Staff handbook > Operation
Roles and Responsibilities
Academic tutors and managers at Bath Spa University hold overall responsibility for the programme. They work closely with colleagues in the partner colleges to ensure coherence and consistency of the programme. Together they ensure that appropriate and timely information is available and that a schedule of ongoing meetings and staff development is in place.
Central administration services of the University support the operation of the collaborative provision.
University-wide development is managed by Derek Hamilton and Tessa English in the School for Development and Participation. They will, amongst other things, act as a one-stop shop for all issues not directly covered by the subject tutors and the course administrator. (See Wessex Partnership: Lines of Communication).
Assessment
The assessment of students will be consistent with all other students registered at Bath Spa University. The assessment for any one module of study will be that as validated and applicable irrespective of location.
Marking and Moderation
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Assignment Extensions and Mitigating Circumstances
Students can request an extension for the submission of work from their module tutor. It is up to the module tutor to agree or not depending on the reasons for the request (at this stage the student is not required to provide accompanying documentation such as a doctor’s note). The length of extension granted by the tutor has to depend on when the tutor requires the work to meet the marking deadline.
All claims from students to mitigating circumstances must be submitted by the student to the Student Services in writing, along with appropriate supporting evidence. Academic staff should not accept any such claims from students, but should refer them to Student Services. This is very important as only those claims logged within Student Services will be considered by the mitigating circumstances panel, and subsequently by the Examination Board.
- If accepted: the student will receive a Deferral: they can submit work by an identified date and still be eligible for the full range of marks. This work may not necessarily be the exact assignment missed but could be an essay question set by the module tutor at BSU.
- If the student receives a Referral: the work can be re-submitted by the due date but will be capped at 40%.
Wessex student re-submitting work should either bring the work in person to the Student Administration Service Office at Newton Park or send it by recorded delivery (with proof of sending) to arrive in the Student Administration Service Office no later than the specified date.
This work will be sent to the appropriate BSU Module Coordinator for marking.
Student Withdrawal
If a student wishes to withdraw from a course, he/she must put it in writing to the Registrar, Bath Spa University.
Student Absence
Students should notify absence to their tutor in the partner institution. All genuine reasons for non-attendance should be properly documented and maintained. This documentation will be required at Subject and Examination Boards. (See BSU Modular Scheme Handbook).
Subject and Examination Boards
Consultation will take place on all assignment titles and tutors in the partner institutions will be involved in setting examination papers, including re-sit papers. All examinations are taken in similar conditions and are co-terminus.
Tutors from partner institutions will be required to attend relevant Subject Boards at Bath Spa University. There is a requirement for partner subject tutors, or one tutor representing all subjects, to be present at subject boards. Bath Spa University will endeavour to co-ordinate the timing of these, and give early notification, to facilitate attendance. Established practice is for the Bath Spa University subject leader, with prior briefing, to attend with responsibility for all students on the programme. For all examination boards it would be helpful for a member of the partner institution’s staff to be available by phone if required.
Appeals and Complaints
Appeals against decisions of examination boards are a matter for Bath Spa University. (See BSU Academic Regulations for Students)
Complaints should be dealt with, in the first instance, through the procedures of the partner institution. Only when these are exhausted should they progress to Bath Spa University – unless urgent, or confidentiality is an issue. It is suggested that the School for Development and Participation is informed as early as possible of potential substantive complaints or appeals.
Should it be necessary for the complaint to progress to BSU, there are revised procedures in place which takes the form of a robust two stage process:
Stage 1 (following notification to SDP)
The complaint is received by the University Complaints Officer, Alun Thomas. He will then determine who is best to act as the Investigating Officer.
Stage 2
The Investigating Officer will consider the complaint and within fifteen days of receipt make a response. The complainant can then appeal against the decision of the Investigating Officer (likely to be a member of Senior Management) to a Review Panel.
The Review Panel will reconsider the complaint and the Investigating Officer’s response but only in the context of: whether the Investigating Officer followed correct University procedures; and, whether the decision of the Investigating Officer was perverse.
These changes have been brought about after consideration of good practice issued by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education. The revised complaints procedure is available on the BSU website and in booklet form.
Download the Word Document: markingandmoderation.doc