Assessment

How will my work be assessed?

There are several ways we assess your work. The main possibilities are:

• On-job assessment
• Summative assessments and assignments (which contribute to your final mark)
• Formative assessments and assignments (which are designed to provide feedback on your progress and improve your learning but do not contribute to your final mark)
• Examinations.

Assessments and assignments can range from written work such as essays or journals through to practical projects or portfolios or work. For some courses, you will need to attend contact sessions or assessment workshops, while other courses have voluntary contact sessions (depending upon demand). 

You may be able to submit your assessments in te reo Māori, Open Polytechnic accepts summative assessments provided in te reo and there may be options which you can discuss with external examination bodies (e.g. NZQA). Find out more.

Assessment varies for each course. Full details, including assessment due dates, will be in the course information sent to you when you enrol.

Assessment deadlines and extensions

Deadlines for submission of your assessments will be included in the course information we send you. If you cannot meet the deadlines because of illness or other sustained interruption to study, contact your tutor/lecturer as soon as possible to discuss your options. Do not wait until after the due date has passed.

Accelerated Assessment

We also have two ways to recognise your existing levels of self-learning, previous formal learning or work experience.  For some courses and programmes, you can apply for accelerated assessment, while for others, you can apply to have your learning cross credited.

Grading system

The following grading system is used for all Open Polytechnic degree and associated diploma and certificate courses.

Compulsory Literacy Assessment

If this is your first time studying with Open Polytechnic, and you are studying a Level 1-3 course, you will need to complete a compulsory literacy assessment at the start and end of your study time.

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has created the assessment tool to measure and improve the literacy and numeracy skills of adult learners in New Zealand.

When your enrolment is confirmed you will receive an email from TEC with your password and a link to their website so that you can complete the assessment. A second assessment will be emailed to you at the end of your study time.

When you have finished the assessment you can see a visual report with your results. There is no pass or fail for the assessment.

Your tutor will use your results from the first assessment to find out what support you may need.

The Literacy and Numeracy assessment is not part of your study with Open Polytechnic. However, TEC requires that we ask you to complete it.

Please contact us before you enrol if you do not wish to complete the assessment or if you would like more information.