22 July 2022
By email:
[FYI request #19734 email]
Dear Stirling
I refer to your Official Information Act (Act) request dated 23 June 2022. You have requested
information in relation to the 2021 MAOR102 Semester 2 paper.
We set out our responses to each of your questions below.
The data for class grades: a list of marks, in percentage form of individual students; the
highest overall paper mark in percentage form; the median overall paper mark in
percentage form
Subject to the comments below, please find attached the information you have requested.
• It is the University’s standard practice to not report on marks which relate to fewer than 5
students where we consider that such disclosure could affect an individual’s privacy and
wellbeing. Where the numbers are very low, there is a risk that the identity of these
students could be determined/inferred, and that their personal information (i.e. their
grades) could be revealed. We note that where the mark is AEGROTAT, where there are
fewer than 5 students we have indicated this using <5 – to protect the privacy and wellbeing
of these students pursuant to section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
• Students who withdrew from the paper are excluded from the data.
• Students who withdrew from the paper or received an AEGROTAT grade are excluded from
the calculation of the median grade for the paper.
What method was used for the marking process of the MAOR102 Semester two final
exams?
Due to the COVID lockdown, the MAOR102 Semester Two final exam was administered through
Blackboard.
Was the marking for the MAOR102 semester two exams programmed or manually
marked? If manually marked, were the names of students visible whilst marking took
place?
The exam was 100% multi-choice; students inputted their answers through Blackboard, and
Blackboard marked those answers. There was no manual marking.
Were there any incidents of individuals receiving a final paper mark for MAOR102 that
was subsequently reviewed and changed? If so, why was the mark altered?
There was a data entry error in transferring the data from Blackboard (which was ordered by
surname) to an Excel spreadsheet (which was ordered by student ID number). Consequently, there
were a few marks where people who had the same surnames had grades incorrectly placed. As soon
as Te Tumu were made aware of this, the marks were taken down and corrected. Te Tumu staff
checked that every (900+) MAOR102 students’ marks were correct before making them available
again. This was completed within 24 hours.
Was there any adjustment to the marking process and correct answer allocation after
marking was completed?
There was no adjustment to the marking process or changes to answers once marking was complete.
Was advice given by the Health Sciences department, Medical admission board or any
other department that is not usually involved in the MAOR102 course on the content
and/or structure of the paper? If so, a request for a copy of all available correspondence
relating to the advice/requests on changes to the paper structure
Having collated and considered material within scope of your request, I have concluded that the
appropriate way in which to make the information available to you is by providing you a summary of
their contents in accordance with section 16(1)(e) of the Act. I am satisfied that supplying the
correspondence to you would prejudice the interests protected by section 9(2)(a) (privacy of natural
persons) and section 9(2)(g)(i) (effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank
expressions of opinions).
By way of summary of the information held, I advise:
There were no discussions or communications within the scope of your request in relation to the
content of MAOR102.
Prior to 2020, MAOR102 assessments were composed of 60% internal + 40% exam. In 2020 when
teaching and examinations throughout the University were impacted by Covid-19 measures, the
paper assessment structure was temporarily changed to 100% internal assessment. This was the
situation for both semesters in 2020.
During the second half of 2020 there were discussions between Health Sciences First Year staff and
Te Tumu staff regarding the ongoing assessment process for MAOR102 (such discussions are not
unusual for papers which are optional 8th papers for HSFY). Te Tumu and HSFY also met in an in-
person meeting. As a result of discussions the method of assessment was changed to 50% internal +
50% exam from Semester One 2021. At the same time the final exam changed from 74 questions to
145 questions. This remains the current assessment structure now.
I trust you will find this information helpful.
If you are not satisfied with our response to your information request, section 28(3) of the Act
provides you with the right to ask an Ombudsman to investigate and review this response. However,
we would welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns with you first.
Yours sincerely
Kelsey Kennard
Official Information and Compliance Coordinator
Office of the Registrar
