7.1 Academic alerts
- 7.1.1 Principles
- 7.1.2 Procedures for Undergraduates/Taught Postgraduates
- 7.1.3 Procedures for Postgraduate Research Students
- 7.1.4 Alert categories
- Audience: This policy is for the attention of:- Heads of Schools, Directors of Teaching, Module Co-ordinators, Advisers of Studies, School Directors of Postgraduate Studies; Pro Deans; Registry, Student Services, CAPOD, Publications; All students.
- Scope: This policy applies to all undergraduate and postgraduate students in the University.
- Responsibilities: Policy author: Proctor's Office. Responsibility for the implementation of the policy lies with the Heads of Schools, Pro Deans, Student Services and Registry.
- Relationship with existing policies: This policy supercedes the version approved by Academic Council on 11.6.10.
- Contact details: For advice and support on any aspect of this policy please contact the Proctor's office.
- FINAL Policy: Academic Alert
- Authors: Proctor's Office
- Considered by: TLAC, 12 May 2012
- Approved: Originally approved by Academic Council, 11 June 2010.
- Amendments: Amendments approved by Academic Council (May 2012)
- Implementation date: Amendments to take effect from 2012-2013
- Last amended: May 2012
- Review date: March 2013
7.1.1 Principles
The Academic Alert system provides a mechanism for alerting all students to deficiencies in their studies, and also directing them to sources of possible help where appropriate.
It additionally gives Schools a route to penalise students for non-attendance, or non-completion of compulsory learning elements, and warn them of the consequences at an early stage.
7.1.2 Procedures for Undergraduates/Taught Postgraduates
When cases of significant poor performance, non-completion or non-attendance at compulsory module elements (without self-certification within the normal 3 days) are identified, a Module Coordinator will issue a student with an Academic Alert, via an e-mail, specifying the problem area using a simple pro-forma operated through the Module Management System (MMS).
An Alert will not appear on any permanent records, hence there is no need for it to be withdrawn later if circumstances change or acceptable reasons are given for the problem that has arisen.
The Alert will automatically be copied to the Adviser of Studies and can also be copied to the appropriate Pro Dean for different categories. The Alert will automatically detail the situation, the action expected from the student, the support available where appropriate, and the consequences of not taking any action.
The action required may include submission of missed work, or of alternative assessments, or full attendance in future. The Alert will also in some situations direct the student to their Adviser, Student Services, or the appropriate Pro Dean.
Module Coordinators can, if required, issue Academic Alerts more than once to a student in their module.
The onus is on the student to take the action that is advised or required of them to avoid the specified consequences, which are explicit in the pro-forma e-mail issued.
When an Academic Alert has been issued and performance and/or attendance then improve sufficiently, no further action need occur.
When an Academic Alert has been issued concerning performance, and the specified action has occurred but performance does not improve, another Alert may be issued and further guidance suggested.
Completion of a self-certificate of absence does not exempt a student from fulfilling compulsory elements of a module, ie missing a compulsory element of a module can lead to an Academic Alert being issued regardless of whether the absence has been self-certified, explained or resolved.
When an Academic Alert category 9 has been issued concerning attendance at compulsory elements of the module, if future attendance is acceptable no further action is required. However when an Academic Alert category 9 has been issued concerning attendance at compulsory elements of the module, and further absences occur such that a given School’s permitted absence levels are exceeded, another Alert in category 10 may be issued, and the student is thereby told they will automatically receive grade 0 at the Module Board. A grade of 0X can be entered on MMS at this point.
Schools Module Handbooks must specify the compulsory components, and set a limit on how many of these (if any) can be missed without incurring the penalty of 0. There is flexibility here for Schools to operate as they deem to be pedagogically appropriate. Schools should where possible issue a category 9 Alert before the point at which the sanction of failure would come into play (for example, after two missed tutorials in a School where missing three will now lead to category10 Alert and automatic failure with loss of credits).
Where an Alert category 10 is issued, the student may then cease to attend the module entirely, though they are not forced to do so. If such a student believes they have good reasons for absences their explanation can be presented to the Module Coordinator within a specified time limit, and may be accepted (and the impending penalty rescinded). If not accepted, students who still believe they have a worthy excuse may take their case to the Head of School. If the decision to award a grade of 0 is upheld, students can still proceed through the module and the examination, and their written explanation and additional supporting evidence can be presented to the Module Board (normally via the Director of Teaching) for a final decision. Where supporting evidence of a sensitive nature is revealed, it should be considered by a small School panel whose opinion is presented to the Board (without details being disclosed). The student’s right of Senate Appeal against a decision of a Module Board remains on specified grounds as covered in the University Policy on Academic Appeals and Academic Complaints.
The presence of one or more Alerts for a student can be presented at the Module Board via MMS if a School so chooses. Where the Alerts relate to missed elements, the Module Board, collectively and with all the evidence available, can endorse the fail grade of 0X, precluding a resit of the module for that academic year. This would be the expected outcome, in accordance with the Student Absence Policy, in the case of unexplained or unresolved missed compulsory elements.
The Academic Alert system does not in itself lead to students being precluded from further attendance at a module, or from taking examinations. In some Schools, category 10 Alerted students will know they cannot realistically pass the module and will often choose not to attend further classes or the exam (except in cases where they believe they have extenuating circumstances, as outlined above). In these cases, Schools do not need to mark any work or examination papers submitted after the issuing of the final Alert, but should retain all such work on file in case of an eventual successful appeal process at higher levels.
In Schools with attendance rules that do not lead to grade 0X awards, students having category 9 Alerts would take the examination as normal and have all their work marked, and in those cases where they passed the examination and technically passed the module the consequences would be decided at the Module Board, collectively and with all the evidence available, and in line with that School’s rules. Such students could benefit from completing the module and the examination in that they might then get a grade greater than 3.9 and so be eligible for a reassessment.
Some Schools will use various mechanisms at their disposal that can help to ensure attendance, and produce penalties for non-attendance, without requiring the final sanction of automatic failure: for example, directly linking continuous assessment elements to material taught in compulsory elements; incorporating material taught in unassessed compulsory elements into examinations or class tests, and ensuring that students are aware of this; or having some component of the Continuous Assessment grade awarded for performance in (engagement in) tutorial or seminar sessions.
7.1.3 Procedures for Postgraduate Research Students
When cases of significant poor performance, absence or progression are identified, a Director of Postgraduate Studies will issue a student with an Academic Alert, via an e-mail, specifying the problem area using a simple pro-forma operated through the Module Management System (MMS).
An Alert will not appear on any permanent records, hence there is no need for it to be withdrawn later if circumstances change or acceptable reasons are given for the problem that has arisen.
The Alert will automatically be copied to the Supervisor and can also be copied to the Postgraduate Pro Dean and/or Student Services for different categories.
The Alert will automatically detail the situation, the action expected from the student, the support available where appropriate, and the consequences of not taking any action. The action required may include submission of missed work or full attendance in future.
The onus is on the student to take the action that is advised or required of them to avoid the specified consequences, which are explicit in the pro-forma e-mail issued.
When an Academic Alert has been issued and performance and/or attendance then improve sufficiently, no further action need occur.
When an Academic Alert has been issued concerning performance, and the specified action has occurred but performance does not improve, another Alert may be issued and further guidance suggested.