Assessments show that you have met the learning outcomes of your course. Find out about the different types of assessments, due dates, extensions and more.
On this page:
- Types of assessments
- Marking
- Due dates
- How to submit your assessment
- Deadlines and extensions
- Submitting your work in te reo Māori
- Literacy and numeracy assessments for L1 and L2 programmes
What assessments you may need to do
Assessments may include:
- written work, such as essays or journals
- practical projects
- portfolios of evidence
- online quizzes.
For some courses, you may need to attend contact sessions or assessment workshops, online or in-person.
For more detail see our Study Tips & Techniques section
Types of assessments
Formative
These do not count towards your final grade. They help you test your knowledge and understanding of the course material.
We recommend you complete all formative assessment within your course.
Summative
Summative assessments count towards your final grade. They are a compulsory test of your knowledge and understanding of the course material.
Marking
Feedback and outcomes from your submitted assessment will provide direction about how to build on your learning. Marking is normally completed by Adjunct Markers working in a team alongside academic staff. Turnaround time for marking is normally 10 working days.
How to get your results
When marking is complete you will be able to see your assessment marking sheet with your results. This can be accessed through your iQualify course or through My Open Polytechnic.
Assessment due dates
Assessments vary for each course.
Assessment due dates will be in the course information sent to you when you enrol. You can also find your assessment due dates and exam dates in My Open Polytechnic.
Find your assessment due dates in My Open Polytechnic.
Word Limits and Word Count Guidelines
APA referencing and plagiarism
How to submit your assessment
This includes information on how to submit assessments online, and what to do if you need to post your assessment. For most courses, you can submit your assessments online from your iQualify course pages.
Before you submit your work
- Do a final check and make sure you have:
- Completed and included all parts of the assessment.
- Proofread your work. Use a spell checker, but remember, it won't pick up every mistake.
- Checked the references and appendices.
- Checked the work is under the word limit (if Word Limits apply)
- Kept a copy of your assessment in case the original gets lost.
- Checked you are maintaining academic integrity
Submitting your assessment online
You can submit most of your assessments online from your course pages in iQualify. This helps ensure they don’t get lost.
To submit an assessment in iQualify
- Go to your course’s homepage.
- Select the ‘Assessments’ tab to see a list of all assessments for that course.
- Click on the relevant assessment.
- Click the ‘Add file’ button, which will let you choose where you want to upload the file from (e.g. your computer or online files).
- After you upload your file it will appear under the ‘Uploaded file’ section. This confirms the file is uploaded, but not submitted. If you need to change the file, click X to remove it, and upload a new file.
- Push 'Submit' to submit your assessment for marking.
Note
- Remember to push 'Submit'. Otherwise, your assessment will be uploaded to iQualify, but will not be sent to our markers.
- Do not email your work to your lecturer or anyone else at the Open Polytechnic. It may get lost.
- When you get your marked assessment back, keep it for reference for future courses you may study.
- We cannot provide you with copies of marked assessments from past enrolment periods that you submitted online.
Posting your assessment (paper-based or courses not in iQualify)
Before you submit your assessment:
- Number all pages and include your details on each page.
- Make sure all the pages are included and staple the assessment in the top left corner only.
- Make sure you have the correct Assessment Return Sheet (coversheet) provided with your course material. Check your name, address and student ID. If the information is incorrect, please let us know.
- Attach the Assessment Return sheet. This is very important as we use the barcode on the sheet to log and track your assessment. If you use the wrong Assessment Return Sheet the barcode will be wrong and we won’t be able to log or track your assessment.
- If you don’t have an Assessment Return Sheet, contact your lecturer and ask for one.
- Post your assessment in the freepost, self-addressed envelope provided.
Remember:
- Don’t post, fax or email assessments to your lecturer or the Open Polytechnic, as they won’t be tracked, read or marked.
- Only send in one copy of your assessment.
Assessment deadlines and extensions
Deadlines
Deadlines for submission of your assessments are in your course information and will show on your My OP dashboard. Remember to check your deadlines and try to submit your assessments by the due date. It is important that you make every attempt to complete your assessments on time.
If there is no due date shown on MyOP all assessments must be submitted and passed before the course end date.
Extensions
If you cannot meet the deadlines because of illness or other sustained interruption to study, you can apply for an assessment extension in My Open Polytechnic before your due date; you may get an extension of up to two weeks, which are granted in one-week blocks.
Do not wait until after the due date has passed to apply for an extension – assessment deadline dates are compulsory.
How to request an assessment extension
Special Consideration for in-course assessments
You can apply for special consideration for in-course assessments (assessments you complete during your course rather than an examination at the end of the course) if there are exceptional circumstances beyond your control that may have disadvantaged you in your studies.
Application for special consideration
Submitting work in te reo Māori
You may be able to submit your assessments in te reo Māori. We accept summative assessments provided in te reo and there may be options which you can discuss with external examination bodies (e.g. NZQA).
Submitting your work in te reo Māori
Literacy and Numeracy online assessments for Level 1-2 courses
If this is your first time studying with us and you are studying a Level 1 or 2 course, you need to complete compulsory literacy and numeracy online assessments when you start studying, and then again when you finish.
The literacy and numeracy online assessments are not part of your study with us, but the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) requires that all learners enrolled in NZQA Level 1 and 2 qualifications complete them.
How you will do the assessment
You will do the online assessments using a tool created by the TEC. The assessments aims to measure improvements in the literacy and numeracy skills of adult learners in New Zealand.
When we process your enrolment you will get an email from registrar@openpolytechnic.ac.nz with further details about the assessments, a link to the website and your personal access codes so that you can complete the assessments.
A second assessment link will be emailed to you at the end of your study.
Related information
How to request an assessment extension