after graduation ceremonies;
• A list with learner details is attached to each order form where the student does not attend a conferment ceremony;
• If errors are made while printing qualifications, the word CANCELLED is written in permanent ink across the entire qualification and the cancelled certificate is kept in a safe place for future queries;
• All certificates are personally signed by the Head of the Academic Board or his delegated nominee.

Authentication Procedure

Starting in 2008, each certificate issued to any Academy of Sound Engineering learner is authenticated. The following procedures are followed:

• All Diplomas and Certificates issued are coded (see below for details).
• All Diplomas and Certificates include the official Academy of Sound Engineering seal, embossing and foiling.
• All Diplomas and Certificates issued are recorded on the standard Academy of Sound Engineering Annual Qualifications Record form together with specimen signatures of the signatories for that specific academic year (see below). A copy of the Academy of Sound Engineering Annual Qualification Record is kept on file in a safe place at the training site.
• Registers are kept, in which learners sign that they have collected their Diploma/Certificate. Where learners are awarded their qualification at the graduation ceremony, this is indicated on the register and a record kept that the learner attended the graduation.
• Duplicate qualifications issued are clearly marked as “Duplicate”.
• Duplicate qualifications are dated according to the date the learner officially graduated.

General Pass Requirements

To pass a module, a learner is required to pass both the theory and practical portions of each constituent learning unit, where applicable. In most cases a module consists of several courses. The weighting of each constituent learning unit will be directly proportional to the credit value of that learning unit in relation to the credit value of the module.

For each learning unit, the final mark is made up of a combination of class assessments (tests, assignments, presentations and projects), a mid-year examination (where applicable) and/or a final examination. A learner’s class mark will be based on his/her completion of assignments, projects, case studies, class tests and quizzes completed during each semester. A class mark will be taken into account when the final mark obtained for a learning unit is calculated. The weightings of the various types of assessments (tests, assignments, examinations, etc.) differ from one learning unit or module to the next. Please refer to the assessment requirements of each module, detailed in the programme information section of the yearbook for specific module and constituent learning unit pass requirements.

The pass mark for most modules is 50%. There are exceptions to this policy, as is the case with the Pro Tools examinations, which require a minimum grade of 90% to pass. These Pro Tools examinations form part of all DAW module assessments. Please refer to the individual learning unit policies for more details on these exceptions.

In all cases, the final examination must be passed in order to pass the module. Thus, a learner will pass a module if a final mark of 50% is obtained in both the final summative assessment (final examination) and overall for the module.

A learner will pass a module with a distinction if a final mark of 75% or higher is obtained in both the final summative assessment (final examination) and as the overall mark for the module.

Where a learner has rewritten / re-sat an examination, even if the learner fails, the new mark obtained will be allocated towards the final mark (taking the combined mark as the year mark). In the case of a rewrite, the overall weighted mark (the class mark together with the examination mark) can only be reflected as the maximum of the pass mark. Also, after the rewrite, even if the learner fails, the new mark will be used as the final mark.

Number of Assessments

The approximate number of tests, assignments and examinations is outlined below. The number of projects and assignments assigned varies significantly from learning unit to learning unit, therefore these are indicated on the learning unit outlines of each learning unit.

Written class tests

• First Year - 30 (30 hours)
• Second Year - 16 (16 hours)
• Third Year - 11 (11 hours)
• Total - 57 (57 hours)

Practical summative assessments and graded assignments

• First Year - 10 (approximately 54 hours)
• Second Year - 28 (approximately 82 hours)
• Third Year - 38 (approximately 95 hours)
• Total - 76 (231 hours)

Mid year and final examinations

• First Year - 14 (30 hours)
• Second Year - 15 (33 hours)
• Third Year - 9 (15 hours)
• Total - 38 (78 hours)

Prescribed Requirements for Final Assessment Admission

Attendance

Learners who have been absent for more than 20% of their face-to-face scheduled lectures or tutorials in a particular learning unit or module, may be barred from the final assessment of that learning unit or module, if class work, assignments and class tests do not indicate a passing grade in that learning unit or module. The barring of a learner from a final assessment on this basis is in the sole discretion of the Academic Manager.

Satisfactory Participation in Work in Class

Learners may only present themselves for a final assessment if they have satisfied the prescribed requirements, including satisfactory participation in the work of the respective class, where applicable.

No extensions for the submission of assignments, based on extenuating circumstances, will be granted without prior permission from the Academic Manager. Any assignment received after the due date without permission will be returned unmarked to the learner.

Assignments must be the original work of the learner. If it appears that an assignment has been copied or plagiarised, the assignment will not be marked, a mark of 0% will be awarded, and disciplinary action as prescribed by Student Code of Conduct of Academy of Sound Engineering, will be taken.

Assignments received after the due date without extension approval from the Academic Manager will automatically have 10% deducted from the final grade. A further 1% may be deducted for each day that the assignment is overdue.

Formative Assessments

Because of the practical nature of the programme, there is a very large number of structured exercises and practical tasks that each learner must successfully complete. Most of these exercises take place in scheduled and structured tutorial sessions, but many also take place in during self-learning time. These exercises are checked and directed and assessed by a facilitator, and self-learning exercises may or may not be graded, at the facilitator’s discretion. However, in all cases, except where a learning unit outline clearly states the contrary, no formative assessment grades are allocated towards the final grade of the learning unit. Formative assessment grades (as opposed practical assessment grades, which are compulsory and marked) are given for the sole purpose of indicating levels of achievement and areas that require improvement.

Guidelines to Assessment Composition

A silly mistake overlooked by the composer of the assessment may drastically change the meaning or interpretation to a nervous novice student. Proof read! Check your grammar, spelling and vocabulary.

Here is an actual example of a question composed by a lecturer:

• A mixing desk is equipped with certain perimeter to help you troubleshoot, on a channel whats the quickest way to see if you getting signal before it goes to you Master buss

Look out for change in tense and person.

• During a show the drummer hits one of your microphones and we need to change it..

Avoid asking questions that are too open ended, or create the possibility of too wide an interpretation by the student. This can easily happen when the question uses colloquial language, jargon and slang. Also, the question should define context, where context may change the interpretation. Don’t presume that the student is viewing the question in the same context as you intended it, unless the question itself is testing for an interpretation of context.

For example, the word ‘compression’ is used in a variety of ways in our field, so when the LMS randomises questions, a prior question may establish the context of dynamics, followed by a question about data volume, or air compression.

Questions about practice are dangerous and fraught with caveats, since one engineer’s absolute rule, in one context, may be another engineer’s common practice, in another context. A rule forbidding a practice for one engineer may be another engineer’s creative expression. For example, opening an aux send, feeding back from the aux return, might create a really cool effect in some circumstances. We want to be cautious not to indoctrinate our students. Dogma must never replace understanding. Test for understanding rather than a set of rules.

For example:

Why should you never open an aux send on a reverb return?

The above question establishes a rule. It does not encourage innovation, nor creativity, and has limited value in terms of getting the student to conceptualise the situation, in an abstract way. This question can be slightly modified to:

Describe what is likely to happen when you use an aux send on the return channel to send the reverb return signal back to the reverb.

This does not limit the student to a strict rule, but rather encourages them to ponder the possibilities. If students are encouraged to imagine the possibilities, in an abstract way, they will begin to think of possibilities that may never have been taught in the classroom.

Allow me to lead you down this rabbit hole: Imagine a reverb with relatively loud early sound field, and pre-delay of 65 mS. I turn its aux send on the returning channel, all the way open, just as the bass drops on a house track. A quaver loop! Crowd goes wild! Do the same on a long hall reverb with lots of high frequency damping and an infinite reverb seems to morph into a feedback tone that may be the note that the vocalist trailed off with.

One of the most valuable aspects of an assessment is that it gets students to look at things from a new angle. Review point 4 in the section ‘Why do we assess?’ above. If the question, or in the case of multiple choice questions, the answers, present new possibilities and views to the student, then the assessment becomes a teaching tool per se.

For example, the following question is designed to get the students to consider several aspects of loudness, rather than simply testing for a regurgitated parrot learned definition. Students who have been taught to strictly recite definitions may find it difficult to accept that all of the following statements are true of loudness:

1. Loudness:

1. Is primarily affected by the amplitude of the wave, but can also be affected by the shape of the waveform.
2. has many different methods and standards of measurement.
3. can be measured in dB SPL (deci-Bells, Sound Pressure Level).
4. is typically a description of how much energy a sound wave has, measured over a period of time.
5. All answers can be correct

Avid Exams

The following memorandum should be taken as internal Academy of Sound Engineering policy which is in addition to the assessment policies instituted by Avid.

1 December 2017 - Memo

This memorandum concerning Avid accredited courses (Pro Tools, Venue, or Media Composer) applies to all Academy of Sound Engineering students enrolled in 2017.

1) The price of the text book covers the basic cost of Avid exam accreditation and subsequent certification (once students have successfully completed the relevant Avid exams). It is therefor mandatory that all students studying towards a particular Avid certification level purchase the relevant Avid book for that certification, from the institution that provides the training and examination service. In other words, books purchased second hand from other students, or purchased through any other source, such as eBay, will not be deemed to have covered the cost of Avid certification and such students will not be eligible to write the Avid exams. Two free exam attempts are given to each student who has paid for the relevant Avid text book.

2) Due Performance (DP) - A student must fulfil the minimum attendance requirement for the learning unit in order to qualify for entrance to the exam. A student who is required to repeat an entire learning unit because of failure to meet the DP will not be required to pay for the book again and the two free attempts at the Avid accredited exam SHALL NOT be forfeited. 

3) If a student has not yet successfully passed one prerequisite Avid level (e.g.Pro Tools 101) and begins attending classes for the next (e.g. Pro Tools 110) then, when the scheduled time arrives to write the exam for the subsequent level (e.g. Pro Tools 110), the student will not be permitted to write this exam because a pass of a prerequisite exam is necessary. In such cases the invigilator may insist on the student attempting the prerequisite exam (e.g. Pro Tools 101) instead. Furthermore, the usual rewrite fee rules shall apply to the prerequisite exam, though the student SHALL NOT forfeit any free exam attempts due to them.

4) Students who are scheduled for an exam session that they are eligible to write and simply do not pitch up and who do not supply a valid excuse such as a doctor’s note or police report, SHALL forfeit that exam attempt.

5) It has been alleged by some students that there have been certain cases in which they were required to pay rewrite fees because free exam attempts were inappropriately forfeited in terms of point 3) above. In such cases the students accounts SHALL be credited with these inappropriately applied rewrite fees. In other words, the relevant two free attempts SHALL be reallocated to the student. 

6) Students who fail a learning unit (e.g. Pro Tools 101), because of not satisfying the DP requirement, may automatically be reenrolled in that learning unit in order to repeat it. The billing for any subsequent learning (e.g. Pro Tools 110), for which the the student has already been billed, may be reallocated to the repeating of the first prerequisite learning unit (e.g. Pro Tools 101).

7) Any indulgence, or relaxation of the application of the Academy of Sound Engineering or Avid exam policy or rule, whether the indulgence be to the benefit of an individual student, or to a group of  students, shall in no way invalidate the past, present, or future application of the rule or policy. For example: If a student was once allowed to write an Avid exam without having paid for for the official Avid text book, this shall in no ways imply that such an exception will be permitted in the future, nor to other students.

Time Allocation

Assessment Rigour

Assessment Integrity

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Academy of Sound Engineering (Pty) Ltd. [registration] 1997/008334/07 [VAT] 4760197717 [directors] Cristo Hattingh, Nick Matzukis, Timothy Kraft (managing director)

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