SUMMARY OF ACADEMIC
POLICY DECISIONS – AUTUMN 2003
This information note refers to decisions made at the
following meetings:
ASC –
Senate –
Minute numbers are given to indicate the source of the
information set out below. Where extracts of minutes are included verbatim,
this is indicated by speech marks.
LIST OF CONTENTS
SECTION A – FOR ACTION
1.
External
Examiners for Joint Honours Scheme
2. Marking of Scripts by Graduate Teaching Assistants
3. Marking of Illegible Scripts
SECTION B – FOR INFORMATION
1. Extenuating Circumstances
2. Statement of Student Representatives’ Rights and Responsibilities
3. New External Examiners Report Pro Forma
4. Provision of Scrap Paper in Examinations
5. Charges for Resubmission of Coursework
6. Code of Practice on Teaching by Graduate Students
7.
Periodic
Review
SECTION A – FOR
ACTION BY HEADS OF DEPARTMENT AND CENTRES
1. External Examiners for Joint
Honours Scheme (ASC.M.132/03)
‘External Examiners of any scheme, whether joint or not, are entitled to
see any of the work for the students on that scheme, should they so wish. However, provided that External Examiners had
seen enough to satisfy themselves about the standards and procedures of the
examination, it was not necessary for them to form judgements about all
candidates. It was therefore unnecessary
to send samples of work to all External Examiners of a joint scheme.’
2. Marking of Scripts by
Graduate Teaching Assistants (ASC.M.147/03)
ASC agreed that the authority to give approval for the marking of second and third year undergraduate exam scripts by GTAs be delegated by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Standards) to the relevant undergraduate Dean.
3. Marking of Illegible scripts
(ASC.MM.148-149/03)
‘Noted ‘That students with poor handwriting should be
identified in their first year and individual arrangements made if warranted on
grounds of disability or medical condition.’
‘Resolved
(i)
All scripts should be marked to the best of the
marker’s ability to decipher poor handwriting but special arrangements to
transcribe illegible scripts should be discontinued.
(ii)
The need to write legibly and the consequences of failing
to do so should be highlighted to students in relevant examination information.’
SECTION B – FOR
INFORMATION
1. Extenuating Circumstances (S.M.222/03)
Inclusion of FAIL on transcripts
‘Resolved
That
ASC.M.158/03 refers:
‘Noted In
March 2003, Senate resolved that when a Board of Examiners had decided to
condone a failed component on the basis of extenuating circumstances, FAIL
should not appear on the transcript, but that it should be annotated
accordingly (S.M.40/03). Further
consideration had subsequently been given to the issues involved when trying to
implement this decision. The range of
circumstances and of the consequent treatment by the Board of Examiners made it
impossible to formulate standard wording which might be appropriate in all
cases. In the light of the difficulties
it presented, and the student view that it was not desirable, ASC wished Senate
to reconsider the matter.’
2. Statement of Student
Representatives’ Rights and Responsibilities (ASC.M.114/03)
ASC approved a document entitled ‘Statement of Student Representatives’ Rights and Responsibilities’, which is intended to be a companion to the ‘Code of Practice for Student Representation in Departments’. The new ‘Statement’ is available at:
www.essex.ac.uk/quality/pages/StudentResponsibilitiesStatement.doc
3. New External Examiners
Report Pro Forma (ASC.M.139/03)
ASC approved a new pro forma for External Examiners Reports, incorporating a new section for the collection of information which was to be published on-line, in accordance with new QAA/HEFCE requirements for Information on Quality and Standards.
4. Provision of scrap paper in
examinations (ASC.M.142/03)
ASC agreed ‘to
discontinue the provision of scrap
paper in examinations. Candidates to be instructed that rough work should be
done in the answer book and crossed through if candidates did not wish it to be
marked.’
5. Charges for Resubmission of Coursework (ASC.M.146/03)
ASC agreed ‘that the current charges for resit examinations for undergraduate students be levied per course in future, to include the resubmission of coursework in addition to resit examinations.’
6. Periodic Review (ASC.MM.155-157/03)
(a) Approval of Template
ASC approved the new Periodic Review template
(b) Scheduling
ASC agreed that the Periodic Review schedule could be revised in individual cases where the department concerned believed that the administrative burden of managing multiple reviews was too great.
7. Code of Practice on Teaching by
Graduate Students (ASC.MM.167-168/03)
The ASC Sub-Committee of Graduate Teaching
Assistants had reviewed the current Code of Practice on Teaching by Graduate
Students with a view to:
(a)
clarifying
how the Code should be applied to Demonstrators;
(b)
reducing
the requirement for departments;
(c)
general
updating
ASC approved a revised
Code of Practice
for implementation in January 2004
8.
New
course/scheme proposal forms for Virtual Distance Learning courses and schemes
(ASC.M.172/03) and
(ASC.M.174/03)
ASC approved checklists for new courses and schemes to be delivered by Virtual Distance Learning (VDL)
www2.essex.ac.uk/academic/services/staff/cover.rtf
www2.essex.ac.uk/academic/services/staff/courseDL.rtf
Joanne Tallentire
Senior Assistant
Registrar