· Web viewYour programme will have a set format for referencing and you should familiarise yourself with it as well as using it in your own handouts, module guides, assignment briefs,

HE in FECsExpert programme

Staff development materials

This information will be attached to each set of materials lodged on the HE in FECs website: www.sheffield.ac.uk/heinfestratprog/index.html

Title and type of material: Higher Education Module Leaders’ Handbook Author/Contributing institution: HE Unit , City of Bristol CollegeContributed: April 2010City of Bristol College has over 1200 students enrolled on HEFCE funded courses, the majority of which are Foundation Degrees. The college works with six HEI partners.

Brief description of materials: The module leaders’ handbook is given to all module leaders and made available via the college VLE. Employment contracts of HE Module leaders are various with some being FT employees of the college working exclusively with HE students and others coming in for only a few hours per week. This handbook was designed to provide consistent sources of advice for all module leaders regardless of HEI partner.

Target audience: Module leaders

Other materials that could be used alongside: A range of supporting documentation is available on the college VLE and is referred to within the handbook.

How has the material been used? New tutors are given a copy at HE PC Induction or by their faculty HE Manager.

How was it received? Staff have appreciated the concise nature of the publication.

Suggestions about how to maximise its effectiveness: Give out hard copies, make available online, update frequently and re circulate.

Benefit to the college: Consistency of practice across programmes.

Any further comments:

Completion of this form constitutes your agreement to the material being downloaded, used and customised by colleagues for the purposes and under the conditions set out to users. That is, the material is made available on the condition that is used, not for profit, for the development of good practice in HE in FE and that when it is used in whole, or in part, it is properly attributed to the author(s).

It is the responsibility of authors to ensure that materials adhere to established principles for academic referencing and attribution.

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/heinfestratprog/index.html

Higher Education Module Leaders’ Handbook

Introduction

This handbook is designed to help Module Leaders who are new to teaching on higher education courses at City of Bristol College as well as to offer guidance for those who are more experienced. Some systems are similar to those of FE, and some are quite different. You may find it useful to keep this handbook in a safe place to refer to when necessary. The regulations for each university partner may differ slightly but the purpose of this handbook is to make things clearer by giving an overview of the main points. Your first port of call for any queries regarding the course or regulations is your Programme Leader.

Background to the design of the Foundation Degree (Fd)

Foundation Degrees have been in existence since 2000 and are equivalent in academic standard to the first two years of an undergraduate degree course. They were introduced in response to the Dearing Committee (1997) recommendations for a growth in vocational higher education based in FE colleges. Students studying for an Fd may be employed in related work or they may be gaining experience of work through placements. They may leave at the end of the course with the Fd, though many will progress to the honours year at a university. At the moment we have nearly 40 different Fds in the College, all of which are validated by one of our partner universities. Our partner universities are University of Bath, Bath Spa University, University of Bristol, Kingston University, University of Plymouth and the University of the West of England

The Foundation Degree that you are teaching on may have been developed within the college and be unique to the college or may be one that has been developed in partnership with a small group of colleges.

At the validation stage, market research will have been carried out to show that there is local demand for the qualification. In addition, reference to the ‘Academic Infrastructure’ i.e. QAA Codes of Practice; Subject Benchmark Statements and the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications will be evident. Central to all programmes are the Programme Specifications (also part of the Academic Infrastructure) which appear in the Student Handbook and on the College website.

Getting started

You will need to have:

A module guide – see Appendix 1. This may have already been written and will just need some adjustment. If you need to write a new module guide, there is a template you can use (available on Blackboard). It is essential that all students receive the module guide at the start of the new module.

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A copy of the module descriptor – this may be called a Definitive Module Descriptor (DMR) and will show the detail of the module as validated by the university.

A copy of the student handbook for your programme Templates for assignment delivery and submission Grading criteria Access to the college’s VLE Blackboard.

Key Dates

Most courses follow a delivery pattern of 2 sessions/semesters per year, each lasting 15 weeks. The dates for 2009-10 are:

Year 1 only Induction w/b 14th September 2009Semester 1 Starts Monday 21st September2009Semester 1 Ends Friday 22nd January 2010Inter semester break 25th - 29th January 2010Semester 2 Starts 1st February 2010Semester 2 Ends 11th June 2010

Christmas and Easter holidays and Half-term breaks are the same as those for the rest of the college.

Exam boards usually take place late in June or early in July and for most of our Programmes it is essential that you attend the board to which your results are to be submitted.

HE ConferencesWe hold 3 of these a year to enable our staff to keep up to date with current practice, changes and research and invite speakers from a range of institutions. The conferences are held in September, January and July. If you are a part-time lecturer and do not normally teach on the conference day, you can be paid for your attendance by the HE Unit, provided the Curriculum Manager for your faculty has confirmed that you would not normally be teaching at this time. The Conference dates for 2009/10 are as follows:Friday 11th September 2009Thursday 28th January 2010Tuesday 13th July 2010

This handbook should be read in conjunction with:

Guidelines for Teaching & learning in HE Assessment Guidelines for HE Programmes

Both are available on Blackboard HE Forum >Staff Information>Policies & Guidelines


RegistersRegisters are taken at the start of each session; bursaries are sometimes based on students’ attendance. Your Programme Leader will be able to give you more information on how students are registered on your course.

Tutorial SupportStudent feedback shows that they benefit more from ongoing feedback (or formative feedback) on their progress than on the summative feedback that they receive once their work has been completed. The formative feedback may be given in response to assignment support sessions, mock exams, group or individual tutorials etc. Please record discussions with students on HE Tutorial Record Sheets available from your Programme Leader or the HE Unit.

Assignment SubmissionStudents must submit their work in the assignment box assigned to their programme provided either in the University Centre at Ashley Down or in Faculties at College Green and Parkway. Occasionally other arrangements need to be made if work is too bulky to fit in the assignment box e.g. large portfolios/art work, check with your programme administrator for the alternative arrangements if this is the case.

Work must be submitted by the date you have given, the only exception is if a student has valid Extenuating Circumstances. In this case, they must complete the relevant form and hand to you or the Programme Leader (Appendix 2a). Most recent forms are available on the University portal or from the Programme Leader. Valid extenuating circumstances extend the submission date by 20 working days. The outcome may not have been decided by this time so it is important that the student submits work within this time and does not wait for the decision.

Currently, Extenuating Circumstances Panels for courses partnered by University of Plymouth, University of Bristol and University of Bath are held at least twice a term. (Regulations for these are included in Appendix 2b) ‘Mitigating Circumstances’ for Kingston University are considered by the University, whose regulations need to be followed in this case. Bath Spa University and UWE have slightly different systems so refer to Programme Leaders for more information on this. There is no such thing as a late submission or an extension that can be granted to students without extenuating circumstances.

You will need to inform your course administrator of the date for assignment submission so that they can empty the box for you after the deadline has passed. Work will be date stamped and passed on to you for marking.

In the event of a piece of work being handed in late you will need to check the regulations for your university, however, the general rule is that non-submission will be treated as a first attempt and the mark for the second attempt (i.e. the late work) will be capped at 40%. If you have been working in


FE this may seem hard, but it is usual procedure at university level and the students will have been informed of the regulations.

ExaminationsExaminations are usually highly regulated by the partner universities. Please check with your Programme Leader if your students are taking an exam as part of their assessment.

PresentationsIf students are giving assessed presentations, you will either need to video the presentation for second marking purposes or another tutor should be present to second mark.

Marking and FeedbackYou will need a copy of the grading criteria for your course. It is usually recommended that marks that are on or near borderlines between grades are best avoided eg 49, 50, 51%.

Students are entitled to detailed feedback both in the form of comments on their work, and more general comments on their achievements and areas to develop on a front sheet. In addition, it is advisable to give oral feedback in a short tutorial with students so that they have the opportunity to discuss their work with you. Please keep a record of this for auditing purposes; this can be recorded on HE Tutorial Record Sheets available from your Programme Leader or the HE Unit. There may be some general comments that you can give to the group as a whole before all of the work has been marked in detail.

A sample of the work for your module will be second marked; your Programme Leader will be able to inform you of the sample required.

Work should be returned to students by the date indicated in the module guide (usually within a maximum of 20 working days) so you will need to ensure that marking is complete and passed on to the second marker with ample time for this to take place.Please refer to the Assessment Guidelines for HE Programmes

ReferencingIt is important that students’ work is marked using the same criteria for references throughout the modules in the programme. Your programme will have a set format for referencing and you should familiarise yourself with it as well as using it in your own handouts, module guides, assignment briefs, etc

PlagiarismPlagiarism is an academic offence which is taken very seriously by both the College and our university partners and it is on the increase with the growing availability of essays and other material online. Plagiarism is not only limited to using published work and passing it off as one’s own, but also using another student’s work or by groups of students who have collaborated and produced similar work. See Assessment Guidelines for HE Programmes


section 3.8 for guidance on avoiding plagiarism. General college wide guidance is attached in Appendix 3 for your information; however, our partner universities have their own guidance which must be followed.

There are several ways in which plagiarism can be avoided e.g. by ensuring assignment titles change regularly; by designing assignments that involve the student in their own

research in the workplace; by asking the students to produce an essay plan/outline to discuss with

you; by making use of more innovative methods of assessment such as

assessing their contribution to seminar discussions; by reinforcing standard methods of referencing on your programme…

If you suspect plagiarism, you must act. There are procedures that need to be followed and these will be outlined in the student handbook and on the website of the partner university. The first thing you should do is to alert the Programme Leader to the plagiarism. If you know where the student has sourced their work, take a photocopy or print a copy and give it, with the original, to the Programme Leader. Google can be a useful place to start if you suspect the originality of the work. Some of our partner universities use ‘Turnitin’ software that can identify work that has been plagiarised from an online source; University of Plymouth course leaders/administrators have been trained to use this. The Programme Leader will then be able to take appropriate action.

Student FeedbackTowards the end of the module, students will need to complete an End of Module Questionnaire. Blank copies of these are kept by either the course administrator or the course leader and can be found on Blackboard>Module Leaders Resources>End of Module Evaluation. They should be returned to the HE Administrator who will return a copy to you and to the Programme Leader, Strand manager, HE Unit. Qualitative data on these forms is most useful from your point of view as an indicator of further developments in the teaching and learning of the module.

Student concerns, issues, problemsIt is vitally important that you communicate any issue that students raise to the Programme Leader as soon as possible. Do not make any promises to students, especially around late work. It is always best to adhere to any policies or procedures set by the College or the University partner.

MeetingsThere will be regular meetings of the team teaching on your programme. These form an essential part of the smooth running and future direction of the course so, if at all possible, you will need to attend. If you have previous commitments, it is valuable if you can make a contribution by passing on comments on agenda items to the Programme Leader before the meeting and by reading the minutes from the meeting as important themes might be discussed and actions agreed.


There are some meetings that require a report from the module leader to be recorded in the minutes and reported to the partner university. Please use the Module Feedback Form available on Blackboard>Staff Information>Module Report

Exam Board MeetingsYou may find these referred to as Award Boards or Field Boards – the universities have different names for them. The meetings are quite formal and will require your attendance unless there is good reason that you cannot be there. The meetings are held at the end of the summer term with the primary function of confirming the students’ results; they also serve the purpose of providing a review of the year. There is usually a follow up meeting early in September to consider any resits that have taken place over the summer.

Using BlackboardMany of our students now expect course materials to be put on Blackboard. Before you can do this, you will need to attend a short training session. Contact Training Manager for e learning on Ex. 5103 for details of training.

Module BoxIt is good practice to maintain a box or file to collate various documents relating to your module, a checklist is available at on Blackboard at HE Forum>Staff Information>Module Leaders’ Resources>Module Box ContentsNot all documents need to be available in hard copy so long as details of where they can be found are listed. The box is a useful for quality monitoring and can be invaluable if a module leader is absent.

And finally…

If in doubt, ask. Most people are only too happy to help and recognise that some of these systems are complex and vary from university to university.

If you get really stuck with the regulations etc. either email, [email protected] or ring (ext. 5248) Celia Williams in the HE Unit who may be able to help.


mailto:[email protected]

Appendix 1

Module Handbook Guidance and Template

All our partner Universities have a requirement for module handbooks, sometimes referred to as module guides. This conjures up an image of a lengthy document requiring a great deal of work that mostly duplicates what is in the Student Handbook anyway. However this is not the case and module handbooks are an essential part of how students, teaching staff and module leaders manage the process of learning.

The College have produced a Module Guide template that should be used unless there is a guide prescribed by the partner HEI or your faculty has its own template, however the contents of the College module guide must be regarded as the minimum that is contained in your guide.

The CoBC Module Guide template is available on the HE Forum on Blackboard>Staff Information>Module Leaders Resources.

As we work with 6 partner universities there will be slight variations mainly around the type of module descriptor each university uses. For example, University of Bath for example do not list explicit assessment criteria in the way the Plymouth DMRs do. This means that these assessment criteria must appear in detail elsewhere in the Module Handbook.

Module handbooks may already be in place for your module, in which case, most of the work will be done. All you will need to do is to ensure that the tutor contact details, module delivery and assignments are correct and to update the timetable.

Module Guides should be given to students at the start of the module and be made available on Blackboard; see your Programme leader for advice on accessing the correct course on blackboard.

As with the Student Handbook all text given to students should comply with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) guidelines. Therefore use at least a 12pt sans serif font such as Ariel throughout.

AssessmentThe College has template to be used for the Assignment Brief, Assignment Submission, Assessment Feedabck and Student Evaluation available on Blackboard>Assessment>Assessment Templates.

Academic DishonestyAlways reiterate the warning by including “Academic offences including plagiarism, are treated very seriously by both the University and City of Bristol College. A student who is proven to have committed an academic offence


may be placing his or her FdA/FdSc and final degree in jeopardy. It is your responsibility as a student to make sure that you understand what constitutes an academic offence and in particular, what plagiarism is and how to avoid it”.

Extended Reading List and e-ResourcesThe recommended texts on the DMRs or module descriptors are only indicative so this is an opportunity to suggest additional reading or more recent publications and journal articles. This section should also contain the on-line resources available including those which have been placed on our VLE (Blackboard) or that of the partner university to support the Module. Your LRC link persin will be able to link the booklist in your module guide on Blackboard to the LRCs electronic catalogue, so students can check the availability of resources and reserve copies. LRC staff can also photocopy chapters and papers and make them available to your students on Blackboard

Also consider adding "The above list is indicative and students should explore the full range of resources available to them via the LRC, Blackboard and the University Portal."

Finally, these module guides/handbooks do not replace the Student Handbook but complement it. Students should be given as much information as possible; some Module Handbooks even include a short glossary to explain unfamiliar ‘education speak’ words and phrases: and some include the grading criteria.


Appendix 2a

GUIDANCE NOTES ON COMPLETING THE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES FORMAsk your Programme leader or HE Administrator for a copy of the current form.

The following guidance is based on that available for UPC programmes. The University’s policy on Extenuating Circumstances is also provided, Regulations on Late Coursework and Extenuating Circumstances, and gives examples of circumstances which may be deemed valid or invalid.

A decision will not be made on your claim unless your form is completed in full and corroborative evidence attached.

Extenuating circumstances must be submitted as soon as possible after the onset of the circumstances, and no later than 5 working days after the date of the first assessment affected (except where the circumstances themselves mean that you are unable to do so, but in these circumstances we would advise you to make contact with a member of Faculty staff as soon as possible).

Your circumstances will be valid only for the duration of the corroborative evidence attached to the form and for the modules you state.CORROBORATIVE EVIDENCEYour form must be accompanied by corroborative evidence. This could be: a medical note confirming that you had a medical or psychological

condition a letter from a counsellor, confirming a psychological or emotional

condition for which you have been receiving counselling; a letter from the Student Accommodation Office confirming a particularly

severe accommodation problem; an official document such as a police report, including a police reference

number, court summons or other legal document; a letter from a solicitor, social worker or other official agency; an insurance claim, supported by a letter from the insurance company; statements from support staff in the University who may have been

involved in ongoing problems you have had (e.g. the Chaplaincy, Student Funding, the University Health Service) or an invigilator, if you were ill during an examination.

a member of academic staff who has been closely involved in your pastoral care MAY corroborate your extenuating circumstances. This will require them to discuss your case with another member of academic staff, so as to avoid allegations of unfair treatment and ensure consistency of practice. Both members of staff will sign the corroborative evidence.


Corroborative evidence must specify the nature, timing and severity of the problem and, if possible, provide an independent assessment of the effect that the problem may have had on your performance.Corroborative evidence must be obtained when the problem existed. Any certificate or other medical note which post dates the date of the illness may not be accepted.

SECTION A: Please complete your personal details in this section.SECTION B: Please describe the circumstances and their effects. Please refer to the Appendix to the Regulation, on the Web (home.plymouth.ac.uk/regulations), for more information about circumstances which the University would (and would not) normally consider valid. In the case of bereavement please indicate your relationship to the deceased.

SECTION C: Please state the duration dates of your circumstances – these must be corroborated by the accompanying evidence

SECTION D:In this section, you need to indicate the effect of your extenuating circumstances.(1) Failure to submit work by the appointed deadline(2) Failure to attend (an) examination(s), end of module test(s) or in class

test(s)(3) Failure to meet other programme requirements (e.g. attendance at laboratory classes or fieldwork)(4) Atypical or uncharacteristic performance(5) Is the assessment a group work assessment? Yes or NoYou must ensure that you list all the modules affected.

CHECKS/SIGNATURES double check that you have listed all the modules affected check you have listed each assessment affected check that you have attached corroborative evidence and that all

dates correspond sign and date the form pass the form to an appropriate member of staff for signature (your Faculty

can advise you of who this person is).

Once the form has been signed, you must take it to your Faculty Office (even if some or all of the modules affected are in another Faculty). You will be given a copy which you should keep until after the results are published and appeals are concluded.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER YOU HAVE SUBMITTED YOUR FORMThe form will be considered by a Screening Committee of staff from the Faculty, who will decide if the circumstances are valid. You will be notified of the outcome of the Screening Committee within 5 working days after the meeting.

The normal result of valid extenuating circumstances is to offer you a 20 working day extension to submit the outstanding work – please refer to the response from your Faculty screening committee for further details.


Appendix 2bUniversity of PlymouthRegulations on Late Coursework and Extenuating Circumstances(Amendments since 2008/9 bold and underlined)These Regulations apply to students on all taught programmes of study

LATE COURSEWORK

1 Coursework submitted after the deadline date and time will be awarded a mark of zero (or, in the case of programmes operating on a pass/fail basis, deemed to be a Fail)

2 Extensions to deadlines for submission of coursework may not be granted by members of academic staff. A student who misses a deadline or believes that he or she will miss a deadline due to circumstances beyond her/his control should submit extenuating circumstances in accordance with these Regulations. The student will normally be permitted a maximum of 20 working days (excluding any holiday period) from the original deadline for the submission of the work.1 This additional period will NOT apply to the resit period for which an absolute deadline is already established, nor to any other deadline date for marks to be considered by Subject Assessment Panels/Award Assessment Boards. The final deadline for submission of the coursework will be confirmed in writing by the Faculty Office.

3 Coursework which is submitted after the deadline will be assessed but the results will not be entered onto the official record until the Screening Committee (see below) has considered any extenuating circumstances. Informal feedback may be given on the quality of the work submitted. If the circumstances are deemed valid, the actual result achieved will be entered onto the record and submitted to the Subject Assessment Panel and Award Assessment Board.

4 If the circumstances are not considered valid a mark of zero will be recorded (or, in the case of programmes operating on a pass/fail basis, a Fail).

5 Final Stage Honours Degree students who have missed a deadline and been awarded a mark of zero for coursework comprising the single piece of assessed work in a final stage module (thereby putting at risk their Honours Degree) may submit evidence to the Screening Committee in support of a claim that they had made all reasonable efforts to submit work within the deadline and that the circumstances which prevented their meeting the deadline were outside their control.

NOTE: Final Year Honours Degree or Postgraduate Dissertation

1 There may be instances where, because of the nature of the assessment task, a period of less than 20 days is permitted. Where this is the case, tutors should notify students and the Faculty Office in advance.


A student who has extenuating circumstances which have prevented her/him from submitting a dissertation on the deadline date should submit an extenuating circumstances form (with corroborative evidence 2 ) either on the deadline date, or a soon as possible thereafter. A student whose claim is deemed valid will normally be permitted a maximum of 20 working days (excluding any holiday period) from the original deadline for the submission of the dissertation.

In a case where a student has experienced more extreme circumstances, the duration and severity of which will prevent the submission of the dissertation within 20 working days, the Screening Committee should be provided with additional information about current progress with the dissertation to enable an appropriate submission date to be determined (in liaison with the programme leader). 3

A student who, due to continuing circumstances, is subsequently unable to comply with the additional 20 day deadline given should submit a further extenuating circumstances form and corroborative evidence. 2 The student should also provide additional information about current progress with the dissertation (preferably including supporting information from the supervisor so that, provided the claim is deemed valid, an appropriate submission date can be agreed (in liaison with the programme leader). 3

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES

The University is committed to eliminating discrimination and providing equality of opportunity for students and has developed regulations and procedures to assist students who are either disabled or have experienced exceptional medical or personal circumstances by attempting to minimise any adverse impact on their study and performance in assessments.

The University’s aim is to ensure, as far as is possible, a ‘level playing field’ by providing appropriate forms of support to enable students to undertake assessments and achieve the learning outcomes of modules. It is not the intention of the extenuating circumstances procedure to mitigate failure or give students an unfair advantage over their peers. Indeed, if extenuating circumstances are deemed valid, the Award Assessment Board will normally offer a student another attempt at the assessment without penalty, thus if the assessment affected by the circumstances was a first/second or third attempt, the student will be offered a sit/submit as if for the first/second or third time.

2 Evidence would not be required for students who are under the ‘Chronic Ill Health Procedures3 At the discretion of the Screening Committee, the submission date could be a date commensurate with the actual period of the

circumstances or the next normal submission date for the module.


The extenuating circumstances procedure is not intended to be used as an alternative complaints process, nor should it be perceived by students as being open to tactical use.

Note : A Where a Faculty identifies a student who appears to have health or

personal problems, (for example, where a student has submitted claims for extenuating circumstances for the same reason on two occasions, or a student has had problems across a large number of modules culminating in lack of submission and/or failure) the student will be recommended to see the appropriate professional within the University (i. e. Occupational Health Nurse with respect to health problems, Disability Assist Services for students with disabilities or mental health problems, or the Counselling Service for other personal problems) or could be directed to the Students’ Union prior to a Case Conference being held. A ‘Case Conference’ should be convened by the Faculty Registrar with membership including the Programme Manager, appropriate professional staff, and representative of the Students’ Union (if involved in providing advice to the student) to discuss the assistance or support which could be provided for a particular student. The student would be invited to attend the Case Conference, or part of the meeting, as deemed appropriate by the Faculty. The Case Conference will discuss the student’s history and current difficulties and will recommend the most reasonable way forward. Proposed actions will be carefully minuted and could be discussed in confidence with the External Examiner, and will subsequently be forwarded to the Award Assessment Board for approval. The student would receive written confirmation of any recommendations, together with any support to be put in place and the action that has been agreed, e.g. transfer to part-time mode, revised deadlines for submission of outstanding work, or delay of assessments until the ‘refer’ period. Ongoing case conferences will be required in some cases in order to monitor and review arrangements for students who have continuing health or personal problems. Case Conferences may be used to set appropriate targets which will then be reviewed at subsequent meetings.

B Where a student is aware that particular circumstances, be they work-related, family or financial problems, or any other issues, are likely to interfere with their ability successfully to complete their academic work in any academic session, it is possible for the student to interrupt studies temporarily and to return to complete the programme of study when the problems are not so great. There is no limit to a student’s ability to do this provided that they remain within the maximum period of registration established for their programme of study. It may also be possible for a student undertaking a full time programme to transfer to part-time study so as better to balance academic and other commitments. Students should discuss these options with their Faculty Office.

C A student whose health problems prevent her/him from completing her/his award during the normal period of registration (or exceptionally, with only one year’s extension), and a student whose health has prevented her/him making academic progress, for example, in a second repeat of Year 1,


may at the discretion of the Award Assessment Board, be required to interrupt their studies or withdraw from the programme. (See Regulation 6.3). This is subject to a Case Conference having been held.

The difficulties experienced by students can be broadly categorised as follows:-

On-going Disability supported by Disability Assist , e.g. sight impairment

Temporary Acute Conditions, e.g. broken wrist Chronic Ill-Health Extenuating Circumstances, i.e. unexpected, normally short-term

problems of a personal or medical nature

ON-GOING DISABILITY SUPPORTED BY DISABILITY ASSIST (DAS)Disabled students will have been assessed by DAS and will have an ‘Examination Provision’ in place (for example, examination papers translated into Braille together with an amenuensis) or will have opted for one of a range of inclusive assessments, or an alternative assessment will have been agreed, e.g. viva voce examination in place of a formal written examination. Any alternative assessment must be agreed as part of a consultation between DAS and the Programme Manager. It is anticipated that the Examination Provision or choice of different assessment will have addressed the issue of the support required for assessment, and the extenuating circumstances procedures will not be required unless other issues have arisen which fall into one of the other categories above. (See “Students with Disabilities or Other Temporary Injuries and Conditions: Guidelines for Assessment”).

The examinations timetable is issued end of February and students with modified assessment provision will receive an individual timetable. Where students have approached DAS late in the academic year the university will, where possible, implement any arrangements agreed after the timetable has been issued. Where this is not possible, students will be notified immediately that the provision cannot be put in place and should submit an extenuating circumstances form (with corroborative evidence from DAS) to the Faculty Screening Committee by the deadline dates published in the Faculty.

Students with suspected Dyslexia will have received advice from DAS about assessment and will be offered a diagnostic appointment (the student has the option to pay for an external diagnosis and can be provided with names of approved assessors if they wish to have a very fast diagnosis). Once they have received a formal diagnosis the student should take a copy of the diagnostic report or ‘immediate feedback following cognitive assessment form’ to their Faculty Office together with an extenuating circumstances form. The form and report should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the date of the Award Assessment Board meeting. There would be no additional requirement for a letter to be written by DAS staff to accompany the diagnosis at this stage. If the diagnosis is delayed, it is possible, exceptionally, for the student’s results to be deferred pending the receipt of a formal diagnosis – the student would need to complete an extenuating circumstances form together


with a letter from DAS to confirm that an appointment for a diagnosis has been booked. In such a case the absolute deadline for submission of the diagnostic report would be two weeks following the date of the Board. This absolute deadline will be strictly adhered to in order that reasonable and fair decisions about progression can be made by the Award Assessment Board and students can be permitted time, if allowed, to undertake referred examinations.

TEMPORARY ACUTE CONDITION, E.G. BROKEN WRIST Students with temporary acute conditions will have been assessed following the procedure contained in “Students with Disabilities or Other Temporary Injuries and Conditions : Guidelines for Assessment” both in terms of providing additional support for study and to put in place an appropriate arrangement to address any difficulties with assessment. It is anticipated that the extenuating circumstances procedures will not be required unless other issues have arisen which fall into one of the other categories above.

CHRONIC ILL HEALTHChronic ill health encompasses medical conditions which

Are persistent, often lasting for more than three months, and often life-long

Cannot be solved in a short time, or which will recur regardless of action, or which need to be managed on a long-term basis

Are a long-term or permanent illness that often results in some type of disability and which may require a person to seek help with various activities

Can be managed but can ‘flare-up’

Examples of conditions which fall into this category are: Cystic Fibrosis, Costochondritis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME), Psychosis, Bipolar Disorder.

Most students with chronic ill health will be identified at the admissions stage, and will be seen by Disability Assist to ensure appropriate support is in place. Some students, however, will develop conditions during the period of their study at the University, or previously undeclared conditions may become more serious or difficult to manage. If a student feels s/he is in difficulty, or is identified as being in difficulty, there should be a Case Conference including the student, Programme Manager/Module Leader (as appropriate) Faculty Registrar and representative of DAS to discuss the support available. The meeting will explore all the difficulties (i.e. outstanding work) and the options for the student, e.g. adjusting deadlines for submission, transferring to part-time mode or temporary suspension of studies. Agreements reached at the meeting will be confirmed in writing to the student.

A student who has chronic ill health will be required to complete a Chronic Ill Health Notification Form for the initial notification of their condition and provide supporting evidence from the hospital consultant, an appropriate specialist or a General Practitioner. The evidence must include confirmation of the condition, prognosis, duration dates and a description of the symptoms during acute episodes. The form must be submitted to the Faculty Registrar who will


notify the Programme Leader, Module Leader(s) and Disability Assist Services.

Students with chronic ill health should be regularly monitored by a Case Conference.

Any student with chronic ill health who suffers an acute episode which affects assessment should submit an extenuating circumstances form to confirm the particular modules affected (see procedure in section below) but will NOT normally be required to submit further corroborative evidence. Additional evidence will only be required if there is a change in their condition, i.e. a significant improvement or deterioration.

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCESThis Regulation applies to students who have registered for one or more modules, started their studies, and then found themselves in circumstances outside their control which impacted on their performance in one or more elements of assessment.

1. Definitions1.1 Extenuating circumstances are circumstances which

are exceptional;are outside the student’s control;can be corroborated by independent evidence;occurred during or shortly before the assessment in question;

andmay have led to an unrepresentative performance in relation to the student’s previously demonstrated ability

1.2 It is difficult to lay down hard and fast rules about extenuating circumstances which may be deemed valid or not, but examples of specific circumstances are given in an Appendix to these Regulations, for guidance of students and Screening Committees.

2 Submission of information on extenuating circumstances2.1 Students who wish extenuating circumstances to be considered should

obtain an Extenuating Circumstances Form from their Faculty/School Office. The form should be completed, corroborating evidence attached, and the student should obtain the appropriate signature (usually either of his or her Programme Co-ordinator or of Faculty Office staff - the Faculty/School Office can advise). The Programme Co-ordinator will not sign the form without corroborating evidence.

2.2 Once the form has been signed, the student should keep the bottom copy and take the top two copies to the Faculty/School Office.

2.3 Extenuating circumstances claims should be submitted as soon as feasible. In the case of assessed coursework/major project/dissertation or equivalent, extenuating circumstances claims should be submitted as soon as possible, so that where appropriate claims may be


considered before the submission deadline, and no later than five working days after the deadline for the submission of the work (except where prevented by the nature of the circumstance from so doing). If a student has submitted a claim of extenuating circumstances in advance of a submission deadline, has not received formal confirmation of the outcome from the Screening Committee, and is in any doubt as to whether the circumstances will be deemed valid, he or she should consult the Faculty Registrar. Extenuating circumstances claims with respect to formal examinations should be submitted no later than the Monday after the end of the formal examination week.

3 Corroborating evidence3.1 All claims of extenuating circumstances must be accompanied by

independent corroborating evidence. That evidence must be specific about the nature, timing and severity of the problem and if possible provide an independent assessment of the effect the problem may have had on the student’s performance.

3.2 Corroborating evidence may include:

A medical note confirming a medical or psychological condition (provided at the time when the student was suffering from that condition). Where alternative assessments are required, the university may require a more in depth (and perhaps independent) assessment of the student’s condition.

A letter from a counsellor (either a member of the University Counselling Service or a qualified counsellor working outside the University) confirming a personal, psychological or emotional problem for which the student has been receiving counselling. (NOTE: The University’s Counselling Service will only provide a letter of support if it has knowledge of the student ‘s circumstances, and the student was a client of the Service during the relevant period. No student would be able to see a counsellor just in order to obtain an extenuating circumstances letter.)

A note from the Accommodation Office confirming a particularly severe accommodation problem

An official document such as a police report including a police reference number, court summons or other legal document

A letter from a solicitor, social worker or other official agency An insurance claim document supported by a letter from the

insurance company. Corroboration from support staff in e.g. the Chaplaincy, Student

Funding, or the University Health Service, with whom the student has previously been in contact about ongoing difficulties, or from an examination invigilator about illness during an examination

Academic staff who have been closely involved in the pastoral care of a student may submit written evidence which corroborates the student’s account, but in order to avoid allegations of unfair treatment and to ensure consistency of practice, such evidence must be countersigned by the member of staff designated as responsible for the co-ordination of pastoral care within the School.


It is the responsibility of the staff member concerned to obtain a valid countersignature. Staff who have signed a student’s Extenuating Circumstances Form should not normally participate in discussions of the claim at the Screening Committee.

3.3 Full-time students may not make an extenuating circumstances claim relating to pressures of work, since such students have by implication made a commitment to make available the time necessary for study. Part-time students in full-time employment, who wish to make claims based on exceptional pressures in their employment, must submit corroborating documentary evidence (e.g. a letter from their employer) which confirms the particular circumstances, explains why they are exceptional and outside the student’s control and formally supports the student’s claim. Where a student is self-employed, she or he must provide independent evidence to support the claim that the pressures are exceptional and outside the student’s control.

3.4 Students should not seek to obtain corroborating evidence retrospectively. Any certificate or other medical note where the date of the certificate is after the date(s) of the illness may not be accepted.

4 Confidentiality4.1 The University understands that students may be reluctant to disclose

confidential personal information. However, students can be assured that all claims of extenuating circumstances are deemed to be confidential to the Screening Committee and to the relevant Award Assessment Board and will not be disclosed outside those meetings (other than if they need to be considered as part of a student appeal).

4.2 If a student is reluctant to disclose information of a particularly personal nature, he or she may enter the word ‘Confidential’ on the form in the boxes headed ‘Brief Description’ and ‘Comments’ and attach written evidence in a sealed envelope. The information will then be made available only to the Chair of the Screening Committee, the Chair of the Award Assessment Board and the external examiner.

4.3Personal Tutors (and possibly other staff) may need to be notified about the outcome of their tutee’s extenuating circumstances claim, although not the details of the case.

5 Consideration of extenuating circumstances: Screening Committee

5.1 Each Faculty has established a Screening Committee to consider claims of extenuating circumstances. The Screening Committee will include in membership the Faculty Business Manager, or nominee, (who may also be the Chair), plus appropriate academic staff who may include Scheme or Programme Co-ordinators, Programme/Senior Tutors, and/or welfare tutors as appropriate.


5.2 The purpose of the Screening Committee meeting is to determine whether the extenuating circumstances submitted are valid within the Regulations (that is, that they are exceptional, outside the student’s control, and corroborated by appropriate independent documentary evidence). A Screening Committee must accept the professional recommendation of a medical practitioner or qualified counsellor regarding the effect on a student of a particular condition or problem4.

5.3 Screening Committees will meet at least twice in each academic session. One meeting will take place towards the end of the first term, before the meeting of the group responsible for verification of marks. Another meeting will take place before the meeting of Subject Assessment Panels and Award Assessment Boards.

5.4 Screening Committees are encouraged to meet more frequently as necessary to consider particularly claims relating to postgraduate programmes (which operate over a 45-week academic year) and to late submission of coursework5.

5.5 The Faculty Business Manager, or nominee (and Chair of the Committee if that is not the FBM or nominee) may be authorised to approve extenuating circumstances claims outside formal meetings, where the claim is clearly valid under University Regulations and established case law. If the Faculty Business Manager, or nominee, and Chair are not convinced that a claim is valid, it must be considered by the Screening Committee at its next meeting. All claims accepted outside meetings of the Screening Committee must be reported to the Committee at the next available opportunity.

5.6 A meeting of a Screening Committee will not be invalidated by the unavoidable absence of any member, provided that the Faculty Business Manager, or nominee, and Chair (if that is not the FBM or nominee) agree that sufficient expertise is available to enable the Committee to make informed decisions.

5.7 If a Screening Committee does not consider that it has sufficient corroborating evidence the Chair of the Panel will liaise with the Chair of the relevant Award Assessment Board and the student as appropriate in order to secure such additional evidence as may be deemed necessary.

4 But in the absence of an opinion from eg a medical practitioner as to the impact of the illness or condition the Screening Committee may use its own judgement to determine whether the circumstances are likely to have had an impact on performance. See also the Appendix for examples of conditions which would not normally be considered valid extenuating circumstances. 5 Screening Committees may find it useful to meet regularly to allow time to seek additional corroborating evidence from students as necessary, and to provide the opportunity to notify students formally of the outcomes of their submissions.


5.8 Screening Committees are required to notify students of the outcomes of their claims for extenuating circumstances and, where a claim has been deemed invalid, must explain why this decision has been reached.

5.9 Screening Committees are required to highlight the serious complex cases which require consideration by the Award Assessment Board, but the Board will NOT discuss the circumstances in detail.

6 Consideration of Extenuating Circumstances: Award Assessment Board

6.1 If the circumstances are deemed valid they will be forwarded to the Award Assessment Board for consideration. Extenuating circumstances may be taken into account not only where a student has failed an assessment or part of an assessment but also to compensate for performance which is not as good as might have been expected. The Award Assessment Board may consider extenuating circumstances in mitigation of

Atypical or uncharacteristic performance Failure to attend (an) examination(s), end-of-module test(s) or in-

class test(s) Failure to submit work by the appointed time Failure in the relevant assessment Failure to meet other programme requirements

6.2 Students with extenuating circumstances would normally be required to undertake an assessment as if for the first time (or second/third time in the case of extenuating circumstances affecting a resit/retake), unless they were unlikely to be able to complete further assessment as a consequence of the circumstances. Boards would have the discretion to seek advice from Occupational Health if there was a dispute as to whether a candidate was or was not able to undertake further assessment. The final decision of the Board must take into account the programme requirements and ensure the learning outcomes are fulfilled.

6.3 A student whose health (or other) problems will prevent her/him from completing her/his award during the normal period of registration (or exceptionally, with only one year’s extension), or a student whose health (or other) problems have prevented her/him making academic progress in the previous session, for example, in a second repeat of Year 1, may at the discretion of the Award Assessment Board, be required to interrupt their studies or withdraw from the programme. This is subject to a ‘Case Conference’ having been held.

The Board will determine the period of interruption, bearing in mind the maximum period of registration for the programme.

Students should have been asked to see the appropriate specialist (i.e. Occupational Health Nurse with respect to health


problems, Disability Assist Services for students with disabilities or mental health problems, or Counselling Service for other personal

problems) or be directed to the Students’ Union prior to a Case Conference being held.

The Case Conference should be convened by the Faculty Registrar with membership including the Programme Manager, appropriate professional staff, a representative of the Students’ Union (if involved in providing advice to the student), to discuss the assistance or support which could be provided for a particular student. The student would be invited to attend the Case Conference, or part of the meeting, as deemed appropriate by the Faculty. The Case Conference will discuss the student’s history and current difficulties and will recommend the most reasonable way forward. Proposed actions will be carefully minuted and could be discussed in confidence with the External Examiner and will subsequently be forwarded to the Award Assessment Board for

approval. The student would receive written confirmation of any recommendations, together with any support to be put in place

and the action that has been agreed, e.g. transfer to part/time mode, revised deadlines for submission of outstanding work or delay of assessments until the ‘refer’ period. Ongoing case conferences will be required in some cases in order to monitor and review arrangements for students who have continuing health or personal problems. Case Conferences may be used to set appropriate targets which will then be reviewed at subsequent meetings.

The Award Assessment Board has the discretion to require any student who has failed to fulfil the agreed outcomes of a Case Conference to interrupt their studies or withdraw from the programme.

Return to the programme following a period of interruption would be subject to confirmation from the appropriate specialist (i.e. Occupational Health Nurse with respect to health problems, Disability Assist Services for students with disabilities or mental health problems, or Counselling Service for other personal problems) that the student was fit to resume studies.

Faculties will be required to monitor a student’s return to study following interruption of studies.

If a student has been required to interrupt with the possibility of returning when fit to do so, but returns with appropriate medical certification to re-enrol, the University reserves the right for the

relevant Faculty to hold a Case Conference to determine whether in its view it is appropriate for the student to be permitted to re-enrol or to be advised to further interrupt their studies.

6.4 A student who has developed health (or other problems) which now prevent her/him from meeting the learning outcomes of a programme (for instance where a viable alternative assessment cannot, following


discussion between the student, programme manager and DAS, be identified) may, at the discretion of the Award Assessment Board, be required to transfer to an alternative programme or withdraw from the programme and be granted the appropriate exit or aegrotat award. (This is subject to a ‘Case Conference’ having been held)

7 AppealsA student who has not submitted a claim of extenuating circumstances under this Regulation will not normally be able to use extenuating circumstances as the basis for a subsequent appeal.

Initial Regulations approved initially by Academic Board on 17 January 1996. Minor amendments approved July 1996. Document revised and approved by Academic Board 30 June 1999. Minor Amendments July 2000 and October 2004. Revised Principles contained within the Revised Regulations (Interim Version) agreed by Learning and Teaching Committee June 2007, amended August 2008;amended November 2009

Appendix

The following are only examples of claims which may or may not normally be considered valid. The key issues in all cases will be whether the claim meets the requirements in the Regulations that the circumstances are exceptional, outside the student’s control and corroborated by independent evidence.

It is not possible in many cases to lay down hard and fast rules. For instance, the University would not normally accept claims relating to travel delays which a student might be expected to have planned for, but if the delay were exceptional, a claim would be considered. Similarly, a cough, cold or throat infection during a term would not normally be a valid extenuating circumstance, since students would be expected to plan their work taking into account the likelihood of minor disruptions: a student on a perfumery programme for instance may be disadvantaged by loss of the sense of smell as a result of a cold and could then have a valid claim.

Medical certification would not automatically be accepted in cases where it verified a minor illness which within the regulations would not normally be deemed valid for, e.g. coursework submission, or simply reports a student’s claim that s/he felt unwell.

The University will not accept claims relating to computer failure, corruption of data by virus or software application, inability to print work or network failure, since students are expected to keep back-up copies and to plan their work so that they have time to manage computer/printer failure.

Full-time students may not claim pressure of work as an extenuating circumstance, since the commitment to full-time study implies a commitment


to make available the time necessary. Part-time students in full-time employment may claim pressure of work, corroborated by independent documentary evidence that the pressures are exceptional, unpredictable and outside the student’s control.

Examples of circumstances which would not normally be considered valid

Alarm clock did not go off Car broke down, train/bus delayed or cancelled, other public

transport problems (unless the student can demonstrate that he or she had allowed adequate time to compensate for such problems as might reasonably have been anticipated)

Child care problems which could have been anticipated Accidents or illness affecting relatives or friends (unless serious, or

the student is a sole carer) Unspecified anxiety, mild depression or examination stress Cough, cold, Upper Respiratory Tract Infection, sore throat, minor

viral infection, unless the illness was at its peak at the time of an examination, end-of-module test or in-class test and the corroborating evidence refers to the impact on the student’s performance

Financial problems (other than cases of exceptional hardship) Holidays, house moves, family celebrations or other events where

the student either has control over the date or may choose not to participate

Computer problems, corrupt data, disk or printer failure or similar Problems with postal delivery of work (unless recorded delivery or

registered mail) Pregnancy (unless specific complications) Time management problems (e.g. competing deadlines) Appointments (legal, medical etc) which could be rearranged Territorial Army commitments or similar (unless unavoidable) Sporting or recreational commitments (unless the student is

representing the University in national competition or representing his/her country in international competition)

De-registration

Examples of circumstances which might be considered valid Hospitalisation, including operations Long-standing health problems Personal or psychological problems for which the student is

undergoing counselling or has been referred to a counsellor or other qualified practitioner

Chronic illness Childbirth (including a partner in labour) Bereavement causing significant impact/effect Major accident or injury, acute ailments or conditions which coincide

with an assessment deadline or an examination or test, or are sufficiently long-lasting to impact on a significant part of a term

Clinical depression or other mental health problem


Recent burglary/theft/serious car accident Jury Service which cannot be deferred Representing the University at national level or his/her country at

international level in a sporting event For part-time students in full-time employment, exceptional

pressure of work or permanent change of employment circumstances

Late diagnosis of, for example, dyslexia, resulting in no support or examination provision. (see paragraph on ‘On-going Disability supported by Disability Assist (DAS) )

Separation or divorce - student or parental (provided the facts and the effects are independently corroborated - see regulation 3.2 for form of evidence accepted)

Unavailability of the student portal prior to the deadline for an assignment or examination where it has been confirmed by the module leader that this would have had a material effect on the preparation for an assessment.

Approved June 1999

Amended June 2007, August 2008, Jan 2010


Documents

· Web viewYour programme will have a set format for referencing and you should familiarise yourself with it as well as using it in your own handouts, module guides, assignment briefs,