Special consideration (technical)

If you cannot complete an online assessment due to major technical disruptions or failures, you can apply for special consideration (technical).

Special consideration (technical), previously known as technical consideration, is an option to apply to re-sit a digital assessment in the event that serious and sustained technical disruptions prevent you from successfully completing and submitting your assessment.

Eligibility

Every situation is unique, and eligibility for special consideration (technical) is determined on a case-by-case basis based on the supporting documents you provide.

Circumstances which may be eligible

  • Internet or power outages that impact your ability to complete the exam/mid-semester test for more than 10% of the exam/mid-semester test time
  • Sustained drop-outs of the LMS or other software being used to complete your exam/mid-semester test (including University of Melbourne server dropouts)
  • Other technical issues not explicitly covered by the above which prevented you from accessing, continuing or completing your exam/mid-semester test for more than 10% of the exam/mid-semester test time (assessed on a case-by-case basis)
  • Issues with submitting material by the deadline.

Circumstances which are not eligible

  • Minor technical issues such as a brief interruption to your internet or power
  • Other technical issues which provide a brief disruption to your exam/mid-semester test time
  • Any issues which are resolved during the exam/mid-semester test, which account for 10% or less of the exam/mid-semester test time.

How to apply

Exam or mid-semester tests

  1. If your internet drops out, try our internet connection troubleshooting advice (below). For all other issues call us for support during your exam.
  2. Make every attempt to complete your exam/mid-semester test within your allocated time period.
    • If the disruption is minor (brief interruptions for less than 10% of the exam or mid-semester test time), you should continue with the exam/mid-semester test and submit it by the end time – you won’t need to request Special consideration (technical) for minor technical issues.
    • If you are sitting an online exam, every exam has a 30-minute submission window after the exam end time (or due time) which you may use to submit your exam if you need to. This time is intended to account for minor technical issues you may experience and not to continue working.
  3. Collect evidence of the issues you experienced. Evidence could include:
    • Screenshots of error messages with time stamps.Photos of failed devices.
    • Evidence of contact to Stop 1 (Stop 1 can email you an outline of your call as proof).
    • Evidence of contact to Student IT (Student IT can provide you with chat transcripts or your ServiceNow ticket number as proof) or any other support service.
    • Evidence of an outage from your Internet Service Provider.

      • Documentation not accepted:

    • Student declarations
    • Documents without a time stamp
    • Exam responses that you are seeking to submit for assessment.

      • The University may seek to substantiate applications using its own technical logs and examination incident reports and records.

  4. Apply for Special consideration (technical) within four business days of the assessment.

Apply now

  • Internet connection troubleshooting

    If your internet disconnects during your exam:

    • Continue to work on your exam; you can still do so without internet connection.
    • If a timer is used, the timer will continue to count down, your exam will remain active on your screen.
    • Your answers will continue to be saved in the browser until the due date and time for the exam is reached and the exam closes, or until your internet reconnects.
    • When your internet reconnects, your answers will automatically be saved, if the due date and time hasn’t passed and the timer (if used) hasn’t run out.
    • You can view when the test was last saved next to the Submit button.

    If the due date and time has passed before you can reconnect to the internet:

    • The quiz will attempt to submit the exam when the timer finishes, and an error page will display.
    • Do not hit the back button or navigate away from the error page.
    • Confirm when you are reconnected in another tab, then refresh the error page.  This refresh will submit the answers you have completed while you had a connection.
    • Take photos or screenshots of any answers completed while offline, before the timer runs out or the due date and time passed.
    • Check that all images/diagrams/charts have been loaded correctly.
    • If you find a broken image, try refreshing your browser. If the image still doesn't load, contact Stop 1 or raise your hand and advise a supervisor if you are in an exam venue.
    • Still submit your exam; your exam will be marked as late but you are still able to make a submission.

    Below are some tips to help you get your home internet connection issues addressed:

    1. Restart your computer. Give your computer a complete restart and recheck that the network connection is set to the correct Network Name (SSID).
    2. Restart your router. If that doesn’t solve your computer’s connection issue and you’re noticing that Wi-Fi has also dropped from other mobile devices, try restarting your home router by taking the following steps:
      1. Disconnect the power cord from the back of the router.
      2. Wait 30 seconds.
      3. Plug the power cord back into the router.
      4. Watch the lights blinking in succession. Once they’re all lit up or flashing, you’re ready to test the internet connection.
      5. Test your computer and other available mobile devices for Wi-Fi availability.
    3. Contact your Internet Service Provider’s customer support line (if the above steps did not work) to ask whether there’s an internet outage in your area. While the internet issues are being investigated, you may wish to tether your mobile phone to your laptop. Make sure to obtain documentation of you contacting your Internet Service Provider's customer support line (eg call logs, chat logs, an email from your Internet Service Provider that outlines the outage) if you wish to apply for technical consideration.
    4. Tether (connect) your phone’s internet data to your laptop. See how to tether your phone for advice.
  • How to apply for other online assessments
    1. Make every attempt to complete your assessment within your allocated time period.
    2. Collect evidence of the issues you experienced. Evidence could include:
      • Screenshots of error messages with time stamps.Photos of failed devices.
      • Proof of contact to Stop 1 (Stop 1 can email you an outline of your call as proof).
      • Proof of contact to Student IT (Student IT can provide you with chat transcripts or your ServiceNow ticket number as proof) or any other support service.
      • Evidence of an outage from your Internet Service Provider.

      3. Documentation not accepted:

      The University may seek to substantiate applications using its own technical logs and examination incident reports and records.

    3. Student declarations
    4. Documents without a time stamp
    5. Exam responses that you are seeking to submit for assessment.

    3. Apply for Special consideration (technical) within four business days of the assessment.

    The Special consideration (technical) application form is now open. Special consideration (technical) applications must be submitted

    Apply now

When will I receive an outcome?

Application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.  You will receive an outcome within five working days to your student email.

Possible outcomes may include an exam re-sit during the supplementary exam period.

Need help with special consideration?

Submit an online enquiry to Stop 1 and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Submit an enquiry