Programmes - Holy Trinity College in Zimbabwe

Assessment is by course work and/or examination. Over eight semesters a student must accumulate a total of 123 Credits (Core Courses, 92 Credits; Electives, 26 Credits; Long Paper 5 Credits) and take the Comprehensive Examination (Written and Oral) which represents 20% of the overall mark.

‘Course work’ means any oral or written assignment or tests set by the Lecturer with the approval of the Dean and duly recorded for the final assessment.

‘Examination’ means the written and/or oral examination conducted at the end of the semester under examination conditions. The length of a written examination corresponds to the number of credits assigned to the course, one hour per credit, up to a maximum of three hours. The examination scripts remain the property of the College. An oral examination is typically of 20 minutes duration; it is conducted by the Lecturer, and a record of the questions asked, together with the examiner’s comments and the mark assigned, will be submitted for the attention of the Extern Examiner. In the calculation of the final mark for each course the examination shall count for at least 50% and not more than 75% of the mark.

The ‘Comprehensive Examination’, comprises both a Written (3 hours) and Oral (30 minutes) component. It will be taken in the Eighth Semester.

Assignments

Frequency and length of assignments. A 4-credit course requires two assignments during the term, a course attracting 3 credits or less requires one assignment. The length of a research-type assignment should be 5-7 pages, of a reflection-type assignment not more than 5 pages. It is the responsibility of The Dean will publish an Assignment Time Table to ensure that, if possible, not more than one written assignment should be due in any one week.
When it is not possible or suitable to have an examination for a course (and this rests on the decision of the Dean) an additional assignment will be given. The mark for this course will then be the average of these assignments.
Presentation of assignments. Assignments should be neatly type-written (double spaced, in 12-point type) with a cover page showing the title of the assignment and the names of the student and the lecturer. References and bibliography should accord with the College style-sheet.

Marking scheme

Mark 70+ First Division. The candidate has excelled in the understanding and articulation of the material, has shown outstanding diligence, competence and initiative in study and analysis, and gives promise of an ability for research.
Mark 60-69 Upper Second Division. While not in the first rank of students, the candidate has shown a capacity for study, a comprehensive grasp of the material, some initiative in reading and analysis, and skills clearly above the average student in the programme.
Mark 50-59 Lower Second Division. The candidate has reached an adequate knowledge of the basic material in the course, is able to discuss the ordinary difficulties of the theories involved and has a reasonable competence in the skills of analysis, argument and presentation.
Mark 40-49 Third Division. The candidate has reached an adequate knowledge of the basic material, is familiar with the main issues involved, and has a reasonable familiarity with the required skills.

The typical class average mark should be in the range of 55-62 A significant deviation is investigated by the Dean and considered by the Academic Council. 4.4.6 Marks for assignments and examinations are to be submitted to the Dean before the students are informed and the assignments returned. Until the marks have been confirmed by the Dean they remain strictly provisional and should not be communicated to students. End of semester results are approved by the Academic Council and then published.

With regard to the final mark at the end of the eighth semester the following is the proportion of the overall mark given to the respective components:

Compulsory Courses: 55% of final mark.
Elective Courses: 10% of final mark.
Long Paper: 15% of final mark.
Comprehensives: 20% of final mark.

Failure

A student who fails an assignment may, in agreement with the Lecturer, re-present the assignment.

A student who fails a semester examination may re-sit it. The date of the supplementary examination shall be determined by the Dean, and the student informed.

If a student passes the supplementary examination a mark of 40 is recorded. If a student again fails, the mark of the previous examination stands.

A student who fails more than 40% of the credits must repeat the semester. No student shall be allowed to repeat a semester more than once.

A student who is unable for good reason (and this is determined by the Dean) to sit a semester examination shall take the supplementary examination.

A pass mark must be obtained in all courses taken, in the Long Essay/Project, as well as in the Comprehensive Examinations before a student may graduate. If a student fails in the Comprehensive Examination (oral and /or written) he or she is entitled to one re-sit one month after the original exam.

Re-marking

A student who is dissatisfied with the mark awarded may, within one week of the publication of results, apply to the Dean for a re-marking. Marks awarded in the re-marking are final.

Moderation of Written Work

The Rector, on the advice of the Dean of Studies shall invite a suitably qualified person to act as external examiner or moderator. The Dean provides the Extern with all mark-sheets (assignments and examinations) and all written work assessed for each Semester after the Semester Examinations and before the Academic Council Results Meeting for that Semester.

The moderator shall submit to the Academic Council a written report, commenting on the strengths and weaknesses (if any) perceived in the programme, its organisation, teaching, assessment, and any other aspect which requires comment.

All officially assessed written work is held by the College for the duration of the student’s attendance. Lecturers return each marked assignment to each student during the course. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the assignment is submitted to the College at the end of the course. This should be done not later than the beginning of the examination for that course.

Evaluation of Teaching

All lecturers are qualified with a Master’s Degree and higher. At the end of each term students fill in evaluation-sheets for each course, which are scrutinised by the Rector and Dean, The Dean will then pass on to the lecturer a distilled version of the evaluation from the students. In consultation with the Academic Council the Dean takes any further action that may be necessary.

LONG PAPER or PROJECT

Every student is required to present a Long Paper or Project. This earns 5 credits and carries 15% of the final mark.
The Long Paper or Project may take one of the following forms:
- An academic study in any of the following areas: biblical, systematic, moral, pastoral, pastoral communication, mission theology, catechetics, youth ministry.
- A project of pastoral field research
- An equivalent project approved by the College.
The final work should contain no more than 30 typed pages (double spaced, in 12-point type), not counting preface, table of contents, bibliography, but counting footnotes/endnotes.
The essay will be assessed by two readers, the supervisor and one other reader.
In assessment the following factors will be taken into account: methodology of research, logic and presentation of ideas, range of knowledge, judgement, synthesis, and evidence of reflection, balance of views and perspectives, relevance to an African context, presentation of the paper (footnotes, etc), quality of English. Students will be penalized for exceeding the upper limit of length, for plagiarism and for failing to acknowledge sources and for listing in the bibliography sources not referred to in the text.
Supervision of the paper is of the utmost importance. The student will consult with the Dean about the appointment of a suitable supervisor. It is then the responsibility of the student to initiate and continue contact with the appointed supervisor, arranging meetings as per the guidelines provided.
The role of the supervisor is to assist the student in the planning and reading necessary for the writing of the essay or the execution of the project, and to discuss the structure of argument and the presentation of evidence. It is not the responsibility of the supervisor to proof-read or corrects the English of the essay.
On completion the student will submit to the College three spiral-bound copies of the essay, one for each of the assessors and one for the College.
The student must obtain at least a pass mark in this assignment to qualify for a degree. In the event of a submission not reaching the standard worthy of a pass, the text will be returned to the student who will then have thirty days to improve it and resubmit it. Only one resubmission is allowed.