ECON A318 is assessed through two components: continuous assessment (i.e. assignments) and a three-hour final examination. This course is designed to help you progress easily from the required readings to the assignments and then to the examination. You will be required to apply the knowledge and techniques learned during the course when doing the assignments.
The assessment consist of two assignments. The assignments must be submitted to your tutor for formal assessment in accordance with the deadlines stated in the Assignment File. The non-assessed self-test questions are not part of your formal assessment, but these should be done before progressing to the assignments.
Assignments
During the 16 week period of distance learning, the submission of two assignments serves three purposes:
- They provide a mechanism for you to keep up with your progress.
- They test your understanding of the topics.
- They also provide an opportunity for you to apply what you have learned by completing some applications work and case studies.
After being marked by the assigned tutor, assignments are returned to you so that you can be aware of your mistakes and clarify any misunderstandings. In addition, you can widen your perspectives through your tutor's feedback.
Assignments for this course generally consist of essay style questions, problem-solving programming exercises and case studies.
You are required to complete both assignments. Each assignment counts for 25% of your final grade. The total continuous assessment score then contributes 50% to the total course mark.
How to do your assignments
For each assignment, please read through the questions and the instructions accompanying the questions in the Assignment File. Please read the questions carefully and make sure you understand what is required before attempting them.
Once you have completed each assignment, you must submit it via the OLE. Please ensure you do this on or before the deadline. However, if you cannot finish your assignment on time, you must contact your tutor before the deadline to discuss the possibility of an extension. Your tutor may grant you an extension of up to seven days. If more time is needed, you must obtain approval from your Course Coordinator or the Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences. No marks will be awarded for any late assignments without prior approval from the Course Coordinator or the Dean. Assignments will not be marked after the deadline for the final assignment, unless prior approval has been obtained for submitting them late.
If your assignments call on you to write a 'research-type' paper, you must be careful when you are using other references in the research for your assignments. If you commit plagiarism, you will be penalized severely. Plagiarism is theft of someone else's work or ideas. This applies just as much to using the work of other students as it does to using the work of authors of books. However, you may include parenthetical references to the works you cite, e.g. (Rosen and Gayer 2014, 38). So, you could include a section at the end of your assignments called 'References' in which the full name, title, date and place of the publication appear.
The way to cite a reference is:
Rosen, H S and Gayer, T (2014) Public Finance, 10th edn, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Note that the 'Course overview' table (shown earlier in this Course Guide) gives you an indication when your assignments are due. For actual dates, please check your Presentation Schedule.
Examination
The final examination accounts for 50% of the total course marks. It will be held at the end of the course, and will be two hours long. It will contain short essay questions and covers materials from all units and datelines.
Assessment type | Marks (in percentage) |
Two assignments | 25% x 2 = 50% |
Examination | 50% |
Total | 100% |
Final examination and grading
The final examination for this course will be two hours (closed book) and counts for 50% of your total course grade. You should use the time between finishing the last unit and the examination to review the entire course. You might find it useful to review your self-tests, assignments and your tutor's comments on them before the examination. You will be advised of examination arrangements after you send in your examination registration card.
The final examination covers information from all parts of the course and will be in a form you have already experienced in self-tests and assignments. The examination will not contain tricky questions. That would not be consistent with the clear, open approach that HKMU takes to helping its learners succeed in their studies.
To earn a pass grade for the course, an overall mark of 40% or better is required. You must attain an average mark of 40% or better on the assignments and a mark of 40% or better on the final examination. You are therefore required to submit all assignments and to sit for the examination. If, for some good reason, you are not able to complete all assignments or sit for the examination, contact your Course Coordinator to see if other arrangements can be made.