Special Consideration FAQs

The Special Consideration Policy is applicable to short-term, serious and unavoidable circumstances that arise after a study period has commenced, and where specific assessment task/s have been affected.

The University classifies circumstances serious and unavoidable if they:

• could not have reasonably been anticipated, avoided or guarded against by the student; and
• were beyond the student's control; and
• caused substantial disruption to the student’s capacity for undertaking assessment for the unit(s); and
• occurred during a critical study period and were at least three (3) consecutive days duration or a total of five (5) days within the teaching period; and/or
• prevented completion of an assessment task scheduled for a specific date (eg final examination, in class test/ quiz, in class presentation)

The following are examples of events that are not considered eligible for Special Consideration:

• Reading the Unit Guide incorrectly
• Attending events such as: concerts, talk shows, sporting events, protests
• Pre-booked holidays
• Routine employment
• A heavy academic workload
• Misreading the assessment requirements and/or deadlines such as the examination timetable
• Professional Experience - independently organised by the student
• Other events or activities not related to current employment or studies

The policy applies to short-term unavoidable disruptions that have substantially affected your capacity to complete an assessment task.

To be considered for Special Consideration for assessments with a due date where you have had substantial time to work on the assignment disruptions must be either:

• at least three (3) consecutive days, or
• at least five (5) days cumulatively

For assessments scheduled for a specific date (eg exams, required class attendance, in-class tests or presentations) the disruption needs to be at least one day duration and impact the date of the assessment.

You should apply for Special Consideration as soon as you are fit to do so after becoming aware of the unavoidable disruption. You should apply no later than five (5) working days after the assessment date. If you are applying more than five (5) working days after the assessment date, you must justify or explain this timing in your application. Applications submitted outside the required timeframe are not guaranteed and are only considered for Special Consideration in exceptional circumstances.

You only need to apply for Special Consideration for missing a class in one of the following cases.

• The class participation or attendance counts towards your final mark (check your unit guide and iLearn) or
• The attendance is a requirement for the unit, or
• If you have an in-class assessment on that day (eg in-class presentation, laboratory practical)

If you have missed more than one class, make sure you apply separately for each missed class.

When submitting your application, make sure you select all assessments that you are applying for. For example, different outcomes will be granted for Participation versus an Essay, so it is important you submit separate requests for each assessment task and unit. This will assist the University to provide you with an appropriate outcome as soon as possible.

You are required to submit appropriate supporting documentation of your disruption. Examples of acceptable types are listed on the Special Consideration page. Supporting documentation should demonstrate how your disruption is serious and unavoidable, and clearly identify the dates or duration of the disruption.

Assessment types are separated into two categories, to select the relevant assessment type you need to first select the relevant category at the beginning of your application under “my disruption was”.

Assessment categories are as listed below:

If your participation is completed in class, list the date of your class as the ‘due date’.

If the participation activity occurs outside of class, check the unit guide and iLearn page for relevant assessment information such as due dates.

When submitting your application, make sure you submit separate applications for each assessment task you are applying for. Different outcomes will be granted for Participation versus an Essay, so it is important you submit separate requests for each assessment task and unit. This will assist the University to provide you with an appropriate outcome as soon as possible.

If approved for Special Consideration in relation to a final exam (which occurred during the formal examination period) you may be granted a supplementary exam. If granted a Supplementary Exam, the Supplementary Exam period occurs:

• For Session 2 2023 units: 7th December 2023 – 19th December 2023
• For Session 3 2023 units: 12th February 2024 – 15th February 2024
• For Term 3 MBA/MAF units: 21 September 2023
• For Term 4 MBA/MAF units: 14 December 2023

Students are expected to ensure their availability during this period.

For units with no online offering, unfortunately there is no option to sit a final exam online. If students are unable to attend their exam in-person, they are suggested to review their eligibility to apply for Special Consideration. If approved the likely outcome is a Supplementary Exam as per the original exam mode in the December Supplementary Exam period.

For units with an online offering (e.g. offered in person and online), it is expected students attend the in-person exam. If students are unable to attend, they might be eligible to apply for an online exam if they meet the prescribed criteria as follows:

• The student must be enrolled into the online offering; and
• The student must also be located either offshore, regional NSW, or out-of state (and the student has been in that location for the entirety of the session)

If a student meets the above criteria, they should use the application form listed in their personalised examination timetable to apply. Your personalised examination timetable is accessible via the examination timetable webpage. This form is open from the 27/09 at 1 PM until the 15/10 at 11:55 PM.

For students that believe they have an exceptional reason that necessitates an online exam, but do not meet the prescribed criteria, it is suggested to apply for Special Consideration with formal evidence. Please be aware applying for Special Consideration does not guarantee an online exam will be provided. Outcomes vary and might include an In Person Supplementary Exam or that no suitable option exists.

If applying via Special Consideration, all requests must be submitted no later than the 22/10 at 11:55 PM.

If you have submitted a duplicate application or made an error when submitting your application, you may cancel your application by opening it via ‘My Opened Enquiries/Forms’ in AskMQ and selecting ‘Cancel request’.

Once you have applied for Special Consideration, the University will assess the information and evidence you provided. The University will aim to let you know the outcome of your application via your student email address within 5 working days of receipt of the application and all necessary supporting evidence. If supporting evidence is provided after receipt of the application, the University will aim to let you know your outcome within 5 working days of receiving the documentation. Although the University aims to let you know your outcome as soon as possible, it may take 5–10 working days during peak periods.

You can attach additional documentation to your application as long as the application is open in AskMQ. Please do not submit a second Special Consideration application to provide additional supporting documentation.

To add additional documentation to an existing application, open your application via your ‘My Opened Enquiries/Forms’ in AskMQ and then select ‘add a note’ to attach additional comments and/or documents.

You should not wait until you receive an outcome for your Special Consideration application to submit your completed assessment. Keep in mind once you submit your assignment you are declaring yourself fit to do so. You should continue to work on your assessment and submit your finalised assessment as soon as possible. If an extension is approved it will normally be equivalent to the duration of impact outlined in your documentation. Any extension granted will be applied from the original due date, not the date the Special Consideration was submitted, hence it is possible you may receive your outcome after the new assessment due date has already passed.

Once you complete an assessment eg. sit an exam or submit an assignment, you are declaring yourself fit to do so. If you are feeling unfit to sit an exam or to submit your assignment, you should not do so. If you sit an exam or submit an assignment by the original due date you will no longer be eligible for Special Consideration and the application will be closed without further processing.

Please check your outcome email which will explain:

• why your application was not approved, and/or
• may have advice or instructions for further actions if appropriate.

You are encouraged to consult the Special Consideration webpage and policy prior to submitting an appeal. If you wish submit an academic appeal, refer to the appeals web page for more information. Appeals must be submitted within 10 working days of receipt of a decision via ask.mq.edu.au

Requests must be submitted no later than five working days after the assessment due date. If an application is beyond this deadline and is submitted after the release of final results, it is too late to be considered.

The university will review your application and supporting evidence to determine the most appropriate outcome, you can't request a specific outcome.