Essex Uni's Extenuating Circumstances Policy for Undergrads and Taught Postgrads | Study Guides, Projects, Research School management&administration

UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES POLICY FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND

TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS

Definition

Extenuating circumstances are formally defined as: ‘circumstances beyond the student’s control

which have an impact on their assessed work’. Extenuating circumstances can fall into the

following categories:

▪

Circumstances which cause the student to perform less well in the assessment

▪

Circumstances which cause the student to miss an assessment event or not to submit an

assessment

▪

Circumstances where the student is unable to submit the coursework by the deadline or

to attend a summative assessment event

▪

Circumstances which mean the student needs extra time to submit a dissertation (taught

postgraduate students only)

In general, extenuating circumstances will be of a medical or personal nature affecting the

student for any significant period of time and/or on the day of the assessment event, or

immediately preceding the time of the deadline.

Completion and submission of extenuating circumstances forms

Department Handbooks and the information provided to students for examinations should advise

students of the policy for submitting an Extenuating Circumstances Form. Students should be

warned that failure to submit an Extenuating Circumstances Form will mean that the

circumstances will not be taken into account by the examiners.

If a student informs a member of staff that extenuating circumstances have affected their

assessment, the member of staff should tell the student to submit an Extenuating Circumstances

Form, failing which the extenuating circumstances will not be taken into account.

It is the student’s responsibility to inform the University of any circumstances that they feel may

have affected their assessed work or examinations by submitting an Extenuating Circumstances

Form by the stipulated deadline.

Students are invited to make a statement on their Extenuating Circumstances Form regarding

what they consider to be the material effect their extenuating circumstances may have had on

their results, on their ability to undertake the assessment or on their ability to meet a deadline.

Students are normally required to submit third party documentary evidence to support their claim,

in accordance with the relevant guidance.

Students cannot appeal against their results on grounds of extenuating circumstances if they

could reasonably have reported them to the University in advance. (Appeals Procedures). (a-e

approved by the Working Party on Extenuating Circumstances, March 2002. Revisions approved

by Senate in July 17.)

Principles for the consideration of extenuating circumstances

(NB The main principles were agreed by the Working Party on Extenuating Circumstances, March

2002, Senate M.130-139/02 S.M.141/02. Minor revisions by the WP on Extenuating Circumstances,

Sept 05.)

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UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES POLICY FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND

TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS

Definition

Extenuating circumstances are formally defined as: ‘circumstances beyond the student’s control which have an impact on their assessed work’. Extenuating circumstances can fall into the following categories: ▪ Circumstances which cause the student to perform less well in the assessment ▪ Circumstances which cause the student to miss an assessment event or not to submit an assessment ▪ Circumstances where the student is unable to submit the coursework by the deadline or to attend a summative assessment event ▪ Circumstances which mean the student needs extra time to submit a dissertation (taught postgraduate students only)
In general, extenuating circumstances will be of a medical or personal nature affecting the student for any significant period of time and/or on the day of the assessment event, or immediately preceding the time of the deadline. Completion and submission of extenuating circumstances forms
Department Handbooks and the information provided to students for examinations should advise students of the policy for submitting an Extenuating Circumstances Form. Students should be warned that failure to submit an Extenuating Circumstances Form will mean that the circumstances will not be taken into account by the examiners.
If a student informs a member of staff that extenuating circumstances have affected their assessment, the member of staff should tell the student to submit an Extenuating Circumstances Form, failing which the extenuating circumstances will not be taken into account.
It is the student’s responsibility to inform the University of any circumstances that they feel may have affected their assessed work or examinations by submitting an Extenuating Circumstances Form by the stipulated deadline.
Students are invited to make a statement on their Extenuating Circumstances Form regarding what they consider to be the material effect their extenuating circumstances may have had on their results, on their ability to undertake the assessment or on their ability to meet a deadline.
Students are normally required to submit third party documentary evidence to support their claim, in accordance with the relevant guidance.
Students cannot appeal against their results on grounds of extenuating circumstances if they could reasonably have reported them to the University in advance. (Appeals Procedures). (a-e approved by the Working Party on Extenuating Circumstances, March 2002. Revisions approved by Senate in July 17.) Principles for the consideration of extenuating circumstances (NB The main principles were agreed by the Working Party on Extenuating Circumstances, March 2002, Senate M.130-139/02 S.M.141/02. Minor revisions by the WP on Extenuating Circumstances, Sept 05.)

Deciding whether circumstances are extenuating is a matter of discretion. The impact of circumstances on different forms of assessment of different disciplines may not be the same. The range of things that can happen and how that affects people is too large to list. As a result, whether circumstances extenuate should be decided by a small committee of members of a department relying on their discretion, judgement and experience; the Extenuating Circumstances Committee (ECC).
The Head of Department should nominate the members of the departmental ECC. It should include a minimum of three members at least two of whom are academic staff. Consideration should be given to equality and diversity in the composition of the committee. The Chair and secretary are expected to attend extenuating circumstances training.
The Committee should have the following powers: ▪ To consider extenuating circumstances claims for all taught students in the department ▪ To decide whether the claim is valid in accordance with the extenuating circumstances policy, the late submission policy and the associated guidance ▪ To take decisions on the claim as follows: o Late submission claims, where the committee decides the claim is valid, to permit the work to be marked and for the mark to count o Extenuating circumstances claims, where the committee decides the claim is valid, to refer/make a recommendation to the Pre-board o Postgraduate Taught dissertation extension, where the committee decides the claim is valid, to grant an extension of up to one month ▪ To request further evidence from the student ▪ To reject a claim when it does not meet the requirements for a valid claim ▪ To keep a record of the decisions taken and to advise the student of the outcome ▪ To seek advice on complex cases
The departmental ECC shall consider all claims, and should treat all claims and its own discussions as confidential. Where there are legal or safety concerns about a student, the Committee may contact the University’s Student Wellbeing and Inclusion Service. Where the Committee makes recommendations to the Pre-Board/Exam Board these should be anonymised.
Committees will give greater weight to claims supported by credible evidence. A variety of forms of evidence will be considered but normally third party or documentary evidence will be required.
Committees should only determine that circumstances extenuate for bad performance if it lies outside a pattern of better performance demonstrated elsewhere. Consequently, circumstances that an individual suffered throughout the entire period under consideration (e.g. the whole of the first year of study in the case of First Year students, or all years counting towards the degree classification in the case of Final Year students) should not be treated as extenuating. Exam Boards can recommend intermission; they can offer a repeat year and extend the maximum period; and they can determine that extenuating circumstances are carried forward.
Committees should never impute marks - that is, attempt to guess what mark a student would have been given if their performance had not been affected.
Pre-Boards/Extenuating Circumstances Committees should report their recommendations to the Board of Examiners and any action/effect on the marks presented.
Committees should be aware of the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy 2019 -

▪ Where a student's performance has been affected by extenuating circumstances resulting in a mark above a pass, but out of line with the rest of the grid; the Board of Examiners will be able to exercise discretion by zero-weighting certain elements of assessment as appropriate provided learning outcomes are still met. Normally the affected element(s) should not constitute more than one third of the module. ▪ Where a student's performance has been affected by extenuating circumstances resulting in a mark below a pass, or no mark at all, the Board of Examiners will be able to exercise discretion where other evidence exists of learning outcomes having been met, (e.g. a coursework mark but no exam mark). In such cases the Exam Board can offer uncapped resits or zero-weight elements of assessment normally up to one third of the module as appropriate to calculate the mark for the course/module, or a combination of these. ▪ Where second year students have achieved the necessary number of credits for the current year, and the exam board is unable to resolve the issue in the current year, it can carry forward the extenuating circumstances to the final year for consideration when the board confirms the degree classification. ▪ Where an Undergraduate student’s performance has been affected by extenuating circumstances resulting in either a mark below a pass or a mark which is out of line with the rest of the grids in modules with a combined credit value over 60 credits, the exam board can allow the student to undertake reassessment in more than 60 credits over the Summer. This outcome can only be offered at the Summer exam board. ▪ Where a Postgraduate student’s performance has been affected by extenuating circumstances resulting in either a mark below a pass or a mark which is out of line with the rest of the grid in taught modules with a combined credit value over 60, the exam board can offer the student the opportunity to undertake reassessment in all affected modules. ▪ In very serious cases where an entire second or final year of a degree is affected by extenuating circumstances, the exam board might agree that the final classification be based on the unaffected year. ▪ To extend a student’s maximum period in a case where the circumstances are significant and the student must undertake repeat study or reassessment in the next academic year. ▪ Where a student has significant extenuating circumstances, or where due to circumstances within the host country a student is unable to complete their year abroad, but does meet the criteria for the title ‘including period of study abroad’ that this can be applied. ▪ Award an Aegrotat degree (for Undergraduate students only). ▪ Exceptionally, in the case of serious extenuating circumstances, permit students who are in their second year of study to trail up to 30 failed credits into the final year. Reassessment of the failed credits will take place alongside their final year components. (This outcome will normally only be used by the exam board which meets following reassessment, for example by a 2ndyear Sept resit board.) ▪ Exceptionally, where a student is repeating a year, in the case of serious extenuating circumstances that mean that a student is unable to undertake further reassessment, instate the marks/credits for a module(s) taken previously where the credits would make the difference between a student being eligible for an award, including an appropriate exit award, and otherwise having insufficient credits. ▪ Instate a formative mark for a late piece of work ▪ Take no action because there are insufficient or illegitimate grounds, e.g. complaints

about exam timetable (these are dealt with under an earlier procedure at confirmation of examination entry), ▪ Take no action because no material effect on the outcome is possible. ▪ Take no action because the extenuating circumstances have no material effect on the final degree result, e.g. a student’s results suggest a clear 2.1 classification in any case.

The following actions are not valid as students must achieve credit: ▪ Leaving coursework, exam or module aggregate mark blank on grid; ▪ Condoning a failed module and removing FAIL from the transcript. Appeal against the decision of an Extenuating Circumstances Committee
Where an Extenuating Circumstances Committee rejects a student’s claim the following are the only legitimate grounds of appeal: ▪ Further information of which the Extenuating Circumstances Committee was unaware and of which the student could not reasonably have been expected to inform the Committee in advance, of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt as to whether the result might have been different had they not occurred ▪ Procedural irregularity in the conduct of the Extenuating Circumstances Committee (including alleged administrative error) of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt as to whether the outcome might have been different had they not occurred. The Chair of the Extenuating Circumstances Committee will refer to the Committee any appeal that meets the stated criteria. The Extenuating Circumstances Committee will decide whether the appeal is well founded and what if any action to take. If the Committee dismisses the appeal or if the student is dissatisfied with any other decision taken by the Committee they may be able to appeal under the Progress and Appeals Procedures for Taught Programmes of Study once their end-of-year results have been published. This revised policy was agreed by Senate in January 2022 Policy owner: Assessment Team, Academic Section

Essex Uni's Extenuating Circumstances Policy for Undergrads and Taught Postgrads, Study Guides, Projects, Research of School management&administration

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Partial preview of the text

Download Essex Uni's Extenuating Circumstances Policy for Undergrads and Taught Postgrads and more Study Guides, Projects, Research School management&administration in PDF only on Docsity!

UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES POLICY FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND

TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS