Assessment Information 2020-21
Further guidance on A3 assessments for Life Sciences 2020/21 students
A3 Rubrics 2021
Frequently Asked Questions
Please review the following FAQs:
- When will my assessment take place and how long do I have to complete it?
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Your A3 timetable is available on Sussex Direct – however please note the following IMPORTANT information
DEX – the time/date on your Sussex Direct timetable is the DEADLINE for submission. The assessment will be made available on CANVAS 24 h BEFORE this deadline. DEX assessments can be accessed and submitted at any point within the 24 h period.
MCQ – the time/date on your Sussex Direct timetable is when the assessment will be made available on CANVAS. MCQ exams can then be accessed at any point within the 24 h window, but will be time-limited. Once you start the MCQ, you will have a defined period in which to complete it.
As is the case for unseen exams (UEX), there is no late period for DEX or MCQ submissions.
Coursework submissions - the time/date on your Sussex Direct timetable is the DEADLINE for submission.
- Where will I access my assessment?
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Your assessment will be available on your CANVAS module page.
- How should I submit my DEX assessment?
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Your submission should be named with the module code and the questions answered, for example if you answered questions 1 and 4 the file should be named “C1234_1_4.docx”. Include all answers in your single submitted file – only ONE file can be submitted with a maximum size of 40 MB. As is the case for all CANVAS submissions, you are able to replace any uploaded file up until the assessment deadline.
- Why do my DEX assessments have maximum word count?
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Students should spend a similar length of time completing a DEX exam as they would have had available in an in-person unseen exam. The expected duration of the exam will be indicated on the question paper. To guide students, for essays there is a maximum word count of 1000-1200 words per hour of expected work. The maximum word count applies to each individual question – therefore for a 2 h paper where two questions should be answered, each answer has a 1000-1200 maximum word count. All words in the submission will count towards this word limit.
Short answer questions or extended problems should be answered appropriately.
- What if I go over or under the word-limit?
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A range of 1000-1200 words is used to provide some flexibility – however markers need only consider work up to the limit of the range (1200 words), and may discount any excessive word length beyond that to ensure equity across the cohort. There is no lower word count limit, but submissions that are significantly lower than the word limit might not have fully developed an answer that gains the higher marks.
- Can I include figures?
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Figures can be used but must be hand-drawn, scanned/photographed, then embedded in your document. Graphs may be either hand-drawn or plotted using e.g. Excel, and embedded as an image.
- Do normal academic integrity regulations apply?
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Yes – all submitted work will be scrutinised for potential academic misconduct using Turnitin (e.g. plagiarism and collusion). Use your own words in your answers. Potential sources of misconduct include: reproducing lecture slides or tutor notes; copying and pasting text or figures from published work.
- Should citations and a bibliography be provided?
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No – students are expected to produce work that could realistically be produced under exam conditions. However, as is the case in an UEX, students can briefly refer to published work (e.g. In 2017, Smith et al demonstrated that……). You are not expected to perform additional research during your assessment.
- Do I get my usual extra time as a reasonable adjustment in my exams?
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For time-limited MCQ exams, students with extra time as a reasonable adjustment will receive this. The length of time that students should spend on a DEX assessment (e.g. 2 h) is much less than the window in which the assessment can be completed, and so assessments are considered to be inclusive of reasonable adjustments for length.
Students who have been given a digitized version of the yellow sticker that indicates a learning difference (e.g. dyslexia) should insert this into the front page of the submitted document so that tutors can take this into account as per the academic regulations.
- How do I raise a query during my assessment?
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As these assessments are open for 24 h it will not be possible to raise any queries about the paper during the assessment. Module convenors will not be able to respond to any queries as it would not be possible to ensure that all candidates received the same information. If you have technical problems during the assessment please contact IT services (itservicedesk@sussex.ac.uk).
- What is the assessment criteria for a DEX essay assessment?
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The assessment criteria can be viewed here.