ACCESS TO STUDENT RECORDS

1. DEFINITION

In this policy

1.1 "Student record" means any personal, academic and other information relating to a student, retained by the University.

1.2 "Assessment item" means any essay, examination paper, report, project, dissertation, thesis etc which has been assessed and assigned a grade or mark.

2. CONFIDENTIALITY

2.1 Student records and assessment items are confidential. Subject to the legal obligations of the University, a student's record, or parts thereof, will be released only to that student and to authorised University staff.

2.2 If instructed in writing by a student, the University will release his/her student records, or assessment items to another person or to an organisation.

2.3 Where information from student records or assessment items is disclosed other than in accordance with clauses 2.1 and 2.2, that information must be published in such a way that the student cannot be identified from that information.

3. SCHEDULE OF STUDENT RECORDS

The University Secretary will publish a 'Schedule of Student Records retained within the University'. The Schedule will contain a description of all the information held; the form in which it is stored; the Division or Faculty in which it is stored and the period for which it is stored prior to destruction.

4. ACCESS TO STUDENT RECORDS BY STAFF

The following staff are authorised to access student records as detailed:

4.1 Staff authorised to access all student records:

Vice-Chancellor
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Pro-Vice-Chancellors
Heads of Campus
University Secretary
Director, Student Administration
Director, CSU Regional Archives
CSU Regional Archives Staff
Records/FOI Manager
FOI Officers
Manager of Student Services, each campus
Librarian, each campus
Members of University committees which review students' academic results and progress
Student Administration Office staff.

4.2 Staff authorised to access the records of students in their Faculties:

Deans
Heads of School
Course Coordinators
Members of Faculty Committees which review students' academic results and progress
Other Faculty staff approved by the Dean
Faculty Administrative Staff
School Administrative Staff

4.3 Staff authorised to access the records of students as indicated:

International Office staff (international full-fee paying students)
Open Learning Institute (non award course students) (distance education students)
Division of Financial Services (students' financial records)
Director, Management (information required by Information Centre Government Legislation)

5. REQUESTS FOR STUDENT RECORDS

5.1 Students who wish to peruse their computerised academic record or paper record retained by the Student Administration Office will be permitted to do so during office hours. Supervised access will be allowed only within the precincts of the Student Administration Office, upon presentation of their Student Identification card to staff of the Student Administration Office.

5.1.1 Records to which access has been given under clause 5.1 may not be removed from the Student Administration Office.

5.1.2 Students permitted access to their student records may take notes of information appearing on their records.

5.2 Students who require copies of information from their student records should request the staff of the Student Administration Office to make the copies for them. Payment at the specified rate per copied page will be required.

5.2.1 The number of copies requested must be limited to a reasonable amount (ie the workload required for production will not unreasonably interfere with the operations of the University), with a maximum limit of 20 copied pages. The University Secretary may decline requests considered to be above a reasonable amount, in which case any payment made will be refunded.

5.2.2 Where the copying of information cannot be done immediately, the copies will be provided within 21 days of the request being received.

5.2.3 Some details may be deleted from the copies provided to conform with privacy requirements.

5.3 Students who wish to access information relating to themselves which is not contained within their computerised academic record or Student Administration Office file should contact the Freedom of Information Officer at their campus.

5.4 Whenever a student accesses his/her Student Administration Office file, that student must sign a Record of Access form.

6. FEES

6.1 Access to student records under this policy will be free, except where a student requires copies of materials kept on the University's records.

6.2 Applicable fees will be published in the University's Schedule of Fees and Charges.

7. AMENDMENT OF RECORDS

7.1 A student may apply to the University Secretary to have placed on that student's record a note, comment or explanation in relation to any document contained in that record.

7.2 A student may apply to the University Secretary for amendment of that student's record on the grounds that it is incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading.

7.3 The University Secretary shall be the final determiner of all such applications under this policy.

8. ACCESS TO ASSESSMENT ITEMS AND INFORMATION

Students should also consult the Assessment Regulations and the Higher Degrees Regulations.

8.1 All assessment items completed during a session other than examination answer booklets will be returned to students with a mark or grade. While individual grades or marks will be treated as personal information, Subject Coordinators may provide information on the distribution of results in assessment items so that students can gauge their own performance against those of the other students in the subject.

8.1.1 To ensure the confidentiality of marked assessment items such items must be returned directly to students in person or by mail and must not be left for collection by students from boxes in public areas or be returned to them in other unsupervised ways.

8.2 Examination answer booklets will be retained for a period of not less than four months after the date of the examination, during which period students will have the right of access to their answer booklets, to consult Subject Coordinators on their performances, or to obtain a copy of their answer booklets subject to the payment of the appropriate fee (see Clause 6 above). After four months the answer booklets will be destroyed except as provided for in 8.2.2.

8.2.1 The right of access does not extend to answer booklets or other assessment items which need to be kept confidential (eg questions which form part of a bank to be re-used in later examinations). In such cases arrangements shall be made for students to receive advice on their performances with reference to their own examination answers in a manner that does not compromise the examination mode.

8.2.2 Examination scripts which are the subject of or are relevant to disciplinary proceedings within the University may be retained by the University Secretary for an indefinite period.

8.3 As each situation may require different levels of attention, no specific limit is to be placed on the number of consultations between students and lecturers regarding access to student records and assessment items.

8.4 In the case of the examination of higher degree theses, the examiners' reports shall be released to the student in the manner determined by the Board of Graduate Studies following determination of the result.

9. ACCESS TO ASSESSMENT ITEMS BY STAFF

The following staff are authorised to access assessment items as detailed:

9.1 Staff authorised to access the assessment items of all students:

Vice-Chancellor
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Pro-Vice-Chancellors
Heads of Campus
University Secretary
Director, Student Administration
Records/FOI Manager
FOI Officers
Members of University committees which review students' academic results and progress

9.2 Staff authorised to access the assessment items of students enrolled in courses of their Faculty or enrolled in subjects taught by their Faculty.

Deans All Faculty subjects
Heads of School Subjects taught by their School
Subject Conveners/Coordinators Subjects they teach
Members of School Assessment
Committee Subjects taught by their School
Members of Faculty Assessment
Committee Subjects taught by their Faculty.

10. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

The University, as a public authority, is subject to the NSW Freedom of Information Act. Any application made under the policy detailed above does not preclude a student's right to make an application under the Freedom of Information Act.