Assessment And Grading

Assessment

Part of the rigour of the BFA programmes offered by the School involves the way the work and performance of its students are evaluated. Depending on the structure and nature of individual courses, students may be continually assessed, examined or a combination of both.

Examination implies that your performance and the quality of your work are evaluated on a specific, determined occasion, under the requisite pressure and conditions. To the contrary, assessment, by nature, means that your work is appraised over time, an exercise which nevertheless comes with its own pressures. Under assessment, emphasis is placed on a consistency of effort and upon the need to maintain or improve upon the standard of your work over a sustained period of time.

Studio/workshop subjects usually do not require sitting for a formal examination. Rather, faculty members schedule the review of projects and portfolios during the Revision and Examination Period. Please refer to your syllabus for each subject you undertake for the portfolio/final project reviews. Reviews are normally carried out in group critiques and individual meetings with faculty.

General Education Requirements (GERs) and ADM academic subjects such as history, culture, or writing subjects require sitting for an examination. Refer to the examination timetable and syllabus in each GER academic subject you are undertaking for specific information on examinations.

Grading

With both assessment and examination, grades and grade points are assigned as follows:
The following non-letter grades can also be used for up to 12 AUs for GER subjects:

S Satisfactory U Unsatisfactory

[ Grade Point x AU for Subject 1 ] + [ Grade Point x AU for Subject X ] + .....
[ AU attempted in a year ]

[ Grade Point x AU for Subject 1 ] + [ Grade Point x AU for Subject X ] + ....
[ Total AU attempted in all the semesters so far ]

The requirements for graduation are as follows:

1. Successful completion of the prescribed academic unit requirement as set out by the
   course curriculum.

2. A minimum CGPA of 2.0 is required at the end of the final semester of study.

Satisfactory Academic Standing

The criteria for Satisfactory Academic Standing in any given semester are:

• Maintaining a minimum CGPA of 2.0 Completing at least 75% of the normal AU workload.
• Students with poor standing are subjected to the following performance review:
  Academic Warning, if the CGPA falls below 2.0 for any given semester.
  Academic Probation, if the CGPA falls below 2.0 for the following semester.
  Academic Termination, if the CGPA falls below 2.0 for the third, consecutive semester, or at the end of the final semester of study.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Option

The university has implemented the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Option with effect from Academic Year 2005-2006. This is to encourage students to read a range of courses to widen their knowledge and not be unduly concerned about the grades that impact on the Honours classification. More information about the S/U Option is obtainable at the Office of Academic Service website:

http://www.ntu.edu.sg/Services/Academic/undergraduates/Course%20Registration/Pages/satisfactoryUnsatisfactory.aspx

Under the S/U Option, students may declare courses from a specified category to be excluded from the CGPA computation and to be graded “S” (Satisfactory) or “U” (Unsatisfactory) instead. Students have to declare the courses to be graded S/U before the start of examinations for the semester.

For ADM students, they may exercise the S/U Option for up to a maximum of 12 AUs of graded courses taken as GER – Prescribed Electives and/or Unrestricted Electives in the course of their Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) programme.
Other important points to note of the S/U Option include:

• All courses read on the S/U basis will be excluded from the computation of CGPA and hence has no impact on the Honours classification.
• A course will be indicated as “S” if the final grade obtained is a “C” or better, otherwise a “U” grade will be assigned.
• For courses read on the S/U bases, AUs are earned only if a student attains a “Satisfactory” grade. The “Unsatisfactory” grade will be recorded on the official transcript but the AUs for the course will not be credited towards the degree fulfillment.
• Once a course has been placed under the S/U option, repeated attempt(s) of the same course will also fall under the S/U option.
• All minor courses are excluded from the S/U option.
• For the award of a degree, a BFA student must fulfill all the programme requirements and should have earned at least 144 AUs (inclusive of transfer credits, Satisfactory and Pass credits) of which a minimum of 77 AUs must be graded courses.
• The Honours classification will be based on the CGPA that is computed from all the graded courses.
• Students who have queries relating to the S/U Option may refer to the following staff:

Ast/P Peer Sathikh
Acting Associate Chair (Academic)
VD-ADM-ACAD[at]ntu[dot]edu[dot]sg

Mrs Julie Lim
Academic Manager
bnlim[at]ntu[dot]edu[dot]sg

The SU Declaration, Minor Declaration and Minor Filing dates for Semester One of AY 2011-12 are as follows:

S/U Option Link: http://www.ntu.edu.sg/Services/Academic/undergraduates/Course%20Registration/Pages/CurriculumStructure.aspx

Absences And Final Grade

Much of the learning at ADM takes place through demonstrations, critiques and hands-on workshops. For thatvery reason it is essential that you maintain regular attendance so that you do not fall behind in either your learning or assessment. ADM maintains a strict policy regarding student absences and its impact on the final grade for individual subjects:

• Poor attendance (3 or more absences) for a module automatically lowers a student’s grade by one grade (e.g. 3 absences turn a grade of A– would become B+).
• Students are given a maximum of 15 minutes for tardiness. Students arriving later than 15 minutes are marked as absent, at the discretion of the faculty member.
  
  An absence with a Medical Certificate (MC) is still considered an absence.
  In exceptional circumstances students can apply for a Leave of Absence one week in advance by filling out the form available at the School’s General Office. This application is subject to the approval of the faculty member of the course in question and the ADM Academic Manager.
  
  A maximum of one (1) pre-approved Leave of Absence may be excluded from the total count of “Poor Attendance.”
  
  Students granted leave are still responsible for completing all assignments due during the absence, and may be subject to a lower grade for late submissions.
• In cases of 3 or more absences for a particular module, the School will send a warning letter to the student concerned.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using the creative work of another without giving the original source the proper credit or
acknowledgement. Creative work in this instance should be understood as any one or more of the following:
published or unpublished text, music, sounds, images, photographs, software or programming, and even ideas and interpretations. Plagiarism is both a form of theft - you are stealing another’s intellectual property - and lying—you are claiming another’s ideas as your own.

The School takes seriously the commitment to academic honesty and integrity which students undertake as part of their enrolment in the University. The originality of the work of ADM students is paramount to their future success as creative practitioners. The consequences for plagiarism include:

• Receiving an F grade for the course
• Receiving an F grade for the assignment

The requirement to revise and resubmit an assignment (for a passing grade only).

For written work, a comprehensive Essay-Writing and Citation Guide is available online for students to consult to assist them in the research, planning and writing of papers. For practical projects it may often seem that there is a fine line between paying homage to, and plagiarising, the creative work of another. If in doubt, it is important that you approach the relevant faculty members.

For written assignments, at the discretion of faculty, and for their final projects, students are required to complete an Assignment Submission Declaration, in which they declare that their work, unless otherwise credited, is wholly their own. Forms are available online to download or from the General Office.