1. The Programme Summary – Structure, Delivery and Assessment for each programme can be found in Annexure 1 of this document or in the Programme Handbook.

  2. Assessment guidelines for students can be found in Annexure 2 of this document as well as on the MyMANCOSA and MANCOSAConnect portals.

  3. Summative assessment guidelines can be found in Annexure 3 of this document as well as on the MyMANCOSA and MANCOSAConnect portals.

  4. Students are required to ensure that they familiarise themselves with all applicable rules, policies and guidelines, where applicable. Failure to read and understand the relevant rules may result in disciplinary action being taken against the student, were applicable.

  5. The specific method of assessment for each programme can be found in the Programme Handbook.

  6. Mitigating factors that affect a student’s progress: For the purposes of MANCOSA, mitigating factors, affecting a student’s progress shall mean; mitigating or unforeseeable factors which are beyond a student’s control i.e. serious illness or death of an immediate family member, and can cause serious disruption to a student’s studies.

  7. Students who wish to inform MANCOSA of any mitigating factors must do the following: 
    1. Submit this information in writing to the Academic EXCO within five (5) days after the scheduled assessment submission date. 
    2. Provide a full and complete account of dates on which the mitigating factors apply specifying the assessment (s) and/or Summative Assessment(s) affected. 
    3. Medical certificates dated one week before or after the scheduled assessment and/or assessment date will not be accepted. 
    4. Information of mitigating factors must be submitted on the MANCOSA Appeals/Mitigating Circumstances form. Students may be asked to submit evidence of academic work already completed 
    5. Work commitments are not considered mitigating circumstances.

  8. Right of appeal 
    1. The following would suffice as Grounds for Appeal: 
      1. If circumstances exist which materially affect the student’s performance which were not known to the Assessment, Verification and Certification Committee when its decision was taken and which was not reasonably practicable for the student to make known to the Committee beforehand. 
      2. If there were procedural irregularities in the conduct of the Summative Assessment and/or assessment so as to create a reasonable possibility that the result might have been different had the procedural irregularity not occurred. 
      3. If there is evidence of prejudice, bias or inadequate assessment on the part of one or more examiners or moderators. 
      4. No appeal challenging academic judgement will be considered. 
      5. The time limit within which a student may appeal the decision of the Academic EXCO is within 5 (five) calendar days from the date on which the student has been notified of the result. This time limit applies to the appeal received by the relevant manager on the appropriate Appeals/Mitigating Circumstances Form. Any discussions with academic or administrative staff do not count as notification of an appeal. 
      6. It is the responsibility of the registered student to ensure that MANCOSA has his/her correct updated contact details. It is also the responsibility of the student to check his/her mail at the given address. 
      7. Any additional documents should be the original, typed or word-processed, legibly handwritten or certified if necessary. Faxes and photocopies are not acceptable. 
      8. The student is advised to ensure that his/her reasons for appeal are as factual and specific as possible and fall within one or more of the categories in Rule IR 14 (7) above. 
  9. Evidence 
    1. The student’s reason for appeal must be supported by evidence. 
    2. Unsupported claims or allegations against an individual or a group of staff will not be accepted as evidence. 
    3. MANCOSA may request affidavits from any interested or relevant party. 
    4. MANCOSA may also contact medical practitioners to confirm documents that are submitted. 
    5. The Academic Exco is the final Committee for the referral of Appeals and Dispute Resolution. The decision of the Academic Exco is final and binding.

  10. Advice and contact details 
    1. By contacting Student Services (SS), academic advice is available from the undergraduate or postgraduate academic manager, or the programme or module coordinator.

  11. Academic dishonesty (including plagiarism) 
    1. Academic dishonesty constitutes the use of another person(s) ideas or part of their work whilst pretending that it is one’s own. Therefore, in legal terms, this is a criminal offence. 
    2. Self-plagiarism occurs “when authors reuse their own previously written work or data in a ‘new’ written product without letting the reader know that this material has appeared elsewhere” Roig (2006:16). Self-plagiarism, and the extent to which it is acceptable at MANCOSA is governed by the institution’s plagiarism policy, wherein, a maximum similarity index of 25% (as per a Turnitin report) is permitted on all academic work submitted and declared as being original. 
    3. Students are, therefore, assessed on the basis that work submitted is their own as per the declaration on the assessment cover sheet or dissertation declaration. 
    4. Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of information and other dishonest academic practices are considered as academic offences. This may include, but is not limited to: 
      1. purchasing offering, giving or selling essays or other assessment s with the knowledge that these works will likely be subsequently submitted for assessment; 
      2. allowing work to be copied during an Summative Assessment, or assessments; 
      3. purchasing, offering, giving or selling answers to Summative Assessments, or assessments; 
      4. sharing of Summative Assessment /assessment questions and/or answers; 
      5. intentionally misleading students with regard to assessments; or outsourcing of assessments to a third party with or without payment.

  12. The Assessment, Verification and Certification Committee will request, where needed, the Student Disciplinary Committee (SDC) to investigate any allegations of such offences.

  13. Assessments, research proposals and dissertations are put through plagiarism software (TURNITIN) to ensure that information used in work submitted is not plagiarised.

  14. MANCOSA categorises plagiarism offences into 3 levels: 
    1. Level 1: Minor first-time infringement, 
    2. Level 2: Repeated minor or first-time major infringement, and 
    3. Level 3: Repeated offences and/or major offences that are possibly intentional and suggest collusion or deliberate dishonesty.

  15. The Assessments, Verification and Certification Committee will establish the nature and/or the level of offence.

  16. Classification of results - All marked assessments and Summative Assessments are classified into the following grades and percentages: 
    1. A 75%+ 
    2. B 70-74% 
    3. C 60-69% 
    4. D 50-59% 
    5. E 40-49% 
    6. F 33-39% 
    7. G 0 - 33%

  17. Grade Point Average (GPA) calculations are not considered at MANCOSA.

  18. The detailed marking criteria used for each of the grades above are available in the Programme Handbook. In the grading process, one tick does not necessarily equal one mark