Guidelines on examinations at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design

Students may be granted an extension of up to 48 hours in the event of illness that occurs during an examination. The course plan may stipulate other arrangements that apply in the event of illness and unforeseen events that arise during the course of an examination. Further information for students can be found on the Faculty’s examinations website.

Students may apply for an extension of the deadline for submission in the event of documented illness, unforeseen academic obstacles, or other compelling reasons. The application should be submitted to and will be processed by the Student Administration.

If the application is granted, the new deadline for submission will be either 48 hours after the original deadline, in the first half of the following semester, or towards the end of the following semester. Extension of the deadline for submission of a thesis does not automatically entitle the student to more supervision.

The deadline for applying for an extension is two weeks before the ordinary deadline for submission, assuming the cause of the need for an extension is known at that time. 

The form of examination and permitted examination support materials (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian) are described in the course plan. This also applies to software that will be available in connection with invigilated written examinations, such as Excel and MATLAB. In addition, a pre-approved bilingual dictionary is permitted at all invigilated written examinations at the Faculty. Read more about the procedure for pre-approval of dictionaries on the Faculty’s Examinations page.  

The course coordinator is responsible for ensuring that examination question papers are prepared and quality assured. Quality assurance involves ensuring that: 

• What is being tested is part of the learning outcomes described in the course plan. 
• The scope of the work required is reasonable for the students. 
• The level of the examination questions is reasonable in relation to other assignments and the teaching in the course.  
• The text of the examination question paper is easy to read, and the questions have been formulated correctly and precisely in both written forms of Norwegian and in all languages. 
• The examination question papers have been designed for assessment using the correct grading system (grade A–F or pass/fail).  
• A relevant expert other than the person who has prepared the examination question papers assesses the questions with a new, critical and constructive eye. 
• Once an examination question paper has been quality assured, it is sent to the Student Administration. 

Course coordinators are responsible for ensuring that assessment guidelines are always prepared for all examinations (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian) at OsloMet. OsloMet has guidelines on preparing assessment guidelines (only in Norwegian). 

More detailed comments on OsloMet’s guidelines on preparing assessment guidelines: 

• The assessment guidelines explain how the students’ examination answer papers are to be assessed and graded. A suggested answer or solution does not count as assessment guidelines, but may be included in assessment guidelines.
• The learning outcomes for all the courses at TKD are formulated in the respective course plans and do not need to be reiterated in the assessment guidelines. A link to the relevant course plan may be helpful, but is not required. Similarly, the syllabus for the course is available in Leganto and does not need to be included in the assessment guidelines.  
• In courses where grading is based on a quantitative point system with defined grade thresholds (the 'percentage assessment method'), the assessment guidelines must include detailed information about the point system and the grade thresholds applied. 

The course coordinator must make the assessment guidelines available to the students at the same time as the examination results is announced (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian). The assessment guidelines are published in Canvas. 

If a problem with the examination question paper is discovered in connection with the grading of the examination that will affect the assessment of the student’s answers and lead to the assessment deviating from the original assessment guidelines, the assessment guidelines must be updated. This must be done in such a way that the new examiners who will be marking appealed papers have access to the new information. 

Examination questions shall be offered in Norwegian if the formal language of instruction for the study program is Norwegian (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian). Examination questions provided in Norwegian must be available in both written forms of the language (Bokmål and Nynorsk). If all students have requested the same written form, the exam can be given in that form only. 

Students admitted to the programmes of study taught in Norwegian can choose to answer the examination in Norwegian, Danish or Swedish, unless otherwise specified in the course plan. See the Regulations (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian) and the Language Policy Guidelines at OsloMet (ansatt.oslomet.no). 

Students have the right to appeal a grade awarded for a written examination. It is not possible to appeal a grade awarded for an oral examination. If written works and oral presentations are assessed together and awarded a single grade based on a discretionary assessment, the students have the right to appeal the grade they have been awarded in cases where the written work constitutes a significantly greater part of the basis for the grade than the oral performance. How appealed examination grades are reassessed in these kinds of cases is specified in the course plan. 

In connection with group examinations, it can be stipulated in the course plan that individual grades can be awarded in special cases. It is only possible to distinguish between students in the same group if the students’ different contributions and/or competencies have been documented through the system for assessment in the course. 

OsloMet has guidelines on the appointment and use of examiners (only in Norwegian). The guidelines stipulate that courses must use an external examiner every three years. At the start of each semester, the Examinations Office shares an overview of which courses are to use external examiners.  

The qualification requirements for examiners in a course are the same as for teachers. Particularly relevant professional experience may be approved as sufficient qualification. 

Internal and external examiners must master the language used in the students’ examination answer papers and any oral presentations. If the examiners do not have sufficient language proficiency, this is considered a formal error. The requirements regarding language proficiency and examination language must be considered when appointing examiners (see also the paragraph at the bottom of this section).

The external examiner may not be an employee of OsloMet in either a main position or an additional position and cannot have had any involvement as a part-time teacher in the relevant course for the year group taking the examination. A guest lecturer may be an external examiner. In borderline cases, the case is decided on a discretionary basis. The form of assessment and the candidates’ ability to remain anonymous must be taken into account in this assessment. 

The course coordinator proposes examiners within the deadlines (see section "Deadlines"). The head of department formally appoints the examiners. The Student Administration is responsible for ensuring that external examiners are remunerated for their work.  

OsloMet has guidelines on dealing with cheating. The points below provide additional information with a specific focus on the period before there is documented suspicion of cheating or attempted cheating.  

It can be difficult to distinguish between cheating and academic immaturity, lack of originality or academically weak work. The type of assignment, scope, type of cheating suspected, how far into their studies the student is, and the student’s training in the use of sources and referencing must be taken into account in the assessment.

It is the examiners that decide whether what has been detected should be reported as suspected cheating or whether it should be included in the academic assessment of the student’s examination answer papers and thus affect the grade awarded. This decision often requires a discretionary assessment based on the specific circumstances in each case. The Faculty can assist examiners with these assessments. 

Suspected cheating in relation to coursework should typically be addressed by offering the student guidance and an opportunity to revise or submit entirely new work. This approach is particularly relevant early in the academic program. In more severe cases, such as repeated suspicions of cheating, stricter measures should be considered.

If examiners suspect that a student has cheated, they must provide evidence to support their suspicion in a written report. Suspicions that cannot be documented cannot be pursued. The documentation must be comprehensive, precise and be understandable by a reader who is not an expert in the subject matter. The report will be sent to the Student Administration, which will handle the case from there on. 

The student’s examination answer paper should be graded in the usual way, even if it is suspected that the student may have cheated. The student must not be informed of their examination result until the matter has been settled and then only if the suspicion does not result in annulment of the examination result. 

The Faculty decides which cases are to be sent on for treatment by the Board for Student Affairs. The Student Administration is responsible for ensuring equal and fair treatment. In less serious cases, the student is given a warning, without the case being sent for treatment by the Board for Student Affairs. 

Re-sit and re-scheduled examinations are arranged for students who have failed or had legitimate absence from the ordinary examination. If a re-sit and re-scheduled examination is arranged, in certain cases other students who have previously not passed the course may be given the opportunity to sit this examination. These may be students who were away on a student exchange, students whose examinations in the current or a previous semester collided, students who have had a leave of absence, or students who for other reasons have ended up in an unusual and unfortunate situation.

Registration for the examination should be based on the student’s individual education plan and should increase the likelihood of the student achieving the planned progress and the student completing the programme of study.  

If a course is discontinued and there are still students who have not passed the course after a re-sit and re scheduled examination has been held, a third and final examination must be arranged within one year of the last ordinary examination (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian). The Committee of Academic Affairs at TKD determines the form of assessment for this examination after the course has been discontinued. 

Students who have difficulty taking an examination with an ordinary form of assessment may apply for an alternative form of assessment. Alternative forms of assessment are only used if it can be proven that adaptation of the ordinary examination will not be sufficient for the student to be able to take the examination.

Alternative forms of assessment may be, for example, an oral, practical or digital examination. The application must explain how the factor that has triggered the need for an alternative form of assessment affects the examination situation.

Deadlines for application for an alternative form of assessment: 

• October 1 for examinations in November–December 
• March 1 for examinations in May–June and August–September 
• Two months before the examination date for examinations at other times of year.

An alternative form of assessment is determined by the administration and the academic environment concerned jointly (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian). The student in question has the right to make suggestions. The aim is to ensure a practical and academically sound examination that compensates for the disadvantages the student has, but that does not give the student an advantage over the other students.

Students are entitled to be notified of the examination result no later than 15 working days after the examination date (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian). Grading of master’s theses must be completed within six weeks of the deadline for submission (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian). 

Examination results must be announced as soon they are ready. 

Students are entitled to explanation of the grounds for the grade awarded, in writing or orally, within two weeks of the student requesting it (lovdata.no, only in Norwegian).

Approved required coursework must be registered three weeks before the last examination date in the course. Exceptions may be made by arrangement with the Faculty’s Examinations Office. If the course coordinator has not registered the result of required coursework within the deadline, all the students may take the examination. The wording “last examination date” is relevant for courses with examinations consisting of multiple parts. 

The list below shows the deadlines for submitting examination question papers and assessment guidelines and for registering examiners. All the deadlines apply to course coordinators. The various documents must be submitted to the Student Administration.

Before the deadline, the Student Administration must communicate clearly how the submission and/or registration are to take place and has a special duty to use as simple and self-explanatory a system as possible.   

The students must be informed about examination dates at the first opportunity. If examination dates are set during the semester, the students must be informed by e-mail or in Canvas. 

Deadlines for submitting examination question papers and assessment guidelines, and registering examiners

Department of Product Design

• Deadline for submitting examination question papers: Two weeks before the start date of the course

• Deadline for registering examiners: September 15 for the fall semester, February 1 for the spring semester

• Deadline for registering examination dates:
  • For oral examinations and written, not invigilated, examinations: At the start of the course
  • For invigilated examinations: The Faculty ‘s Examinations Office must be informed whether the examination is to be taken digitally, on paper, or as a combination of both (ScanTron): Four weeks before the examination

Department of Art, Design and Drama 

• Deadline for submitting examination question papers: Two weeks before the examination date

• Deadline for registering examiners: Ongoing

• Deadline for registering examination dates:
  • For oral examinations and written, not invigilated, examinations: October 1 for the fall semester,  February 1 for the spring semester
  • For invigilated examinations: The Faculty ‘s Examinations Office must be informed whether the examination is to be taken digitally, on paper, or as a combination of both (ScanTron): Four weeks before the examination

The technological departments 

• Deadline for submitting examination question papers: Two weeks before the examination date

• Deadline for registering examiners: October 1 for the fall semester, February 1 for the spring semester

• Deadline for registering of examination dates:
  • For oral examinations and written, not invigilated, examinations: October 1 for the fall semester, February 1 for the spring semester
  • For invigilated examinations: The Faculty ‘s Examinations Office must be informed whether the examination is to be taken digitally, on paper, or as a combination of both (ScanTron): Four weeks before the examination

• Acts and regulations
• Exams at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design
• Language Policy Guidelines for OsloMet (ansatt.oslomet.no)
• Guidelines for dealing with cheating and attempt at cheating in connection with an examination at OsloMet

Examinations at TKD