1.

Evaluation

1.1

The mode of assessment for the courses in OUM’s degree or diploma programmes is being revised from time to time to be abreast with current trends and development on formative and summative evaluation in higher education. Invariably, the revisions may result in changes to the assessed components, the component marks’ weightage and the examination questions format. In this regard, you are advised to refer regularly to the OUM website and your Faculty for the latest information.

1.2

The assessment for the majority of courses usually comprise of:

(a) coursework component – assignments, laboratory practical, project work, etc.

(b) examination component - comprises mainly of a Final Examination at the end of each semester.

Mid-semester examinations may also be held for specific courses offered in each semester. You are advised to refer to announcement in the MyVLE for the list of courses with Mid-Semester examinations.

2.

Tutorial Class Attendance

2.1

You shall be assigned to a tutorial group for each course that you have registered at the beginning of each semester. Your assignment to a tutorial group is final and you cannot change to another tutorial grouping or tutorial slot without prior approval from the University authorities.

2.2

Participation in and interaction during the tutorials play a crucial and vital role in your learning and assessment. You should strive to attend all the tutorials for the course(s) that you have registered for in a semester.

2.3

If you are registered for a Bachelor’s degree programme under the sponsorship of the Kementerian Pelajaran (Bahagian Pendidikan Guru), you must attend all the tutorials and satisfactorily complete the assessed components of the prescribed courses for the programme failing which, you would be barred from taking the examination in the courses concerned.

2.4

You may be barred from taking the examination for a course if you have outstanding fees due to the University. If you are barred from taking the examination for a course in any semester, you are prevented from downloading the Examination Entry Authorisation Slip until the fees have been settled before the examination for the course commences.

2.5

You shall be awarded zero marks in the examination and grade F for a course if you are barred from sitting the examination for the course.

3.

Submission of Assignment

Some assignments should be submitted through online mode while others require you to submit to face-to-face tutor. You should submit the assignments for your courses via the mode stipulated in the announcement by the faculties before the deadline. Marks shall be deducted for late submission of assignments. Submission of assignment after the deadline shall not be accepted for grading by the University except in extenuating circumstances supported by documentary evidence. If accepted for grading, the rules regarding deduction of marks for submission after the deadline shall apply.

You should refer to the University guidelines on the procedures and requirements for the submission of assignments and observe strictly the University rules governing plagiarism and originality of work submitted for assessment. The University reserves the right to deduct marks including outright rejection of assignments found to be plagiarized.

Any assignment submitted for marking cannot be resubmitted after it has been marked and marks have been awarded.

4.

Grading Scheme

The official grading scheme of the University is as follows:

Other grades

Other grades used in the grading scheme and their descriptors are as follows:

I – Incomplete – Awarded when a student is unable to take the examination for a course for any of the following reasons:

(a)  official company duties such as attendance at courses, seminars within or outside the country and work commitments that cannot be postponed

(b)  medical treatment exceeding a day, maternity leave and or other medical condition requiring extended period of treatment; and

(c)  emergency situations such as deceased of an immediate relative.

Application for Award of Grade I – Incomplete         

(1) Your application must be submitted online before the closing date. It should state the reasons and be submitted together with supporting letters and relevant documents from employer/hospital, where applicable.

(2)  If you are unable to sit the scheduled examination for a course due to official company duties and work commitments mentioned in (a) above, you should submit your application to defer the examination not later than Tutorial 4 of the semester concerned. After Tutorial 4, your application would not be accepted and zero marks shall automatically be awarded if you failed to sit the examination component of the course concerned.

(3)   If you are unable to sit the scheduled examination for a course due to medical reasons mentioned in (b) or emergency situations mentioned in (c) above, you should submit your application to defer the examination not later that (7) days after the date of the examination for the course concerned.

 (4) A fee of RM100.00 per course shall be charged for each application and the amount due shall be debited to your account with the University.

(5)  On compassionate grounds OUM may, after considering your application and the supporting documents received, exempt you from the fee of RM100.00 if your application is submitted based on emergency situations or in case you need to undergo more than two nights of hospitalisation consecutively.

 (6)  If you have been awarded the grade I – Incomplete in any course, you should redeem the incomplete grade within one academic year from the semester when the grade I – Incomplete for the course was initially approved. Notwithstanding, you are only allowed one attempt at any semester during the one academic year, to redeem the grade I - Incomplete after which semester, the eligibility automatically lapses. If you have not redeemed the course with grade I – Incomplete after the end of the one academic year, the course grade shall automatically be converted to grade F.

(7) If you are still unable, due to the reasons mentioned in (a), (b), (c) above, to sit the examination for a course with the grade I – Incomplete, at the last semester of the one academic year before it expires, you should apply to extend the validity of the one year academic period giving reasons and enclosing necessary documentation with your application. The application where approved, shall only be for one more semester.

(8)  As module content and assessment methods may change from time to time, you should redeem the course with grade I – Incomplete  by taking the examination at the earliest possible semester when the course is offered.

CT -  Awarded where the credit hours of an equivalent course that had been completed at another approved institution, are accredited for transfer to an OUM degree/diploma programme.

IP - Awarded for a course that is conducted over more than one semester. Credit     hours of a course with the IP grade are included in the total credit hours that students have registered for in a particular semester but not included in computing the GPA and CGPA. The final grade obtained after the course has been conducted over more than one semester, shall replace the IP grade. The final grade and credit hours of the course are included in computing the GPA and CGPA

S - Awarded where the performance in a course is assessed as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The grade S is awarded if the mark obtained for the course is 50% or more of the overall mark.

U - Awarded to a course where the performance in a course is assessed as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The grade U is awarded if the mark obtained for the course is less than 50% of the overall mark.

W - Awarded where students have officially withdrawn from a course in a semester.

AU - Awarded to a course taken by students for audit purpose only.

BE - Awarded to a course where the assessment is based on prior knowledge obtained by students via self learning and/or working experience. A special examination may be authorized by the Dean of the Faculty to assess the students.

PL - Awarded to a course where the assessment is based on an admission or replacement examination.

5.

Marks and Grades Management 

5.1      You shall only be informed of the grade and not the final marks for a                     course.

5.2     The examination results for each semester must be approved by the                           Faculty/University Examinations Committees before release.

5.3            Your examination results are released subject to the approval of the                          University Senate.

5.4     The Registry shall be responsible for the release and issue of all official  results            and for updating and maintaining your official academic records.

6.

Grade Point Average and Cumulative Grade Point Average

6.1     Your academic performance in each semester shall be indicated by the Grade           Point Average (GPA) and the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). The GPA           is determined by dividing the total grade points obtained with the total                     credit hours taken by you in a semester. The following example shows                       how the GPA is determined:

6.2               The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is determined by dividing the                   total grade points obtained with the total credit hours taken by you over more            than one semester.

6.3                All course grades other than grades AU, CT, I, IP, S, U and W shall be                      included in the computation of your GPA and CGPA.

6.4            If you are awarded grade I or IP for a course, the credit hours shall be                      included in the total credit hours that you have registered for in a semester                but shall be excluded from the computation of your GPA and CGPA until the                grade I or IP is replaced with a final grade.

6.5                If your are awarded grade S or U for a course, the credit hours shall be                     included in the total credit hours that you have registered for in a semester               but shall be excluded from the computation of your GPA and CGPA

6.6     You are deemed to have earned the credit hours of any course with                          grades A+, A-, B-, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, CT or S. 

         Credit hours are not earned for a course awarded grade F or U. However, the          credit hours of a course with grade F are included in the computation of your              GPA and CGPA.

          If you are awarded the grade I or IP for a course, the credit hours shall be           earned when the course is awarded a final grade other than grade F or U.

7.   Repeating A Course or Examination

7.1    You may elect to repeat either a course or the examination for a course to           improve on the original grade. Notwithstanding, you cannot resubmit for                 remarking, your assignment after it has been marked and marks have been           awarded.

7.2      If you elect to repeat a course, you must reregister for the course that you           had registered previously, undergo again the continuous assessment                         components and retake the examination for the course.

          If you elect to repeat the examination for a course, you must register to           retake the examination component of the course when the course is offered           again in a subsequent semester.

7.3      Repeating the examination of a course applies to the final semester                           examination only. Subject to approval by the University you may, in                         extenuating circumstances, be permitted to repeat the Mid-Semester                       examination for a course.

7.4      You can repeat the final examination of a course up to a maximum period of           one academic year from the semester when you first registered and sat the           examination for that course. Before the expiry of the maximum period, you           may carry the marks obtained initially for the continuous assessment of a           course to be added to the marks of the repeat examination.

7.5      If your grade for any Malaysian Qualifications Agency courses is lower than  grade C , you must repeat either the course or the examination of the course  until you have fulfilled the minimum grade C requirement failing which, you  cannot graduate even though you may completed the other graduation  requirements. 

         Your faculty may also specify a minimum grade of C for certain prerequisite  courses. You should check in advance with your Faculty on the minimum grade  requirement of prerequisite courses if any, for your programme.

7.6              You may repeat any course subject to the maximum period specified for your           study programme.

7.7              The grade and grade points of a course to be used in computing your CGPA           shall be the grade and grade point obtained by you before or after a repeat           course / examination of the course, whichever is better.

8.

Special Examination

If you are unable to sit an examination for a course due to extenuating circumstances, you may apply for consideration to take a special examination in that course.

Your written application giving your reasons, should be submitted together with the relevant documentary evidence to the Assessment and Examination Unit, not later than two weeks before the commencement date of the semester examination concerned.

A special examination would only be approved by the University in very exceptional circumstances. If your application is approved, you would not be permitted to repeat the examination in the course.

9.

Breach of Examination Regulations and Grades

In the event you are found guilty by the University Students Disciplinary Committee of breach of University examination regulations pertaining to a course, you shall be awarded zero marks in both the continuous assessment and examination of the course. Where the punishment imposed includes a period of suspension, you cannot attend the tutorials, submit assignments or sit the examination for any course until after the suspension period.

10.

Determination of Academic Performance

10.1 Pass with Distinction and Deans List

Your academic performance shall be indicated with “Pass with Distinction” and your name entered into the Dean’s List in a semester if:

(a)   you have obtained a GPA of 3.70 or higher;

(b)   you have registered and taken the examination for the courses totaling 9 or   more credit hours;

(c)   you have obtained not less than grade C in any of the courses taken; and

(d)   you are not repeating the course(s) or the examination for the courses for any        particular semester.

If you are awarded grade I - Incomplete for a course in any semester before semester May 2013, you would still be considered for a “Pass with Distinction” in the semester concerned after the grade I has been redeemed and converted to a normal grade provided, the other requirements of the award are fulfilled.

With effect from semester May 2013, students awarded grade I – Incomplete for a course in a particular semester shall not be considered for a “Pass with Distinction” after the grade I has been redeemed and converted to a normal grade for the semester concerned.

Only courses with grades and equivalent grade points that are used to calculate the GPA in a semester, shall be considered in determining the award of “Pass With Distinction”.

10.2 Academic Probation Period and Warning

(a)  If your GPA is less than 2.0 in any semester, you shall be placed on Academic Probation. The Academic Probation period shall continue until you have attained a GPA of 2.0 or higher in subsequent semesters after the Academic Probation period.

(b) You shall be informed of your Academic Probation Period status including a warning regarding your unsatisfactory academic performance via a notification by the Dean of your Faculty in your Partial Transcript. The notification would also contain a clear statement on what you should do to improve on and maintain satisfactory academic progress.

(c) The Dean of the Faculty can also place you under Academic Probation Period if       your preparation, progress or performance at any time during the programme of       study at the Faculty is unsatisfactory.

(d) If you are placed on Academic Probation Period in any semester, you cannot              register more than 6 credit hours in the following semester.

10.3 Fail and Out

“Fail and Out” refers to the status when a student is terminated from his/her programme of study due to unsatisfactory academic progress after a period of study.

If your Faculty finds that your academic progress in any semester is unsatisfactory and insufficient to achieve the GPA/CGPA required or in fulfilling the conditions of the Academic Probation Period after a period of study, it can after evaluation of your progress, recommend to the Senate to terminate you from your study programme. After receiving and deliberating on the recommendation, the Senate is empowered to terminate you from your study programme.

11.

EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

If you are a candidate for an OUM examination, you SHOULD OBSERVE STRICTLY THE FOLLOWING:

11.1 Before Admission into the Examination Hall/Room  

11.2 After Admission into the Examination Hall/Room, you should:

       (b)      Read carefully and observe the instructions printed on the front page             of the answer booklet;

           (c)     Complete the attendance slip on the front page of the answer booklet       with the details required, then separate the attendance slip from the         answer booklet and place the attendance slip on the top right hand         corner of your examination table;

    (d)     Write your matriculation number, code and course title, your learning         centre and other necessary details on the front page of your answer         booklet. Do not write your name  on the answer booklet;

    (e)     Ensure that you have received a copy of the question paper from the       invigilator. Do not open the question paper unless instructed to do so       by the Chief Invigilator;

          (f)      After the Chief Invigilator has given instructions for opening the              question paper, check to ensure that you have received the correct          question paper and that the pages are complete. If you have received a    wrong or incomplete question paper, you should immediately request the    invigilator for a replacement. Reading time has been included in the time    allocated for answering the question paper;

          (g)    Not  start with writing your answers until instructed to do so by the              Chief Invigilator;

          (h)   Not leave the examination room/hall during the first 30 minutes after               your examination has commenced and 15 minutes before the                         examination ends;

          (i)    Raise your hand if you wish to seek permission to temporarily leave the            examination hall any time during the examination;

          (j)    Not leave the examination room/hall until permission has been granted            and you are duly accompanied by an invigilator. If you leave the                    examination hall/room during the examination without permission, you              shall not be permitted by the Chief Invigilator to reenter the examination        room/hall to continue with your examination;

          (k)   Write the time of your entry and exit and sign in the record book/sheet            where provided, if permission has been granted to you to visit the rest            room. You are only allowed 5 minutes to visit the rest room. 

11.3 While the examination is in progress, you SHOULD:

 (a)   Not communicate with other candidates by any means including use of    body language;

            (b)  Not give or receive from other candidates or parties, any form of assistance concerning the examination other than that permitted by the Chief invigilator;  

           (c)  Comply always with the instructions of the Chief Invigilator and invigilators;

(d)  Not create commotion that will affect the proper conduct of the examination or disturb other candidates taking the examination. The Chief Invigilator is empowered to remove any candidate causing disturbances or commotion during an examination from the examination hall; and 

(e) Inform the Chief Invigilator immediately if you fall sick, encounter any                 medical problem or you are unable to proceed with an examination.

11.4 At the end of an examination, you SHOULD:

(a)  Stop writing when instructed to do so by the Chief Invigilator;

(b)  Ensure all used answer booklets, supplementary answer booklets, graph paper and other papers if any, are tied together with the thread provided before handing it over to the invigilator on duty;

(c)  Not take out from the examination room/hall, any examination booklet, graph paper, objective answer sheet, either used or unused, and other documents supplied by the invigilator.

(d)  Not take out, advertently or inadvertently, your written answer booklets from the examination room/hall any time during or at the end of the examination. Written answer booklets taken out from the examination room/hall during the examination, will not be accepted for marking;

(e)  Return examination equipment if any, loaned to you by the invigilator;

(g)  Remain seated until instructed to leave the examination hall/room by the Chief Invigilator.

(h)  Leave the examination room/hall in an orderly manner through the designated doors.

12.

BREACHES

In addition to complying with the Examination regulations mentioned above you should not , as an OUM student, commit any of the following:

(a)   Give, receive or possess any information that is related to the examination                before or during the examination for a course;

(b)   Refer to or use any reference material that is not permitted inside or outside the        examination room/hall or while the examination is in progress;

(c)   Obtain, amend, conceal, damage or destroy any material that is related to the        preparation or conduct of the examination.

13.

SENTENCING

If you breached any OUM examination regulations and are found guilty of the breach by the Student Disciplinary Committee, any one or a combination of the following sentences could be imposed :

(a)   A written warning;

(b)   A fine not exceeding Ringgit Malaysia 500.00;

(c)   Suspension from your programme of study from one semester to                              two semesters;

(d)   Zero marks for the overall result of the course concerned; and/or

(e)   Termination from the University

14.

GRADUATION

14.1 Graduation Requirements

To graduate from your study programme, you must fulfill the following                        requirements:

(a)   Satisfactorily completed all University courses, Malaysian Qualifications  Agency courses, compulsory core, prerequisites and elective courses  prescribed for your programme of study;

(b)   Obtained the required number of credit hours prescribed for your                      programme of study;

(c)   Achieved a final CGPA of 2.00 or higher at the completion of your  programme of study;

(d)  Settled all fees due to the University.

14.2 Award of Degree/Diploma

         The degree shall be awarded with Honours.

If you have fulfilled all the requirements for graduation in your study programme and have attained a final CGPA of 3.67 or higher you shall, subject to other regulations being complied with and the approval of Senate, be conferred your degree/diploma with “Pass With Distinction”.

For students admitted to a degree or diploma programme of the University from Semester January 2013 and thereafter, the minimum CGPA required for conferment of a degree or diploma with “Pass With Distinction”, shall be 3.70.