ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 All activities leading to the three-year diplomas offered at the Republic Polytechnic are organized in the form of modules, in the categories of Regular Modules, Project Modules and Special Modules.

1.2 In order to graduate with a diploma from the Polytechnic a student is required to complete a specified number of Regular Modules that fulfill the specific requirements as stipulated in the Graduation Criteria of that diploma and a specified combination of Project Modules and the Special Modules.

1.3 Each Regular module consists of 15 full day learning activities designed to meet the objectives of that module.

1.4 Each diploma candidate may be required to carry out one or two projects, individually or as a member of a team, under one or more supervising academic staff for the purpose of fulfilling the Project Module requirement. The extent of the project shall be such that the contribution by each student is approximately equivalent to 15 full days worth of work.

1.5 To complete the Creative Engagement module requirement, each diploma candidate needs to take part in approved engagements for which points are awarded; a student needs to have earned a minimum of 40 points, of which a minimum of 10 points must be related to the diploma enrolled for in order to be awarded with a Pass grade for Creative Engagement module.

1.6 One or more Special modules may be required, and these may include Professional Profiling module, Portfolio Development module and the Industry Internship Programme (IIP) module.

2. ASSESSMENT AND GRADING

2.1 Module Grades of Regular Modules

2.1.1 On each day of attendance in a classroom activity of a module, each student is awarded a grade, referred to as the Daily Grade, by the facilitator of the class on the basis of the level of academic engagement by the student during that day. The table below shows the summary daily grade rubrics:

Learning Attributes	Grade A	Grade B	Grade C	Grade D	Grade F
Attainment of knowledge and practical skills	• Demonstrated very good knowledge with very good understanding of key concepts relevant to the problem/task of the day. • Demonstrated very good competence in practical skills, with very good understanding of purposes/rationale behind the skills/tasks.	• Demonstrated good knowledge, with good understanding of most of the key concepts relevant to the problem/task of the day. • Demonstrated good competence in practical skills, with good understanding of purposes/rationale behind the skills/tasks.	• Demonstrated some knowledge, with understanding of some of the key concepts relevant to the problem/task of the day but with minor misconceptions. • Demonstrated some competence in practical skills, with understanding of some of the purposes/rationale behind the skills/tasks but with minor misconceptions.	• Demonstrated some knowledge, with understanding of some of the key concepts relevant to the problem/task of the day but with misconceptions. • Demonstrated some competence in practical skills, with understanding of some of the purposes/rationale behind the skills/tasks but with misconceptions.	• No meaningful attainment of knowledge. • No meaningful attainment of practical skills.
Engagement with knowledge and practical skills	• Demonstrated very good ability to engage with knowledge/ practical skills. • Purposeful in learning and able to evaluate and critique own learning and also that of others.	• Demonstrated good ability to engage with knowledge/ practical skills. • Purposeful in learning and able to evaluate and critique own learning but generally less able to adopt critical questioning approach towards others.	• Demonstrated some ability to engage with knowledge/ practical skills. • Required promptings and guidance to progress in learning. Generally able to respond well to feedback about their work/ideas/skills from others.	• Demonstrated some ability to engage with knowledge/ practical skills. • Required promptings and significant guidance to progress in learning. Less responsive to feedback about their work/ideas/ skills from others.	• No meaningful attempt to engage with knowledge/ practical skills. • No meaningful progress in learning; Unresponsive to feedback.
Engagement in collaborative learning	• Consistently contributed constructively to team and class discussions for the day. • Showed excellent commitment to learning (e.g. punctual and present for all of the duration of each meeting).	• Contributed constructively to team and class discussions for the day. • Showed very good commitment to learning (e.g. punctual for most meetings and present for most of the duration of each meeting).	• Contributed to team in a cooperative manner, attempts to engage constructively. • Showed reasonable commitment to learning (e.g. may be slightly late for meetings but present for substantial duration of each meeting).	• Minimally contributed to team in a cooperative manner. • Showed some level of commitment to learning (e.g. may be late for meetings and miss more than 30 min for each meeting but puts in some effort to work.)	• No meaningful contribution to team and may be disruptive to team learning • Student showed unacceptable level of commitment to learning (e.g. may be late for meetings and miss more than one meeting).

Note: Individual modules may have additional criteria in determining the daily grade for students. This information will be conveyed to students through their facilitators or module chairs.

2.1.2 In addition, all students would take 3 Understanding Tests that are conducted for each module at different time points of the semester. The first two Understanding Tests is of a 45-minute duration and the third is of a 60 to 90 minutes duration and is aimed at testing the students’ understanding of the subject matter.

2.1.3 All 15 Daily Grades received by any student will be taken into account to contribute 30% to 70% (depending on the module) of the Module Grade, and all the 3 UT Grades of that student contribute to the remaining portion of the Module Grade for that student.

2.1.4 For the Module Grade, each grade is associated with a description and a Grade Point (GP), as indicated in the table below:

Grade	Description	Grade Points
A	Excellent	4.0
B+	Very Good	3.5
B	Very Good	3.0
C+	Good	2.5
C	Good	2.0
D+	Pass	1.5
D	Pass	1.0
F	Fail	0.0

2.1.5 A student who fails a module is required to repeat that module. Module grades for all attempts will be reflected in the academic transcript. For modules that are repeated in AY2011 Semester 1 onwards, the Grade Point (GP) of all attempts will be used in the computation of GPA.

2.2 Module Grades of Project Modules

2.2.1 The grade awarded to each student for each Project Module is determined by a panel of evaluators, on the basis of evident process skills of project planning, execution, presentation and any other aspect considered relevant.

2.2.2 The Project Module grade is awarded in the form of a letter grade of the same set as for Regular Modules.

2.3 Special Modules

2.3.1 Creative Engagement module is deemed complete once the student achieves a minimum of 40 points of which a minimum of 10 points must be related to the diploma enrolled for.

2.3.2 The evaluators of the Professional Profile/ Portfolio Development submission by each student would determine if the module is deemed completed by the student.

2.3.3 For Industry Immersion Programme (IIP) module, one of the following grades will be awarded: Pass with Commendation, Pass or Fail.

2.4 Appeal for Review of Module Grade *Updated 27 JANUARY 12

2.4.1 Students who wish to lodge an academic appeal against their Understanding Test (UT) 3, UT 4, Creative Engagement (CE), Project, Industry Experience Programme (IEP), Industry Immersion Programme (IIP), Professional Profiling (PP) or Portfolio Development (PD) grade may submit an appeal in person or through their parent/Next-of-Kin (NOK) and make payments at RP’s One-Stop Centre (OSC) within 3 working days from and inclusive of the date of release of results for that semester. Late appeals will not be entertained.

2.4.2 Appeals may be made when a student perceives the UT or module grade outcome to be inconsistent with his academic track record.

2.4.3 Appeals should not be made for reasons including, but not limited to the following: debarment from UT 3 and/or 4, endeavouring for a profitable outcome from the re-marking for frivolous reasons such as trying of luck, etc.

2.4.4 The appeal for review of module grade may be made via submission of an online application** or a hardcopy form together with the payment of an administrative fee of $26.75 (including 7% GST) per module at One-Stop Centre via NETs. A copy of the appeal form is obtainable either here (http://www.rp.sg/org/files/Module Grade Appeal Form.pdf) or at One Stop Centre. The appeal application will only be processed upon full payment of the administrative fee within the module grade appeal period. Appeal forms with incomplete information will not be processed. The administrative fee will be refunded if the appeal is successful.

2.4.5 Students are required to produce their RP Student Passes for identification when submitting the appeal form in person at One-Stop Centre.

2.4.6 Students who are unable to submit their appeal in person may arrange for submission by a proxy. Proxy must bring along a photocopy of the student’s RP Student Pass, his/her identification card (NRIC or passport) together with an authorisation form signed by the student. A copy of the proxy form can be found here (http://www.rp.sg/org/files/Authorisation Form for Module Grade Appeal.pdf).

2.4.7 Students will be notified on the outcome of their module grade appeal via email to their RP email account and letter to their mailing address registered in RP’s record. For confidentiality of appellant's information, the proxy, if any, will not be informed on the outcome of the module grade appeal.

2.4.8 Students must accept the review findings. No further appeals will be entertained thereafter.

(** Application period for UT 3, UT 4, CE, Project, IEP, IIP, PP or PD Grade Appeal for

AY2011 Semester 2 is from 30 Mar 2012 to 3 Apr 2012, 1700Hr)

3. GRADUATION CRITERIA

3.1 To graduate with a diploma, a student must complete and obtain at least a ‘Pass’ grade for all the modules that fulfill the specific requirements as stipulated in the Graduation Criteria of the diploma that the student is enrolled for. In particular, the student must complete the following:

A prescribed set and number of General, Discipline, Specialisation, Elective and Freely-Chosen Modules;
Creative Engagement module; and
One or a specified combination of the following: Professional Profiling module, Portfolio Development module, Project module(s), Industry Immersion Programme module.

4. ELIGIBILITY FOR MODULE CREDIT

4.1 A candidate shall be eligible for module credit if he:

has completed the module and satisfied the requirements in Clause 5
has settled all payments due to the Polytechnic; and
has not committed any serious act of indiscipline.

4.2 The Senate, or, Examinations Board in its place, may, in its absolute discretion, alter or waive any or all of the conditions stated in Clause 4.1 of these Regulations when determining a student’s eligibility for module credit.

5. AWARD OF CREDIT

5.1 Full credit is earned when a student obtains at least a ‘Pass’ grade, in the final assessment of a registered module. Assessment for this purpose, for regular modules, shall be conducted as stipulated in Clause 7.

5.2 The Senate, or, Examinations Board in its place may, on the recommendation of the Examinations Committee of the School, grant such advanced standing credits and grades for appropriate modules as it thinks fit to students who have sufficient and acceptable evidence of relevant previous study and/or training to the satisfaction of the Examinations Committee.

6. RETAKE OF MODULES

6.1 A student who fails in any required module will be required to repeat the module with limited attempts as prescribed by the specified module. No supplementary assessment shall be granted.

6.2 A student who fails in any elective module may either repeat the same module or register for an alternative prescribed elective approved for the course of study.

6.3 A student may retake an elective or complementary elective module not more than two times.

6.4 Module grades for all attempts will be reflected in the transcript. For modules that are repeated in AY2011 Semester 1 onwards, the Grade Point (GP) of all attempts will be used in the computation of GPA.

7. ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION

7.1 Daily Assessment

7.1.1 Daily Assessment applies to all modules conducted in the fifteen-day academic activity format and shall constitute an assessment of a student’s level of participation and performance during a full-day academic engagement of the module curriculum, inclusive of quizzes and journals.

7.1.2 The Academic Facilitator assigned to conduct the daily academic session for a group is authorised and required to assign daily grades to the students of that group.

7.2 Understanding Tests (UT)

7.2.1 Understanding Tests apply to all modules conducted in the fifteen-day academic activity format and three (3) UTs shall be conducted for each module.

7.2.2 The duration of the first two UTs shall be 45 minutes, while the duration of the last UT shall be 60 to 90 minutes. The UT schedule for the current semester can be found in the section "Understanding Test".

7.2.3 The latest information on the UT rules and regulations governing the UT can be found on the UT Rules And Regulations For Students .

8. ACADEMIC DISMISSAL AND PROBATION

8.1 Effective from Academic Year 2011, a student who fails to meet the following standards of attendance and/or academic performance shall be placed on academic probation or dismissed from the course of study:

A student who has been continuously absent from all classes for the first four (4) weeks of that semester, without a reason acceptable to the Polytechnic, is liable to be dismissed.
An International Student who fails to attend at least 80% of his assigned classes for that semester is liable to be dismissed.
A student who reaches his tenth semester and/or has modules that can only be cleared if he exceeds ten (10) semesters is liable to be dismissed.
A student who fails three or more modules in that semester is liable to be dismissed.
A student who fails in any module for the third time is liable to be dismissed.
A student who fails four or more modules in 2 consecutive semesters will be put on academic notice for the following semester. If the student continues to fail one or more modules in the new semester, he is liable to be dismissed.
A student who fails to pass his/her Industry Immersion Programme (IIP) Module after the second attempt is liable to be dismissed.

9. CANDIDATURE

9.1 The minimum candidature for a full-time three-year diploma programme is two (2) years.

9.2 Unless permission on exceptional grounds is given by the Examinations Board in its absolute discretion, a student is allowed a maximum period of ten (10) semesters to complete all the requirements of his course of study for a full-time three-year diploma programme.

10. AWARD OF DIPLOMA

10.1 Subject to Clause 9.1 of these Regulations, a student who has met all the requirements of the course of study shall be awarded the Diploma.

11. DIPLOMA WITH MERIT

11.1 The Senate or Examinations Board in its place shall, on the recommendation of the Examinations Committee of the School, approve the award of Diploma with Merit to students for outstanding performance in their course of study.

11.2 The Diploma with Merit shall be awarded to students who fulfill all of the following conditions:

11.2.1 Achieve a GPA of 3.5 or better;

11.2.2 Within the top 10% of their diploma.

12. ACADEMIC ROLL OF HONOURS

12.1 The Senate shall, on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners, approve the induction of the top 5% of the entire student cohort into the Academic Roll of Honours for each semester.

12.2 To be inducted into the Academic Roll of Honours for any semester, students must fulfill all of the following conditions:

12.2.1 Take at least 4 modules for that semester, excluding project modules;

12.2.2 Attain a semester GPA that is within the top 5% of the student cohort that fulfills para 12.2.1.

12.3 Students who have been inducted into the Academic Roll of Honours for any semester will have a statement acknowledging the induction in their Transcript of Academic Record.

13. DIPLOMA CERTIFICATE / TRANSCRIPT OF ACADEMIC RECORDS

13.1 The Diploma Certificate and the Transcript of Academic Records are issued by the Office of the Registrar (ORG).

13.2 ORG will not re-print the Diploma Certificate.

13.3 Copies of the Statement of Results (SOR) and additional copies of the academic transcripts can be obtained via Students E-Services at S$10.70 (inclusive of GST) per copy.

13.4 Former students of RP, who have left without graduating from RP, can also obtain their Statement of Results (SOR) via E-Services: Students. The first copy will be issued free-of-charge, and subsequent copies charged at S$10.70 (inclusive of GST) per copy.