We want your experience at Massey to be as positive as possible. If something happens to you that affects your study, you can apply for support which includes:
- impaired performance
- an aegrotat
- assessment extensions
- disabled student support
- fees return
- alternative arrangements for assessment.
From April 2024, you will be able to apply for support using a new form on the Student Support tab in the student portal.
Any applications received before April 2024 will be assessed using the current processes, so you won’t need to apply again. The outcome will now be shown on the Student Support tab in the student portal.
How to apply for specific circumstances
2
Go to the Student support tab.
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Click the Create new request button.
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Click on the appropriate option button:
- for disabilities support, select Support for students who are Deaf, disabled, neurodivergent or have a health condition
- for all other options, select Consideration for a remedy, alternative exam arrangement or assessment extension request due to personal circumstances, such as illness, injury, disability, or learning impairment that has impacted or will impact my current study.
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Complete the form.
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Upload any supporting documents if you have them.
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Click the Submit button.
We may require supporting documentation from you before we can assess your application. If this is the case, we will notify you through the student portal.
If you need assistance with filling in the form, you can view the following online guides.
Assessment extensions
If you need additional time to complete an assessment, you can ask for an extension to the assessment due date. Please note that some assessments can't be extended due to their nature. Please ask your course team if extensions are available.
If you need less than a week, please ask your course team directly. If you need more than a week’s extension, you can either discuss this with your course team or apply using the specific circumstances process detailed below.
How to apply for an assessment extension
2
Go to the Student support tab.
3
Click the Create new request button.
4
Click on the option button next to the Consideration for a remedy, alternative exam arrangement or assessment extension request due to personal circumstances, such as illness, injury, disability, or learning impairment that has impacted or will impact my current study.
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Select your reason, select the appropriate button about whether the request relates to a previous one and fill in the description of the circumstances.
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Select the courses you are making the application for.
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For each course selected, in the This request is for/due to column choose from the following two options:
- Extension for one assessment if you only want an extension for a single assessment in the course. Fill in the Assessment type box, as well as the Name/due date of assessment box and the preferred due date.
- Multiple assessment extensions required if you need an extension for more than one assessment within the course. Fill in the Type of assistance required box, outlining which assessments you need an extension for and what your preferred due dates are for each.
8
Upload any supporting documents if you have them.
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Click Submit.
Other services and support
Other services and support at Massey include:
- disabled student support provisions at the campus libraries
- mobility parking spaces near all major buildings on campus (some campus maps also show wheelchair access points to buildings)
- accessible student accommodation
- alternative examination arrangements
- scholarships and awards
- student advocates in the student associations
- health services
- counselling services.
Specific Circumstances Implementation Project 2023/24: What has changed and why?
In response to student and staff feedback that the processes around applying for support due to specific circumstances were too complex, we amended the regulations associated with the Exceptional Circumstances process in 2022 to:
- make them more student-centric
- remove barriers caused by inconsistencies
- bring together a number of different processes into a single workflow so that students have one place to go when they need to apply for disabilities support or academic accommodations throughout their studies.
A project to create the single workflow began in June 2023 and is due to be released in April 2024. Students were working alongside us from the beginning when we designed the new approach. We also benefitted from groups of students giving feedback on the proof of concept and design of the technical side of the project. We are grateful for the support student representatives gave us throughout the project so that we developed something that met all our expectations and was a significant improvement in this area.
What has changed?
- Instead of filling in multiple different forms and uploading them using 6 disconnected processes, students can now apply for different kinds of support for multiple courses at once using a single online application form.
- Students only have to tell us about their specific circumstances once. We will store that information safely and direct their application to the right people for them via the secure system.
- A Fee Appeal is now known as a Fee Return, and Exceptional Circumstances is now known as Specific Circumstances.
- There is now a new, consistent process to use when applying for assessment extensions.
- When students have complex circumstances, our support will be more integrated and responsive.
- A centralised team within each college handles most evaluations related to courses. They have enhanced communication and data insight capabilities through the portal. Assessment regarding a disability remains with the disabled student support team.
- Evidence is no longer mandatory upon submission of an application. We will only ask students to provide supporting evidence if we need it.