The University provides for the following types of assessment to evaluate students’ academic achievement and the extent to which they have achieved the expected learning outcomes:

• – Current assessment – the systematic assessment of students’ knowledge in accordance with the approved course syllabus, conducted by the instructor during in-class and out-of-class activities through graded and/or ungraded assessment tasks throughout the academic period;
• – Final assessment (where applicable) – the assessment of students’ knowledge conducted upon completion of theoretical and/or practical training within a course, internship, non-formal education programme, as well as in other cases stipulated by the University’s internal regulations.

 

Forms and Formats of Current Assessment

Current assessment shall be conducted through students’ completion of assessment activities aimed at verifying the achievement of the course learning outcomes.

Depending on the conditions of delivery, current assessment may be conducted:

• – in the format of an online assessment activity completed using information and communication technologies;
• – in the format of an assessment activity completed in a classroom under the direct supervision of the instructor (proctor).

Depending on the rules governing the use of learning materials, current assessment tasks are divided into:

• – closed-book assessment activities, completed without the use of any supporting materials, except those expressly permitted by the instructor;
• – open-book assessment activities, in which students may use educational, regulatory, and other materials within the limits established by the instructor.
• – The forms of current assessment shall be determined by the instructor, taking into account the objectives and expected learning outcomes of the course specified in the syllabus, and may include:
• – written assignments (e.g. case solving, essay writing, article projects, and others);
• – oral assignments (e.g. questioning, report, and others);
• – projects;
• – presentations;
• – group assignments;
• – testing;
• – other forms of assessment.

 

Final assessment (Examination)

The examination is conducted to comprehensively assess students’ achievement of the learning outcomes of the course.

The examination may be conducted in written, oral, or combined form. The examination format shall be selected by the instructor in consultation with the Head of the Educational Programme, taking into account the nature of the course and its stated learning outcomes. The selected format shall enable the objective assessment of these outcomes and shall be specified in the syllabus.

 

FINAL ATTESTATION

• – For undergraduate students, final attestation shall take the form of the defence of a senior project or a comprehensive examination. Final attestation programmes involving a comprehensive examination shall be approved by the Academic Quality Committees of the Schools.
• – For master’s students, final attestation shall take the form of the defence of a master’s thesis.
• – For doctoral students, final attestation shall be conducted in accordance with the Rules for the Award of Degrees approved by the authorised body responsible for higher and postgraduate education.

Students’ academic achievements in all types of academic assignments are assessed using a letter grading system based on grade points. The conversion of grades into the traditional grading scale is presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Letter grading system for recording students’ academic achievements, with conversion to the traditional grading scale

Letter grade	Grade point equivalent	Score (%)	Traditional grade	General description of assessment criteria
A	4.00	95–100	Excellent	The student demonstrates an excellent command of the subject. This grade indicates a high level of critical-thinking development.
A−	3.67	90–94	Excellent	The student demonstrates an excellent command of the subject. This grade indicates a high level of critical-thinking development.
B+	3.33	85–89	Good	The student demonstrates a very good level of academic performance. These grades indicate good critical-thinking skills.
B	3.00	80–84	Good	The student demonstrates a very good level of academic performance. These grades indicate good critical-thinking skills.
B−	2.67	75–79	Good	The student demonstrates a very good level of academic performance. These grades indicate good critical-thinking skills.
C+	2.33	70–74	Good	The student demonstrates a very good level of academic performance. These grades indicate good critical-thinking skills.
C	2.00	65–69	Satisfactory	The student demonstrates a low level of academic performance. These grades indicate that critical-thinking skills have been only partially developed.
C−	1.67	60–64	Satisfactory	The student demonstrates a low level of academic performance. These grades indicate that critical-thinking skills have been only partially developed.
D+	1.33	55–59	Satisfactory	The student demonstrates a low level of academic performance. These grades indicate that critical-thinking skills have been only partially developed.
D	1.00	50–54	Satisfactory	The student demonstrates a low level of academic performance. These grades indicate that critical-thinking skills have been only partially developed.
FX	0.50	25–49	Unsatisfactory	The student demonstrates a very low level of academic performance and must undertake further study before retaking the examination.
F	0.00	0–24	Unsatisfactory	The student demonstrates a very low level of academic performance. This grade indicates an extremely inadequate level of critical-thinking development.

 

 

The assessment criteria for continuous and final assessments shall be specified in the course syllabus.

Where a student receives an FX (“Unsatisfactory”) grade, they may retake the final assessment (examination), in accordance with the University’s academic calendar, without repeating the course or module, on no more than one occasion. Where a student receives an F (“Unsatisfactory”) grade, they must re-enrol in the course or module, complete the entire course or module, fulfil all assignments, obtain admission to the final assessment in accordance with the established procedure, and take the final assessment (examination). Re-enrolment in a course or module is available on a fee-paying basis only.

The Physical Education course is assessed on a pass/fail basis, with the award of academic credits. The grades are recorded as Pass or Fail and are not included in the GPA calculation.

The Physical Education course is compulsory for first- and second-year students.

All types of professional internships are graded and awarded academic credits. Grades received for all types of internships are included in the GPA calculation.

 

 

Assessment Procedure

Students’ academic achievements are assessed by evaluating their knowledge of the courses studied through graded assessment tasks conducted as part of continuous and final assessment, where applicable.

To ensure proper preparation for classes, the instructor shall upload and organise the course content in the LMS in accordance with the requirements established by the University’s internal regulations and/or the decisions of the School Academic Quality Committee.

The percentage weighting of continuous and final assessments shall be determined by the instructor and approved by the Academic Quality Committee upon submission of the syllabus.

The proportion of the final course grade awarded for assessment tasks completed without proctoring or outside the classroom, without direct supervision by the instructor, may not exceed 20% for undergraduate programmes. For master’s and doctoral programmes, this proportion may be adjusted where the instructor provides justification and the Head of the Educational Programme gives their approval. Any such adjustment shall be subject to approval by the School Academic Quality Committee.

Assessment results shall be published by the instructor in the LMS after the application of the grade distribution curve, except in cases provided for by the University’s Academic Policy and this Assessment Policy. Results shall be published within a reasonable period, but no later than 10 (ten) working days from the date of the relevant assessment task and/or examination.

Where objective circumstances exist, the deadlines specified in this clause may be changed with the approval of the Director (Dean) of the School and with mandatory notification of the academic staff and the School Academic Quality Committee.

The instructor is responsible for the timely and accurate entry of students’ grades into the LMS.

Published grades are final.

 

 

Grade Point Average (GPA) is the weighted average measure of a student’s academic achievement over a specified period within the selected programme. It is calculated as the sum of the products of the credits and the grade point equivalents of the final grades received for all types of academic work, divided by the total number of credits awarded for those types of work during the relevant period of study.

When calculating the GPA, the numerical grade point equivalent is multiplied by the number of credits assigned to the course. The results for all courses are then added together. To determine the cumulative GPA, the total number of grade points earned is divided by the total number of credits completed by the student.

The student’s transcript shall indicate the GPA for the academic period, the year of study and the entire period of study.

Certain courses are not classified as academic courses, and the credits awarded for them are not taken into account when determining whether a student may progress to the next year of study; nevertheless, completion of such courses is compulsory. The list of additional courses shall be specified in the curriculum.

Proctors shall be assigned to each examination venue to ensure compliance with the established examination procedures. The proctoring schedule and the list of responsible persons shall be approved by the Director (Dean) of the School and communicated in advance.

 

Proctors shall:

• – arrive at their assigned examination room no later than thirty (30) minutes before the examination begins;
• – inspect the examination room for prohibited or unauthorised items;
• – verify students’ identities before the examination begins;
• – remain at the examination venue to monitor students’ compliance with the principles of academic integrity and the established conditions for completing the examination tasks;
• – document any violations and immediately notify the Deputy Director (Vice-Dean) on duty, the Director (Dean) of the School, or a representative of the administrative staff of the School;
• – ensure the proper distribution and collection of examination materials.
• – If, during identity verification, proctors identify a person who has not been admitted to the examination, they shall inform that person accordingly. If such a person is identified during the examination, they shall be removed from the examination room immediately, and their examination paper shall be annulled without being submitted for coding or assessment.
• – Before the examination begins, students shall place all materials and items that are not permitted during the examination in the location designated by the proctors. Such items include, but are not limited to, mobile devices, smartwatches, data-transmission devices, headphones, books, study materials, draft papers, and notes.
• – Proctors shall not provide students with any assistance concerning the content of the examination tasks. If a proctor suspects that an examination paper contains an error or that materials referred to in the examination paper have not been provided to students, the proctor shall immediately notify the Head of the Educational Programme, the Deputy Director (Vice-Dean) on duty and/or the Director (Dean) of the School. In their absence, a representative of the administrative staff of the School shall be notified.
• – As a general rule, an examination shall last two (2) hours. The Academic Quality Committee of the School may extend the duration of an examination, based on a reasoned recommendation from the Head of the Educational Programme to a maximum of three (3) hours. The University Registrar’s Office shall be notified of such a decision no later than five (5) weeks before the end of the academic period.
• – During the examination, students shall comply with the principles of academic integrity and any other requirements established by the instructor (lecturer) and communicated to them in advance.
• – Students shall not leave the examination room unless otherwise authorised by a decision of the Academic Quality Committee or the Director (Dean) of the School. In the event of a medical emergency, proctors shall immediately notify the Deputy Director (Vice-Dean), the Director (Dean) of the School or, in their absence, a representative of the administrative staff and accompany the student to the medical centre.
• – If a violation of academic integrity, examination-room procedures, or examination rules is identified, or if any other circumstances objectively prevent one or more students from continuing the examination, proctors shall immediately notify the Deputy Director (Vice-Dean), the Director (Dean) of the School, and/or a representative of the administrative staff of the School. The proctors shall prepare a report in accordance with Appendix 1 to this Assessment Policy.
• – Students in respect of whom a report has been prepared concerning a violation of academic integrity, examination-room procedures, or examination rules shall be removed from the examination room. The relevant materials shall be submitted to the Ethics Committee of the School for further review.
• – Students who complete the examination before the scheduled end time shall leave the examination room immediately.
• – Students shall submit all examination materials and their completed examination papers before the examination ends. Any examination paper submitted after the allotted time has expired shall be annulled. A report shall be prepared in accordance with Appendix 1 to this Assessment Policy in the presence of the Deputy Director (Vice-Dean), the Director (Dean), or a representative of the administrative staff of the School.

Review of Final Attestation Results (Appeal)

Review of final attestation results (appeal) is permitted in relation to the results of a comprehensive examination, as well as the results of the defence of a bachelor’s senior project and/or master’s thesis.

If a student disagrees with the results of the final attestation, the student may submit an application for review addressed to the Director (Dean) of the Higher School within 3 (three) working days after the announcement of the final attestation results.

The student shall specify in the application:

• – surname, first name and patronymic, if applicable;
• – educational programme;
• – type of final attestation — comprehensive examination / defence of a bachelor’s senior project / defence of a master’s thesis;
• – date of the final attestation and room number;
• – specific circumstances indicating possible lack of objectivity or a violation of the procedure for conducting the final attestation.

The student may attach materials supporting the arguments stated in the application.

The Director (Dean) of the Higher School shall review the application for compliance with the established requirements within 1 (one) working day from the date of receipt.

If the application does not comply with the established requirements, the Director (Dean) of the Higher School may leave it without consideration, stating the reasons.

If the application complies with the established requirements, the Director (Dean) of the Higher School shall establish an Appeals Committee consisting of an odd number of members, but no fewer than 5 (five), and shall appoint its Chair.

The Appeals Committee shall include instructors possessing the necessary academic and/or professional expertise in the relevant or a related field, enabling them to objectively assess the arguments raised in the application and the content of the work under review.

Members of the Attestation Commission who participated in the original assessment of the student’s bachelor’ senior project and/or master’s thesis may not serve as members of the Appeals Committee.

 

Following its review, the Appeals Committee shall adopt one of the following decisions:

• – leave the original result unchanged;
• – amend the final attestation result;
• – leave the application without consideration, where the student submits a corresponding request;
• – refer the application to another body, unit or official of the Higher School

or University where indications of a violation are identified and determination of such violation falls within their competence.

A decision adopted following review of final attestation results (appeal) shall be approved by the Director (Dean) of the Higher School, shall be final and shall not be subject to further appeal.

All materials and information relating to the final attestation and obtained during the review of its results (appeal) shall be confidential and may not be disclosed to third parties without the consent of the Director (Dean) of the Higher School.

 

Review of Comprehensive Examination Results

The Appeals Committee shall review the student’s comprehensive examination materials, including the examination paper, assessment criteria and other documents relevant to the consideration of the application.

 

Review of the Results of the Defence of a Bachelor’s Senior Project and Master’s Thesis.

The Appeals Committee shall review the materials submitted as part of the defence of the bachelor’s senior project or master’s thesis, including the thesis, dissertation or project itself, the assessment criteria, and other documents relevant to the consideration of the application.

Review of defence results shall be conducted where an audio and video recording of the meeting of the Attestation Commission and the student’s presentation, if any, are available.

Where no audio or video recording of the meeting of the Attestation Commission is available, any doubts arising during consideration of the student’s application shall be interpreted in favour of the student.