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Foreword and Gossary

Foreword

Changes to Senate Regulations relating to taught awards

Over the last few years, the University has been revising the Senate Regulations which govern its undergraduate and taught postgraduate awards (including all honours bachelors degrees and all Masters degrees). The new regulations are being phased in over time, which means that there are currently students studying under different sets of regulations. For the sake of clarity, these different sets of regulations are referred to in these Regulations as SR2 (pre-2009) and SR2 (2009-onwards) for the ‘old’ and ‘new’ versions of Senate Regulation 2 (governing undergraduate awards), and SR3 (pre-2006) and SR3 (2006-onwards) for the ‘old’ and ‘new’ versions of Senate Regulation 3 (governing taught Masters degrees).

Senate Regulation 4 is concerned with the assessment of students and is now presented in a version which covers all taught students (both old and new regulations for both undergraduate awards and taught Masters degrees). Where particular parts of Senate Regulation 4 apply only to some groups of students, this is indicated in the regulations.

If you are a student and have any doubt about which regulations you are studying under, in particular if you have had a period of abeyance or repeated years of study, you should confirm this with your School.

Summary of the application of the Senate Regulations to different groups of students

Undergraduate programmes and awards (including bachelors degrees and Integrated Masters degrees) under 'new' regulations:

Undergraduate students will study and be assessed in accordance with SR2 (2009-onwards) as set out in these Regulations if:

1. either they commenced Level 1 of an undergraduate programme in or after September 2009; or
2. they commenced an undergraduate programme which is normally comprised entirely of assessment undertaken at Level 3 in or after September 2009; or
3. their registration under the 'new' regulations (including as appropriate a transfer from the ‘old’ regulations) has otherwise been deemed appropriate and approved by the Academic Registrar.

Please note, however, that Paragraph D of Appendix D of SR2 (2009-onwards) applies only to students commencing study under those regulations before September 2010.

Other students registered for programmes leading to undergraduate awards will continue to study and be assessed in accordance with SR2 (pre-2009), as set out in these Regulations.

Undergraduate programmes and awards (including bachelors degrees and Integrated Masters degrees) under 'new' regulations:

During the transitional period, therefore, unless advised otherwise direct entrants to Level 2 or Level 3 of three- or four-year full-time first degree programmes in the academic year 2009-10 will be deemed to be studying and be assessed in accordance with SR2 (pre-2009). For the academic year 2010-11, unless advised otherwise direct entrants to Level 2 of such programmes will study and be assessed in accordance with SR2 (2009-onwards) and direct entrants to Level 3 of such programmes will study and be assessed in accordance with SR2 (pre-2009).  For the academic year 2011-12, unless advised otherwise, all direct entrants to any level of such programmes will study and be assessed in accordance with SR2 (2009-onwards).

Postgraduate taught programmes and awards

Postgraduate taught students will study and be assessed in accordance with SR3 (2006-onwards), as set out in these Regulations, if:

1. they commenced their current registration in or after September 2006; or
2. their registration under the 'new' regulations (including as appropriate a transfer from the ‘old’ regulations) has otherwise been deemed appropriate and approved by the Academic Registrar.

Other students registered for programmes leading to postgraduate taught awards will continue to study and be assessed in accordance with SR3 (pre-2006) as set out in these Regulations.

Bob Westaway
Academic Registrar
August 2009
Updated September 2010

Glossary of terms relating to the Senate Regulations

academic appeal A formal appeal against the decision of a Board of Examiners on the grounds set out in Senate Regulation 6.5.

academic session the University's academic year, which normally commences in September.

accreditation of prior learning the recognition of certificated or experiential learning (whether undertaken at the University or elsewhere) for the purposes of exemption from the requirements of specified modules assessment blocks and / or requirements relating to the teaching and learning associated with the programme.

advanced standing entry to a programme with previous study or work recognised and awarded appropriate credits. Students entering with Advanced Standing will be granted exemption from appropriate modules of the programme. (See also accreditation of prior learning.)

assessment work, such as an examination, essay, report, test, portfolio, practical or project undertaken by a student registered for a programme of study; the grade (which may include pass or fail) or mark contributes to the evaluation of the student's performance and the determination of his or her right to proceed with the programme or eligibility for an award.

assessment block a discrete assessment, or discrete group of assessment elements, testing defined learning outcomes, to which a credit-rating and Level have been assigned. (See also module.)

associate student a student who is registered for individual modules, rather than for a programme of study leading to a named award of the University.

authorised member of staff a person designated by the University or Associated Institution as having formal responsibility for the administration of the programme (eg admissions, examinations, etc.). This will normally be the Head of School or his or her nominee, but where inter-disciplinary programmes are offered it will normally be the Programme Coordinator or Director.

award (named) A combination of a qualification with a title associated with a programme of study and assessment.

block ‘block’ refers to both assessment blocks and study blocks.

Board of Examiners a body which has been constituted by Senate to make recommendations about progression and awards for taught programmes; the body of Examiners appointed to assess a candidate for a research degree.

cheating cheating involves actual, intended, or attempted deception and/or dishonest action in relation to any academic work of the University. Taking unauthorised material into an examination (including revision notes or unauthorised equipment) shall be regarded as attempted deception.

compulsory or optional module / assessment block ‘compulsory’ designates that a module or block of assessment must be attempted as part of a programme of study and assessment leading to a specified award, as set out in the programme specification. An optional module or assessment block is one which students may select and attempt as part of the assessment leading to an award. (See also core / non core assessment.)

condoned (fail) or condonation (applicable to students studying under SR2 (pre-2009) and SR3 (pre-2006) only) the Board of Examiners, normally on the recommendation of the relevant subject Panel, may award credits for (a) module(s) where the candidate has not attained the normal pass mark. The actual mark achieved stays on the record.

continuation status postgraduate research students who are registered in 'continuation status' should be in the final 'writing-up' stages of their thesis. Active supervision will have ceased, although reasonable access to the student's supervisor is permitted. A student may not be registered 'in continuation' for more than 12 months.

core / non core assessment (applicable to students studying under SR2 (2009-onwards) only) ‘core’ designates an element of assessment or assessment block in which a specified grade must be achieved or surpassed as part of the programme of study and assessment leading to a specific award, as set out in the relevant programme specification. For assessments at Levels 1, 2 and 3, the specified grade is D-, for assessments at Masters Level for students registered under SR2 (‘2009-onwards’), the specified grade is C-. A non-core assessment for an award is one which, if taken, does not have to be passed at the specified grade, but the achieved grade must be better than F, in order for the student to be eligible for the award. (See also compulsory or optional module / assessment block.)

credit value a measure of the volume of study or assessment. Each assessment block, study block or module is assigned a credit value:

• a credit value of 120 represents the normal workload in one academic year for a student undertaking a full-time undergraduate programme of study;
• a credit value of 180 represents the normal workload in one calendar year for a student taking a full-time taught postgraduate programme.

dissertation a detailed piece of work undertaken by a candidate for a taught postgraduate programme. The submission may take the form of a wholly written dissertation, or one which comprises original, creative work supported by adequate documentation indicating its originality and contribution to knowledge within the discipline. All submissions involving creative work should include a means of storage, access and retrieval of work.

enrolment the process by which a student declares an intention to follow a named programme or selected modules / blocks or a research degree programme during the academic session and specifies the modules / blocks he or she intends to take during that session. Enrolment constitutes an agreement to pay all fees due and to abide by the Regulations of the University. All students are required to provide the University with up-to-date contact details, to include their email address, both at enrolment and following any subsequent changes. Registration is the first occasion on which the student enrols for the programme.

experiential learning the knowledge and skills acquired through life, work experience and study which have not been formally attested through any educational certification.

intermediate awards programme specifications may specify early exit points for students not meeting the criteria for the award for which they are registered.

level an indication of the relative challenge to the student of an assessment block, which is expressed in the learning outcomes, and which may take into account factors such as: the intellectual complexity of the material, the degree of specialism of the content, the volume of material covered, and the professional skills and/or expertise required (if any):

• Level 0 – work normally associated with a foundation programme;
• Level 1 - work normally associated with year 1 of a full-time, 3 year undergraduate programme;
• Level 2 - work normally associated with year 2 of a full-time, 3 year undergraduate programme;
• Level 3 - work normally associated with year 3 of a full-time, 3 year undergraduate programme;
• Level M – work normally associated with a Master's programme;
• Level D – work normally associated with a doctoral programme.

A student may be described as being at Level 1 or Level 2 or Level 3, meaning that he or she is following a programme associated with work at that Level.

mode of delivery the mode of delivery of a full-time or part-time programme may include flexible, distributed or distance learning.

mode of Study there are two modes of study, full-time and part-time:

For undergraduate students

• full-time mode requires registration for modules to a value of more than 80 credits in a year;
• part-time mode, normally requires registration for modules to a value of not less than 40 and not more than 80 credits a year.

For taught postgraduate students

• full-time mode requires registration for modules to a value of more than 100 credits in a year;
• part-time mode, normally requires registration for modules to a value of not less than 50 and not more than 100 credits a year.

The mode of study of a student on work experience shall normally be deemed to be that for which he or she was registered in the previous year.

module a self-contained unit of study and assessment. A module may involve a series of lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratory or practical classes or private study or a combination of these as specified in its syllabus. Where, for students studying under SR2 (2009-onwards), an assessment block and a study block are offered as a discreet unit, this is sometimes referred to as a ‘module’. (See also assessment block and study block.)

module outline the module outline will normally contain the following: the title, the code, the aims and intended learning outcomes, member(s) of staff responsible for delivering, content, method(s) of assessment, indicative bibliography, credit value, co- and/or pre-requisites and Level of the module.

normal period of study the normal duration of a programme of study and assessment in a specified mode, as set out in the programme specification

period of registration the full duration of a student's period of registration with the University for a programme of study and assessment. The maximum period of registration for a programme is the normal period of study for a programme of study and assessment for a specified mode of study, plus the maximum duration of extension or abeyance permitted under these Regulations.

plagiarism the knowing or reckless presentation of another person's thoughts, writings, inventions as one's own. It includes the incorporation of another person's work from published or unpublished sources, without indicating that the material is derived from those sources. It includes the use of material obtained from the internet.

programme of study and assessment a combination of modules, or of assessment blocks and study blocks, associated with an award (also referred to as ‘programme’).

programme specification a formal document which prescribes the mode of study, normal duration, aims and objectives, intended learning outcomes, content and structure of a programme. Each programme specification must include details of the modules / blocks to be taken at each Level; any assessment or other requirements in addition to those set out in the Regulations;, and the requirements for any period(s) of work experience, including any award for such periods. The programme specification shall define which modules or assessment blocks are optional and which are compulsory for the associated award(s). (For students studying under SR2 (‘2009-onwards’) only: for the purposes of determining the outcomes of assessment, the programme specification shall also specify which assessments are core assessments and which are non-core for the associated award(s) of the University.)

project a module / block consisting of a planned schedule of work, approved by the authorised member of staff in the School in which the student is based, executed by a student or students, and including the submission of a written report.

published work work, written, performed or displayed, in the public domain (or accepted for such) and for which there is a retrievable record.

qualification a generic title assigned to an award, defining its level and volume of assessment (e.g. BSc, DipHE)

registration the process by which a student declares an intention to follow a programme of study and assessment, module or block. The maximum permitted duration of a student's registration for a specified programme of study and assessment is set out in these Regulations or the relevant programme specification, as appropriate.

required modules Co- or pre-requisites may be prescribed for a particular module within the programme specification or module outline. A co-requisite must be taken at the same time as the module. A pre-requisite must be completed, normally to a satisfactory standard, before the module can be taken. (See also compulsory or optional module / assessment block.)

registered the formal status of a student who has commenced but not yet concluded a programme of study and assessment, module or block under these regulations.

research degree a programme of study leading to the preparation of a thesis and involving the completion of research training and an investigation, evaluation or critical analysis of an approved topic.

responsible school the School to which the student has been admitted and is assigned on initial registration. The responsible School is required to assign each student to a tutor who shall provide such pastoral care as the student may require. The responsible School shall also ensure that the student follows an approved programme. The School responsible for a student may be altered if the student is permitted to change his or her programme of study. As part of some programmes, students will attempt modules or blocks which are the responsibility of different School to the School to which they are originally admitted or currently assigned.

set aside (for students studying under SR2 (pre-2009) only) where an Board of Examiners for an undergraduate programme is unable or unwilling to condone a failure, or failures, it may exercise its discretion to recommend an award to Senate in the light of the candidate's overall performance, although the candidate may not meet the credit requirements for the award.

study block a discrete block of learning, teaching and resource, to which a learning volume and Level have been assigned (see also assessment block and module).

taught postgraduate programme a programme of study comprising modules at a level demanding more advanced and intensive study than a first degree in a field for which knowledge and skills have provided an appropriate foundation, and which is set out in a programme specification.

term a unit of the academic session during which teaching and other activities are scheduled, normally but not always of 12 weeks' duration.

thesis a substantial piece of work in which the candidate is required to demonstrate a sound knowledge and critical appreciation of his or her discipline. The submission may take the form of a wholly written dissertation, or one which comprises original, creative work supported by adequate documentation indicating its originality and contribution to knowledge within the discipline. All submissions involving creative work should include a means of storage, access and retrieval of work.

title the name of the programme normally appended to a qualification eg "BSc in 'title'" as set out in the approved programme specification and as it is to appear on the certificate of award. All titles are approved by Senate. (See also award and qualification.)

viva voce a defence by the candidate of the thesis in an oral examination conducted by two or more Examiners.

work experience, industrial training or clinical placement a period or periods, defined in the programme specification, of supervised and assessed employment or training undertaken within and as part of a programme of study.