Student Guide to Policies, Procedures and Regulations 2024-5 by University of Winchester

STUDENT

GUIDE: POLICIES, PROCEDURES & REGULATIONS

2024/5

Introduction

This guide is aimed to help you navigate through the policies and regulations that you agree to abide by whilst a student at the University of Winchester.

We know that rules and regulations can sometimes cause uncertainty and at times help is needed to know what has to be done, by whom and when in order to ensure everyone is treated fairly.

Here we will explain how the policies and regulations of the University apply to you, what we expect of all of our students and what all of our students can expect from us.

Many of the guidance questions for each policy or regulation will have reference to a specific section of the policy or regulation to help you navigate the specific details. Where a policy or regulation reference is not referred to it is because the answer to the frequently asked question is that of wider guidance rather than a rule or requirement in itself.

This guide is not designed to give you every answer for every circumstance and we know that every student is different and may have specific and individual needs. Therefore, we encourage you to seek out additional information, advice and guidance as it relates to you and we will signpost you throughout this guidance to whom is best placed to help you.

You can directly access each of the policy or regulations documents by clicking where you see this symbol:

The Student Charter

The Student Charter states how the University, Students’ Union and students will work in partnership to create a collaborative, respectful and supportive environment so all members of our University community can flourish. This Charter, co-written by the University and Students’ Union and approved by the University’s Student Experience Committee and the Union’s Student Senate, speaks to our value of Shared Endeavour and embodies the expectations and commitments shared by staff, Union and students.

The University of Winchester

The University will provide a transformational learning experience through:

• Education: providing highquality, inclusive teaching and learning opportunities and resources.

• Support: supporting students at each stage of their university journey, through personal and professional development.

• Opportunity: Offering inclusive opportunities for our students to explore their subject interests and their interest in the wider world, as part of our approach to support and develop the ‘whole person.’

Winchester Student Union

The Students’ Union will work to support our students to thrive through:

• Representation: ensuring, through democratic and elected functions, that we are enabling and representing student voice across the institution.

• Support: offering independent advice, signposting students to support services, and creating spaces to focus on wellbeing and peer support.

• Opportunity: providing sports teams, societies, and representational networks, as well as wider extracurricular opportunities, we will create spaces for students to belong.

Students

Students will take responsibility for their experience through:

• Partnership: working collaboratively and respectfully with other members of the University community, adhering to university regulations and policies.

• Ownership: taking ownership of learning and development, utilising support when needed.

• Engagement: engaging in opportunities provided by the University and Students’ Union to enhance the student experience.

University Community

“Our community of students and staff will be diverse, inclusive and welcoming, recognising and valuing the contribution that every person makes to it.” (Strategic Plan, 2023-2028)

In partnership, we will provide and contribute to an environment of respect, which fosters a sense of belonging, and is inclusive and supportive of all.

The University will advance a culture of respect and inclusiveness for all and act decisively to prevent and address harassment, bullying and unacceptable behaviours.

The Students’ Union will create spaces for student voice to be heard and actioned across the University, empowering students to take ownership of their experience, and work collaboratively with the University, their Union, and their peers.

Together, we will create an inclusive and tolerant community where we will seek to understand the perspectives of others, welcome respectful debate, and provide opportunities for students to actively co-create and shape their student experience.

Students will…

• Respect fellow students, staff and other members of the University community, adhering to the Conduct Policy for Students.

• Engage with academic and extra-curricular opportunities.

• Feedback on their student experience through their student representatives (StARs), the programme staff, the Students’ Union and wider University opportunities.

Academic Excellence and Engagement

“Every student should enjoy a dynamic and interesting active learning experience.” (Strategic Plan, 2023-2028)

In partnership, we will support students to achieve by providing a high-quality learning experience.

The University will provide consistently high standards of teaching, supported by access to quality physical and digital learning resources. Students will be provided with clear information about their course including fair and timely assessment criteria, prompt notification of any unavoidable change, and timely feedback which will guide and support future development.

The Students’ Union will promote students’ academic rights, ensuring they are aware of all relevant policies and procedures, and where they can access independent academic advice We will work in partnership with the University to ensure that academic changes and developments remain student-focussed and respond to students’ changing needs. Together, we will ensure that students are well informed and encouraged to take ownership of their academic journey.

Students will…

• Take responsibility for managing learning by attending and actively engaging with teaching and learning activities, reflecting on feedback constructively and meeting with Personal Academic Tutors.

• Engage regularly with Canvas and University emails.

• Utilise the resources, facilities and research opportunities on offer

Wellbeing and Personal Development

“We will enhance our reputation for teaching excellence by refining the balance of support and challenge to ensure that our students develop as independent learners” (Strategic Plan, 2023-2028)

In partnership, we will provide a variety of services to support student wellbeing and development at each stage of their academic journey.

The University will provide a range of support services to promote wellbeing within their course and through the Student Support and Success Department. We will offer students activities and opportunities which enhance academic study, employability prospects, as well as personal and professional development.

The Students’ Union will provide a specialised independent advice service, alongside other initiatives including peer support, to promote student wellbeing. We will also offer extra-curricular opportunities for the enhancement of students’ personal and professional development and communicate the transferrable skills gained from engaging

Together, we will encourage students’ active participation in opportunities to support their overall development.

Students will…

• Seek and engage with services when needed.

• Capitalise on the training and resources provided by the University and Students’ Union to support their personal development.

Academic Regulations

What are the Academic Regulations?

The Academic Regulations are the rules and requirements that govern the student academic journey at the University of Winchester

Some programmes and courses require changes to the regulations, or Programme Specific Requirements, and these can be found in your programme information, usually located on the Virtual Learning Environment known as Canvas. Usually these exemptions are directed by a programme’s accrediting body known as Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body or PSRB

From time to time the University Senate, with oversight of the Executive Leadership Team, may need to suspend or alter the regulations due to unforeseen circumstances that may have a negative impact on students. When situations like this occur then the University will communicate any changes and what they mean to students.

Joining The University

How will we handle your application?

Recognising your previous learning or experience

[Section E2.3]

What if I have a disability or ongoing health condition?

Deciding to come to University is a big decision and we want to make sure we support that the choice you make is right for you.

We will ensure that the processes for application and then joining the University is as fair, open and as simple as possible. For more information on how we will consider your application, click here.

If we make you an offer for a place on a course or programme, we will ask you to accept our Terms and Conditions available here.

Sometimes your previous learning or qualifications will be directly relevant to your course and you could be granted advanced standing meaning we can recognise this preventing the need for you to repeat the same learning.

If you have a disability you may wish to speak to the Programme Leader and the Student Support & Success Team before starting the course.

Some courses have practice learning experiences, in a range of settings, and we will need to ensure that you are able to meet the requirements of your programme. For some courses you will need to complete a Health Assessment before you start.

You can check entry requirements for your programme on the University course web pages by clicking here.

If we are unable to make reasonable adjustments for you to succeed on a programme or course, we may be able to offer you an alternative. Our Admissions Team can also advise and guide you as part of your application.

What am I agreeing to when I become a student?

[Section B]

To become a student, you need to complete your enrolment fully. If you are a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate student learning on campus, this means that in your first year you will complete online enrolment and then meet face to face with the Enrolment Team during your Welcome Week. After you complete enrolment, you are a registered student and you will need to pay your tuition fees, for example, through the Student Loans Company. If you are studying on a postgraduate course, or any part-time course, you will need to confirm your payment arrangements before you can complete enrolment. Further information can be found here.

As part of your enrolment, you will agree to abide by the expectations we have of all students as detailed within the Student Charter, Policies, Procedures and Regulations for the duration of your study at the University.

Studying on my Programme or Course

How will I study my course or programme?

[Section E1 and E2]

When you become a student, you will study with us on either a full or parttime basis.

Full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students need to study over 90 credits in one academic year, which is normally delivered over two semesters, for example September to July. Professionally accredited courses such as Nursing, may differ.

If you are studying any fewer credits than the credits above, you will be a part-time student.

Your Programme or Course information will make it clear whether you are studying on a part-time or full-time basis.

Your Programme or Course information will also explain whether you will study your course at the University campus, the campus of one of our partners, or online. Online Programmes or Courses are known as Distance Learning courses. Sometimes students will study on a course that is delivered mainly online but with some on campus activities or assessments - these are called Blended Learning courses.

What will I study as part of my Programme or Course?

[Sections E2 to E5]

Your Programme or Course information will explain how your study is structured and most study routes consist of smaller elements known as Modules

There are some modules that are essential to gain an award. These are called Mandatory modules. Some programmes and courses offer Optional modules which make up the remaining learning required. You will be able to choose from the Optional modules available on your course at different stages as part of your enrolment or re-enrolment You will be advised and guided about this as part of your induction by your Programme or Course Team.

What is expected of me whilst I am studying?

[Section B3 and H]

All students are expected to attend and fully engage with the programme or course and to participate in all scheduled teaching and learning activities. These include, but are not limited to, lectures, seminars, workshops, academic or Personal Academic Tutor meetings, placements, laboratory and practical sessions and all assessments. Each programme or course may have specific requirements so we expect all students to be aware of their programme or course timetables which are provided in the online portal

What if I am studying on a course which is regulated by a professional body?

What is meant by Professional behaviour?

known as My Record. Further information on Attendance and Engagement can be found here.

In addition to the Student Charter expectations of all students, you should be proud to study and proud of the work you do and the results that you attain should have integrity. Your achievement should be yours, and you should be clear about where your ideas and arguments are from.

There are no short-cuts to success and you will only change and grow your thinking and understanding through your own efforts. The University Academic Integrity Policy explains your obligations here and in the Academic Integrity section below.

Some courses have special ‘rules’ that the University has to follow. Programmes or Courses which are regulated by a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB) allow you to register and upon successful completion receive an accreditation to say you have reached a set standard. We need to follow these rules so that you can become a recognised professional, following success on your course. Each PSRB governed programme or course is available from our Admissions Team and on the programme and course web pages.

Some Programmes and Courses require you to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application before starting on the course. This will tell us if you have received any cautions or convictions which may be relevant. If you are worried about something that happened in your past, you can talk this through with the Programme Leader

How do I know I am doing well on my Programme or Course?

[Section C]

In addition to the grades and feedback you will receive for each of your assessments (see Assessment Regulations section below), each Faculty meets at various times throughout the Academic Year to review all students’ ability to continue to the next stage of their programme or course. These formal meetings are known as Progression and Award Boards

If you have successfully passed all of your assessment requirements and met all of the programme or course Learning Outcomes then you will be told that you can continue to the next stage of your studies.

When things do not go according to plan

Getting Help We offer a wide range of services to support you during your time at the University so If you need information, advice or support, we are here to make it easy for you to get the help you need.

It is really important that you let us know as soon as possible when you may be experiencing difficulties so that we can offer you support and help to keep you on track with your studies.

Every student is allocated a Personal Academic Tutor who can guide you through your academic journey in addition to Module Leaders and Programme Leaders who can off more tailored subject level information, advice and guidance.

The University also provides comprehensive support resources through our central Student Support & Success teams. You can find further information here.

From time to time you may need to formally apply for mitigations to help with Exceptional Circumstances which may be impacting your ability to

What happens if I can’t continue to the next stage of my Programme or Course?

{Section D2]

meet assessment deadlines. Further information can be found here and in the section below.

Depending on how many credits you have achieved, the Progression and Award Board may confirm your continuation to the next stage of your course while you retake a module’s assessment(s). This is known as Trail Credit and will require you to undertake the assessments without the need to attend teaching sessions again. Some accrediting bodies do not permit Trail Credit and you would be required to Repeat Study.

If you don’t have enough credit to continue to the next stage, the Progression and Award Board will decide if you need to retake modules or the whole level of study again. This is known as Repeat Study where you would be required to attend the module’s teaching sessions and undertake the assessments.

The Progression and Award Board will decide that you can have another chance to pass the failed modules by repeating them next year. Your failed module scores will be wiped clean and you will start them afresh.

In some cases, where the Progression and Award Board considers that it is not in your best educational interest to continue, or where an accrediting body may restrict continuation, it may decide that you have failed your programme or course.

Students are normally only permitted to take a single Repeat Study year during their programme or course.

What happens if I need to take a break in my studies?

{Section D1]

What can I do if I feel I have

Taking a break is a significant decision as it can have a number of consequences for you.

Interrupting Study can’t be used to avoid assessments but should be used where your personal circumstances mean that you can no longer continue with your studies. Please refer to the section below on Exceptional Circumstances if your circumstances are affecting your assessment(s). You should speak to your Personal Academic Tutor or Student Support & Success in the first instance who will be able to advise you.

We believe that it is in your interest to complete your programme or course within the prescribed duration Interrupting Study would mean that you are no longer studying with the same group of people. Sometimes students who take a break, find it difficult to return and as a result leave the programme or course.

There are a lot of things you need to think about if you want to Interrupt Study and this webpage contains more information, including guidance and support to help you to decide if a study interruption is possible and if it is the right thing for you. We will also support you on your return to study

Interrupting Study can not be for any longer than one year and is for a minimum of one semester. Students studying on Degree Apprenticeship programmes and courses may have different restrictions on study interruption and If this applies to you, please speak to your programme team for more information.

When you return, you will need to re-start any incomplete modules where you have not achieved the assessment outcomes.

made the wrong Programme or Course choice?

[Section D3]

It is important that you feel you are able to fully commit to your studies so if you feel that your current programme or course is not for you there are options for you.

It is important that you take advice from your Personal Academic Tutor as soon as possible and before requesting a Programme Transfer. If you still feel that the programme or course is not right for you, you may be able to change it.

We will do all we can to help you do this within the first three weeks of teaching. There may be some restrictions or requirements that the programme or course you wish to change to have in place and the Programme Leader will be able to advise you.

It is not expected that you will be permitted to change after this period.

If you wish to change our programme or course after completion of a full year of study you may be permitted to do this, however, you may be required to commence the same level of study on your new programme due to accrediting body requirements or restrictions and in order to give you the best opportunity to succeed on your new programme or course.

This may affect access to your funding and you should seek advice and guidance form the Students and Money team.

What if the University thinks I am not suitable to study on a professional course?

We expect all of our students to be professional at all times no matter what programme or course they are studying.

Some programmes and courses have specific a specific Code of Conduct or a set of Professional Standards that enrolled students must adhere to. You will be advised of these either as part of the application process or as part of your Welcome and Induction to the programme or course.

If you don’t meet this expectation, we may look into whether you are suitable for the programme or course. This may be because of concerns about your behaviour or health issues and we call this Fitness to Practise.

Completing my Programme or Course

How is my Programme or Course award determined?

[Section F] You need to achieve all of the credits for your course or programme in order for the University to determine successful completion and grant you your Award

Each type of programme or course has a different way of calculating the Award depending on the level of study for the qualification, whether an Undergraduate or Postgraduate award or if there are specific requirements as directed by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB) in order to meet accreditation

Full details of how Awards and Exit Awards are calculated can be found in Appendices 2, 3 and 4 of the Academic Regulations

Raising Borderline Classifications

[Section F3]

The University will raise your classification if your overall average degree outcome grade is within 1% of the higher classification. For undergraduate courses this is 49%, 59% or 69%. For postgraduate courses this is 59% or 69%. And

You have achieved 60 credits at the higher classification in your final level or stage of study and have not had Compensation (See Assessment

Regulations below).applied to any module grades contributing to the overall degree outcome.

Not being able to complete my Programme or Award

What if I can’t complete in time?

[Section G]

We expect you to complete your course on time whether you are a full time or part time student within your maximum Period of Registration. Taking longer to complete your course may cost you more and delay your ambitions.

Whether you are a full-time student or a part-time student, the University can give you one more year to complete your course, for example if you have repeated a year. This will take you to your maximum Period of Registration time. Interrupting Studies pauses your Period of Registration for up to a maximum of one year.

We know that sometimes exceptional circumstances can mean you are unable to complete within your maximum Period of Registration and the University Award Board can exceptionally offer you a further year in study.

What happens if I don’t get enough credit for my award?

[Section F1]

What if I can’t complete at all?

[Section 6.3 and F]

We hope that with our support you will be able to achieve your intended award. However, if you don’t achieve all of the credit you need for your award, and have exhausted your resit, Trail Credit and Repeat Study opportunities, you may be entitled to an Exit Award, providing you have met the required Learning Outcomes.

If you are not entitled to an exit award you will receive official documentation, namely a Transcript, recognising the credit you have achieved.

You might be withdrawn or choose to withdraw from your studies. For example, because you have failed academically or because you haven’t engaged on your course.

If you are withdrawn by the University you won't be able to re-apply to study with us within 12 months of your date of withdrawal. This is to make sure that you have time to resolve the circumstances that led to your withdrawal. The University will want to see evidence of this before considering re admission to a University programme or course.

You should talk to your Personal Academic Tutor or Student Support & Success to seek advice and guidance before deciding to withdraw or if you feel you are at risk of withdrawal.

In some exceptional circumstances the University may wish to confer an award where it has not been possible, through no fault or beyond the scope of control, for a student to successfully complete their studies:

Aegrotat Award

If you are unable to complete your course, due to medical or exceptional circumstances, the University Award Board will award you an unclassified Aegrotat award based on your achievement. Some Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body accredited programmes and courses restrict the conferment of Aegrotat Awards and you should speak to your Programme Leader for clarification.

Posthumous Award

The University Award Board will consider recommendations from Progression and Award Boards for posthumous awards which may be classified and will be based on the student’s academic profile and circumstances.

Assessment Regulations

What are the Assessment Regulations?

The Assessment Regulations are the rules and requirements that govern the modes, mechanisms and methods of how we assess students to confirm Learning Outcomes within programmes and courses have been met.

My Programme and Course Assessments

What are the purpose of my assessments?

Assessments are the main way for you to demonstrate to us that learning has occurred within the most appropriate manner for your programme or course.

Your assessment outcomes also demonstrate, where applicable, to other higher education providers, professional bodies and your future employers that the programmes and courses for which you are studying are of a high quality and standard and that your work is fairly assessed and graded.

What is an assessment?

[Sections B1 and C]

Why do I need to do to complete an assessment?

Assessments allow you to demonstrate that you have met the aims of a programme, including Learning Outcomes, that enable us to grant you an award when you successfully complete your studies.

Assessments come in many different formats – it is not just exams and essays. Assessments might take place on campus, whilst you are on a placement or online via blended or distance learning.

All assessments are explained in full within Module Descriptors provided to you alongside assessment guidance and requirements on Canvas (Virtual Learning Environment).

Our assessments need to be of a high standard so that awards that we give match the high quality that we expect of you. If you complete your assessments well you can be assured that you are ready to take on further study challenges or enter the workplace with confidence.

[Sections B5 and B6] If you are studying for an award that is accredited and registered with a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB), we also need to make sure that our assessments meet their standards.

How will the University create assessments?

[Sections B1.4, B2 and B3]

[Appendix 8]

When do assessments take place?

[Sections B1.3 and B2]

The University is committed to an all-inclusive curriculum which supports our diverse student population to have the best opportunities to succeed. All assessments take into account the educational aims and intended Learning Outcomes for a programme or course and what can reasonably be expected of students to complete.

Assessments are purposefully designed to be authentic in that they will, wherever possible, mirror the skills, capabilities and literacies expected of you at each level or stage of study and ultimately align to workplace requirements.

We know that you’ll do your best if you complete your assessments as close to your learning as possible. Assessments can take place at any time during the academic year. There are two groups of assessments:

• Formative assessments are used so that we can give you feedback before your final work. They usually take place while you are still studying on the module and help us to see how you’re doing with what you’ve learned so far. These won’t contribute to your final mark but allow you to have confidence ahead of your formal assessments.

• Summative assessments are your formal assessments which contribute to your final module grade. Programmes and courses are encouraged to adopt incremental assessment strategies and whilst many of these take place at the end of the module, they can also happen during the module too to help spread your workload.

Your Module Descriptors and Programme Specifications and the information provided to you on Canvas will clearly explain which assessments are Formative and Summative and when they will take place.

Who is involved with assessments?

How do I know my work will be fairly marked?

{Section D]

Lots of people are involved in assessing you, both inside and outside the University. You will always be involved in your assessment. If you’re studying on a course with a placement, your placement mentor or supervisor will be involved in the assessment. We also involve external partners and apprenticeship employers when we need to.

When we’ve marked your work, another academic from the course area, and an academic from outside the University might look at your work. This is another way to make sure that work is marked fairly and consistently. A few times during the year, a Progression and Award Board will look at your overall academic profile to check on your progress and make a decision on what you will need to do next. For more information on these, please see the Progression and Award Boards section below.

The University has a series of robust procedures to make sure that your work is marked fairly. Wherever possible we will ask for your work to be submitted without your name on, so that it can be anonymously marked. We also ask other academics from the programme or course area, and academics from outside the University (External Examiners), to check marks to ensure that they are fair and accurate. We call this moderation You can find more detail in the “How will my work be marked?” section below.

Your tutors will give you support throughout your studies to help you to understand what we expect of you. This includes what you will need to

How will I be supported in my assessments?

[Sections B14 and B15]

understand about the topics on the module, and what you will need to do to achieve each mark band.

If you’re new to academic study, or if you just want a refresher, we can support you in lots of areas, like researching, structuring your work, managing your time, and showing you how to reference your work. Your tutors can help with this, and you can also access lots of support through our Academic Skills resources and you can find more information here.

We want to support you to achieve the best that you can. Our Student Wellbeing team can help if you have a medical condition (including learning differences or mental health needs). They may be able to put support in place for you so that you can achieve your best, while still making sure that the assessment is robust and meets our standards. You can find out more about these services here.

My assessment responsibilities

Assessment First Time on Time

[Sections B9 to B13]

What do I need to do for my assessments?

If you want to be the best you can, and kick-start your career at the earliest opportunity, you need to complete your course on time. This means succeeding in your assessment.

To get better marks and improve your final award you need to aim to submit and pass all work on time, first time, by the deadlines set.

You will be expected to engage with all of your assessments, as they are the most important way that we can see how you are progressing through your course. If you don’t engage with your assessments, you won’t be able to progress through your course, and the marks that you can receive may be reduced.

We know that students are more likely to succeed if they complete their work on schedule. You will need to use good time management and planning so that you can meet deadlines. Being able to do this makes you work-ready.

You are responsible for your own learning, so you need to tell us as soon as you can if you don’t understand something, or if you are unsure about something that you’ve learned If you have queries about the assessment, talk to your module tutor so that they can help you to better understand it.

You are expected to study and complete assessments honestly and need to make sure that the work that you submit to us is your own. You need to show us where you have sourced all your information from, and make sure that it’s all your own work. This is good academic integrity. This is part of your development and without it, you are cheating yourself out of your own learning journey. Our Academic Integrity Policy makes sure that we only give you a mark if the work is entirely your own (see Academic Integrity section below)

The University expects you to play an active role in your learning, and these expectations are made clear in the Student Charter

Who owns my work?

[Section B16]

You have the intellectual property for anything that you produce for an assessment. However, the actual physical work that you produce is owned by the University. We might need to keep this until your mark has been officially confirmed to you, or longer in the case of an appeal, University audits or as directed by law and any regulatory bodies such as the Office for Students (OfS)

Our assurances for your assessments

How will you mark my work?

[Sections D1, D2 and D3]

[Appendix 6]

The University has a variety of robust processes that make sure that your work is marked fairly, accurately, and appropriately. Once you’ve submitted your assessments, we will look at what you’ve done and see how it measures up against the assessment criteria This will help us to decide how well you have demonstrated what you’ve learned.

Once the first marker has looked at your work, we will use a variety of processes to make sure that the mark you’ve been given is fair and appropriate. Wherever possible we will ensure that your work is marked anonymously, although that might not always be possible with some assessments that involve practical work.

A certain amount of all the work completed for an assessment will be subject to internal moderation before grades are confirmed at a Progression and Award Board.

We will also ask an external examiner from another university to look at a selection of the work that has been submitted to us, and they will check to make sure that this sample has been marked fairly and correctly. They will also check all of the marks over the assessment, to make sure that they are spread out, and that there isn’t a pattern of marks being too high or low.

Grades awarded can be Substantive which means that the grade you are given will be the grade recorded on your academic profile. Grades can also be Capped at a basic pass grade of 40% for undergraduate and 50% for postgraduate and confirmed at a Progression and Award Board. See the ‘Your Academic Continuation’ section below.

What about Extended Independent Study modules such as dissertations and final year projects?

[Appendix 6.3]

My

We recognise the effort and the commitment expected of students with respect to their final projects. These may take many different formats and contribute significantly to award calculations.

We ensure robust moderation takes place for all submitted student work which is critically examined by subject external academics known as External Examiners

assessments and my academic progression

How do I know how well I’ve done?

[Section D5]

The marks that you receive will show you how well you are doing. We will also tell you what you’ve done well, and what you could have done better. You will have general feedback throughout your modules and programme or course and we will give you specific feedback on the work that you submit.

This feedback will help you to understand what you should keep doing, and what you need to change or stop doing in the future. Learning from feedback will help you to achieve your best in your future studies and help to get you ready to join the workplace.

We will give you feedback and initial or provisional marks via Canvas (Virtual Learning Environment). This will be no later than 15 working days after your submission for all assessments except final extended study/dissertation modules where grades will be released no later than 20 working days (excluding bank holidays and University closures) after your submission.

Accepting

and Learning from Feedback

[Section D5]

You will then receive notification of your formal grades after they have been presented and confirmed at a Progression and Award Board after full moderation and ratification confirmation) of your grades has occurred.

Your programme or course is of a higher education standard and it’s not meant to be easy. We will be giving you feedback on how to improve. This may seem challenging, but it is what you need to grow and improve.

It’s important that you read and listen to the feedback that your tutors give you. You will need to take the feedback on board and make changes for your next assessments. If you do this, it will help you to understand what you can do to improve and get higher marks in your next assessments.

Feedback will come in different forms and from different people, including your peers. You may receive verbal feedback in day to day classes, as well as written feedback. It is up to you to take this feedback and learn from it. If you don’t understand what is being said, you should talk to your Module Leader

Passing a module

[Section E1 and Appendix 7]

What happens next?

[Section E]

Where do I access my results?

[Section D4]

We recognise that stepping up to your higher education course may be difficult.

To succeed you must plan to attempt all module assessments, on time, aiming to pass first time. To pass the module you must achieve an overall mark of 40% on undergraduate and 50% on postgraduate modules.

This means that you don’t have to pass all assessment tasks, but you must attempt all of them. You may still pass on aggregate, meaning a failed element can be combined with a passed element to calculate an overall module pass depending on how each assessment element is weighted as described in the Module Descriptor

For some programmes and courses, modules are recorded as pass or fail and you will not get a numerical mark.

Other programmes or courses are subject to rules set by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB) as part of their accreditation and these are run using their rules, rather than the standard University ones above. You will be told if this applies to you.

As you continue through your course, we will formally review your progress at regular intervals known as Progression and Award Boards (PABs) where your grades and achievement are confirmed. We will also consider your engagement with assessment opportunities throughout each year.

If you haven’t been able to pass an assessment or module, a PAB will decide if you need to redo your assessment, normally called a resit or deferral. Your Faculty will determine when the resit or deferral opportunity will be and normally ahead of the next scheduled PABs so that you can continue to the next level or stage of study on time or be given your final award or exit award.

Before your marks have been confirmed, your tutor will let you know your provisional marks via Canvas Once your marks have been confirmed by a PAB, you will be able to view these through My Record on your HEAR Record (Higher Education Achievement Record).

We will normally make results profiles available for all students in a cohort at the same time. If we can’t, we will let you know as soon as we can. We will also notify you that your confirmed results are ready in an email to your student email account.

What do the letters on my results profile or transcript mean?

[Appendix 2.3]

When you are looking at your results profile, final transcript or Higher Education Achievement Record (HEAR), you might see some letters next to your grades. These are just there to give some more information about the mark.

There will be a guide to these letter codes on the transcript.

When things do not go to plan

What happens if you can’t complete your assessment on time?

[Sections B10, B12 and B13]

If you feel that you can’t submit your assessment on time, you should speak to your Module Leader or Personal Academic Tutor who will advise and guide you as to how you can achieve an on time submission

In circumstances where you could not have planned for what has happened, you may be able to apply for Exceptional Circumstances to be taken into account. Click here for more information and see the Exceptional Circumstances section below.

If you have no Exceptional Circumstances and you do not submit then you will fail the assessment. If you submit within 5 working days of the hand-in deadline we will mark your work as late, meaning the maximum mark you can achieve for that element of assessment is the minimum basic pass mark and this will count as your first attempt.

What if I fail my first submission of an assessment task?

[Sections B12 and B13]

If you did not attempt your assessment or did not achieve an aggregated pass mark for the module, you will be given an automatic opportunity to resit the assessment.

Your Faculty will determine the deadline to submit a new assessment task, sit an examination or attend a practical assessment in order to complete the module. This is called a resit. If you pass, you will be given a basic pass mark for your second attempt.

In exceptional circumstances a PAB may grant an exceptional third attempt at an assessment where it is clear you have engaged and attempted at the first and/or second attempt assessment opportunity.

What if I fail a module? You will only be considered to have failed a module, if you have not passed following your first and/or second (re-sit) assessment opportunities

If you are studying on an undergraduate programme or course and you have narrowly missed passing the module (30%-39%) and you have passed all your other modules, the PAB may offer you Compensation. Please see section below: “What is Compensation?”

If you are studying on a postgraduate taught programme or course and you have narrowly missed passing the module (40%-49%) and you have passed all your other modules, the PAB may offer you Compensation Please see section below: “What is Compensation?”.

If the PAB can’t offer you Compensation, it will consider whether you can study the failed module(s) again either as Trail Credit or Repeat Study (please see the Academic Regulations section above),

I’m on a professional course. What if

Some professional programmes and courses require you to pass everything and you will be unable to continue to the next stage or receive your award unless you have passed all elements

I don’t pass everything?

What is Compensation?

[Section E5]

For this reason, it is not possible to give you Compensation. For courses leading to a registration with a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body, we are unable to offer an Aegrotat award (please see the Academic Regulations above). Please see your Programme or Course information for further guidance.

We want to be able to support you to continue to your next level and stage of study wherever possible. Where it is clear that you have achieved the Learning Outcomes of your level or stage of study but have narrowly failed a single module, up to 30 credits, then the PAB can approve Compensation for the module.

The narrow fail threshold for undergraduate study is between 30-39% and for postgraduate study is 40-49%.

Compensation cannot be applied where a single failed assessment grade upon aggregation with another assessment for the module would lead to a pass grade or where there are restrictions dictated by PSRB regulations or where breaches in Academic Integrity (see section below) have been proven.

All compensated module grades will be identified on your transcript and the maximum grade given would be the basic pass grade of 40% for undergraduate assessments and 50% for postgraduate assessments.

What if I think my grades are wrong?

[Appendix 6.2]

We have these Assessment Regulations in place so that we can make sure your work is marked fairly and in line with our expectations. If you have evidence to show that these processes haven’t been followed, and that this has affected the mark that you have been given, there is a University process for students to raise a concern as an academic appeal.

You will only be able to appeal once your marks have been officially confirmed to you following consideration by Progression and Award Board You can find more information in the Appeals Regulations and the section below.

When your work is marked by an academic, they will use their knowledge and expertise. This is called academic authority and judgement. The University does not allow students to appeal because, in their opinion, this judgement is wrong.

Your Academic Continuation

Assessment on time?

1st attempt submitted on time

1st attempt not submitted on time but within 5 working days of initial deadline

1st attempt submitted after 5 working days of initial deadline but by deadline set for 2nd attempt

Assessment passed?

If passed, substantive mark awarded

Capped at 40% (L3 - 6) 50% (L7) unless approved extension in place then uncapped

Assessment failed?

If failed, may submit a 2nd attempt by set deadline

If failed, may submit a 2nd attempt by set deadline,

Second attempt passed or failed?

2nd attempt capped at 40% (L3 - 6) 50% (L7) unless valid ECs in place then uncapped

Automatic fail recorded for first attempt (0% awarded)

Work not submitted at all or work submitted after deadline set for 2nd attempt

Work accepted and marked as 2nd attempt

Exceptional third attempt permitted?

Yes, if ECs in place or attempt and fail at 1st and 2nd attemptin year or Trail Credit

2nd attempt capped at 40% (L3 - 6) 50% (L7) unless valid ECs in place then uncapped

No further inyear attempts permitted if work failsTrail Credit/Repeat Study will apply

Automatic fail recorded for first and second attempts (0% awarded for nonsubmissions; 1% awarded for submitted work)

No further in-year attempts permittedRepeat Study will apply

Academic Integrity Procedures

What is Academic Integrity?

All students and staff at the University have collective responsibility, as a community of learning, to maintain and promote a culture and practice of ethical behaviour in scholarship.

We all acknowledge the importance of creating a fair and equal assessment culture where all scholarship is assessed on its own merit.

Our processes exist to uphold principles that benefit all students by ensuring that allegations of unfair practice, cheating, plagiarism and other incidences of academic misconduct are investigated and, where proven, sanctioned appropriately.

Academic Integrity Values

What is good academic integrity?

{Section 2]

Why is it important?

[Section 2.1]

At Winchester you will complete assessments so we can have confidence that your understanding of what you have learnt is reflected in the high standard of the work you produce.

If you complete your assessments well, it helps us to make sure that you are ready to enter the workplace or further study.

We will make sure that academic research and assessments are carried out fairly. You are expected to study and complete assessments honestly. This means that;

• Your work is your own;

• You have acknowledged every source of information you have used;

• Your research has been done ethically.

If you do this, you will demonstrate that you have good academic integrity

We want you to be proud of your honest achievements where you have been judged fairly and on an equal playing field with your academic peers.

Any form of cheating or gaining an unfair advantage diminishes yours and others’ achievement and poses a threat to academic standards and the value of our awards. This is important for all of our community.

Good academic integrity is important for you too. It is part of your development and without it, you are compromising yourself and negatively impacting your own learning journey.

We take breaches in academic integrity seriously and in some cases academic misconduct can lead to referral to other processes such as the Student Conduct Procedure, where appropriate.

What help is there to help me study with good academic integrity?

We understand that you may be adjusting to a new way of learning and that everyone may have studied in different ways, at different levels and within different learning cultures.

We will expect you to develop academic integrity skills as you progress through your programme or course and we will not expect perfect academic integrity from day one and will assess any breaches accordingly (see below).

What is poor academic integrity?

[Section 3]

We know that you may need support and that you ‘don’t know what you don’t know’ and so we will always ‘look for the good’ in your work and are not trying to catch you out.

We will provide academic skills support so you to understand what good academic integrity is expected from you at the outset of your programme or course by embedding it in your learning and development. The Academic Skills Team, alongside your tutors, are also here to help if you need refresher support.

We want you to do the best you can.

Poor academic integrity is called academic misconduct. This is described as:

Any action which could give you, or someone else, an unfair advantage in an assessment, including examinations by giving or receiving of aid in circumstances in which a reasonable person should have known such aid was not permitted.

There are different types of academic integrity breaches:

• Plagiarism: using someone else’s work and passing off as your own without acknowledgement;

• Self-plagiarism: reusing your own work without permission or acknowledgement;

• Cheating: obtaining an unfair advantage by being deceitful or fraudulent;

• Collusion: working with another student without authorisation to create work that should be individual in nature;

• Contract cheating: sometimes referred to as ‘ghosting’, where you commission (pay) someone else to produce work for you or you use technology (artificial intelligence) to produce work for you that you pass off as your own;

• Falsification: knowingly presenting fictitious or distorted material to meet assessment requirements;

• Unethical conduct: breaching known and approved ethical standards as defined in the University Research Ethics Policy

• Personation: sometimes referred to as impersonation, attempting to gain an unfair advantage by taking on the persona of another or by allowing someone to take on your persona;

• Examination misconduct; any attempt to gain an unfair advantage within a written or practical exam by breaching the assessment requirements.

What is poor academic practice?

[Section 4]

Poor academic practice is not a breach of academic integrity

Poor academic practice happens when you have used too much of other’s work in your assessment, even when you have acknowledged, and we can’t tell how much you’ve learned for yourself. Alternatively, it may be that you haven’t understood how to reference your work properly, but there is no evidence that you have tried to gain an unfair advantage in your assessment.

If we feel that your work contains poor academic practice, we will discuss this with you and advise you on how you can improve. This may include a referral for Additional Academic Learning and your programme or course teams and Personal Academic Tutor will talk this through with you.

Continuous examples of poor academic practice may escalate into academic misconduct as we expect you to receive and understand

How does academic integrity relate to other policies and procedures?

feedback and then apply to your academic development and improve on your academic integrity.

If you are enrolled and registered on a programme or course with professional requirements (PSRB) or Fitness to Practise requirements, and we find that academic misconduct has happened, we may refer your case to the member of the Faculty Management Team with responsibility for Fitness to Practise. They will decide if we need to refer to the Fitness to Practice Procedures.

The academic conduct process overrides the Exceptional Circumstances & Self-Certification Policy. This means that using the Exceptional Circumstances or Self-Certification processes does not stop us from investigating and penalising any academic integrity breaches in your work.

If there is evidence that your conduct would also be a breach of discipline, for example if you are found to have intimidated someone, we will also refer your case for consideration under the Student Conduct Policy. (See section below)

Ensuring your Academic Integrity

What happens when things don’t go to plan?

We understand that going through an academic integrity investigation will be difficult and worrying for you.

We will treat you in a sensitive and non-judgmental way, handle your case confidentially and provide you with any support you may need.

The only people who will know about your case will be those involved in providing us with evidence or making a decision.

We will share with you all the information we are using to reach a decision and give you every opportunity to tell us your side.

Investigating poor Academic Integrity

What happens if I am alleged to have committed academic misconduct?

[Section 5]

What happens during the investigation?

A marking tutor or examination invigilator will produce a written report that will be sent to the Associate Dean of your Faculty.

An Academic Integrity Officer, normally from another department, will then conduct an investigation and assess any and all evidence that has been provided by the marking tutor or examination invigilator.

The allegations may dismissed as there is no case to answer or there will be a need for further investigation steps to be carried out after the initial investigation is completed. We will keep you informed at every step.

[Sections 5.3 and 5.4] It may be that there is clear evidence to support the allegations and you will be notified of the appropriate sanctions that will be imposed on you (see below).

You will be given the opportunity to accept or deny the allegations and given an opportunity to prove why they may be false and this could include you having to attend a Viva Voce (see below).

It may be that there is a need to convene an Academic Integrity Panel and we will explain exactly what this entails to ensure you are supported throughout.

What is a Viva Voce?

[Section 5.3.4]

If at any point during these proceedings, we have concerns that the work you have submitted is not your own, we may ask you to attend a further meeting with at least two members of academic staff to demonstrate that your work is your own and to answer more detailed questions.

This is called a Viva Voce and is outside of your normal assessment, this means that it will not contribute towards your mark, but it will help us to decide if your work is your own. A recommendation from the Viva Voce meeting will inform our decision on your academic integrity

Determining a breach of academic integrity

How will you decide if I have breached academic integrity rules?

How will you decide on a sanction?

[Section 5.6]

We will decide if academic misconduct has or has not occurred.

We will consider all of the evidence to make a decision based on the balance of probability. This means that we will decide whether the allegation of misconduct is more likely to be true than not.

We will take into account a number of factors when we determine appropriate sanctions and these will include:

• Prior student academic integrity or proven misconduct;

• The severity and impact of the academic integrity breach;

• The level of study and reasonably expected level of academic skill and integrity

Sanctions may include the following:

• Your grades be discounted and you are required to retake the assessment or assessments where your grades will be capped;

• Restart stage of postgraduate research where applicable;

• Your grades be discounted and you are required to repeat study of a module or modules in the subsequent academic year;

• Have your overall degree classification downgraded;

• Have your registration terminated and fail your award with no exit award

Any sanctions will be recorded on your official academic record and will be detailed on your transcripts so we strongly encourage you to avoid risking an allegation of academic integrity breach and seek information, advice or guidance to ensure you maintain good academic integrity

What if I think the decision is wrong?

Am I permitted to appeal the decision?

[Section 6]

If you feel that a decision on your academic integrity is wrong, you can appeal.

You will need to put this in writing, to academic.integrity@winchester.ac.uk with your evidence, within 10 working days (excluding bank holidays and University closures) of the decision.

Your appeal will be considered by the Academic Registrar, or nominee where the Academic Registrar was the original Academic Integrity Panel Chair.

You can appeal on the following grounds:

• That the procedure was not followed properly and this has affected the outcome;

• There is new evidence, not previously available, which would change the outcome or

What if I am not happy with my appeal outcome?

[Section 8]

• That the decision reached was unreasonable in the circumstances of the case.

If your appeal does not meet all the above, we will not consider it and we will write to you explaining the reason why.

If you disagree with the appeal decision, you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) within one year of the decision. You can find out more by clicking here.

Attendance Policy

What is the Attendance Policy?

The Attendance Policy details the expectations the University of Winchester has for all students in relation to their attending and engaging with their studies and assessments.

Some programmes and courses require have additional attendance requirements, or Programme Specific Requirements, and these can be found in your programme information, usually located on the Virtual Learning Environment known as Canvas. Usually these exemptions are directed by a programme’s accrediting body known as Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body or PSRB

From time to time the University Senate, with oversight of the Executive Leadership Team, may need to suspend or alter the Attendance Policy due to unforeseen circumstances that may have a negative impact on students. When situations like this occur then the University will communicate any changes and what they mean to students.

Joining The University

Why is my attendance required?

[Sections 1 and 3]

The University has certain legal duties that obligate it to be able to monitor and report on students’ attendance and engagement This includes informing funding bodies such as the Student Loans Company (SLC) or confirming attendance to UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) for overseas students for example. There may also be programme and course minimum attendance requirements as part of accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB).

It is really important to us that we are able to offer information, advice, guidance and support where students may be struggling or disengaging from their studies.

There are also certain important health and safety reasons why we need to know who is in attendance and who is not to ensure we keep our campuses safe for all students, staff and guests.

What is expected of me?

[Section 4]

Why is my attendance important?

You are expected to fully engage with your studies and this includes being present for all your scheduled teaching sessions. This means that you are expected to attend anything that appears on your timetable

We may also require you to attend meetings relating to your programme or course such as those with your Personal Academic Tutor, Skills Coach or Research Supervisor

In additional to attending, you are required to actively participate where expected within scheduled sessions in order to best prepare you to meet the Learning Outcomes of your programme or course.

In addition to your attendance, you are, as explained in the Academic Regulations and Assessment Regulations, expected to complete all assessments by the published deadlines. This may include attendance at on campus assessments such as examinations, presentations, practicals etc.

Regular attendance and active participation in teaching and learning activities form a fundamental part of students’ academic journeys and are key to achievement of learning outcomes. Students who attend timetabled teaching sessions and actively engage with teaching and learning activities, whether on campus or online, have the opportunity to achieve better degree outcomes

We seek to support the improvement of the overall student experience by identifying where you may be experiencing difficulties and ensure timely intervention and appropriate support is made available to you in order that you are able to re-engage.

How will you monitor my attendance?

[Section 5]

What happens if my attendance falls below expected standards?

[Section 5]

We will record your attendance at scheduled teaching sessions and other required attendance events.

The University recognises that successful completion of an award will not just be by your attendance but also via your engagement. The University will therefore monitor attendance and engagement with your programme or course of study using the Attendance and Engagement Dashboard, Canvas, submission of work etc.

If you do not attend for two consecutive weeks then your Personal Academic Tutor or Programme Leader will arrange to meet with to discuss your poor attendance and determine if there is any additional support you may need.

If your attendance continues to fall below expected levels then you will be referred to your Dean of Faculty who will work with you on a plan for you to re-engage. It may also be necessary for us to help you under our Support to Study Procedures which can be found here Even if the reasons for absence are wholly valid.

In situations where your absence continues for longer than two consecutive weeks and you are either not able or do not re-engage with your studies then we reserve the right to formally interrupt your studies until such a time when you are able to return.

We may also deem you to have withdrawn from your studies and we will confirm this to you in writing and notify the relevant external agencies (Student Loans Company, Local Authority and, where relevant, UK Visa and Immigration).

What do I do if I cannot attend for a legitimate reason?

[Section 6]

What if I feel my absence has been unfairly assessed?

[Section 7]

The University recognises that there may be times when students are unable to meet the attendance requirements of their programme. We call this authorised absence and it is really important that you inform you’re your tutors if you are not going to be able to attend their scheduled teaching sessions or other required events and meetings

Where you may be required to be absent for more than a few days then you will need to discuss this with your Personal Academic Tutor to you’re your absence request approved.

It is your responsibility to catch up on missed teaching and learning. Members of staff are not obligated to re-teach missed material or provide extensions due to authorised absence.

You have the right to appeal any decision made in relation to your absence and this must be done within 10 working days of the absence decision to either your Head of Department or other designated Faculty member of staff.

Exceptional Circumstances & Self-Certification Policy

What are Exceptional Circumstances & Self-Certification?

The Exceptional Circumstances and Self-Certification Policy sets out the mechanisms that students can inform the University when there are circumstances beyond their control that are impacting their studies and what mitigations can be put in place.

Supporting you to succeed

How do I continue with my studies when things don’t go to plan?

Where can I go for support?

We understand that students may experience difficulties at some point in their studies, due to an illness or personal events. However, we know that students who stay on track and complete their programme or course on time, with their original cohort are more likely to succeed.

Being a successful graduate means that you are able to deal with day to day problems and make plans to overcome them. Therefore, good time management and planning are essential to meet deadlines. Being able to do this makes you work ready.

Please talk to someone if you think things aren’t going well and we will work with you to try and sort things out. Just talk to us as soon as you can.

If your difficulties mean that you cannot carry on with your studies for a period of time, you may need specific Support to Study processes put into place or even to interrupt study

If you are experiencing difficulties, in the first instance, please talk to your Personal Academic Tutor, a member of your Faculty Administration Team or Student Support & Success.

We offer a range of support. So please tell us about your problems as early as you can so that we can support you to submit your best work on time.

What if I’ve done everything I can and I’ve still got an issue?

There are other people with whom you can discuss your personal circumstances such as the Student Support and Success Team via studentsupport@winchester.ac.uk or the Winchester Student Union Advice Centre We are all here to help you succeed first time, on time, wherever possible.

You must try your best to complete your work. It is always better to submit first time, on time and we expect you to plan responsibly so that you can do this.

In some exceptional circumstances, we know that you may not be able to overcome your difficulty even though you have talked to those who can offer help. In such cases, an application for exceptional circumstances can be made.

Recognising your exceptional circumstances

What day to day problems are not considered exceptional?

[Section 2.3]

There are every day obstacles that we all regularly have to overcome or manage ourselves so they do not get in the way of our daily lives. Thinking of these as things that would not normally prevent you from doing the things you enjoy or going to work is how we also approach these.

You should be able to deal with most day to day difficulties and work through minor illness or life’s problems. Because this is expected of you in the world of work, we expect it of you during your course.

Below are some of the circumstances we do not consider to be exceptional in relation to meeting assessment deadlines:

• Circumstances arising outside of your assessment period

• Medical issues reasonably beyond the assessment timeframe

• Medical conditions for which you are already receiving additional support

• Minor illness or ailments that would not normally prevent you from going to work

• Routine appointments that could easily be rescheduled

• Transport problems that could reasonably have been avoided or where alternative arrangements could easily have been made

• Holidays or attendance at weddings and other celebratory events

• Moving house or change in employment

• Financial or IT issues

• Claiming that you were unaware of assessment dates and requirements

• Complaints against the University about delivery of the programme or course

• Religious observances where alternative arrangements have been provisioned for

This is not an exhaustive list and the exceptional circumstances review process will take a balanced and reasonable approach to all applications supported by evidence (see below).

What then are Exceptional Circumstances?

[Section 2.2]

Exceptional circumstances are circumstances outside of your control which prevent you from sitting or submitting an assessment by the specified deadline or to the customary standard of achievement In the same way as problems that would mean you could not attend work or take part in other day to day activities.

Here are some examples of difficulties that you may not be able to overcome or may severely impact on your performance:

• Bereavement

• Accident or acute unforeseen illness that would normally lead you to miss work

• Representation at national or international event that could not be foreseen

• Victim of a crime or non-criminal event being investigated as part of a University procedure or recognised external authority (e.g. the Police)

• Worsening or aggravation of existing medical condition

• Serious adverse personal or family circumstances

• Transport difficulties where alternative arrangements could not be reasonably expected for you to put in place

• Issues relating to software or IT hardware for equipment put in place to support your learning

This is not an exhaustive list and the exceptional circumstances review process will take a balanced and reasonable approach to all applications supported by evidence (see below).

Considering your exceptional circumstances

How do I apply to have my Exceptional Circumstances considered?

[Section 3]

What evidence to I need?

[Section 3]

You complete your Exceptional Circumstances application and submit to the Faculty office for review via Canvas (Virtual Learning Environment). It is your responsibility to ensure all the information you wish for us to have to correctly determine if you should have your application approved is correct and submitted.

You will need to provide evidence to support your application so that we can ensure all students’ applications are considered consistently and with the same level of fairness.

Exceptional circumstances applications must be submitted within a 10 working day window (5 working days either side of the scheduled assessment or submission deadline).

Your evidence needs to be independent and from a third party. We cannot accept evidence that may be biased such as from a family member, friend or fellow student.

The third party should be someone in a position of authority whose evidence we are able to deem valid and unbiased. For example, medical professionals, police and local authorities, lawyers etc.

It is really important for you to understand that we do not need to receive more information than we require. You should not, under any circumstances, provide detailed medical reports, including photography, where a letter from your doctor would suffice. You should think of submitting exceptional circumstances in the same way you would notify your employer you are not well enough to come to work – a doctor’s note is enough evidence, your employer does not need your medical file.

If the evidence you provide is deemed not valid or inappropriate, then your exceptional circumstances application may be automatically rejected as part of the review process.

What if I do not feel comfortable disclosing why I have exceptional circumstances?

What happens if I cannot get evidence?

We know that sometimes a situation may be very delicate and that you may not wish to disclose certain information to your Faculty. This is perfectly understandable. However, in order for us to process your application for exceptional circumstances, as a University, we do require you to disclose to us. Consequently, where details of your exceptional circumstances are deemed to have impacted you, our Student Support & Success team, will be able to provide you with a signed pro forma that does not contain the detail of your disclosure but which your Faculty will accept as valid evidence.

We fully understand that sometimes obtaining a letter or other evidence from an authorised third party can be delayed. Therefore, we allow an ample 6 week window for you to obtain and submit your evidence.

It is your responsibility to liaise with your evidence provider and to explain a assure them as to why you need evidence and by when you require it.

We will log your application and subsequently, once the evidence is provided, review and apply any mitigations such as uncapping of grades as deemed appropriate.

What happens next?

[Section 3]

Once submitted, your Faculty will review the application and the evidence you have provided and determine if your exceptional circumstances are valid.

Some applications, with evidence, are what is known as prima facie and this means, upon ‘first glance’, that they can be decided quickly, for example bereavement upon production of a death certificate.

Other applications may require further investigation and we may ask you to provide additional information and subsequently a panel of experts will determine the outcomes for you.

Your Faculty will then advise and guide you on next steps. In all circumstances you should, wherever possible, continue to apply yourself to your assessments so that you maintain your studies.

What will be the outcome?

[Section 4]

What if I am studying on a professional programme or course?

If your exceptional circumstances application is approved then you will be granted either an extension of up to 10 working days for written assignments, or the opportunity to resit the assessment at a later date.

The method you are provided with will be in your best interests in order to keep you on schedule as well as for practical reasons with respect to delivery of assessments, for example examinations or practical assessments. In some situations, an alternative assessment may be offered

All work submitted with an approved extension or resit must be completed by the end of an academic year or stage in order to allow you to continue to the next level or stage of your studies on schedule. All other requirements and restrictions, such as Trail Credit or Repeat Study, apply as normal thereafter – please see Academic Regulations and Assessment Regulations above for more information.

Some accredited programmes and courses have specific Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body requirements and restrictions with respect to exceptional circumstances and what is permitted as an outcome.

It may be the case that you are not able to continue on your programme or course until the exceptional circumstance impact is resolved, for instance you might need to have recovered from an illness before resuming practice

What if I am studying on a Degree Apprenticeship?

based learning. Consequently, there may be a requirement to undertake a Fitness to Practice review to ensure you have the most appropriate support in place – more information can be found here

You will find more information in your programme and course information and your programme team will also be able to advise and guide you.

The exceptional circumstances procedures apply to all Degree Apprentices studying at the University.

If you are unwell, or have experienced anything else that may impact your work or study, it is important that you keep your employer and your Faculty informed.

Degree Apprenticeship learners are required to be in work throughout their programme or course and the University may need to inform your employer if you are not progressing through your degree apprenticeship as expected.

What happens if I am unable to submit an exceptional circumstances application on time?

[Section 6]

What happens if my exceptional circumstances do not resolve?

[Section 3.1]

Where you are unable to engage with the University at the time that you are experiencing the impact of exceptional circumstances you may be given leave to submit an exceptional circumstance appeal at a later date where there is evidence to support that you were not able to submit an application on time.

In these circumstances, any mitigations would need to be able to be put in place for you as early as possible and within the same Academic Year and applications will need to be received no later than 6 weeks after the original exceptional circumstances deadline.

The initial application and notification to the University of exceptional circumstances is known as EC1. The processes above apply where it is expected that the impact of the exceptional circumstances will not extend beyond a reasonable time and that you would be able to get back on track with your studies with some assessment extension9s).

However, there are occasions where the exceptional circumstances may get progressively worse, as in the case of ill health, or may be part of a protracted process such as a court case. In these situations, termed an EC2, additional support may be required and our Student Support & Success teams, along with your Faculty, may offer interventions to assist you in pausing your studies, known as interruption, or put a series of support methods in place to assist you – these are commonly referred to as Support to Study with further information available here.

Self-certification for when things are not going to plan

What does SelfCertification mean?

[Section 10]

When can I SelfCertify?

[Section 12]

Self-certification, similar to an initial 5 working day ‘sick note’ for work, is a mechanism for you to automatically receive a short 5 working day extension, for a single piece of work, by notifying the University of a shortterm impact you are experiencing.

You are able to self-certify for up to twice in any academic year with a limit of once per semester.

You submit your self-certification notification in the same way as an exceptional circumstances application, i.e. via Canvas

What are the limits to SelfCertification?

[Section 12]

Do I have to provide any evidence for SelfCertification?

[Section 13]

You must self-certify before the original assessment deadline and you should follow the exceptional circumstances application route where more than one piece of assessment would be impacted by the short term issues.

You are not permitted to self-certify for certain assessment types such as examinations, group work assignments, presentations, practical assessment and performances as well as extended independent study assessments (dissertations or final year projects). For these, you would need to submit an exceptional circumstances application to be permitted to resit or retake the assessment at a later scheduled date. Additionally, you are also not permitted to self-certify for exceptional third attempt assessments.

Whilst you do not have to provide any documented evidence for selfcertification, we will ask you to indicate on your notification form the reason for your self-certification

This is so that we can signpost you to additional information, advice or guidance that you may find beneficial

We will also use the information you provide to continue to enhance and improve your programme or course.

Appealing against an exceptional circumstances review

What if I don’t agree with the decision?

You can submit an Exceptional Circumstances Appeal and you can find more information below (see Appeals) and here.

Process to follow for Exceptional Circumstances & Self-Certification

Information & Guidance

Speak to your Personal Academic Tutor, Faculty Office or Student Support & Success Advisor to determine which route you should take.

What is it?

What do I have to do?

This is to be used for short-term impacts to your assessments

Complete the online notification form via Canvas

This is for situations, beyond your control, that will have a wider impact on your assessments and for which you can provide corroborating evidence.

Complete the online application form via Canvas

This is where there is a continued impact for your original exceptional circumstances reason(s) and there is a continued detrimental impact on your studies and the ability for you to meet assessment deadlines.

Complete the online application form via Canvas

What Evidence do I need?

What are the limitations?

You do not need to provide evidence but just indicate your reason for self-certification. You need to provide valid and authoritative evidence no later than 6 weeks after the submission of your application You may be required to provide additional evidence from that used to support your original application.

Remedy

Only applicable to some assessments and not others and only permitted once per semester for a maximum of two assessments a year.

There are certain everyday burdens that can be reasonably expected that you are able to manage and these would not be acceptable reasons to approve your application.

If your application is not approved but you meet the extension deadline, your work will be graded and awarded a maximum capped pass grade.

The limitations are the same as those for EC1 applications with respect to evidence.

In some situations we may be required to inform your employer (Degree Apprenticeships) and/or begin a Fitness to Practice review (PSRB programmes or courses).

You will receive an automatic 5 working day extension for your assessment and your grade will not be capped.

If approved after the review of your evidence, You will receive either a 10 working day extension to your assignment or be permitted to undertake a resit at the next available scheduled assessment – both for uncapped grades.

We may be able to offer you further extensions or deferrals. However, we may also advise, guide or require you to undertake an interruption to your studies or undertake a Support to Study Plan.

Self-Certify

Speak to your Personal Academic Tutor, Faculty Office or Student Support & Success Advisor to determine which route you should take

Short term impactssingle assessment

•Up to twice per yearnot all assessment types

•No evidence required

•Reason to be indicated

Extension Granted

•5 Working day extension automatically granted

•No grade capping

•If need further then EC1 required

Short term impactsmultiple assessments

•For any and all assessments

•Evidence required

•Not for everyday obstacles

Loger term impactsmultiple assessments

•For any and all assessments

•May require additional evidence

Potential Extension Granted

•10 Working day extension granted if application approved

•No grade capping if application approved

•Capped grades for rejected application

Potential Deferral or Extension Granted

•Deferral to next scheduled assessment

•May require Support to Study and/or Fitness to Practice

Appeals Regulations

What are Appeals

The Appeals Regulations sets out the processes and requirements for students to appeal against decisions made by Progression and Award Boards or Exceptional Circumstances reviews with respect to assessments, academic attainment, continuation (progression) and completion

Supporting you to succeed

Why do we have an appeals process?

We aim to support you to achieve your potential. We create a learning environment which is supportive and based on real-world expectations. This means we set high standards for you and ourselves.

What is an appeal?

[Sections 1 and 2]

We hope nothing goes wrong, but if it does, we will do all we can to put it right. Please talk to someone if you think things aren’t going according to plan and we will explain what’s happening and work with you to sort things out.

All we ask is that you talk to us as soon as you can. This could be with your Personal Academic Tutor or member of your Programme or Course Team. Alternatively, you can talk to your Student Academic Representative (StAR) from your programme or course who will be happy to raise any issues, on your behalf, at the Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) meeting.

In return, we promise to listen to your views and to be honest with you if we could have done things better. We will always aim to put you back in the position you were in before things went wrong.

If you do need to complain (see section below) or appeal, all we ask is that you tell us in a timely way and provide supporting evidence.

An appeal is when you ask the University to reconsider its decision on your marks, continuation (progression) or completion for your final award.

The University wishes to ensure that appeals are considered with confidence and commands that they are effective, expedited, impartial, fair and accessible for all students.

We are committed to ensuring that you would not be disadvantaged in any way should you feel the need to submit an appeal in good faith.

When can I appeal?

[Section 2.3]

When can I appeal?

[Sections 2.5 and 8.1]

You may only submit an appeal in relation to decisions made at a Progression and Award Board or Postgraduate Student Progress Committee in regards to your continuation (progression), the award you are given or that you have had your registration terminated (withdrawal).

The only reasons you can appeal are:

a) Circumstances that have affected your academic performance where it could not have been reasonably expected for you to engage with the University at the time you experienced the impact (See Exceptional Circumstances section above)

b) If your results have been affected by the University not following its own assessment regulations, policies or procedures If you are a postgraduate research student, this may include the arrangements for your supervision

c) You are able to provide substantial evidence of prejudice or bias on the part of one of your marking tutors or examiners.

We realise that you may have expected a different result for an assessment or module and that you are confused as to why you received a lower grade than you were hoping for. It is important that you consider all feedback and feed forward advice you receive from your tutors and speak with them to understand how your work has been graded before you consider an appeal

There are a number of circumstances in which we will not consider an appeal:

• We cannot change an academic decision because you believe that you should have been given more marks. This is because academics

What am I expected to do?

[Section 3]

What happens after I submit my appeal?

[Section 4 and C]

use their knowledge and expertise to mark your work. Universities do not accept a challenge to academic judgment as a reason to appeal.

• You are expected to understand what is expected of you in relation to your assessments and we expect all students to fully engage with the assessment guidance and information, alongside the University assessment regulations, policies and procedures Therefore not knowing or understanding these is not grounds for an appeal as we would expect you to seek information advice and guidance from your tutors in case you are not certain what you are expected to do.

• We have to make sure that all processes are fair, just and reasonable and are undertaken in a timely manner. Therefore we will not consider any appeal that is submitted more than 12 months after the Progression and Award Board or Postgraduate Student Progress decision

• It is important that you inform us if you feel you have Exceptional Circumstances which are impacting your ability to successfully complete an assessment or attend an examination on time. There are occasions where we will consider these circumstances after the fact but there is a reasonable expectation that if it is deemed you would have been able to engage with either Student Support & Success or provide evidence for Exceptional Circumstances at the time of your assessments (see Exceptional Circumstances section above) then you should have done so and we would reject these grounds for appeal.

You must submit your appeal via the University’s Online Academic Appeal Form within 10 working days of receipt of your Progression and Award Board or Postgraduate Student Progress decision.

We can only consider appeals if you provide evidence and this should be submitted at the same time as your appeal form.

It is important that you seek information, advice and guidance and we encourage you to speak with your Personal Academic Tutor and also engage with the Student Union Advice Centre.

The Student Casework Team, Academic Registrar, or their nominee, will assess the reason for your appeal meets justification requirements for an appeal and whether your evidence supports this.

An Academic Appeal Panel may need to be convened to consider your appeal and this will be done by the Investigating Officer for your appeal.

Your appeal may be rejected, partially upheld or upheld and the Student Casework Team will liaise with your Faculty to determine what resolutions are available for you.

You will have been asked what resolution you are seeking and this will also be considered to be appropriate or not. It may be that your appeal is justified but that your requested resolution is not.

Any resolution must be just, fair and reasonable and not provide you with an unfair advantage over other students, be deemed to go beyond the impact you have suffered or be a risk to maintenance of academic standards and quality assurance for your programme or course.

There are some resolutions that are not available for all students who may be studying on an accredited programme under the restrictions laid out by

What if I disagree with the appeal decision?

[Section 6]

Why might I request an appeal review?

[Section 5]

a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB) and you will be advised of this and can find further information from your Programme Leader and your programme documentation.

If you disagree with the decision we have reached on the eligibility or outcome of your appeal you can request that the decision is reviewed.

How will my appeal review be considered?

[Section 5.4]

What if I disagree with the appeal review outcome?

[Section 9]

A review is not a reconsideration of your appeal. A review is to check that procedure has been followed and that a reasonable outcome has been reached.

An appeal review is not a ‘second opinion’ and you would be required to submit additional evidence that was not reasonably available at the time of your original appeal.

The only reasons you can request a review are where this evidence:

a) Enables one or more of the acceptable review criteria to be met or

b) That there was procedural irregularities or policy mistakes in the handling of your original appeal.

Your appeal review will be considered by a senior academic manager, Pro Vice-Chancelor (Faculties) or Head of the Doctoral School who were not involved in your original appeal determination.

If your appeal review is upheld, then resolutions will be considered as they would be for an original appeal

If you disagree with the appeal review decision, you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) within one year of the decision. You can find out more by clicking here

You will need to submit your complaint to the OIA no longer than 12 month after you have received your Completion of Procedures Letter from the University and the OIA will only consider complaints that:

• Do not relate to matters of academic performance;

• Where the matter has not been or is the subject of court proceedings;

• Do not concern matters relating to student employment by the University or

• Relate to matters connected to a Higher Education Institution, i.e. not a third party.

Student Complaints Policy

What are Student Complaints?

The Student Complaints Policy sets out the processes and requirements for students to inform the University about something that they are dissatisfied with when

something has or hasn’t been done or where the standards of service have fallen below that which would be reasonably expected or promised.

Having your complaint considered

Why do we have an complaints process?

[Section 1]

When should I complain instead of appeal?

While complaints and appeals are two different processes, you can expect that we will manage them in the same way.

Complaints are managed by the Student Casework Team who will ensure that someone outside of your course will consider your circumstances, making sure decisions are independent and fair and avoid any conflicts of interest. We understand that it may be difficult to talk about your personal circumstances. However, the only people we will share your complaint or appeal with are those considering your case.

We will ensure that you are not disadvantaged or suffer any recrimination or reprisal for submitting a complaint where you have done so in good faith and with supporting evidence.

We will treat your complaint independently of your other work and you will not be disadvantaged. For this reason, we don’t normally advise you to make an anonymous complaint. However, if there are exceptional circumstances, we will consider this.

We set deadlines in our procedures, for ourselves and for you. Every reasonable effort will be made to deal promptly and efficiently with your complaint and to investigate them thoroughly and objectively.

If we can’t meet one of our deadlines for good reason, we will always let you know the reason why. We expect you to meet your deadlines too, you must let us know if there is good reason why you can’t.

All complaints will be treated seriously and it is always our intention to resolve your complaint and not to apportion blame. We expect you to be respectful and honest when you make a complaint and we will treat you in the same way.

Repeatedly making the same complaint or knowingly making a complaint or which is without merit, or is malicious, is not acceptable. Nor is using rude or abusive language.

A complaint is when you believe that you have been unfairly treated or a service has not been provided. An appeal is against a decision made in relation to a Progression and Award Board or Postgraduate Student Progress decision (see Appeals Policy section above).

If we find that we have let you down, we will look to find the best solution to put things right.

Examples of why you might complain are where you have evidence to support that:

• Your programme or course has not been or is not being delivered as published.

• The learning resources or facilities on your programme or course do not meet the requirements of your programme or course.

• A service provided by the University or on behalf of the University has been poor.

• That you have been treated unfairly by the University.

• You have witnessed an incident or have been subject to another individual’s poor behaviour.

Who can complain and when?

[Section 2]

What support is available for me?

[Section 7]

What is the difference between an early resolution and a formal complaint?

[Sections 8 and 9]

• The teaching or administration on your programme or course does not meet the required standards

If you are studying on a University programme or course, or have studied on a programme or course in the last 12 months, you can use the Student Complaint procedures.

We will always work directly with students to resolve any concerns and for this reason we will not accept complaints from parents or family members under this policy. Where there are circumstances that support a complaint being considered by a third party, such as where a you have provided written authority to help you manage your complaint, then these will be considered by the Academic Registrar.

You can submit a complaint as an individual or as part of a group complaint. However, as we encourage early resolutions, we would encourage general issues to be raised, wherever possible, with the Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC).

You should make a complaint within 20 days (excluding bank holidays and University closures) of the circumstances you are complaining about. This is because the sooner we know what has happened, the sooner we can work it through with you, and the outcome is likely to be better for you.

You may seek independent and impartial advice and guidance in preparing a complaint from the Winchester Student Union Advice Centre. Other sources of advice and support include Student Support and Success Advisors, Personal Academic Tutors and academic tutors.

You are entitled to be accompanied at any meetings by a member of the University. This would usually be a member of staff, another student or a representative from the Students Union.

You are responsible for making any such arrangements and should provide details of any such companion in advance to the member of staff who has arranged the meeting. It is expected that any person attending with you will be there only to support you, not to present the case on your behalf.

Solving an issue quickly and to your satisfaction is always the best option. We may suggest mediation between yourself and someone who has responsibility for the issues for which you are complaining about. This is not compulsory but may provide you with a swifter outcome compared to a formal process.

We find that the majority of concerns can be resolved informally at an early stage and reduces the burden on you to provide evidence and allows us to mitigate the impact of the concern for you in a timely manner. This process is known as Early Resolution, or Stage 1, and we will let you know the outcome within 15 working days.

Where Early Resolution is either not appropriate or the nature of your complaint is deemed to require a formal investigation due to the seriousness or potential ongoing impact on others, then a Stage 2 Formal Complaint investigation will commence where we will confirm the outcomes within 20 working days.

How can I make a complaint?

[Section 10]

In the first instance you should approach the member of staff concerned who either has knowledge of the issues or who is connected with the issues themselves. This is the responsible way to approach issues to seek a resolution and we would expect you to attempt to de-escalate where you feel able. You can seek advice and guidance on this from the Winchester

What can I expect to happen?

[Section 10]

Student Union Advice Centre, Student Support and Success Advisors or your Personal Academic Tutor.

To submit a Formal Complaint you will need to use the University online Complaints form where a casefile will be opened and you will be contacted to acknowledge your complaint submission and to provide any additional evidence or answer any questions by the Student Casework Team who will then appoint an Investigating Officer depending on the nature of your complaint.

We will ask the Investigating Officer to look into your concerns and in the interests of transparency, fairness and integrity, the investigation will be conducted through a process of open correspondence, unless there are significant reasons for any information or communications to remain confidential.

You and those complained about are entitled to see all the evidence and have the opportunity to comment, subject to data protection law and policy.

The Investigating Officer will normally meet with you to discuss your complaint and you will be expected to evidence your complaint. They may also need to speak to others to enable them to reach a conclusion.

At the end of their investigations, they will complete a report which will be returned to a senior manager within the Faculty or Service that the complaint relates to. A formal decision letter and a copy of the report will be sent to you. We will normally aim to complete the formal complaints process within 20 working days of you providing all information about your complaint to us excluding bank holidays and University closures.

What are the possible outcomes of my complaint?

[Section 12]

Whether dealt with by Stage 1 Early Resolution, Stage 2 Formal Complaint investigation or by Stage 3 Complaint Review (see below) some possible outcomes include:

a) Your complaint is upheld in whole or part

b) Your complaint is dismissed in whole or in part

c) your complaint is dismissed and, if judged to be trivial, frivolous, vexatious, based on fraudulent or false evidence or motivated by malice, action against you may be taken

d) The matter is referred for consideration under another University policy or procedure. If the matter is referred to the Staff or Student Disciplinary Procedures, data protection legislation may prevent the University from disclosing the outcome or details of that process.

e) The matter is referred to an external agency (e.g. the Police, Department of Health)

f) Any combination of the above

There is not a prescribed list of resolutions for every type of complaint as these would be individual to you as the complainant or group of complainants (Reporting Parties). We will ensure that mitigations, where appropriate, are practicable and reasonable to reduce the burden of concern.

Irrespective of the informal or informal outcomes, we will always endeavour to take the lessons learned to improve the student experience and your contributions to this commitment are fully appreciated.

What if I disagree with the complaint decision?

Can I request a review?

[Section 11]

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a Stage 2 Fornal Complaint investigation then you may request for a Sage 3 Complaint Review to be undertaken.

There are only certain grounds under which we will consider a Stage 3 Complaint Review:

a) There has been a procedural irregularity in the way the decision was reached

b) There is new evidence that, for valid reasons, was not available during the consideration of the complaint and that would materially affect the outcome

c) The decision was not reasonable given the circumstances of the case

What can I expect to happen?

[Section 11]

What if I still disagree with the outcome?

[Section 14]

If we accept your request for a review, we will appoint a Reviewing Officer who will be a senior person, normally a member of the University Leadership Team, the Head of Complaints & Casework or the Academic Registrar

The Reviewing Officer will assess whether you have met the grounds for review. If you have, we will look at how this affects the outcome of your complaint. This does not always mean that we will carry out a full reconsideration of the facts of the complaint, but we will review any new information you have provided to see if this would change our decision.

At the end of the review, the Reviewing Officer’s findings and a decision letter will be sent to you. We will normally aim to complete the complaints review process within 20 working days of you providing all information about your review to us, excluding bank holidays and University closures. Where applicable, this will be a Completion of Procedures letter.

If you disagree with the decision on your complaint review, you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) within one year of the decision. You can find out more by clicking here

Students on Degree Apprenticeship programmes may also have the option to complain to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in circumstances where the complaint is not eligible for review at OIA. Apprentices can access details of the ESFA’s procedures here

The ESFA helpdesk can be contacted directly using 08000 150400 or email nationalhelpdesk@apprenticeships.gov.uk

Student Complaints Process

Stage 1: Early Resolution

Concern Raised with member of staff and Stage 1Early Resolution received

You are satisifed with the response

Complaint resolved and matter closed

Stage 2:Formal Complaint

You are not satisfied with the response

Submit a Stage 2 Formal Complaint

Complaint acknowledged by Stuent Caseowrk Team

Investigation concluded and Outcome letter sent

If all information received: Investigating Officer appointed and investigation progresses

Additional information requested if required before Investigating Officer appointed

You are statisfied with the outcome and complaint closed

You are not satisfied with the outcome and request a Stage 3 Complaint Review

Student Conduct Policy

What is Student Conduct?

The University of Winchester is committed to providing an environment which promotes high quality learning, teaching, research and a positive student experience. To ensure that everyone benefits from such an environment, students are required to meet a standard of conduct

Where necessitated under the Student Conduct Policy, the University will commence an investigation under the Disciplinary Procedures for Students.

Maintaining good behaviour

What is student conduct?

[Section 2]

Why is this important?

It’s not just about what you do at Winchester. Good conduct will always be expected of you, be it in University, work or the community. Being clear on what is expected of you while you are studying with us will help you to understand and meet real-world expectations, preparing you for the next step on your journey.

Student Conduct Policy expectations shall apply to all students of the University when they are engaged in activities relating to the University (including field trips, teaching practice and placements) and where their activities are unrelated to the University but involve other students, staff or governors of the University or where their actions may bring the University into disrepute. This shall include conduct arising at any time when a student may be regarded as representing the University as an individual or as part of a team or group, both on and off University premises

We want to create a safe and supportive space where you can enjoy your studies and achieve success. Setting out how we will treat each other, the University and our community, will help the University to do this.

Being a proud member of the University community means engaging with your studies and supporting others to do so.

As a student you are entitled to respect and as a member of our University, we expect you to respect and be tolerant of others, including other students, staff and the public.

This means listening to others, celebrating the diversity of our community and following the University policies, regulations and the law.

By maintaining good standards of behaviour we can ensure that we can all study, work and enjoy our community with confidence we will be safe, supported and respected

What is student misconduct?

[Section 3]

Misconduct is where you act in a way which does not meet the expectations outlined above and that your behaviour falls below the expected standards

The University provides an indicative list of examples of student misconduct categorised as follows:

Level One:

• Failure to disclose name and other relevant details to an officer or employee of the University in circumstances where it is reasonable to require that such information be given

• Incidents between students or students and staff which show a lack of respect or courtesy or where informal attempts to deal with the behaviour have failed;

• Minor damage to University or other property

• Minor disruption of or interference with academic, administrative, sporting, social or other activities of the University;

• Minor incidents relating to poor behavior such as undertaking covert recording

• Minor misuse of social media but not including matters that might relate to harassment or discrimination under the Equality Act;

• Minor misuse or unauthorised use of University property;

Level Two:

• Actions which bring or threaten to bring the University’s reputation into disrepute;

• Breach of confidentiality in relation to these Procedures;

• Breaches of UK Government Guidelines in response to any local, national or global emergency;

• Bullying: which is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour which intentionally or unintentionally undermines, humiliates, denigrates or injures the recipient, and where it is reasonable in all the circumstances for it to have that effect. Bullying is normally characterised by a pattern of behaviour but a single incident could be considered as bullying behaviour;

• Damage to University or other property;

• Discrimination (as defined under the Equalities Act 2010);

• Failure to declare a criminal conviction to University of Winchester, subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act;

• Fraud or personation;*

• Harassment: which occurs where there is unwanted behaviour or conduct [including of a sexual nature] which has the purpose or effect of violating any person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, regardless of their personal characteristics, and it is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case for the conduct to have that effect. A single sufficiently serious act may amount to harassment depending on the circumstances of the case;

• Malicious allegations against other students, staff or members of the public;

• Misconduct relating to the academic appeal or academic integrity process. E.g. intimidation/coercion of witnesses or falsification of evidence.

• Misuse of alcohol, drugs and legal highs;

• Misuse of social media;

• Misuse or unauthorised use of University property;

What if the Student Union are concerned about my conduct?

• More than minor, or repeated, disruption of, or interference with, academic, administrative, sporting, social or other activities of the University;

• Physical, written or verbal abuse or intimidation;

Level Three:

• Actions which bring or threaten to bring the University’s reputation into disrepute;

• Breach of confidentiality in relation to these Procedures;

• Breaches of UK Government Guidelines in response to any local, national or global emergency;

• Damage to University or other property;

• Discrimination (as defined under the Equalities Act 2010);

• Failure to declare a criminal conviction to University of Winchester, subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act;

• Fraud or personation;*

• Malicious allegations against other students, staff or members of the public;

• Misconduct relating to the academic appeal or academic integrity process. E.g. intimidation/coercion of witnesses or falsification of evidence.

• Misuse of alcohol, drugs and legal highs;

• Misuse of social media;

• Misuse or unauthorised use of University property;

• More than minor, or repeated, disruption of, or interference with, academic, administrative, sporting, social or other activities of the University;

• Physical, written or verbal abuse or intimidation;

The Student Union has its own procedure for considering student misconduct which happens in its venues or within clubs and societies. However, if the reported misconduct falls within scope of a Level 2 or 3 alleged offence, it will refer your case to the University to decide what action to take.

If the University does act, as part of any outcome, the University may decide to refer your case back to the Student Union to decide whether it wants to also restrict your access to its facilities.

If the University decides not to take any action, the Student Union can still do so, under its own procedures

How does student conduct relate to other procedures?

What if I am arrested or the Police are investigating me?

If you are registered on a programme or course with professional (PSRB) or Fitness to Practise requirements, and we find that misconduct has happened, we may refer your case to the member of the Faculty Management Team with responsibility for Fitness to Practise. They will decide if we need to refer to the Fitness to Practice Policy.

If you are arrested or are being investigated by the Police, you must tell the University straight away.

The University may decide that a Temporary Suspension is the right thing to do, for example if we are concerned about your safety or the safety of others, or if the offence would impact on the reputation of the University.

The University will not investigate your case whist you are under investigation by the Police are. We will wait for the outcome of the Police investigation or court case before deciding what to do. However, if the case is taking a long time, and you are not able to move on with your course, you may need to take an Interruption to Study.

Once the outcome of your Police investigation, or subsequent legal case, is known, the University might decide to take action against you, even if the Police or courts do not.

Why am I being temporarily suspended?

The University has a duty to consider the safety and wellbeing of the University community. Because of this, if the allegation of misconduct is considered serious enough to warrant a Level 3 investigation, the University may decide that a Temporary Suspension is the right thing to do.

This does not mean that the University has decided that you have done something wrong, but it is thought to be in the immediate best interest of either you, staff or other students.

Maintaining good behaviour

What happens if my conduct is questioned?

[Section 4]

The University shall make every reasonable effort to conduct all levels of its disciplinary procedures fairly, consistently, transparently and proportionately. Support and guidance shall be available to all students who are involved in the procedures from the Student Union and Student Support & Success.

Where an allegation of poor conduct is reported against you to the Student Casework Team, the University will determine the level of your alleged poor conduct as follows:

• Level One: is where a local level intervention is undertaken by your Faculty or a Professional Services team where the incident is contained and deemed relatively minor. The aim is to close the incident as quickly and as close to the source as possible.

• Level Two: is where a Level One intervention is not sufficient and the Student Casework Team will need to conduct an investigation.

• Level Three: is where the allegations are of a considerably serious nature and a Level Two investigation is unable to resolve the issue and a Disciplinary Hearing is required.

How are concerns about my conduct raised?

What support is available for me if I am subject to an investigation?

Where an allegation is received by the University about your conduct, we will normally only undertake an investigation with the consent of the Reporting Party or any other party whom it is alleged has been impacted by your alleged poor conduct

Under special circumstances, in order to ensure individuals, property, institutional reputation and third party stakeholders are protected wherever possible, consent will not always be required. You can find further details about this can be found in the University’s ‘Consent to Investigate or Report Externally Statement’ located on the University’s Report + Support online reporting tool.

Anonymous allegations against you will not normally be considered unless a Reporting Party has legitimate concerns about their identity being disclosed as part of a disciplinary investigation We will always, where appropriate, safeguard the rights of the Reporting Party as well as you or any other students against whole allegations are being made (Responding Student or Students). If the University does decide to consider an anonymous allegation the Complainant will be the University.

Student Support and Success teams are available to you if you are affected by issues related to a reported incident. You can make an appointment via the department’s intranet pages.

Reporting Parties and Responding Students both have the right to be accompanied to any meeting or disciplinary hearing by a University student, member of staff or Student Union representative who is independent to the allegation.

Non-members of the University community (for example your family members) are not normally permitted to accompany you at meetings and panel hearings, and the University does not permit the recording of meetings. However, requests for reasonable adjustments for declared disabilities will be considered by the Academic Registrar or delegated authority as appropriate.

What Sanctions may be given to me?

Sanctions imposed will always be reasonable, proportionate and consistent having taken into account any aggravating or mitigating factors:

Some examples of sanctions are as follows:

Level One:

a) Verbal or written warnings;

b) Requirement for a formal apology;

c) Reparation in respect of loss caused by the misconduct;

d) Temporary restriction of access to facilities;

Level Two and/or in addition to Level One available sanctions:

a) A written, or final written, warning which is recorded on the student’s record

b) A requirement to enter into a “Good Behaviour” agreement;

c) Requirement for a formal apology;

d) Reparation in respect of loss caused by the misconduct;

e) A fine of up to £200;

f) Temporary restriction of access to specified University and Student Union premises, facilities and services

g) Requirement to undertake some action aimed at changing behaviour and understanding the effects of the misconduct;

h) Sanctions under the Student Residence Regulations;

i) Requirement to undertake specified actions which benefit the University or wider community;

Level Three in addition to Level Two and/or Three available sanctions:

a) Permanent removal of access to specified University and Student Union premises, facilities and services;

b) Imposing conditions on a student’s access to University of Winchester facilities, where such restrictions are deemed necessary for the safety and security of the members of the University of Winchester community;

c) A recommendation for an interruption from studies for a specified period of time;

d) A recommendation for a termination of studies (withdrawal), with or without an exit award.

What if I feel the decisions about my conduct are wrong?

Can I appeal a conduct investigation decision?

[Section 5]

What if I still think the decision is wrong?

Responding Students may appeal in writing against the decisions at any level within ten working days of the issue of notification confirming the decision. The grounds for appeal are limited to:

a) The University has failed to follow the procedures detailed within these Procedures

b) The decision was not consistent with the nature of the offence and associated penalties described in these procedures.

c) That new and credible evidence is available that would materially affect the outcome and it was not available at the time of the panel hearing.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of a matter or sanction then this does not in itself constitute grounds for appeal.

If you are a Reporting Party you cannot appeal a disciplinary outcome, but if you believe that the University has not followed its processes, you may make a complaint under the Student Complaints Policy.

University Language

University Terminology

Academic Authority

Academic Integrity

Academic Misconduct

Academic Skills

Academic Year

Admissions

Advanced Standing

Aegrotat Award

Aggregation

Alternative Assessment

Appeal

What it means

The recognition of expertise and judgement of academic tutors in relation to teaching and assessing of students.

The honesty standards we expect from you with respect to production of their academic work.

This is where you may have breached Academic Integrity standards for which there could be sanctions given to you.

The academic abilities that you will need to develop throughout your programme of study and for which there will be help, guidance and support made available to you.

The months that the University delivers its core teaching and learning, usually from September through to August but this may vary for different programmes and courses - some may have shorter academic years and some slightly longer.

The team responsible for managing applications for study at the University

This is where your recognised and evidenced previous study or qualifications can be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) principles to allow you to be exempt from assessment or study elements of your programme.

This is a final award that is granted, without a classification, to you if you are unable to complete your studies due to significant health or other uncontrollable circumstances.

This is where a single assessment within a module which you have failed can be combined with another assessment element which you have passed to confirm an overall pass grade for the module.

This is where for practicable reasons a different assessment may be given to you as part of a resit, deferral or exceptional third opportunity whilst still affording you the ability to meet the learning outcome requirements.

Processes where you can have Progression and Award Board (PAB) decisions made about your continuation, completion or other regulatory decisions reconsidered.

Assessment

Assessment Criteria

Associate Dean

Attendance

Authorised Absence

Award

Blended learning

Canvas

Capped grades

Code of Conduct

Compensation

Completion

Completion of Procedures Letter

Continuation

Credit

Dean of Faculty

Deferral

Degree Apprenticeship

Disciplinary Hearing

The different ways that we assure you are meeting the learning outcomes of your programme or course, e.g., essays, exams, presentations and practicals.

A set of requirements that you are expected to achieve as part of your module assessments.

A senior academic who leads on the academic student experience within a Faculty.

The requirement for you to be present for all of your scheduled assessment, teaching and learning sessions.

This is where you may not be able to attend your scheduled teaching sessions for up to a few days for a valid reason.

The final qualification the University grants when you have successfully completed your programme or course.

A mix of online and on campus study.

The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that you have access to for your modules and programmes or courses.

These are where, for specific reasons, your grades or marks are set at the maximum basic pass grade.

A set of behaviour expectations that a PSRB may set for you in order to acquire professional accreditation.

This is where a narrow fail grade is raised to a pass grade as recognition of you achieving passes in all other assessments at the same level and consequently, on balance, the Progression and Award Board (PAB) considers you to have passed the level.

The term we use when you have successfully finished your programme or course.

This is the formal communication that we would send you once all appeal, complaint and other processes have concluded and there is a determined outcome for a student casework case.

The process of completing one level of study and progressing to the next.

The units of learning that make up a module, programme or course.

The senior academic leader of your Faculty who is a member of the University Leadership Team (ULT).

This is where a further assessment opportunity is given where a non-submission or non-attendance is recorded.

A way of learning and studying for a degree alongside working with a defined split between study and work requirements.

This is a formal panel that will consider if your conduct has fallen below expected standards.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

An external agency who provide information on individual's previous criminal records which may be a requirement for entry onto certain programmes and courses.

Distance Learning Online study

Early Resolution

Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)

Engagement

Enrolment and Re-enrolment

Enrolment Week

A method for providing quick and equitable solutions to student complaints that does not require a formal investigation.

The regulatory body that governs the funding and other requirements for Degree Apprenticeship programmes.

The requirement for you to take an active part in your learning within scheduled teaching sessions, completing your assessments etc.

The online and/or in person process you complete to become registered on your programme or course.

The week where you complete your enrolment and subsequent registration onto their programme or course.

Exceptional Circumstances Valid reasons why you may not be able to complete your assessments on time.

Exceptional Third Attempt

Executive Leadership Team

Exit Award

External Examiners

Faculty Administration Team

Feed Forward

Feedback

Fitness to Practise

This is where, after engaging and not achieving a pass grade, at both first and second or resit attempts, a PAB may grant an in year, or Trail Credit, third attempt at an assessment.

Led by the Vice-Chancellor, this is the executive governing team who manage the University and its activities.

The final qualification permitted when you have failed to achieve all your programme or course requirements but have attained enough credit to be granted a different award.

Academics at another University that provide assurances, through moderation, that the University's programmes and courses are being delivered correctly and effectively.

This is a team of professional services staff who help manage the delivery of your course or programme and maintain your student record at the Faculty level.

This is a type of Feedback whereby academic tutors will advise and guide you what you will need to do in the future to develop and improve your capabilities.

The information, advice and guidance you will receive individually and collectively, as well as formally and informally, for the assessment work you produce and the engagement they are demonstrating within your programme or course.

The processes used to determine if you are able to continue with your professional programme or course due to an impact you have experienced.

Formative Assessments

Head of Department

Higher Education Achievement Record

Interrupting Study

Investigating Officer

Learning Outcomes

Mandatory Modules

Moderation

Module Descriptor

Module Leader

Modules

Office for Students (OfS)

Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA)

Optional Modules

Period of Registration

Personal Academic Tutor

Placement

Placement Mentor

Similar to mock assessments, these help you know where you are doing well and where you may need to improve but are not recorded as part of your official academic record.

A senior academic who manages the academic team and the subject(s), course and programme delivery for a particular academic area within a Faculty.

Sometimes referred to as your HEAR, this is the official record of all of your academic achievement for all modules and your final award

Taking a break in studies for a define period of time ahead of returning to complete your programme or course normally due to specific exceptional circumstances.

A member of academic management or professional services casework teams who lead on appeals, complaints and conduct investigations.

A series of benchmarks at module, level of study and programme or course level that you are expected to demonstrate achievement of to successfully complete your studies.

Modules that you are required to study as part of your programme or course.

A set of processes to ensure that assessments are being delivered correctly and effectively and that marking and grading is fair, just and without bias.

The document containing information on how a module will be taught, what assessments you must complete and the subject matter you will be learning.

A senior academic who manages the curriculum of a module

Smaller units that make up a programme or course and are divided into credits.

The external government regulatory body that overseas the Higher Education sector.

An external regulatory body that can consider student appeals and complaints after the University has completed its procedures.

Modules that you may choose as an option within your programme e or course.

The permitted time that you have to successfully complete your programme or course.

An academic from your programme, course or department who is there to help you with your academic studies.

A period of time spent learning away from campus, normally in the workplace, as a requirement of a PSRB and/or for academic credit.

The academic or professional services member of staff who helps you during their placement learning.

Professional Standards

Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB)

Programme Leader

Programme Specific Requirements

Programme Specification

Programme Transfer

Progression and Award Board

Regulations

Repeat Study

Report & Support

Reporting Party

Research Supervisor

Resit

Responding Student

Reviewing Officer

Sanctions

A set of benchmarks that a Professional, Statutory or Professional Body (PSRB) expects you to be able to attain in order to acquire professional accreditation.

This is an external body that accredits a programme or course and sets certain criteria in order for you to successfully complete your studies and granted professional recognition. Examples include the Nursing and Midwifery Council or Department for Education.

A senior academic who manages the curriculum of a programme or course.

These are where there may be a permitted exemptions to a policy or regulation that is required by a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB) as part of a programme or course accreditation.

The document containing information on the full programme or course with details on all the modules, any specific requirements, what the expected learning outcomes and final award would be.

The process by which you can change your enrolment from your programme or course to another.

The formal meeting that takes place with your Faculty and Registry in order to confirm your grades and whether you have successfully completed a level of study and may continue (progress) to the next level or have successfully completed your programme and may be granted an award.

These are a set of rules for a specific purposes that students agree to abide by as part of their enrolment and registration.

The requirement for you to retake failed modules and assessments from the same level of study in the following academic year in order to be able to continue to the next level of study or complete on a programme or course.

This is an online platform where you can raise a complaint or inform the University of negative behaviour both anonymously and transparently which will then be investigated by the Student Casework Team.

The individual or group of individuals that raise a student complaint.

An academic tutor who will coach, mentor and assess your research work as part of your course or programme.

This is a further attempt at an assessment after a fail grade is recorded.

Where you may have conduct (academic or behavioural) or Fitness to Practise allegations or concerns made against them and subsequently may be subject to an investigation.

A member of academic management or professional services casework teams who lead on appeals, complaints and conduct review investigations.

These are a set of restrictions and requirements that may be imposed on you where a breach of academic integrity or poor conduct is proven or as an outcome of a Fitness to Practise panel hearing.

Self-certification

Senate

Skills Coach

Student Casework Team

Student Charter

Student Complaint

Student Conduct

Student Loans Company

Student Misconduct

Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC)

Student Support & Success

Student Wellbeing

Students and Mooney

Substantive grades

Summative Assessments

This is a process whereby you can apply for a short term extension for an assessment similar without the need to provide evidence.

This is the most senior academic committee in the University who consider and decide on University academic policies, procedures and regulations.

A professional who will help you to learn and develop specific subject skills and capabilities required as part of your course or programme.

This is the professional services team that manage all student appeals, complaints and conduct processes.

An agreement between the University, Winchester Student Union and Students on how we will all work together to create a collaborative, respectful; and supportive environment for our community.

Process where you can inform the University about something that you are dissatisfied with when something has or hasn’t been done or where the standards of service have fallen below that which you would be reasonably expected or promised.

These are the professional behaviours we expect you and all students to demonstrate whilst enrolled at the University.

Often referred to as SLC or Student Finance, is the external funding body that provides you with tuition and maintenance loans.

Where you act in a way which does not meet the expectations outlined in policies, regulations and the Student Charter and that your behaviour falls below the expected standards

This is a forum where students lead on discussions around their programme and how it is delivered with academic and professional services staff within their Faculty.

A professional service that has many different teams that support you throughout your time at the University such as Academic Skills, Disability, Careers etc.

A professional services team who are responsible for ensuring students' general health and wellbeing is considered and supported throughout their studies.

The professional services team who can give information, advice and guidance on all things money and funding related.

These are the actual marks and grades you achieve and recorded on your academic record and contribute to your final award.

The assessments that are marked and graded and included on your academic record as a measure of your success on your programme or course.

Support to Study

Temporary Suspension

Trail Credit

Transcript

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)

Viva Voce

Welcome Week

Winchester Student Union

Withdrawal

A set of processes and mechanisms to assist you to be able to successfully complete your course or programme on time. These vary from academic to pastoral support.

A process where the University may remove you from your studies for a short period of time if we are concerned about your safety or the safety of others.

The process where outstanding assessments may be carried forward to the next level of study to be completed alongside other modules and assessments.

The formal document that details the record of all your assessment and module achievement within your programme or course.

The UK government agency that monitors and manages entry into the United Kingdom for all visitors and those studying or working under a visa.

An in person verbal assessment based on questioning of work already submitted for marking and grading or as a required element of your main assessment.

A week integrated with Enrolment Week where there are a series of activities and induction sessions to help you begin your programme or course with confidence.

Run for students, by students. An independent organisation from the University itself, dedicated to representing and supporting you, as well as providing a wide range of opportunities, activities and events for you across our Education, Welfare, Activities and Services Zones.

The process by which you removed from your programme or course and your registration terminated.

Additional Resources

Student Support and Success

Student Support & Success (SSaS) is made up of a number of different professional services, each trained to help and advise students on different areas:

SSaS Reception and Enquiries - this is our initial enquiries team who operate from our reception in the Winton Building. If you have a general enquiry you can Get in Touch or ask a question using this quick, Ask a Question form If we can answer your question we will, but if it's a little more complex we'll pass it on to a team below, or elsewhere.

Academic Skills - Help with time management, understanding essay questions, presentation skills and public speaking, research, referencing, preparing for exams, improving your essay grades, getting a 1st, using essay feedback, dissertations.

Specialist Tutor Support - support for students with a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) or Autistic Spectrum Disorder in receipt of Disabled Student's Allowance. We help develop strategies that will support you throughout your academic journey.

Careers & Employability - Get help towards finding a successful career and influencing the world around you. We want you to become a confident independent leaner finding meaning and purpose in your life.

Disabilities and Learning Diversity - support for students with a disability/dyslexia, Disabled Students Allowance (DSA- inc. non-medical help) , Assistive Technology, Learning Agreements.

International Student Support - Living and studying in a different country can be both challenging and rewarding, if you need help or support please get in touch. We have a dedicated team which provides expert information, advice and guidance.

Mental Wellbeing - information, support and advice about mental health and wellbeing to students (and staff, in support of students) by a team of psychologically trained staff.

Student Journey - first port of call for students who are experiencing stress, worry and concern about issues in their personal and University life such as transition to University, family and friendship issues, threat of homelessness, estrangement, pregnancy, bullying and traumatic events.

Students and Money - the team offer advice, information and guidance about Government funding, University funding and other sources of support. They can help with advice on budgeting and resolution of issues with the SLC.

Student Support and Success Advisors (SSSAs) - these roles are faculty based and work closely with academic and programme administration colleagues to support retention, progression and student success. Their purpose is to provide guidance and supportive interventions where students experience challenges to study, engagement or wellbeing. For more information click here.

• Winchester Student Union Advice Centre can be accessed by all current University of Winchester students. We aim to support students to make their own informed choices by offering free, confidential, impartial advice and information, on a range of matters, including preparing and submitting an appeal

• We operate independently from the University of Winchester and specialise in supporting students with academic issues, including academic appeals. If you would like further support with submitting an appeal, visit https://www.winchesterstudents.co.uk/advice to complete our Advice Enquiry Form and speak with our advisor.

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