Student Assessments 

New Standard Marking Definition  

Commencing from 1 January 2024, increased clarity has been provided through a new definition of standard marking that “assessment is standard when the marker is required to determine the result by application of a marking template including the provision of minimal feedback.”  

Assessment Marking 

Student assessment means all required activities for which a student will receive formal feedback and/or a grade (i.e. summative assessment), and may be simple, standard or complex. 

The Course Coordinator determines the marking rate and should consider the workload associated with marking the assessment from the marker’s perspective, casually employed academic staff, and not the student’s perspective. 

 Assessment tasks should be classified as: 

• Simple 
• Standard 
• Complex  

The classification depends on the concepts or processes being assessed, the level of feedback offered to students, and whether the responses are binary, predetermined, or open-ended and complex.  

More information on Student Assessment can be found in clause 3.20 Student Assessment in the University of South Australia Enterprise Agreement 2023.

Simple 

The marker is able to determine the correct answer and corresponding mark by application of a marking template and is required to do no more than record which answers are correct and determine the marks for each and the overall mark for the assessment 

• Tasks often include objectively correct or incorrect questions and may take the form of quizzes, labelling objects, or set processes that must be followed in a pre-determined sequence 
  
  
• Interactive online tools can often provide automated feedback for simple assessment tasks   

Standard 

The marker is required to determine the assessment result by application of a marking template, including the provision of minimal feedback  

• This would typically involve the use of a well-developed marking sheet or rubric to assess tasks such as a case study, article or scenario critique, essays or essay plans, or any task where the response may be predetermined 

Complex 

The marker is required to give detailed feedback to students explaining how their work might have been improved, such that a student who understood and learned from this feedback would be able to improve their mark in any similar future assignment  

• Feedback provided may be complex in nature due to the concepts or processes being assessed and therefore extends beyond that which can be provided via a standard marking sheet or rubric  

• Typically requires markers to exercise evaluative judgment and discipline knowledge rather than simply determining whether an answer is correct or incorrect
   
• Complex assessment tasks often present multiple correct solutions. For example, students’ creative artefacts, performance-based tasks, or responses to a wicked problem may be complex to mark if extensive feedback is required, which is complex in nature due to the concepts or processes being assessed 

Designing Assessment

For more information on designing assessment, please see Designing Assessment on the Teaching Innovation Unit webpage.

Payment of Student Assessment/Marking  

Commencing from 1 January 2025, student assessment/marking will move from the current payment per item rate to payment by the hour (excluding student assessment completed entirely within a teaching session). This will introduce a new way to work and record the hours required to undertake student assessment/marking. With this new approach, casual contracts will continue to provide anticipated required student assessment/marking hours to be undertaken.  

If it becomes evident that the anticipated required hours will be exceeded, a casual staff member will be required to first obtain approval from their supervisor prior to undertaking the additional time to complete the student assessment/marking in excess of their anticipated required hours. The University will develop a systemic process to support this new approach from 1 January 2025. 

The schedule of salary rates are outlined in the University of South Australia Enterprise Agreement 2023 clause 3.27 – 3.29. 

The schedule also sets out the changes in rate type for the change from pay per item to an hourly rate from 1 January 2025. 

 

Casual Employment Contracts 

Assessment will be accurately designed and identified in casual contracts. 

Localised Casual Administration approach (Academic Unit takes ownership of the end-end casual employment process) 

 
Supporting Documents 

University of South Australia Enterprise Agreement 2023 
Guidelines for the Management and Administration of Casual Employment 
Designing Assessment 
Online Casual Administration 
Marking Template 
Assessment Marking Rate Definitions 
TIU Assessment Module