Authentication

AUTHENTICATION refers to a checking process which ensures that –‘the work is the original work of the student’. As part of their enrolment, all students must sign a VCAA Student Declaration form at the beginning of the year. Attention is drawn to the following extract from the declaration:

‘I agree to abide by and observe the rules and instructions relating to the conduct of the Victorian Certificate of Education assessment program and all matters of discipline thereof’.

Teachers are required to accept students' work for assessment ONLY if it can be authenticated.

Teachers’ Authentication Responsibilities

To provide the opportunity for students to complete most work during supervised time in class.
To regularly consult with students and keep a formal record of the monitoring process, which includes attendance.
To complete the Declaration of Authenticity where applicable.
To be aware of individuals' levels of performance.
To inform students well in advance about timelines, including details of stages of completion.

Students’ Authentication Responsibilities

The onus is on the student to provide evidence that the work submitted is the student’s own.
To declare that unacknowledged work is the student’s own (and sign the Declaration of Authenticity where applicable).
If a word processor is to be used, the final versions, style and contents are to be consistent with the teacher-sighted versions.
To ensure that `undue assistance', or cheating, does not occur. Undue assistance would include another person providing actual adjustments or improvements for a student's work, or dictating or directing a student to insert particular text. Students may, however, be given advice about the nature of adjustments or improvements to their work.
To acknowledge all resources used, including: text and source material. The name and status of any person who provided assistance and the type of assistance provided.
Students who knowingly assist other students in a Breach of Rules may be penalised.
Students must not submit the same piece of work for completion of more than one work requirement.

Computer Use

When students use a computer to produce any Assessment Task, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that:

there is an alternative system available for use in case of computer or printer malfunction or unavailability
hard copies of the work in progress are produced regularly to meet authentication requirements
all work is saved onto a backup disk, which should not be stored with the computer

If the work cannot be authenticated, then the matter must be dealt with as a Breach of Rules relating to assessment as outlined in the VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook.

Breach of Rules

As coursework tasks are mainly done in class and within a limited time frame, authentication records are not required. Exercises for coursework assessment will be conducted under test conditions.

However, students who knowingly acquire and/or seek undue assistance will incur penalties.

The teacher may consider it appropriate to ask the student to demonstrate his or her understanding of the task where similarities exist between students’ work or plagiarism has occurred. The Subject Teacher in conjunction with the Head of Senior School and relevant Student Manager, will interview the students concerned, and a discipline measure will be implemented if appropriate.

Principals must be informed of all enquiries into possible Breach of Rules relating to assessment. All penalties imposed by the college must have the approval of the Principal. If a Breach of Rules is established, the Principal will notify the student within 14 days of the penalty imposed and of the Right of Appeal the student may have.

Should the college be satisfied, on the basis of evidence, that there has been a substantial Breach of Rules, then the Principal may:

reprimand the student or give the student the opportunity to resubmit work if this can occur within the dates designated by VCAA; or
refuse to accept that part of the work which infringes the rules and base a decision whether to award the task an ‘N’ or ‘S’ upon the remainder of the work or
refuse to accept any of the work if the infringement is judged by the Principal to merit such a decision, in which case an ‘N’ will be given/allocated for the work.

Where work was initially accepted for assessment and a breach of discipline has been discovered after the initial assessment has been made, the principal shall determine which of the above penalties shall be imposed and this may result in a change of the original result in accordance with the above procedure.

If an ‘N’ is awarded for an Assessment Task, then as a consequence, no marks are allocated to this task. This would adversely affect the Study Score in that Study.