Portfolio Format and Assessment Criteria

COS20007
Object Oriented Programming

Semester 1, 2024
Portfolio Format and Assessment Criteria

Overview
Results in this unit are determined from a portfolio of work that you submit at the end of the unit.
This is designed to help you achieve the best result possible, with lots of support to help you learn.
This document outlines the portfolio assessment process, the format of the portfolio, and its
assessment criteria.

Learning and the Portfolio Assessment Process

Effective learning requires you to actively try to understand the topics being covered. The tasks
that we provide you can help you develop your understanding, but do require you to think about
how they relate to the underlying concepts and practices. One way that we can assist you is to
provide you with feedback on your progress, and to answer your questions about aspects you are
unsure of.
With portfolio assessment you have many opportunities to receive feedback. Each week you will
have the opportunity to submit work to your tutor for feedback. They will look at your work and give
you advice that you can use to improve your understanding and the quality of the work you submit
in your final portfolio.

Teaching You
Staff

Concept

As shown in the image above, this process is iterative. Each week we will help you learn by
introducing topics, working through tasks with you, and providing resources and tasks you can
complete. Using these resources can help you develop your understanding. In this process you will
create pieces of work that demonstrate your understanding. You can submit these to us so that we
can help ensure that you have understood each topic correctly. The feedback we provide should
then help you develop your understanding, while also providing us with ideas we can use to
improve the way the unit is delivered.
At the end of the semester you can select your best pieces of work to submit in your portfolio. Your
grade is then determined from what you have submitted - which should have incorporated all of the
feedback you have received throughout the teaching period.
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Portfolio Format
In this unit the portfolio you submit needs to contain the following items:
1. A Learning Summary Report that reflects on what you have learnt, and shows how your
portfolio addresses the unit’s learning outcomes and its assessment criteria. As a minimum this
will include:
a. Evidence that you have passed the semester test,
b. evidence that you have completed the weekly tasks appropriate for your target grade,
c. a program of your own design if you are aiming for a Distinction grade or above, and
d. a research report if you are aiming for a High Distinction of 90 or above.

Learning Summary Report

Your Learning Summary Report will consist of two parts: a self-assessment and a reflection. The
self-assessment indicates how your portfolio aligns with the assessment criteria. Your reflection is
a personal comment on what you have learnt in this unit, and how your knowledge and skills have
developed.
This report should be around 5 to 10 pages in length: one page for an overview, one page listing
the pieces you wish to be considered as part of your final submission, two to four pages aligning
your evidence to the unit’s learning outcomes, and two or three pages for your reflections.
The reflective section of the learning summary report should,
▪ Elaborate on aspects that you found challenging/inspiring/interesting or different to your
expectations, and explain why.
▪ Include the approach that you used to solve problems and how what you have learnt in the unit
helped.
▪ Compare and contrast new learning/information within the context of prior learning (as well as
any previous assumptions or expectations – with a discussion on how these have either been
reinforced or changed).
▪ Present areas that you have personally explored beyond the expectations of the unit, as well
as indication of the areas where you plan to learn further on your own, and explain why.
▪ Highlight ideas/techniques/principles that can be generalised and used in other areas or for
further learning (with a brief discussion to support the claim).
Note: The reflective section should not be a direct summary of the content covered in the unit.
A template will be provided to help you format your Learning Summary Report.

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Semester Test
You must pass the semester test in order to pass this unit of study, and you will be provided with
two opportunities to do so. The first opportunity to pass the test will be marked as either Redo, Fix
and Resubmit, or Pass. If the mark is Pass, you can include the test as evidence in your portfolio.
If the mark is Fix and Resubmit, your test must be corrected before the final portfolio submission.
If the mark is Redo, a second different “re-sit” test must be completed during the semester. The
possible grades for this re-sit are either Pass or Fail. If the mark is Pass, you can include the test
as evidence in your portfolio. If the mark is Fail, you are not eligible to pass the unit.

Test Result Action Needed to Pass Test

Complete No action required

Fix and Resubmit You must address some issues with your answers. You must correct all issues and
get your test signed off as Complete before it is included in your portfolio.

If your test is not marked as complete before the end of the teaching period, you
must include corrections (unless an alternative arrangement has been made) in
your portfolio to demonstrate that you have addressed the issues raised. Failure to
include these corrections, or providing incorrect corrections, will result in an overall
fail grade for the unit.
Redo You must sit and pass a “re-sit” test, otherwise the test is considered to have been
failed. Note that each sitting will be a different test.
Fail This will only be given on the final sitting of a test where your result is not sufficient
to be graded as Pass. This grade indicates that you have not met the hurdle
requirements and are no longer able to pass the unit.

Weekly Tasks
Each week there will be a number of tasks that you are required to complete. These tasks are
designed to help you understand the material presented, and to give you a chance to apply the
concepts studied. Your portfolio must include work from these weekly tasks that demonstrates you
have successfully mastered all of the unit’s learning outcomes.
Tasks are related to different grade outcomes.

Description

Pass Tasks Core tasks required to demonstrate the unit's learning outcomes. All of these
tasks must be completed in order to pass the unit. These tasks have significant
guidance to help you achieve the required understanding.
Credit Tasks Extend beyond the core material to help you better understand the concepts
associated with the unit. These tasks have some guidance, but will require you
to develop a deeper understanding than the Pass Tasks.
Distinction Tasks Provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you have a good
understanding of all of the topics associated with the unit. There is little
guidance with these tasks in order for you to have more control over how you
solve these problems.
High Distinction Tasks Go beyond the material covered in the unit, allowing you to demonstrate that
you can use what you have learnt to explore associated concepts.

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Custom Program (for Distinction and High Distinction grades)
In order to meet the Distinction criteria your portfolio must demonstrate your ability to apply the
concepts learnt in the unit to the design and development of a custom program. In collaboration
with the teaching staff, you must propose a program that you will design and implement. Your
submission will include the code you have developed for your program, along with a design report
and screenshot(s) of your program in action.
The Design Report must capture the structure and key elements of your program. It must contain
text and appropriate diagrams to communicate both the static structure and dynamic behaviour of
your program. It should be written for knowledgeable developers, with a focus on clearly
communicating the core aspects of the solution's structure.
High Distinction criteria for your custom program require it to have good code quality, demonstrate
appropriate use of abstraction, demonstrate appropriate uses of design patterns, with good code
documentation.

Custom Project - Design Report

Distinction Your design report must include the following:

Requirement ▪ An overview of the program’s goals.
▪ A UML class diagram and one or more sequence diagrams illustrating how the
core aspects of the program fit together.
▪ A description of core program functionality and how it works.
High Distinction Your design report must demonstrate good communication skills, and present a
Requirements well thought out program design. It must clearly communicate the abstractions
being created, and outline how the functionality is organised. It must show how
design patterns have been appropriately incorporated into the design.

Custom Project - Code Quality

Distinction Your program must include some form of logic that operates on the data within the
Requirement program. To achieve this your program must:
▪ do more than just collect and display data to the user.
▪ be substantially your own design and implementation.

You must demonstrate the use of the following:

▪ Abstraction: the ability to create relevant classes to model the program being
designed.
▪ Encapsulation: each class should encapsulate appropriate responsibilities.
▪ Inheritance & Polymorphism: you must demonstrate the use of inheritance and
polymorphism appropriately.
▪ Structured programming: no use of goto, etc.
▪ Classes must demonstrate appropriate coupling and cohesion.
▪ Method must perform a single task, with few lines of code and little code
repetition.
▪ All classes and public methods have appropriately formatted documentation.

Your code must meet good programming practices:

▪ Artefacts should be named appropriately.
▪ Indentation must help document program structure.
High Distinction Must meet standards indicated in the associated High Distinction Task.
Requirement
Code must demonstrate ability to select appropriate artefacts, design useful
abstractions, and suitably organise functionality. It must also demonstrate
appropriate uses of design patterns.

Code will be extensively commented, with comments providing meaningful insights

into the code being documented.

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High Distinction Project (for 90+ grades)
In order to achieve a grade of 90 or above, your portfolio must demonstrate that you have
developed significant depth of understanding related to the unit's intended learning outcomes.
When applying for a High Distinction grade that includes this project, it is your responsibility to
ensure that the evidence you include clearly outlines how this task demonstrates significant depth
of understanding. There should be no doubt that you have achieved the unit learning outcomes to
a very high standard.

Assessment Criteria by Grade

Pass Criteria

Required Pieces ▪ Learning Summary Report

▪ All Pass Tasks are marked as Complete
▪ Test is marked as Complete
▪ Portfolio includes work demonstrating coverage of all learning outcomes
Borderline (50P) ▪ Learning Summary Report
▪ More than 80% of Pass Tasks are marked as Complete, and all other Pass
Tasks are submitted and included in the portfolio and of an adequate standard
▪ Test is marked as Complete or correct fixes are included in portfolio
▪ Portfolio includes work demonstrating coverage of all learning outcomes
Submission ▪ Due first week of exam period — see unit outline for date.

Credit Criteria

Required Pieces ▪ Learning Summary Report

▪ All Pass Tasks are marked as Complete
▪ All Credit Tasks are marked as Complete
▪ Test is marked as Complete
▪ Portfolio includes work demonstrating good coverage of all learning outcomes
Borderline (60C) ▪ Learning Summary Report
▪ All Pass Tasks are marked as Complete
▪ More than 80% of Credit Tasks are marked as Complete
▪ Test is marked as Complete
▪ Portfolio includes work demonstrating good coverage of all learning outcomes
Submission ▪ Due first week of exam period — see unit outline for date.

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Distinction Criteria

Required Pieces ▪ Learning Summary Report

▪ All Pass and Credit Tasks are marked as Complete
▪ Test is marked as Complete
▪ Portfolio includes work demonstrating good coverage of all learning outcomes
▪ Custom Program — meets distinction standards
▪ Design Report — meets distinction standards
Submission ▪ Portfolio due first week of exam period — see unit outline for date.
▪ Portfolio interview during the exam period — see unit outline for date.

High Distinction Criteria (80 - 89)

Required Pieces ▪ Learning Summary Report

▪ All Pass and Credit Tasks are marked as Complete
▪ Tests is marked as Complete
▪ Portfolio includes work demonstrating good coverage of all learning outcomes
▪ Custom Program — meets high distinction standards
▪ Design Report — meets high distinction standards
Submission ▪ Portfolio due first week of exam period — see unit outline for date.
▪ Portfolio interview during the exam period — see unit outline for date.

High Distinction Criteria (90 - 100)

Required Pieces ▪ Learning Summary Report

▪ All Pass and Credit Tasks are marked as Complete
▪ Tests is marked as Complete
▪ Portfolio includes work demonstrating good coverage of all learning outcomes
▪ Custom Program — meets high distinction standards
▪ Design Report — meets high distinction standards
▪ High Distinction Project meets high distinction standards
Submission ▪ Portfolio due first week of exam period — see unit outline for date.
▪ Portfolio interview during the exam period — see unit outline for date.

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Assessment Process
The teaching staff will assess portfolios using the process shown in in the following figure. The
process includes the following steps:
1. Initially your portfolio will be compared with the grade criteria. Your work will then be assigned a
grade from Fail through to High Distinction based on the criteria it meets. The self-assessment
from your Learning Summary Report will be used to guide this process.
2. Your portfolio will be assumed to be “average”, and the teaching staff will look for evidence that
you should be awarded a higher or lower result within the grade. The staff will use your
Learning Summary Report and the pieces you include to determine which result you will be
awarded.
3. All portfolios that receive a result of 97 will be re-examined by the unit panel to determine if any
deserve to be awarded a result of 100.

Assessment Criteria

Fail Portfolio not submitted,

Does not meet Pass standard.
Tests not signed off as Complete, and/or

Fails to demonstrate coverage of all unit learning outcomes to the

required standards
Pass 55 P (think D)
Tests are Complete, and all 50 P 53 P (think D-) 57 P (think D+)
Tests passes, all Meets Pass with Learning Summary Report
Pass Tasks are Complete. Meets Pass, but poor Meets Pass with good
outcomes covered, acceptable reflections + Tests
reflections and reflections and
and learning +Pass Tasks
but a few Pass Tasks learning summary. learning summary.
are not Complete. summary.

Credit 60 C 63 C (think C-) 65 C (think C) 67 C (think C+)

All Pass and Credit Tasks All Pass Tasks are Meets Credit, but Meets Credit, with Meets Credit with + Credit Tasks
are Complete. Complete, but some some issues with generally good code, good code, reflections
issues with Credit code, reflections, or reflections and and learning
Tasks. learning summary. learning summary. summary.

Distinction 70 D 73 D (think B-) 75 D (think B) 77 D (think B+)

All Pass and Credit Tasks are All Credit Tasks are Meets Distinction, but Meets Distinction, Meets Distinction, + Distinction Tasks
Complete, and most Distinction Complete, and all some issues with with good code, + Custom Program
with generally good
Tasks are Complete. Attended Distinction Tasks or code, reflections, or reflections, and +15 min Interview
code, reflections, and
an interview if Custom Program Custom Program. learning summary. learning summary. learning summary.
created.
85 HD (think A) + HD standard on custom program,
83 HD 87 HD
High Distinction Excellent outcomes, Excellent outcomes, All outcomes are or HD Project
Distinction met, and either Custom Program meets good reflections, code
but some excellent, with very
quality and learning
HD requirements, or adequate HD Report. weaknesses. high quality finish.
summary.

93 HD 95 HD (think A+) 97 HD
High Distinction criteria met with both a Custom All outcomes are All outcomes are All outcomes are
Project at HD standard and High Distinction project. 100 HD (think A++) + HD standard on custom program,
excellent, some small excellent, good excellent, including
Something special! and HD Project
issues with research research report and research method,
report or analysis. analysis. report and analysis.

1 2 3
Categorise based on grade first!
Assume middle grade initially, then Review 97's with unit panel
Use self assessment, with sanity check.
work up/down based on evidence. to check for 100s
Should be obvious, based on work included.

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