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Statement
of Principle
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| 1. |
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In recognition of the status
of the Māori language as a tāonga protected under
the Treaty of Waitangi, and within the spirit of the Māori
Language Act 1987, the University of Waikato endorses the right
of its students to use the Māori language in written work
for assessment within the University. |
| 2. |
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In keeping with the above and in accordance
with its Charter commitments the University seeks to have sufficient
suitable staff employed or available throughout its Schools and
Departments to ensure that any work submitted in Māori
would be assessed in that language by staff competent in the subject
under examination and in the Māori language. |
| 3. |
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In the meantime, the use of the Māori
language in assessment is subject to conditions set out in this
policy statement. |
Exceptions
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| 4. |
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There are occasions when,
due to the nature of the skills being tested, work submitted for
assessment may be required to be in a particular language. In such cases
that requirement shall be made explicit in writing, either in the
relevant subject entry or prescription in the University of Waikato
Calendar or in the paper outline distributed to candidates at the
beginning of a paper. |
Notice
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| 5. |
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Candidates who intend to
present all or part of an examination or piece of internally assessed
work in Māori are requested to give notice of their intention
of doing so in writing to the Director of Student and Academic Services.
This notice of intention is desirable to allow the University the
time and opportunity to make proper arrangements for marking including,
when necessary, translation and external assessment. If less than
14 days’ notice is given, the material presented in Māori
will still be accepted. The processing of it may, however, be delayed
and the opportunity to have the script marked in the original language
may be reduced. |
| 6. |
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Where a candidate who intends to present
material in Māori has given the requested notice of intention,
he or she will be informed as soon as reasonably possible, as to
whether or not the assessment will be based on translation. |
Potential for Delays
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| 7. |
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The University will do its
best to make the results of an examination or item of internally
assessed work presented in Māori available to the candidate
within the ordinary time-frame. However the process of assessment
in such cases, possibly including translation, may result in delays
in the return of coursework or in the publication of results. |
Māori-speaking
Paper Examiners
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| 8. |
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The examination or internally
assessed work will be assessed in Māori by the examiner
for the paper if the examiner is considered by the Professor of
Māori or his or her nominee to be linguistically competent
to do so. |
Co-examiners
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| 9. |
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If the examiner of the relevant
paper is not competent to assess in Māori, a co-examiner,
competent in both the subject under examination and in Māori,
may be appointed to conduct the assessment of work presented in
Māori in consultation with the examiner. |
Translation
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| 10. |
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If no person is available
in the circumstances to assess the work in Māori, a translator
will be appointed by the Professor of Māori or nominee
in agreement with the appropriate chief examiner. The translator
will be asked not to correct errors in the original nor to make
any embellishments: however ambiguities may be pointed out to the
examiner. Where necessary the examiner may seek clarification of
the translation of the paper from the translator but contact between
the student and the translator is prohibited, as is contact between
the student and the examiner. The assessment will then be carried
out by the examiner of the paper on the basis of the translation. |
| |
The University intends that resort
to translation be made only when reasonable efforts to find an examiner
capable of assessing the work in its original language have been
exhausted. |
| 11. |
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In the process of appointing a translator,
the University will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the
translator is competent in the relevant subject under examination,
as well as in the Māori language. |
External Assessment
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| 12. |
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If the internal assessment
and/or examination script is to be subject to external assessment,
the other institution undertaking the external assessment will be requested
to indicate whether an external assessor is available to conduct
the assessment in Māori. If not, a translation will be
obtained for the purpose by the University according to the process
explained in sections 10 and 11 of these regulations. |
Return of Scripts
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| 13. |
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When any translation is relied
upon in the assessment of an examination, a candidate making proper
application for the return of a script shall receive also any translation
made of the script. When assessed coursework is normally returned
to the student, any translation used is likewise to be returned. |
Appeals and Reconsiderations
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| 14. |
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An appeal against a decision
regarding linguistic or subject competence made under the provisions
of sections 8 and 11 of these regulations shall be to the appropriate Pro
Vice-Chancellor whose decision shall be final. |
| 15. |
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The regulatory provisions for reconsideration
of final grade together with the established appeal provisions will
apply, with the addition that the Māori Language Commission
is regarded by the Council as the final authority on the accuracy
of a translation. |
Oral Work
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| 16. |
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The details of this policy
apply to written internally assessed work and to examinations. When
oral work is assessable, the same principles should apply: however
practicalities may necessitate more restricted policy details, such
as a requirement on the candidate to give longer notice or a limitation
on the use of Māori where oral work involves interaction
with other candidates. |
