Important Assessment and Progression Measures 2021

Dear Colleagues

As you are all very aware the disruption that the pandemic and the changing UK Government restrictions resulting from that recently are causing difficulties and uncertainties for our students and staff.

This has again meant that the University is responding through a number of very significant and proportionate measures specific to the needs of the different levels of study, which are now being taken to protect the interests of students and the academic integrity of the University. These measures have been the subject of extensive discussions involving Faculty Deans, SET and the Students’ Union. The nature and timing of the situation this year mean that whilst some of these measures are similar to those put in place last year there are others that need to be quite different.

In brief summary the measures being taken are:

•             For students completing a classified award (UG Degree, PG Diploma, Taught Masters degree) this year with an award made from 1^st March this year, the University will be adopting a ‘safety net’ scheme that will enable students at the final level of a classified award to retake assessments taken and passed at first attempt during the 2020/1 year without risk to the award they have already achieved, to give the opportunity to improve their classification. The award already given will stand and only be changed if the classification is improved (unless a student commits a serious breach of the regulations on Academic Integrity - cheating).

 This will also apply to students undertaking assessments in the final level of these courses this year, but not completing their award at this point.

•             Level 5 students will need to complete and be awarded a pass for all their modules, but the rules for Conditional Progression and Condonement will be revised for this year in the same way they were last year. In both cases, the limits will be increased from 20 credits to 40 credits.

•             All Level 3 and level 4 students will be permitted to progress to their next level of study, subject only to achieving an overall average mark across their modules of 40%. There will be no minimum requirements for assessments at module or component level. Students will therefore need to demonstrate an overall level of achievement but will not have multiple hurdles in their path to making progress.

Additional information will follow about how these arrangements will operate in practice and how they will apply to non-standard cases. As we are asking of the students, could I please ask for your patience at this time. Colleagues are working extremely hard at present on this matter and are producing much more detailed information, FAQs and worked examples. This is still being developed and expanded and the initial work can be found here. Please could I ask you to give them time to do this and wait until this information is produced before asking about further specific details. If you are asked by students for further information, beyond that already published, could you please reiterate to them that this will be forthcoming from the University and avoid any unhelpful speculation as to its nature.

The student communications contain some further detail and can all be seen on Portal here. As you will see when you read these communications they have been tailored for the different groups.

As these extraordinary times continue we continue to need to take extraordinary measures to ensure we help our students to progress and succeed and this only works because of the exceptional support everyone has provided them with during these difficult times.

With very best wishes and thanks,

Jonathan Moores

Registrar

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