If elected as Education Officer, there are five specific aims I would like to undertake. 

1. Removing Saturdays from examination periods 

2. Adjusting the definition of hurdle assessments 

3. Allowing for more easily accessible extension policies  

4. Clarification of Tutorial participation marks 

5. Working with Welfare to create a booklet that introduces the university to new students 

With these aims in mind, I am excited to work with the rest of the Change executive, college representatives, and academic colleges in order to progress developments on each of these aims.

Policy Point 1: Saturday Exams

The university exam schedule currently includes exams that take place on a Saturday. I will work for the removal of all Saturday exams, so that students can have their weekends back. Given that the university does not classify Saturday as a working day, it seems to still consider Saturday a day suitable for examinations. Students are under the expectation that their study is only taking place during working days, and the examination schedule should be adjusted so that it aligns with the expectations. Removing Saturdays from the examination period would not only be beneficial for students in regards to their organisation, but also gives back their weekends, letting students succeed all days of the week. 

Policy Point 2: Hurdle Assessments

As currently stated in the student policy,  there are five different possible definitions of what it means to be a hurdle assessment. They are as follows: 

Hurdle assessments are identified in class summaries on Programs and Courses and is used in the following circumstances, a:

1. student is required to pass all assessment components in the course to be eligible to sit in the final exam; or

2. student is required to pass the final exam to pass the course; or

3. minimum/pass mark in a particular assessment(s) task (assignment or exam) is required to pass the course, regardless of performance in other items; or

4. student is required to pass all assessment tasks to pass the course (competency and/or grade based); or

5. student is required to attempt all assessment tasks to pass the course.

I will work to remove clauses a, b, and c from the definition of hurdle assessments. 

If a student is participating in a course, they should be given the opportunity to undertake every assessment task required of them, even if they have failed at previous assessments in the semester. I will advocate so that the performance of all assessment tasks will be considered for students. This ensures that every student has as many chances as possible to succeed in each course. 

Policy Point 3: Standardised Extension Policies  

I will fight for a simple 5 day extension that allows students to get a 5 day extension at any point, without needing to provide a certificate or a letter. This has been achieved at other Unis and it can be at ANU too; we need to make it easy for students to get a couple of days when life comes up and they need it! This is a policy that the Change team and I will work towards advocating, lobbying, and pushing the university to implement this change, to make a positive change that allows students the best chance to succeed.

Policy Point 4: Participation Clarification

There is currently large variation about the different aspects of tutorial participation. Despite the university website stating that tutorials are not marked on attendance, rather contribution to the tutorial, such as coming prepared and speaking during the tutorial, this is not often the case. Additionally, some courses require the additional submission of forum posts, or weekly responses. I will work towards clarification and creating uniformity on: 

1. Tutorial attendance across the twelve weeks of the semester

2. Tutorial participation relative to tutorial attendance

3. The relation of tutorial participation to weekly forum posts

I will look for clarification and standardisation across courses, to ensure that the workload of students is not increased unnecessarily. 

Policy Point 5: Working with the Welfare Officer - Crash-Course Guide

I, working with the Welfare Officer specifically, will implement a Canberra Crash-Course Guide as a Welcome to Canberra booklet. This booklet will be provided to all students at Res Halls, and will be accessible from ANUSA at O-Week and Welcome events. The booklet will cover things about ANU, academics, and Canberra. This will include: a guide to the different services offered by ANU, how to get involved with life on campus (like societies, opportunities, and yearly events), how to apply for extensions, where to seek academic support, how to travel around Canberra, what medical/social/support services exist in the Canberra community, and what social and cultural activities are available around Canberra. While these are just some ideas, the process will also be taking open submissions that allow people to share experiences and tips from their time at uni in order to showcase a wide array of experiences to advise those arriving/continuing at ANU.