UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH / NHS SCOTLAND

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAMME

Doctorate in Clinical

Psychology

Academic Handbook

2018 / 2019

This handbook is for the academic session 2018-19. The University may

make changes for future sessions. The date of publication for this

handbook is August 2018.

If you require this document or any of the internal University of

Edinburgh online resources mentioned in this document in an

alternative format please contact Kirsty Gardner on

Kirsty.Gardner@ed.ac.uk or 0131 650 3889.

0

Contents

A.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1

A.2 Academic Regulations, Codes of Practice and Guidance ....................................... 1

A2.1 Academic Appeals ................................................................................................... 1

A2.2 Student Complaints Procedures .............................................................................. 2

A2.3 Disciplinary Procedures ........................................................................................... 2

A2.4 Guidance on Academic Misconduct (including Plagiarism) ...................................... 2

A2.5 Fitness to Practise ................................................................................................... 3

A.3 Overview of Academic Teaching ............................................................................... 3

A3.1 Academic Teaching Structure .................................................................................. 3

A3.2 Professionalism and Practice ................................................................................... 5

A3.3 Study Time during Teaching Weeks ........................................................................ 5

A3.4 Distance Participation .............................................................................................. 6

A3.5 Advanced Practice Seminars ................................................................................... 7

A3.6 Feedback ................................................................................................................. 8

A3.7 Helping and Welcoming Contributors ....................................................................... 9

A.4 Academic Assessment ............................................................................................... 9

A4.1 Assistance with Academic Work ............................................................................ 10

A4.2 Approximate Submission Dates for Assessed Work .............................................. 10

A4.3 Extensions to Assessed Work................................................................................ 11

A4.4 Special Circumstances .......................................................................................... 12

A4.5 Special Circumstances Committee (SCC) ............................................................. 13

A4.6 Avoidance / Detection of Plagiarism and Declaration of Own Work ....................... 13

A4.7 Proof Reading ........................................................................................................ 13

A4.8 Word Limits ............................................................................................................ 14

A4.9 Reasonable Adjustments for Trainees with Disabilities .......................................... 14

A4.10 Portfolio of Assessed Work .................................................................................. 15

A4.11 Feedback to Supervisors ..................................................................................... 15

A4.12 Feedback and Provisional Marks ......................................................................... 15

A4.13 Submission Process for Assessed Work ............................................................. 15

A4.14 Confidentiality in Published Work ......................................................................... 16

A.5 Passing or Failing the Academic Component ........................................................ 17

A5.1 Failed Academic Work (Except Thesis) ................................................................. 17

A5.2 Criteria for Programme Discontinuation ................................................................. 17

A5.3 Alternate Exit Awards ............................................................................................. 18

A.6 Thesis and Programme Prizes ................................................................................. 19

A6.1 The Gillian Birrell Memorial Prize ........................................................................... 19

A6.2 The Caroline Blair Memorial Prize ......................................................................... 19

A6.3 Clinical Psychology Thesis Prize ........................................................................... 19

1

A.1 Introduction

The academic handbook gives you the information you need to know about the academic

aspects of the Programme. It provides an overview of the structure of teaching, teaching

methods, assessment, timing of assessments, guidance on submitted pieces of academic

work, sources of support, types of support available, adjustments for trainees with

disabilities and more. It also contains links to more formal regulatory documents,

frameworks, policies and codes of practice, such as the University regulations, appeals

procedures, and guidance on plagiarism and cheating.

This is an informal document; its main purpose is information giving rather than as a legal

document. Occasionally though it will refer to aspects of the Programme or University

documentation that has more formal status.

A.2 Academic Regulations, Codes of Practice and Guidance

The Programme is a taught degree and is governed by the Taught Assessment

Regulations. There is a substantial research element however that underpins the degree.

These research elements are governed by the codes of practice and policies relating to

the Postgraduate Assessment Regulations for Research Degrees. These codes of practice

relate to best practice for teaching delivery, assessment, student support, Programme and

Course information, marking and feedback, and quality assurance and enhancement

procedures. Trainees are strongly advised to familiarise themselves with all of the

documents listed below:

Taught Assessment Regulations

Postgraduate Assessment Regulations for Research Degrees

In addition, there are various documents that give further guidance regarding academic

policy and practice that should be read in conjunction with the academic regulations.

The Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study and specific sections for the

DClinPsychol Programme set out general regulations for postgraduate degrees as well as

specific regulations for the DClinPsychol and the official structure of the Programme.

Please visit the Student Contract website for other key University regulations such as the

student complaint procedure, academic appeals, academic misconduct (including

plagiarism), dignity and respect and special circumstances.

A2.1 Academic Appeals

An academic appeal is a request for a decision made by a Board of Examiners to be

reconsidered in relation to: marks, progression, degree classification or degree award. If

you are considering lodging an appeal, it is important that you act promptly. Detailed

guidance is given on the Academic Services website.

2

A2.2 Student Complaints Procedures

The University recognises that there will be occasions when trainees will wish to raise

more serious concerns about issues relating to their experience at the University. The

student complaint procedure is operated by the University Secretary’s Group.

A2.3 Disciplinary Procedures

Every student of the University is required to adhere at all times to those University

regulations, policies and codes of practice which relate to student behaviour, and are

expected to ensure that they are aware of these. When a student fails to observe

University rules and regulations, disciplinary action may be taken against them through the

procedures set out in the University’s Code of Conduct.

Code of Practice for Research Supervision

https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/copsupervisorsresearchstudents.pdf

A2.4 Guidance on Academic Misconduct (including Plagiarism)

Academic misconduct is any type of cheating that occurs in relation to a formal academic

exercise.

This includes plagiarism, collusion, falsification, deceit, cheating and personation. The

University takes all reported incidences of academic misconduct seriously and seeks to

ensure that they are dealt with efficiently and appropriately. Further guidance is available

from the Academic Services website.

The University takes plagiarism very seriously and is committed to ensuring that so far as

possible it is detected and dealt with appropriately. Plagiarism is the act of including in

one’s work the work of another person without providing adequate acknowledgement of

having done so, either deliberately or unintentionally. At whatever stage of a student’s

course, whether discovered before or after graduation, plagiarism will be investigated and

dealt with. Further guidance on ways to ensure you avoid unwitting plagiarism is available

from the Academic Services website.

In addition, this Academic Handbook sets out many programme specific details, (e.g.

marking criteria, submission dates, confidentiality, teaching, etc.). These documents

(Regulations, Codes of Practice, Handbook and ITDP) form an agreement between you

(the postgraduate student) and the Programme. The handbook is updated each year and

posted on the Programme’s website near the beginning of October. Minor amendments

are made to the Regulations and to the handbook each year and these documents

become the new regulatory framework within which your degree operates. Trainees should

always use the online version of the handbook and regulations as they are the most up to

date.

3

A2.5 Fitness to Practise

The DClinPsychol is a professional practice degree and therefore is subject to the

University’s Fitness to Practise Procedure.

The HCPC also requires programmes to monitor that trainees are fit to practise and that

we have a fitness to practise procedure in place. As part of this, trainees will self-declare

their fitness to practise. This will be done during the first few weeks of the programme and

then at each annual review. The HCPC’s Guidance on Conduct and Ethics for Students is

available from their website.

A.3 Overview of Academic Teaching

The DClinPsychol programme is fortunate in having its base in a large University with links

to several teaching hospitals and high-quality community services. A wide range of people

contribute to teaching, including colleagues from various NHS departments, from other

university departments and from a variety of voluntary and statutory organisations.

The Programme Team believe that teaching is likely to be most clinically relevant if a

substantial proportion of it is taught by practising Clinical Psychologists. Accordingly,

many clinical supervisors participate in formal teaching as well as in the practical training

on placements.

In addition to the teaching designed specifically for the DClinPsychol, trainees have the

opportunity to participate in other academic activities within the University, such as

lunchtime and evening seminars organised by departments or courses arranged by

computing services and the Institute for Academic Development.

The academic teaching day can be officially scheduled from 09:00 to 17:30, with breaks

mid-morning, lunch and mid-afternoon. Trainees should arrive promptly for the beginning

of sessions and not leave prior to the end of sessions, without a good reason and without

permission from the lecturer. It is discourteous to presenters and to other trainees if you

are not punctual around beginnings and returning after breaks. In practice, we tend to

schedule teaching from 09:30 – 17:15, though you should look carefully at the timetables

to make sure you are in teaching when required.

It is not acceptable to arrive late or leave early due to train times etc.

A3.1 Academic Teaching Structure

The programme is structured to enhance the learning of concepts and competencies that

transfer between specialist populations (e.g. child, intellectual disabilities, adults, older

adults, neuropsychology, forensic). The result is a curriculum that emphasises the

common psychological processes and skills that will be useful to you in your work as a

clinical psychologist.

4

All trainees begin with a week-long induction in their NHS base. They then begin week two

in teaching, face to face in Edinburgh. The first six weeks of teaching (Block 1) has a

number of important functions: it orients you to the kinds of work you will be doing on

placement in first year, but more than this; orients you to the academic subject matter of

the profession.

Teaching is organised around a number of cross cutting themes which will appear again

and again throughout the programme. These themes are: Fundamentals of Clinical

Psychology, Assessment, Formulation, Intervention, Professionalism and Practice, and

Research. Within the themes of Fundamentals, you will be introduced to aspects of the

history of the profession, assumptions, concepts such as balancing between theory and

humanity, science and reflection and the notion of ‘Lifespan Development’.

You will learn about theoretical lenses that underpin different approaches to treatment,

such as systemic thinking, relational and attachment based perspectives, the behavioural

paradigm, and cognitive approaches. In ‘Assessment’ you will learn about the theories and

concepts underpinning assessment practice, test standardisation, you will have the chance

to practice the skills of interviewing, test administration etc. There are practical sessions on

formulating, on understanding different presentations and skills sessions on practicing

different ways of intervening, with different types of clients as examples.

Third year teaching is self-selected, comprising of Advanced Practice Seminars (APS).

Further details about the APS are provided below in section A3.5. There are also some

compulsory Professional Issues and thesis preparation sessions which are attended by all

third year trainees.

The academic component of the programme combines workshops in therapy skills with

seminars, trainee-led discussions and lectures. A member of the course team attends all

trainee-led presentations/discussions.

In the six placements, which are whenever possible synchronised with academic teaching,

the trainee learns to deal with problems across the life span, including children, people

with intellectual disability, adults of working age and older adults.

The proportion of time devoted to academic teaching over the three years is approximately

20%, placements approximately 60% and private study approximately 20%.

Approximately 35% of the teaching will be delivered by distance participation. Further

information on distance participation is available in section A3.4. Distance participation

may mean attending a video conferenced lecture, Q&A session, or it may mean self-

directed learning, participation in online discussion boards, or a wide variety of other

activities and formats. It is expected that trainees will have access to up to date computing

5

facilities and internet access. These sessions usually have a deal of flexibility about the

trainee’s own learning, where they undertake them, etc., subject to approval by their line

manager.

A3.2 Professionalism and Practice

A fundamental tenet to our programme is to support our trainees to practise in accordance

with the Health and Care Professions Council’s (HCPC) Guidance on Conduct and Ethics

for Students and British Psychological Society’s (BPS) Code of Ethics and Conduct during

training and to reach the Standards of Proficiency required for Clinical Psychologists by

the end of training. We also aim to help trainees develop competencies consistent with

the Division of Clinical Psychology’s Leadership Framework.

All teaching input implicitly helps support trainees to develop their professional practice.

NHS Placements are also crucial in supporting trainees and monitoring their progress in

this regard.

The Professionalism and Practice vertical stream has two main strands which explicitly

support this process: Reflective Practice and Influence

Reflective Practice

The development of trainees’ reflective practice is supported by the provision of reflective

practice groups – these are run in groups of up to 10 trainees and facilitated by both

programme team staff and external contributors. They run approximately 10 times during

the course of training.

Influence

We encourage trainees from day 1 of training to recognise the experience and skills they

already have in terms of influence and to notice the opportunities they have throughout

training to use their influence to bring psychological mindedness to their work. We adopt a

developmental approach to this – focusing first on influences within one to one

relationships – e.g. with clients and supervisors and quickly broadening this out to team

and group work and then to influence at a systemic / service / political level.

A3.3 Study Time during Teaching Weeks

When trainees attend block teaching, the allocation of study days is either indicated on the

timetable or there is no study day. When trainees return to University for the three days of

teaching (approximately monthly) they do not have a study day during those weeks.

Similarly, when trainees attend Advanced Practice Seminars, they do not receive a private

study day on that week, but keep their allocated thesis time except when an APS runs for

the whole week, in which case the study time is lost.

6

A3.4 Distance Participation

Since 2012 we have been providing a proportion of teaching at a distance. This is partly to

reduce recurrent costs associated with trainee travel and to increase convenience for

trainees, particularly during the winter months. In addition, the use of online and distance

participation technology fits well with what is known as a ‘Flipped Classroom’ approach to

learning. In a traditional classroom, the teacher imparts knowledge and conceptual

information, which the student takes away for further reading, reflection or other

homework.

In a flipped classroom, some of the information transmission occurs outside of the

classroom, before the face to face session, so that students come to class already

informed about a topic. In the classroom, time is spent engaging in greater depth of

discussion and reflection on the topic, as well as engaging in practical applications of the

knowledge and concepts. This flipped classroom philosophy is therefore particularly apt for

the training of applied psychology skills.

Course organisers and contributors are creative in how they use these distance

participation sessions, with increasing emphasis on self-directed learning, trainees

organising themselves into small study groups, provision of materials and tasks via

eLearning and occasionally seminars run in each locality. In addition, we also use

dedicated video conferencing facilities for some of these sessions. NHS Education for

Scotland has invested in videoconferencing (VC) equipment in Edinburgh, Aberdeen,

Elgin, Dundee, and Dumfries.

The VC experience requires adaptation from both contributors and trainees. When using

VC, trainees in remote sites must be more active participants, interrupting the speaker if

they need to ask questions, responding to a lecturers request for questions or posing

questions to the class etc. It is not rude to take a very active approach to your own

learning and engagement in this way. Remember that you can be seen in the other

teaching rooms (so don’t check your phone!)

Trainees in the room in Edinburgh: remember that being in a remote site poses new

challenges. Use the room microphone to ask questions, make comments, etc. Help your

remote site colleagues to engage and help the contributor to use the technology to best

advantage. Consider chatting with the remote sites during breaks etc. For this year we are

experimenting with a new technology called catch box microphone. This is a microphone

inside a padded box that can be thrown between students quickly, to encourage a more

fluid dialogue.

Sessions in which VC / distance participation is to be used are clearly marked on the

timetable. Instructions are available centrally and in each of the health board areas about

how to operate the VC equipment. In addition the Programme Team have made a short

7

instructional video and reading materials about both VC and further guidance on creating

DP sessions that can be viewed via links on the website.

A3.5 Advanced Practice Seminars

When trainees are not scheduled to undertake Clinical Psychology 1 and 2 they elect to

undertake a series of advanced practice seminars (APS). This happens in year 3 for full

time trainees and from end of April in year 2, through to the end of training for RPL

trainees.

The APS cover advanced competencies in working in different specialist areas of clinical

psychology, such as with people with psychosis, eating disorders, adult ADHD and

trauma. APS also extend trainees skills and knowledge in a range of different approaches

to psychological therapy, including Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Psychodynamic

Psychotherapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Cognitive Analytic Therapy, and Schema Therapy,

Systemic Practice, to name a few.

The APS are continually under development and new elements may be added each year.

At the same time, sessions that are not popular may be removed, or practitioners offering

sessions may not be able to offer them in a particular year. The Programme will endeavour

to find alternatives under such circumstances, though trainees should be aware that the

available APS might be different from year to year.

Trainees choose which APS they attend, they are not all compulsory. Trainees must

choose 35 sessions (plus or minus 3 sessions), across the whole time that they are

scheduled to do APS. For RPL trainees the session allowance is 17 sessions (plus or

minus 2). One session is the equivalent of one half day.

Choosing APS

Trainees should involve their manager in a discussion of their choices of APS. Managers,

Trainees and Personal Tutors will meet once per year for annual appraisal and choice of

teaching should be part of that conversation. This conversation should try to arrive at

choices that balance the academic and professional development needs of the trainee,

any outstanding learning objectives, the trainee’s personal interests and the training needs

of the service.

Planning Placement Activity and Study Time

Supervisors have in the past raised some concerns about knowing in advance when

trainees would be on teaching or on placement. Trainees will know well in advance when

they will be in teaching and when on placement. Trainees must communicate this to

supervisors. In addition, supervisors who have requested access to Learn can go online to

see the timetable for themselves. We spread popular sessions throughout the academic

year to try and avoid trainees taking a lot of time from placement in November and

December. Trainees should be sensitive to balancing their time on placement, teaching

8

and study when choosing APS and avoid choices that would have a detrimental impact on

placement timing.

Half-day Seminars

Some APS are half-day seminars. The other half of that day should be considered as

private study time. It is the trainee’s responsibility to ensure they inform the manager and

supervisor of this.

Expenses and APS

Under the APS system, trainees will need to claim expenses for around 15 - 20 overnight

stays. They may have an increased number of return travel claims, but the APS are

organised in such a way that unnecessary travel can be minimised. Trainees should also

consider how best to maximise their APS to make most efficient use of travel and

overnight stays, just as a member of qualified staff would for CPD. Trainees should expect

that this element of expenses is another consideration (but not the consideration) in the

conversation between themselves, their manager and their PT in choosing APS.

APS on a Friday and Monday

The current scheduling of APS means that no APS are scheduled across a Monday and

Friday, such that both days need to be attended. There are however, separate APS, a

small number of which are on a Friday and a Monday, which trainees may choose. Under

such circumstances, it may be more prudent for the trainee to stay in Edinburgh over the

weekend, as they do for blocks earlier in the Programme. Managers will need to explicitly

approve whether to reimburse for weekend accommodation or for return travel to base and

back to Edinburgh. Again, trainees and managers are expected to work together to

balance the needs of the trainee and the service.

Development of the APS for Non-Doctoral Students

For some APS (Interpersonal Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and

Psychological Approaches to Psychosis), DClinPsychol trainees will be taught alongside

other students (e.g. MSc Psychological Therapies students) to increase efficiency of

delivery and enhance inter-professional learning. This development may extend over time

to other APS sessions.

If you have any questions about the APS you may contact the APS Co-ordinator, Ingrid

Obsuth: Ingrid.Obsuth@ed.ac.uk

A3.6 Feedback

We value your feedback on the teaching you receive. Module Organisers will often arrange

a face-to-face meeting with the class in which you can give feedback. Trainees are

expected to give constructive feedback about teaching in such a session. You will also be

asked to give feedback at the end of CP1 and CP2, and annually complete the

9

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey. Individual contributors may also request

feedback on a specific session.

Out with these channels, individualised feedback can be useful in minimising bias in the

views of the group and be more representative of the diversity of opinion than a general

statement. We really value the feedback we get on teaching and we use it constructively to

develop the curriculum, provide more or less of certain topics, give feedback to external

contributors to help them develop their teaching effectiveness and ensure the quality of the

content. Module organisers would welcome any feedback you wish to give. If we do not

receive sufficient volumes of feedback it is hard for us to know whether to make changes.

We therefore ask that all trainees make time to provide feedback on all teaching,

consistently throughout the programme and including the APS.

A3.7 Helping and Welcoming Contributors

The programme uses a lot of external contributors for teaching, giving you the best

available hands on expertise and special interest in particular topics. Many of our

contributors have taught with us before, but some may be new. One of the roles of Class

Reps is therefore to welcome contributors, offer assistance with technology and trouble

shoot problems. The class rep can nominate another trainee to perform this role as

needed.

A.4 Academic Assessment

Trainees must submit and pass four course assignments in order to progress through the

programme. You will get marks and feedback, these marks will go towards the overall

mark, used to award the class prizes (more information below, section A.7). All assessed

work is submitted electronically via Turnitin.

During training, candidates are required to satisfactorily complete:

Two case conceptualisations (Clinical Psychology 1 and 2). The first of these will

be submitted during the first year of training. The second will be submitted in

second year. Unless there are special circumstances that prevent you from doing

so, your first case conceptualisation should be based on clinical work undertaken

during placements 1, whilst the second case conceptualisation should be based on

clinical work undertaken during placements 3 or 4.

A detailed research proposal (Research 1), submitted during first year.

A small-scale research project based on work conducted on any of placements 1 to

4. This is submitted after the end of second year. RPL trainees are not required to

complete a small scale research project.

A thesis, submitted in May of third year for full time trainees and March for RPL

trainees.

10

Further information about each of the above assessments can be found in the relevant

course handbooks (CP1, CP2, R1, R2 & Thesis).

A4.1 Assistance with Academic Work

Doctoral level students should be self-directing in terms of setting their own goals,

monitoring their own progress as well as identifying when they need help and asking for

this. Crucially, education at the Doctoral level is about critical thinking and scholarship,

rather than simply ‘knowing facts’. In Clinical Psychology training, it is not enough to know

the evidence base and to be able to skilfully apply evidence based treatments for

psychological disorders. You must also be able to critically analyse the theoretical

understanding(s) of psychological problems, the interventions and therapies, the theories

themselves and to critically evaluate the quality and assumptions behind the evidence

base. In each of the course handbooks we provide the marking scheme for each

assignment. You should study these in detail before beginning assignments. The highest

marks can be gained by critically analysing material in depth. This may mean that drilling

into a slightly narrower range of literature in depth may get better marks than simply

describing a broader range of literature at a surface level.

At every stage of training, guidance and assistance is offered to trainees. There are a

number of sources of help, and trainees are encouraged to seek support when needed. It

is considered a sign of competency to be aware of the need for help and to seek

appropriate guidance.

Clinical supervisors are responsible for monitoring the clinical work undertaken by the

trainees. They usually offer assistance with case conceptualisations and small scale

research as part of the normal supervision process. The final piece of work submitted by

the trainee should be primarily his/her own work and its final quality and content are

his/her responsibility. Clinical supervisors are often interested to hear how trainees get on

with their submitted work and thus trainees are encouraged to send copies of feedback

they receive from the course to the corresponding clinical supervisor.

Personal Tutors and academic staff will offer assistance as required and at a level that

would normally be expected for a postgraduate student. In all cases trainees should keep

in mind that most staff will require some time to read material given to them and immediate

or last minute help may not be possible. Trainees are responsible for ensuring that they

are aware of and meet Course and Programme requirements in terms of submission

dates, format and style of written work.

A4.2 Approximate Submission Dates for Assessed Work

The following are approximate submission dates for all assessed work. Note that several

deadlines are at the start of the following academic year. Approximate dates are given to

facilitate clarity and planning, though these are subject to change. Submission dates for all

assignments can be found in the relevant course handbooks.

11

Trainees are required to submit all work electronically by 3pm on due dates. An electronic

copy of all the assessed work should be submitted through Turnitin on Learn.

Year Course Work Approx. Submission Dates (see

course handbooks for actual

submission dates)

1 Clinical Psychology 1 – Case

Conceptualisation

1st Year, April

Research 1 – Thesis Research Proposal 1st Year, May

2 Clinical Psychology 2 – Case

Conceptualisation

2nd Year, April

Research 2 – Small Scale Research

Project

3rd Year, October

3 Thesis 3rd Year, May (March for RPL

Trainees)

A4.3 Extensions to Assessed Work

It is the responsibility of individual trainees to submit work on time. Any requests for an

extension to assessment submission dates should be made using the online extension

request form in advance of the published deadline for the coursework. The School will

consider accepting a request for a late submission of up to seven calendar days (see

below for the regulations around late submission).

If there are any circumstances that may result in work not being completed in time, then

trainees must discuss this with their Personal Tutor at the earliest opportunity and before

requesting the extension through the online form.

Good reasons for a coursework extension are unexpected short-term circumstances which

are exceptional for the individual trainee, beyond that trainees’ control, and which could

reasonably be expected to have had an adverse impact on the trainee’s ability to complete

the assessment on time. Please note that the following are examples of circumstances

which would not be considered good reasons:

Holidays

Circumstances which were foreseeable or preventable

Poor time-management

Proximity to other assessments

Lack of awareness of dates or time of assessment submission

Failure, loss or theft of data, a computer or other equipment

12

Commitments to paid or voluntary employment

For further examples of circumstances that would, and would not, be considered

good reasons for coursework extensions please see Taught Assessment

Regulation 28

(http://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/taughtassessmentregulations.pdf)

Applying for a Coursework Extension of Up to Seven Days

Further guidance on making a coursework extension request can be found at the following

website along with the form to be completed:

http://www.ed.ac.uk/health/student-support/extensions

Access to the form is through EASE login and password.

Extension Requests of More Than Seven Days

Where a trainee has good reason for requiring a coursework extension of more than

seven calendar days, the trainee should discuss the issue with their Personal Tutor,

submit the coursework when able to do so (as agreed with the Personal Tutor), and apply

via the Special Circumstances process for the Board of Examiners to consider

disregarding the penalty for late submission.

A4.4 Special Circumstances

Special circumstances are circumstances which are exceptional for the individual trainee,

are beyond that trainee’s control and for which there is sufficient evidence to show that

they had a significant adverse impact on the trainee’s performance in an assessment, or

resulted in non-attendance or a non-submission for a scheduled assessment.

Further information regarding the Special Circumstances process, including the policy

document which contains examples of circumstances which are and are not likely to be

accepted, is available on the Academic Services website

It is the responsibility of trainees to submit their request for consideration of special

circumstances to the Secretary of the relevant Special Circumstances Committee as soon

as possible and not more than a week after the trainee’s final assessment for the

semester. Trainees should submit the Special Circumstances form in consultation with

their Personal Tutor. In the form, trainees should describe the circumstances, state when

the circumstances affected them, and all assessments and courses affected. Trainees

should also ensure that they provide sufficient documentary evidence as detailed in

Section 6 of the Special Circumstances Policy.

The School will treat the information provided by trainees as confidential in line with the

University’s Data Protection Policy, and will only share it with staff and External Examiners

who have a legitimate need to access the information in order to consider the trainee’s

case or to provide trainees with support.

13

A4.5 Special Circumstances Committee (SCC)

Any trainees for whom special circumstances are known will be discussed in a specially

convened meeting, prior to the meeting of an Exam Board. The full Exam Board does not

convene for the SCC. To be quorate, the SCC will consist of an academic convener along

with at least two other academic members of staff.

In order for the SCC to support a trainee’s special circumstances case, the SCC must be

satisfied that the trainee has provided sufficient evidence regarding the circumstances and

the impact they had on their performance in an assessment. Examples of the sort of

evidence that would be accepted and their weighting on the SCC’s decision making can be

found in the Special Circumstances Policy

The purpose of the SCC is to hear in confidence any special circumstances that may apply

to the progress of a trainee and to make a recommendation to the Exam Board regarding

that trainee’s progress. The list of possible recommendations that can be made by the

SCC are outlined in the Special Circumstances Policy. The SCC does not provide

recommendations in relation to the thesis project.

The Exam Board will consider the recommendation of the SCC and decide what response

is in the trainee’s best academic interest, and would not cause the trainee or others

disadvantage.

The trainee should be notified of the outcome of the SCC within one week of the meeting

of the Exam Board.

A4.6 Avoidance / Detection of Plagiarism and Declaration of Own Work

We collate electronic copies of all submitted work in order for them to be processed using

software that checks for potential plagiarism (Turnitin). Trainees are directed to the advice

on plagiarism in section A.2 of this document, and the associated web links. All academic

work should be submitted to Turnitin through Learn.

Before submitting to Turnitin, trainees are asked to read and accept an online Declaration

of Own Work form. The intention of this form is to reduce the occurrence of plagiarism

(deliberate or unintentional). It only takes a few moments to complete and giving some

consideration to avoiding unintended plagiarism may save you a lot of difficulty later on.

A4.7 Proof Reading

The role of a proof reader is to ensure that the work being proof read is coherent and

contains the correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, layout and style, while making as little

impact as possible on the content and meaning of the work. A proof reader will not edit the

work of alter the structure, although they may indicate that something does not appear to

14

make sense. Students who have asked a proof reader to look at their work should take

care when accepting changes to ensure that the text still reads as intended.

A4.8 Word Limits

Writing concisely, paying attention to presentation and giving due consideration to the

reader are important skills and essential when communicating written material. To

encourage concise writing and ensure that no benefit is gained by adding excess

information, all submitted work must include a word count towards the start of the

assignment. Guidance and word limits for all submitted work are given in the

corresponding course handbooks. Please keep in mind that these word limits are

maximum word lengths and not figures to aim at, many good assignments will be well

below the word limit. Word limits refer to the main body of text and do not include title

pages, references or appendices. Abstracts for small scale research projects have their

own word limits and do not count towards the word limit for the main body of text. Trainees

are expected to write in a way that meets standards of presentation (layout, grammar,

punctuation, spelling etc.) appropriate for a professional clinical psychologist.

If there is a fixed word limit (e.g. 4,000 words) work will be subject to a penalty of 10 marks

if the word count is more than 10% over the prescribed word length (e.g. 4,401 and

above). If a word range is given (e.g. 4,000 - 4,500 words) work will be subject to a penalty

of 10 marks if the word count goes over the higher limit of the band (e.g. the word count is

4,501 and above).

No specific penalty will be applied for submissions with fewer than the recommended

number of words

A4.9 Reasonable Adjustments for Trainees with Disabilities

Reasonable adjustments for assessed work will be made where required for trainees with

disabilities. These adjustments come from the Student Disability Service and not simply

from a conversation with the trainee. As these adjustments need to be approved well in

advance of assessment dates, trainees with disabilities that may require adjustments

should contact the Student Disability Service at the earliest opportunity.

Advice may also be sought from Personal Tutors or the Programme Director. Adjustments

may also need to be made in employment settings, please see Clinical Practice

Handbook, section P2.8.

Trainees who have a Learning Profile from the Disability Service allowing the potential for

flexibility over coursework deadlines must still make a formal extension request for each

coursework submission for such flexibility to be taken into account. (See section A4.4)

15

A4.10 Portfolio of Assessed Work

Trainees wishing to keep a copy of their assessments and feedback should download and

store it securely before they complete their training. Learn is no longer accessible once

trainees leave the University, so you should ensure you store a downloaded copy securely

for future reference.

Placement paperwork (evaluation of clinical competence and summaries of clinical

experience) must be submitted to the trainee’s Clinical Tutor to be stored as hard copies.

The trainee must ensure that they submit all end of placement paperwork to their Clinical

Tutor as they complete each placement.

A4.11 Feedback to Supervisors

Trainees are expected to provide their supervisors with a copy of case conceptualisations,

R1 proposals and R2 small scale research projects and to give some feedback about their

appraisal. Preferably a copy of the feedback from the marker should be sent to

supervisors, though at minimum an email or telephone call conveying the general

feedback should be provided.

A4.12 Feedback and Provisional Marks

Feedback and provisional marks will be returned to trainees through Learn once all work

has been returned from markers and the results collated. All coursework will be returned

with detailed feedback and comments. Samples of each of the assignments are reviewed

by External Examiners. All marks returned via Learn are provisional until they have been

ratified by the Exam Board.

If you do not receive your mark at the same time as other trainees, this does not mean

there is a problem with your assignment. As all work is double marked blind, it is

sometimes necessary for markers to meet to discuss and agree a mark. Please contact

the Programme Administrator if you are worried that you have not received your mark.

Once course marks have been ratified by the Board of Examiners they will be updated on

EUCLID and will show on the main assessment page on the “View Assessment Details”

tab.

A4.13 Submission Process for Assessed Work

As all coursework is marked anonymously you must ensure that your paper has been fully

anonymised and that you have not included your name or student number anywhere in

your paper. The only identifier that should be included in your paper is your exam number

(this can be found on your student card and usually starts with “B”)

The following steps should be taken to submit your course assessments:

1. Choose the relevant course in Learn and click on the “Assessment Submission” folder.

16

2. To begin the submission process, click the “Own Work Declaration” and read the

attached document. Return to the previous page and click the “Mark Reviewed” button

to confirm that you agree with each of the statements in the Own Work Declaration.

You will now be able to see the “View/Complete” link to submit your paper.

3. Click ’View/Complete’ and on the next page, click the blue ‘Submit’ button.

4. Your name should be automatically filled in on the submission form. The submission

title should always be your exam number. You will find your exam number on your

student card. If your exam number is not included as the submission title we will not be

able to identify your work and you may be marked as a late submission. (Please note

that your exam number is different to your student number. Your student number starts

with “S”, most exam numbers start “B…”.)

5. Next, click on the ‘Browse’ button to open your computer’s file browser and use it to

browse to the document you wish to submit. Click the ‘Upload’ button when you are

happy you are submitting the correct file.

6. At this point, a plain text version of your paper will be displayed to you (it won’t show

any formatting, images, etc.). Review this to ensure you are submitting the correct

document (the document itself will be sent to the system in its original format). If you

are happy, click on the ‘Confirm’ button to submit your assignment. If you have made

a mistake you can click on the ‘cancel, go back’ link, which will take you back to the

submission form.

All Turnitin submission boxes are set up to allow trainees to overwrite their work multiple

times up to the submission deadline. This allows you to carry out a “test” submission which

will show your Turnitin similarity score and allow you to make any necessary adjustments

prior to making your final submission.

It is a trainee’s responsibility to submit their assignment to the correct submission box. The

Programme Administrator will email any trainee who has failed to submit for the deadline

(and does not have an agreed coursework extension in place) and it is your responsibility

to respond to these emails as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in the relevant

late penalty being applied once the submission is made to the correct submission box.

Further guidance on submitting work to Turnitin can be found on the Student Support

website.

A4.14 Confidentiality in Published Work

Once you have completed the programme, you are expected to make every effort to

disseminate your research work in the form of journal articles and submissions, and there

is an expectation that your supervisor will assist you to do this. Under these circumstances

the requirement to remove details of where a piece of research was carried out are

waived. These elements only need to be removed from R1 and R2 assignments in order

17

for the work to be marked anonymously. As the thesis is not marked blind, there is no

requirement to conceal the location of the research, unless (in rare circumstances) this

breaches an individual client’s confidentiality.

A.5 Passing or Failing the Academic Component

All academic work is double marked blind by academic staff, and marks are reviewed by

an External Examiner. Passing academic work depends upon the joint decision of the

Exam Board. Trainees should contact their Personal Tutors for individual feedback

concerning their performance. Academic progress is reviewed at End of Placement

Meetings and at the Annual Review.

A5.1 Failed Academic Work (Except Thesis)

When an assignment does not meet the assessment criteria, a fail mark will be awarded.

The marker will also determine whether the work is capable of being remedied to

meet the pass mark, or whether a new assignment should be submitted.

Assignments that are assessed as a fail will be returned to the trainee for

resubmission with specific recommendations for further work. In such cases,

trainees may be invited to meet with the marker to discuss the further work required

and to agree the new submission date. This date will be set by the marker,

depending on the extent of submissions or whether a new submission is required.

For simple resubmissions this is likely to be within two weeks of the meeting date,

unless special circumstances apply. For more extensive resubmissions, or

submissions of new assignments, this may be more. In Clinical Psychology, one

resubmission opportunity is allowed for each assignment for professional

accreditation purposes only. Resubmissions are assessed according to the same

marking criteria as first submissions; no penalty cap is enforced. However, only the

original fail mark is recorded on the trainee's academic transcript. For the purposes

of adding and averaging marks, only the first submission mark is counted, not the

resubmission mark.

Where a failed piece of work is resubmitted or replaced and is again allocated a fail grade,

the trainee’s progress will be discussed by the Board of Examiners, who may make the

recommendation that the trainee’s studies are discontinued.

Should a trainee fail any two academic courses or placements on the first attempt, his/her

progress will be discussed by the Exam Board, who may make the recommendation that

the trainee’s studies are discontinued.

A5.2 Criteria for Programme Discontinuation

There is an explicit policy on programme discontinuation, which has been agreed by the

Joint Training Committee. All instances of potential discontinuation are discussed at the

Exam Board, which makes a recommendation to the College Postgraduate Studies

18

Committee. Any Exam Board in which a recommendation to discontinue a trainee’s studies

is a potential outcome must have invited the trainee’s NHS employer to the Board (see

section in the Programme Orientation Handbook on the Constitution of the Board of

Examiners).

Where a trainee has failed a placement, this alone will trigger a discussion at an Exam

Board, reflecting the greater magnitude of placement failure compared to failing an

academic assignment. The Exam Board may then recommend either an opportunity to

retake the placement or discontinuation of studies, as appropriate to the individual

circumstances. It should be noted that this would not apply if a placement had not given

the individual sufficient experience to be able to gain the required competences. In such

circumstances, the trainee would not be deemed to have failed the placement, and

existing procedures would allow an extension of the placement or the completion of a

further placement in order to gain the competencies. If the Exam Board recommends that

the trainee be allowed to retake the placement, any further failure of academic work will

also trigger a discussion by the Exam Board.

In terms of course work (case conceptualisations, research proposals and small scale

research projects), the failure of any two of these pieces would similarly trigger a

discussion by the Exam Board. Discontinuation of studies is one of a range of options the

Exam Board may recommend, in addition to further opportunities to resubmit the failed

work and to put in place any extra supports or remedial action required. The thesis is

governed by separate regulations, which are clear regarding passing, any resubmission

required and failure, so this policy would not apply to the thesis.

The regulations for postgraduate taught programmes are clear regarding instances where

a trainee has underperformed due to circumstances beyond their control, such as ill

health. Such situations are covered by the use of Special Circumstances Committees.

Trainees should inform their Personal Tutor at the earliest possible convenience of any

personal circumstances that might reasonably be considered to affect academic or clinical

progress through the programme. (See section A4.5)

A5.3 Alternate Exit Awards

If a trainee is unable to complete Doctoral training, the Exam Board can consider awarding

an alternate exit award. These awards are at Masters and PG Diploma level, based upon

the work that has been satisfactorily completed and the credits attached to each. These

awards do not allow a trainee to register as a Clinical Psychologist with the HCPC and do

not confer Chartered Psychologist status with the BPS. If trainees are considering exiting

the programme and not completing the DClinPsychol, they should discuss their options

carefully with their Personal Tutor and Clinical Tutor and be aware of the possible alternate

awards and the implications of each for their future career. Trainees that have not been

able to progress because of a failed resubmission (of any placement or academic work)

may also be able to exit the programme with an alternate award.

19

For more information please see the University’s information on Progression

Requirements and Award Criteria.

A.6 Thesis and Programme Prizes

The programme has benefited from bequeathed endowment funds to allow us to offer two

class prizes per year.

A6.1 The Gillian Birrell Memorial Prize

This award is presented to the trainee with the highest overall performance and marks for

all work completed over the course of training. It is a financial prize awarded annually to a

trainee in his or her graduating year.

Gillian Birrell is remembered professionally for her major contribution to advancing the role

of Clinical Psychology in the specialism of Severe and Enduring Mental Health. She was

influential in seeking ways of providing support and psychological therapy to clients whose

psychological needs had previously gone unrecognised at that time. Gillian was a support

to her colleagues and is remembered in Lothian, where she was based, for her kindness,

warmth and humour.

A6.2 The Caroline Blair Memorial Prize

This award is presented annually for excellence in a thesis in the area of Child, Adolescent

and Family Psychology.

Caroline Blair’s contribution to the mental health of the adolescent population is

widespread. As an exceptional researcher, Caroline identified and provided an

understanding of undetected mental health needs of homeless teenagers and other

vulnerable groups. She had an ability to transmit her research into excellent clinical

practice. She is remembered for her generosity in promoting and sharing her knowledge of

evidence based practice to her colleagues and trainees to promote the well being of young

people.

A6.3 Clinical Psychology Thesis Prize

The Clinical Psychology Thesis Prize recognises and promotes high quality thesis

research. The prize ensures that the highest graded thesis is always recognised with a

prize, regardless of topic area.

The three prizes will be given to three separate trainees each year.