Guidelines on Conscientious Objection in Teaching and Assessment
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The University recognises that some students may have a conscientious belief which is in conflict with teaching and/or assessment practices in one or more units in which they enrol. The University shall
endeavour to make reasonable accommodations to meet such beliefs.
- In considering such cases, the University accepts that conscientious belief is:
- an individual’s inward conviction of what is morally right or morally wrong;
- is genuinely held after some process of thinking about the subject; and
- is uninfluenced by any consideration of personal advantage or disadvantage either to oneself or others, and perhaps when put to the test should be ordinarily combined with a willingness to act according to the particular conviction reached although this may involve personal discomfort or suffering or material loss.
A conscientious belief is more than just a strongly held belief or feeling, or a reaction to something which is distressful to the student. It does not have to have a religious basis, nor does the staff member have to accept its underlying reasoning.
The no-advantage clause does not mean that the student must accept a disadvantage or personal cost in order to prove a conscientious belief. Rather, it is used to establish that the belief is not designed to obtain an advantage or preferential treatment, and that the depth of the belief is such that the person is willing to act in accordance with the conviction even though this may be at a personal cost.
- The onus is on the student to take the initiative in identifying a conscientious difficulty with a teaching or assessment practice and to draw this to the attention of the University before undertaking such practice. [A student cannot appeal against a practice which he or she has already undertaken.] It is preferable for students with a conscientious objection to be identified early, so there is time to assess it and to make any necessary arrangements. Wherever possible, students with a conscientious objection in a unit should raise their difficulties with the Unit Coordinator prior to the start of the unit or in the first three weeks of semester. If the difficulty is with units in future semesters or is systemic to units offered in the programme, the student should discuss this with the Programme Chair as early as possible. It is for these staff to assess whether the claim constitutes a conscientious objection and what arrangements can be made to accommodate it. The staff member has the discretion to ask for more information from the student in order to establish whether or not the student has a conscientious belief.
- In cases where Unit Coordinators can foresee students having problems of belief in their unit, the unit study guide should mention these and advise any students with problems about this to see the Unit Coordinator.
- The student can request that there be a suitable alternative, but has no right to demand that the alternative take a particular form. There are also countervailing factors to be taken into account in deciding whether and (if so) how to meet the student’s concerns, including:
- professional requirements: those of external registration bodies, and
staff concerns to be able to certify that graduates have the basic professional competencies. This requires a careful consideration of whether or not the teaching or assessment practice at issue is essential for the training of practitioners in that profession.
- whether it is a required or an elective unit (the case for expensive alternative arrangements in an elective unit is much weaker)
- whether there is time to put alternative arrangements in place
- whether it would result in the University breaching its equal opportunity obligations
- whether other students would be disadvantaged in the quality of their
education
- cost
- he University is not obliged to accommodate a conscientious belief which violates a law (e.g. a belief based on racism)
- Students with a conscientious objection to a particular teaching or assessment practice should not simply be excused from an activity, but instead be given an alternative that is equally difficult. Alternatives made available to students with a conscientious objection do not have to be made available to all other students in the unit.
- A Unit Coordinator who has considered a student case of conscientious objection should advise the Divisional Executive Officer of this, giving details of the nature of the conscientious belief and of any alternative arrangements made. The Divisional Executive Officer should maintain records of such cases for future reference.
- A student who is dissatisfied with the decision of the Unit Coordinator or Programme Chair can appeal to the Student Appeals Committee within 10 working days. If the Committee determines that alternative arrangements should be made by the Division then the arrangements need to be considered satisfactory by the Student Appeals Committee. If on the other hand the Division is not prepared to implement the Committee’s decision on the grounds of cost, the issue should be referred to the Vice Chancellor for resolution.
Responsibilities: |
Responsible Officer |
Secretary Academic Council |
Implementation Officers |
Chair Student Appeals Committee, Program Chairs, Heads of School, Executive Deans |
Information Contact Officer |
Secretary Academic Council |
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