19 (1)20.1 Examinations may be by written examination following the course work and by submission and assessment of a thesis.
(2)20.2 Theses and examinations must be written and conducted in the English language, unless in a particular case the Committee, on the recommendation of the prescribed authority, otherwise determines otherwise.
(3)20.32.48(7) The course requirements will prescribe a minimum standard of course work that must be attained before the candidate is admitted to the degree or before the candidate’s thesis is examined.
(4) In relation toFHowever, for a courseprogram of study requiring clinical or professional practice, examination of the clinical or professional practice component of the courseprogram may be by written or oral examination following the completion of the component or by assessment reports on an internship or other form of professional practice.
2.48(8) A reference in this rule to a written examination includes a reference:
(a) to the examination of a candidate by reports by the candidate’s supervisors about the candidate’s performance during:
(i) internships; or
(ii) other form of professional practice; and
(b) in relation to an academic program offered by the School of Art or the School of Music in the Faculty of Arts, to the examination of:
(i) an exhibition; or
(ii) a performance; or
(iii) a folio of original works.
“written examination” includes a reference to the examination of:
(a) internships; or
(b) any “written examination” includes a reference to the examination of:
(a) internships; or
(b) or other form of professional practice.Subdivision 2.10.2: Theses
2.49 Theses
2.49(1) A candidate who is required to submit a thesis must submit a thesis in a form approved by the prescribed authority in accordance with the Orders.
2.49(2) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) may, by Order, determine the form a thesis is to take and the number of copies to be submitted.
2.50 Examination of theses
2.50(1) A thesis must incorporate an account of research done during the program and its result and, if the research is on more than 1 topic, must demonstrate the relationship between the topics.
2.50(2) A thesis based upon research conducted jointly with another person must clearly indicate the nature and extent of the candidate's contribution to the research.
2.50(3) A candidate must clearly mark in the thesis material which has been previously submitted by the candidate for the purpose of obtaining a degree of any university or other tertiary education institution.
2.50(4) A thesis must not be accepted for examination unless, in the opinion of the prescribed authority, it consists preponderantly of material not previously so submitted.
2.50(5) A thesis that has been published may be submitted in published form, subject to the approval of the prescribed authority.
2.50(6) Not less than 2 months before submitting a thesis, a candidate must give notice to the Director SAS, in the approved form, of intention to submit the thesis.
2.50(7) A candidate must submit the thesis by delivering the requisite number of copies to the Director SAS.
2.51 Examiners of thesis
2.51(1) On the recommendation of the head of the relevant academic section and the prescribed authority, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) must appoint no fewer than 2 examiners of a thesis.
2.51(2) Unless the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) otherwise determines, at least one of the examiners appointed under this rule must be a person who is not a member of the staff of the University.
2.51(3) At least 2 of the examiners appointed under this rule to examine a thesis for a research degree must be chosen so as to be available to conduct an oral examination, unless, in the opinion of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), it is not practicable to do so.
2.51(4) A supervisor must not be appointed as an examiner under this rule.
2.51(5) To resolve ambiguities or disagreements or avoid delays in relation to the examination of a particular candidate, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), acting on the advice of the head of the relevant academic section and the prescribed authority, may at any time appoint an additional examiner.
2.51(6) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) may, at the request of an examiner, nominate a person other than a candidate’s supervisor to provide further information about the candidate’s thesis or, in the case of joint work, the candidate’s contribution to the thesis.
2.52 Prohibited communications
2.52(1) Except in the course of an oral examination under rule 2.54, an examiner must not communicate directly with:
(a) a candidate whose work he or she is examining; or
(b) a supervisor of the candidate.
2.52(2) Except in the course of an oral examination referred to in rule 2.54, a candidate must not communicate directly with an examiner of his or her work.
2.53 Examination required
2.53(1) A candidate must be given the opportunity to undertake a written examination of the candidate’s thesis before the candidate’s examiners recommend that the candidate be failed.
2.53(2) However, a candidate may be given the opportunity to undertake an oral examination of the candidate’s thesis in addition to, or as a substitute for, the examination referred to in subrule 2.53(1).
2.53(3) Also, subrules 2.53(1) and 2.53(2) do not apply to a candidate if the candidate’s examiners unanimously recommend that the candidate be failed.
2.53(4) Examinations under these Rules are to be conducted taking into account any relevant Orders, as well as any information about administrative matters issued by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) or the prescribed authority.
2.54 Oral examination of thesis
2.54(1) This rule applies only to the examination of theses for research degrees.
2.54(2) Unless exempted under subrule 2.54(3) or examined under subrule 2.54(7), if a candidate is to be examined orally under subrule 2.53(2), the candidate is to be so examined on the substance of the candidate’s thesis and on the candidate’s knowledge of its subject background.
2.54(3) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) may, on the recommendation of the examiners, exempt a candidate from oral examination, but if the thesis is based on joint research the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) may do so only in exceptional circumstances.
2.54(4) Unless the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) otherwise determines, an oral examination must be held in Canberra.
2.54(5) Unless the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) otherwise determines, a candidate must be orally examined by at least 2 of the examiners of the thesis.
2.54(6) If an oral examination is to be conducted by less than the total number of examiners for the program, the examiners who are to conduct the oral examination must:
(a) ascertain from those who are to be absent their wishes as to questions to be put to the candidate; and
(b) at the examination, put the substance of such questions to the candidate, together with any other questions they think relevant; and
(c) communicate to the absent examiners a report on the performance of the candidate including the response to questions suggested by those not present.
2.54(7) If, in the opinion of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), it is not practicable to hold an oral examination and the candidate is not exempted under subrule 2.54(3), the candidate is to be examined by written examination, set by the examiners of the thesis, covering the field which an oral examination would have covered.
2.54(8) If the examiners of the thesis are not satisfied with the candidate's performance at an oral examination or at a written examination held under subrule 2.54(7), they may recommend that the candidate be examined or further examined by written examination set by them, and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) may direct the holding of such examination or further examination.
2.54(9) The candidate's answers to an examination must be sent by the Director SAS to the examiners of the thesis and taken into account by them in the preparation of their reports.
2.55 Assessors: oral examinations
2.55(1) If the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) determines that an oral examination under subrule 2.54(5) is to be conducted by one examiner, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) must appoint an assessor for the purposes of this rule.
2.55(2) Subject to subrule 2.55(3), an assessor is to be appointed from among the senior members of the academic staff of the University, or of another university, who have some knowledge of the subject area of the thesis submitted by the candidate, but are not necessarily specialists in that area.
2.55(3) A staff member is not eligible to be appointed as an assessor in relation to the examination of a candidate if the staff member is a member of the same academic section as the candidate.
2.55(4) An assessor must attend the oral examination of a candidate to observe the way in which the examination is conducted.
2.55(5) The Director SAS must give the assessor a copy of the candidate's thesis if the assessor asks for a copy.
2.55(6) An assessor must not participate in the examination of a candidate, but must endeavour to ensure that the oral examination is properly and fairly conducted.
2.55(7) An assessor may submit to the Director SAS, in writing, any comments that the assessor wishes to make in relation to the examination.
2.55(8) If an assessor submits comments to the Director SAS under subrule 2.55(7), the Director SAS must send the comments to the prescribed authority, and the prescribed authority must take those comments into account when considering the examiners’ reports.
Note: Janet, would there be scope for oral examination here? Does the draft meet your requirements?
[Roger, The following section is intended to mirror the Master by coursework Rules provisions for examination of coursework.]