Changes to the Assessment Procedures Manual for 2013-14

1. Changes to the Assessment Procedures Manual for 2013-14 Quality and Standards Office

2. Assessment Procedures Manual • New Assessment Procedures Manual approved for use from 1 September 2013 • Significantly re-organised, especially the middle chapters on examinations, and some duplication removed • Includes some new material on the conduct of examinations • Takes into account the changes made in the adoption of the Regulation and Credit Framework for the Conferment of Awards

3. On-line assessments Chapter 3 remains substantially the same, except for minor changes to the textto reflect the move to CLIC learn: • removes the presumption that all on-line assessments will be conducted through Blackboard and/or Perception • reflects new roles in the University, eg Director of Student Administration (Academic Registrar) • ensures that systems used must still be appropriately quality assured

4. Chapter 8: The use of dictionaries in examinations • The material has been split into 2 sections for ‘individual candidates’ and ‘all candidates’ • A section has been added for the ‘treatment of candidates found using unapproved dictionaries’ to clarify the circumstances in which the procedures for handling accusations of academic misconduct should be used

5. Assessments and Examinations • Chapter 6: How are assessments set? Contains guidance on general requirements for accommodation in examinations • Chapter 9:How are examinations conducted? This is a new chapter which has been derived from the PPE legacy documents, and contains guidance on how examinations are to be started and ended, and the expectations of invigilators • Chapter 10: What are the expectations of students in examinations? This has been re-ordered and re-worded, but the expectations remain substantially the same

6. Chapter 13: What are the procedures for marking assessed work? • Formerly known as ‘How are assessments marked?’ • Relatively minor changes have been made to terminology, for example from ‘examiner’ to ‘marker’ in sections on second marking, double marking and moderation

7. Boards of Examiners Chapters 14: What is the role and membership of Boards of Examiners?; Chapter 15: What needs to be done in preparing of meetings of Boards of Examiners?; Chapter 16:Who needs to attend a Board of Examiners and what needs to be done if they cannot make it?; Chapter 17: Consideration of special cases; Chapter 18: What action needs to be taken after a Board of Examiners? • The material in these chapters was previously contained within a single chapter. More chapter headings have been added to make the material clearer. • Some wording has been changed in the section on roles and responsibilities of members of Boards of Examiners to clarify the responsibilities of the Deputy Chair and Chair in relation to extenuating circumstances cases, not all of which need to be reported to the Board of Examiners, and to reflect the Academic Board’s use of discretion in cases of recommendations notwithstanding the conventions • The wording on re-sits and repeats has been re-organised, and re-worked for clarity and to ensure alignment with the Regulations on re-sits and repeats • Minor amendments have been made to the section on Recommendations notwithstanding the Regulations to clarify that discretion is exercised by the Academic Board, not the Board of Examiners, and the guidance has been re-organised to make the role of the Chair clearer • Minor changes have been made to clarify that the findings of Boards of the sections on findings of plagiarism and academic/fitness-to-practise panels are binding upon Boards of Examiners (although Boards may decide what to do as a result of these findings) • A minor change has been made to the material on APL to remove a paragraph that relates to advanced standing, which is an admissions rather than an assessment decision • Minor changes have been made to the section on minutes of Boards of Examiners, to include a fuller description of the usual items to be seen on Boards of Examiner agendas, including Prizes and Awards

8. External Examiners (for taught programmes) • Chapter 20 now incorporates the rules on External Examiners’ terms of office, which have been approved by the Academic Board • It has been clarified that where an External Examiner’s duties have been extended this does not normally result in an extension of his or her term of office • It has been clarified that External Examiners may meet students for the purposes of induction, and where practical assignments need to be overseen

9. Chapter 21: Examiners for research degree programmes Chapter 21 now incorporates: • all material relating to Internal and External Examiners for Research Degree programmes • Clarifies that the First Supervisor is responsible for the nomination of Internal and External Examiners