  Academic Services for Staff |
|
 |
Services |
|
Academic
Calendar
2011/2012
2011-2016 |
|
Registration/Enrolment |
|
Class Timetable |
|
Student Records Enquiry |
|
Examinations |
|
Dean's Package |
|
Courses/Modules |
|
Graduation |
 Contact Us |
|
Examinations
Procedures : May to October 2011
If you are having problems printing this file from your web browser, here is an Acrobat PDF and Microsoft Word version of this document.
I enclose the following documents which will be of assistance
to you in regard to Course Boards of Examiners, Subject Boards and
Progress and Award Boards.
|
1 |
Suggested agenda for: Course Boards of Examiners
(Attachment
1A) |
|
2 |
Suggested template for Minutes of Meeting of: Course Boards of Examiners
(Attachment
2A) |
|
3 |
Notes of Guidance for Course Boards of Examiners and Campus Progress
and Award Board |
|
4 |
Procedures to be followed in the Absence of an External
Examiner (Attachment 4) |
|
5 |
Academic Standing Types used
for recording decisions on candidates (Attachment
5) |
|
6 |
Guidelines: Recommendations for
Aegrotat and Posthumous Awards (Attachment 6) |
|
7 |
Timetable for consideration of
student appeals (Attachment 7) |
|
8 |
Prizes and awards
(Attachment
8) |
|
9 |
Duties of Heads of Faculty
Administration (Attachment
9) |
I would wish to draw the following matters to your attention. You should note, in particular, section (w) refers to the new method for calculating summary marks for awards.
|
(a) |
Location
of Meetings of Boards of Examiners Meetings of Boards of Examiners
should take place on the campus of delivery and, where a Board
cannot be held on the appropriate campus, all staff who are members
of the Board must attend the meeting at the designated location;
teleconferencing/videoconferencing is not permitted. |
|
|
(b) |
Chairing
of Boards of Examiners (i) Course/Subject Boards of
Examiners The Chairperson of the Course/Subject Board of Examiners
shall be the Dean or Associate Dean of the Faculty in which the
course/subject is located, or a Head or Associate Head of School in
the Faculty, other than the School in which the course/subject is
located, or the Director of
Access and Distributed Learning. Heads of
Graduate School may be permitted to chair Boards of Examiners
provided that they have some responsibility for taught courses.
In the absence of the designated chairperson, the board shall
be chaired by a person appointed by the appropriate
Pro-Vice-Chancellor acting on the authority of the Senate. (ii) Campus Progress and Award
Board The
Chairperson of the Progress and Award Board shall be a Dean
appointed by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor responsible.
The Deans currently appointed are: Coleraine: Professor P
O'Dochartaigh,
Dean Faculty of Arts |
|
| (c) |
Template Agenda TLC at its meeting on 25 April 2007 agreed that the template agenda for Boards of Examiners should be revised so that Boards explicitly note any changes to module profiles. This relates to decisions arising from the internal or external moderation processes (including preliminary board meetings) which lead to adjustments to the marks of all candidates in particular modules.
|
|
|
(d) |
Involvement of External Examiners i) Absence of External Examiners from Boards of Examiners External examiners are required to attend meetings of Boards of Examiners of which they are members where results that contribute to final awards are being considered (this requirement can be varied for linked PG Diploma/Master’s courses as set out at ii) below. Where exceptionally an external examiner is unable to attend, the procedures set out at Attachment 4 should be followed. The appendix to this attachment (Confirmation of Awards) should be completed, signed by the External Examiner and presented to the Board. The course results sheets need only be sent to an external examiner for signature where no external was present at the Board. The procedures set out at Attachment 4 also apply where, exceptionally, a temporary external examiner has been appointed. ii) Attendance of External
Examiners at Meetings of Boards of Examiners for linked Postgraduate
Diploma/Master’s Courses Each Faculty is authorised to
determine whether the External Examiner should attend for either the
Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s stage of the course, or for both. If the Faculty decides on
attendance for only the Postgraduate Diploma stage the following
conditions should be fulfilled: ·
There is no requirement for oral or viva examination
associated with the Master’s award or with individual candidates;
·
The Master’s dissertation/project component only
is being considered; ·
The External Examiner moderates the work for the
dissertation/project. If the Faculty decides on attendance for only the
Master’s stage: ·
The Board of Examiners should review candidates’
results in the taught modules, with the External Examiner’s role
being to moderate the work and endorse the results, decisions on
progress and resit, and recommendations, where appropriate, for the
award of the Postgraduate Diploma; ·
The Master’s results and recommendations for award
should be considered by the full Board of Examiners on the basis of
both the taught modules and the dissertation/project. NB If an External Examiner does
not attend one stage, there is still a requirement to sign off the course results sheet in order to signify endorsement of final
award decisions. iii) External Examiner
Confirmation of Awards at Supplementary Boards External examiners are not required to attend supplementary Boards. However, it is University policy that supplementary recommendations for awards be agreed with the External Examiner(s)/Chief External Examiner prior to the Board and that written confirmation be presented to the meeting as set out in Attachment 4.
|
|
|
(e)
|
Amendments
to Provisional Module Results Boards will receive, in the
course/subject result sheets, marks which were considered at the end
of Semester One. These
marks are subject to confirmation by Boards. All provisional marks amendments
(other than those made on the final edition of the course results
sheets) should be forwarded without delay to the appropriate office:
School office for amendments agreed at Subject Boards, Examinations
Office for amendments agreed for integrated courses.
Any amendments to the final edition of the course result
sheet(s), whether made by the Course Director prior to the Board of
Examiners’ meeting or by the Chairperson at the meeting, shall be
recorded in red ink. The Examinations Office will
subsequently amend the computer record.
Marks amendments for Semester Two will be completed by 24
June 2011 and all marks will be published on the
Portal
by 28 June 2011. |
|
| (f) |
Adjustment of Marks/Progress
Decisions Made by an Earlier Board Boards shall not adjust marks awarded or progress decisions made by an earlier board, except in accordance with the Procedures for Appeals and the Consideration of Offences in Connection with Examinations and other Forms of Assessment. The Campus Progress and Award Board may not adjust the marks awarded by a Subject Board. This does not prohibit the correction of errors.
|
|
|
(g) |
Elements of Modules to be taken/retaken The elements of modules to be taken/retaken (ie. CW and/or EX) should be circled in red on the course results sheet.
|
|
| (h) |
Deletion of Modules Modules to be deleted from a candidate's record should be crossed through in red ink on the course results sheet. It is important that Course/Subject Directors inform the Registry Office (Student Services Centre at Belfast) of any missing or incorrect modules/CRNs.
|
|
|
(i) |
Inclusion of Student Qualification Aim in Course Results The student qualification
aim is included in course results sheets. Where the Board of Examiners/ Campus Progress
and Award Board recommends a different qualification for a student, the
qualification aim should be amended appropriately in red ink so that
the Examinations Office can correct the computer record.
|
|
|
(j) |
Withdrawn students are now displayed in course and subject results sheets. This will include final year students who left following failure in Semester 1 modules. These students may be considered by Semester 2 Boards for the recommendation of exit awards where this is provided for in course regulations.
|
|
|
(k) |
Publication of Progress and Award Information Progress and award information will be published to students through the Portal, normally within two working days of the meeting of the Board (three working days where a meeting is held on another campus).
|
|
| (l) |
|
|
|
(m) |
Progression Carrying Failure: P3/P4P3 – Proceed to next year (other than placement year) Candidates may be permitted to carry a failed module or modules amounting to a maximum of 20 credit points at undergraduate level, providing that the module(s) carried are not prerequisite(s) for a module in the next year of the course. The rule applies to honours degrees, degrees, Foundation degrees, Associate Bachelor’s degrees, and the first year of part-time Access to HE courses. It does not apply to Master’s, Postgraduate Diplomas, Postgraduate Certificates, and undergraduate Certificates and Diplomas as only one resit attempt is permitted for these awards. The failed element(s) must be taken in the semester in which the module is taught, special arrangements to enable candidates to be reassessed in a different manner are not permitted. When considering performance in current year modules Course/Subject Directors should ensure that these candidates have satisfied requirements in coursework and/or examinations for modules carried forward from 2009/10. Boards may decide to exceed the maximum 20 credit points in the light of extenuating circumstances. P4 – Proceed to Placement Year Exceptionally Boards have discretion to recommend that candidates in year 2 of sandwich courses proceed to placement and carry a failed module or modules providing that the module(s) carried are not prerequisite(s) for their employment. This is permitted by exception, and in deciding whether to allow students to proceed, Boards should take account of the extent of failure, how badly modules have been failed and the requirements of the work placement. The June Board will consider such a recommendation for candidates who have failed in modules to a value of 65 - 80 credit points, as failures in up to 60 points are normally retaken for the August supplementary period. It may be possible to defer the start of placement for the latter candidates, and P4 will only be considered for them at the supplementary board. The failed element(s) must normally be taken in the semester in which the module is taught, although exceptionally, for students proceeding to placement (AST P4), examination may be deferred to the following August; special arrangements to enable candidates to be reassessed in a different manner are not permitted.
When considering performance in current year modules Course
Directors should ensure that these candidates have satisfied
requirements in coursework and/or examinations for modules carried
forward from 2009/10.
|
|
|
(n) |
|
|
|
(o) |
|
|
|
(p) |
Timing of First Sits Candidates who were permitted, following semester one assessment period to take Semester One examinations as for the first time normally take these in May; alternatively a first sit in August may have been permitted, following consultation between the Course/Subject Director and the candidate. Boards of Examiners/Progress and Award Boards in May/June should ensure that, subject to Semester Two performance, AST D2 is recorded on the course result sheets for candidates who have deferred first sits to August.
|
|
| (q) |
|
|
| (r) |
Removal of Condonement Condonement has been removed from regulations, for all cohorts, with effect from 2009/10. A pass in a module is now defined as the achievement of the overall pass mark (40% UG/50% PG) with a minimum mark of not less than 5% below this threshold in an assessment element where a module is assessed by a combination of coursework and examination. Course/subject committees retain the option of specifying in regulations a requirement for the threshold standard to be achieved in each element or in all or specified components of each assessment element. In applying this new rule, boards should ensure that students admitted before 2009/10 are not disadvantaged and particular attention should therefore be paid to any such student who is to be discontinued.
|
|
| (s) |
Repeated Assessments For repeated assessments the capping of the mark applies to the repeated component (eg essay), not the overall mark for the element (eg coursework) or the overall module result. The maximum mark a candidate on an undergraduate course may obtain in a repeated coursework component, or examination paper, is 40% (50% for a postgraduate course). The mark for the repeated coursework component is aggregated with the mark(s) for coursework component(s) the candidate has already passed to produce the overall coursework mark. Where a module is assessed by coursework and examination the overall coursework mark is aggregated with the examination mark for the purpose of calculating the module result. Aggregations should take account of the weightings at each level, ie, between elements (coursework and examination) and within elements, as appropriate. Example: The coursework element of a module comprises two equally weighted components (in this example the components are essays). A candidate receives an unaggregated mark of 60 in the first essay but is required to resubmit the second essay for a maximum unaggregated mark of 40. If the mark of 40 is achieved the final coursework mark is 60 + 40 aggregated to 30 + 20 = 50).
|
|
| (t) |
Consequences of Failure Senate has agreed the following changes to regulations from September 2010 intake to remove elements of discretion which have not been used. For undergraduate students, the option to withdraw students failing in the 60 – 80 credit range has been removed from the regulation and should not be used. For postgraduate students, the repeat option for failing modules to a value of 90 credits or more has been removed from the regulation and should not be used. The requirement to withdraw should be applied in failure at 80 credits or more.
|
|
| (u) |
|
|
| (v) |
Arrangements for Candidates Repeating Without Attendance (ASTs N4 and N5) Candidates coded N4 or N5 may not proceed on their course of study until the modules they are required to retake have been successfully completed. Candidates who are permitted to take/retake examinations without attendance in the next academic year may need to have special papers set if the module assessment arrangements have been restructured. Course/Subject Directors are required to advise candidates on the Communication of Results form whether their examination(s) will be held in the first and/or second semester. However, a candidate, who is required to retake coursework and/or examination in a single Semester Two module only, may elect to retake this at the January examination period provided that he/she notifies the Examinations Office prior to the start of the academic year. Successful candidates may be permitted to proceed to take semesters out of sequence. In addition, successful candidates, who have been required to retake Semester One modules only, may be permitted to proceed to take semesters out of sequence. Permission to reverse semesters is subject to approval by the Course/Subject Director following consultation about prerequisites and the sequence in which modules must be taken.
|
|
| (w) |
|
|
| (x) |
Certificate of Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) Candidates on part-time programmes who have successfully completed PPD modules should be considered by a Board of Examiners and coded AST P1, S1 or S3. Candidates on full-time programmes who are being awarded their degree and who are also eligible for consideration of a CPPD award, having successfully completed 60 PPD credits, will be considered for the CPPD award at a later Board, after their main award has been processed. Progressing candidates registered on full-time programmes will not have a progress decision recorded for PPD modules. Performance and standards will be considered internally by schools by checking the module marks sheets.
|
If you have any comments on these
webpages, please send them to:
modules@ulst.ac.uk
Copyright and Disclaimer