Three Term Schedule 2005/2006

As agreed by Academic Council

Introduction

• Use of planning and induction weeks.
• Registration – all stages.
• Student withdrawal arrangements.
• Option choice system.
• Examination arrangements.
• Timing of postgraduate Progression and Award Boards.
• Mark collection arrangements in January.
• The approach to extenuating circumstances.
• Final receipting of coursework.
• The schedule for SAPs and PABs.
• The timing of Award Ceremonies.
• Structure for coursework retrieval.
• Deferred/referred examination schedule.

Key Issues

1. Managing exceptional arrangements: A number of continuing students will need to have exceptional arrangements made as a result of the transition from a semester to a 3 term structure. These arrangements will be coordinated centrally and it is envisaged that these will last for 2 – 3 years. It is proposed that Schools should discuss these arrangements through their Learning and Quality Committees and that those arrangements be detailed so that they can be monitored (through Academic Council).
2. Some Programmes require exceptional schedule arrangements not because of the transition but because of Professional Body requirements or the particular learning requirements of the Programme. It is important that each School negotiates these through the Campus Student Centre as early as possible so that these requirements can be built into administrative arrangements (including rooming) specific to the campus.
3. Assessment and Examination Arrangements. It is anticipated that a variety of different assessment arrangements will be made as well as different forms of examination (eg. take home papers). However, the following issues have been raised:
4. • The January marking load
   • Mid-year feedback to students
   • Reading weeks
   • The three week examination schedule
5. January marking-loads: It has been proposed (by NATFHE) that there is recognition in Schools that for some staff there will be an increased workload in January. Heads of Department will need to ensure that this is taken into account when planning staff deployment in order to allow sufficient time for marking and moderating.
6. Mid-year feedback to students/ reading weeks: A number of Schools have specified the need to give students interim feedback mid-year. A mark collection/collated course results process has been included in the schedule. It is proposed that interim marks should be available on the Web for the courses where a formal mark collection/collated course results process has taken place. Other approaches for formative feedback of an interim nature which have been proposed are the use of reading weeks, specified personal tutor meetings with tutees and whole co-hort feedback days. Clearly it is a matter for Schools and Programme teams to decide which approach to mid-year feedback they adopt.
7. The Three Week Examination Schedule: Schools vary in their views about whether this period is too long or too short to cater for their particular needs. For Schools with few examinations it is proposed that the latter two weeks are used for examinations. Schools should negotiate this as early as possible with the Head of Examinations & Standards (Dionne Glennon). For Schools with a large number of exams, few of which are take home papers, a logistical exercise will be required to ensure that there are sufficient timetable slots and rooms available. Any students who are taught in the evening or in blocks which include Saturdays may be timetabled for examinations in those slots. Early negotiation with the Exams Office and the Space Management Unit (Catherine Churchill) is recommended, following the logistical exercise.
8. Responses from Partner Colleges: The major concern of colleges is that the new model should not constrain them in an artificial way. In general terms a synchronised timetable is essential for the period of Exams/ SAPs/ PABs. However, it has been proposed that there is no requirement that current flexible working practices to meet the needs of students in the colleges should be halted. A particular problem raised concerns the nature of Programme Regulations and their consistency across Schools. In particular, there has been a request for more consistency with regard to AP(E)L regulations. The detailed issues underlying this concern have yet to be investigated.

Christine Rose
Director of Student Affairs

• Term 1 2005-2006
• Term 2 2005-2006
• Term 3 2005-2006
• Deferred/Referred Exams 2005/2006

• Download 3 term schedule 2005-2006 [.pdf]

Deferred/ Referred Exams from 2004-2005 Academic Session

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Deferred/ Referred Exams 2005-2006

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