Academic Regulations: Welcome To Ravensbourne

Welcome to
Ravensbourne
Academic
Regulations
for Level 0
2007/08
Approved by the University of Sussex
January 2007
Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication
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CONTENTS
Page No.
1. Scope 3
2. Definitions 3
3. Registration 4
4. Methods of assessment 4
5. Submission deadlines 4
6. Extensions to submission deadlines 4
7. Deferral of assessment 5
8. Mitigating circumstances 5
9. Marking and moderation 5
10. Examination Boards 5
11. Results and feedback 5
12. Publication of marks 6
13. Progression 6
14. Retrieval 6
15. Compensation 6
16. Grading 7
17. Academic offences: cheating, collusion and plagiarism 8
18. Academic appeals 9
Annex A: Reasonable Adjustments to Assessment and Examination Policy and Procedure 10

Annex B: Mitigating Circumstances Policy and Procedure 12
Annex C: Invigilation and Exam Hall Conduct 14
Annex D: Misconduct in Examinations or other Assessments 18
Annex E: Student Appeals Policy and Procedure 20
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Level Zero Courses 2007/08
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1. SCOPE
1.1 The College seeks to ensure that its assessment practices are fair, explicit and
transparent and that each student shall be assessed in accordance with the
published schedule given in the project brief for his or her course.
1.2 Assessment is a matter of judgement, not simply of computation. Marks, grades

and percentages should not be treated as absolute values but as indicators to be
used by examiners to communicate their judgement of different aspects of a
student's work, in order to provide information on which the final decision on a
student's fulfilment of a programme of study's objectives may be based.
1.3 The regulations govern the conduct of assessment. Unless otherwise specified the
regulations apply to all forms of assessment.
2. DEFINITIONS
Course The named programme of study onto which students enrol,

leading to a qualification.
Programme The syllabus of the course: how a course is structured and

the units are related to each other.
Unit A discrete formally structured learning experience with a

coherent and explicit set of learning outcomes.
Credit Credit is a quantified means of expressing equivalence of

learning. Credit is awarded to a learner in recognition of the
verified achievement of the learning outcomes of a unit.
Level Credit level or course level, an indicator of the relative

demand, complexity and depth of learning of a unit.
Assessment Assessment requirements are those specified tasks which

requirements enable students to demonstrate that they have fulfilled the
learning outcomes of the unit
Submission deadline This is the published point by which assessment

requirements must be submitted in order for a student to
pass a unit.
Retrieval The process by which a student who has failed a unit is

permitted a further attempt to retake the assessment
without repeating the unit.
Compensation The decision of the Examination Board in specific

circumstances to allow a candidate’s overall performance to
compensate for a failure in a unit so that retrieval is not
required. A student’s transcript will indicate if a unit has
been compensated.
Examination Groups of internal markers and, where awards are being

Boards considered, external examiners formally established by the
Academic Board to be responsible for the assessment of
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each stage of programme of study. The constitution and

Terms of Reference of each Board are subject to the
approval of the Academic Board. The Examination Board
deals with student progression from Level to Level and with
awards and outcomes at the end of the course.
3. REGISTRATION
3.1 Students will register at the outset for their chosen specialist degree.
3.2 A student must be fully enrolled on the course according to College procedures and
her/his registration active before submitting assessment.
3.3 A student may transfer between specialist pathways but this must be approved by
both subject leaders, according to the College’s course transfer procedure.
3.4 The maximum registration period for a level zero course is three years.
4. METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
4.1 Each unit has at least one assessment requirement. In order to pass a unit a
student must normally satisfy all the assessment requirements for that unit.
4.2 The assessment requirements and the criteria by which assessed work will be
judged are specified in unit specifications and published to students in project
briefs.
4.3 Special assessment arrangements may be made for a student with a disability or
specific illness/medical condition in accordance with the College’s Policy and
Procedure for Reasonable Adjustments to Assessment and Examination
Arrangements (see Annex A).
5. SUBMISSION DEADLINES
5.1 Deadlines for the submission of assessed work will be published in project briefs.
5.2 Deadlines are absolute and extensions to deadlines will only be granted subject to
the conditions set out below in paragraph 6.
5.3 A student who fails to submit an assessment or an element of assessment by the

required deadline will automatically be deemed to have failed that assessment and
their retrieval will be capped at an E grade. The only exception to this shall be
where an extension has been agreed in advance, in accordance with section 6
below or where the student submits mitigating circumstances which account for the
delay in submission and are accepted by the Examination Board (see section 7).
6. EXTENSIONS TO SUBMISSION DEADLINES
6.1 Extensions to submission deadlines may in exceptional circumstances be granted

by the Course Leader. Students who wish to apply for an extension should
complete an assessment extension form, available from the Registry, and submit
this to the Course Leader together with third party corroborative evidence.
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Deadlines may only be extended up to a maximum of two weeks (other than in

cases of special assessment arrangements referred to in paragraph 4.3).
6.2 Extensions are normally not permitted for group work.
7. DEFERRAL OF ASSESSMENT
7.1 A student may only defer her/his assessment in exceptional circumstances. Such
a deferral is subject to agreement by the Head of Faculty in accordance with
College procedures.
8. MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES
8.1 A mitigating circumstance is defined as a serious or significant adverse event or

illness which was unexpected and has impacted upon a student’s academic
performance. A student who believes that due to illness or other valid cause (such
as bereavement):
a) his/her performance has been adversely affected; OR
b) he/she was unable to submit assessed or reassessed work by the scheduled

deadline
may submit a claim for consideration of mitigating circumstances.
8.2 Technical failure of IT or any other equipment will not normally be accepted as
mitigating circumstances.
8.3 A student who wishes to submit a claim for mitigation should do so in accordance
with the College’s procedure (see Annex B).
8.4 The deadline for submission of a claim is normally the deadline for the assessment
to which the mitigating circumstances relate. Where circumstances prevent a
student from submitting a mitigating circumstances form at that particular point,
s/he should submit it at the earliest opportunity but normally no later than seven
days before the meeting of the Examination Board.
9. MARKING AND MODERATION
9.1 Student work is marked in accordance with the College’s policy and procedure on
marking and moderation (available from the Quality website).
10. EXAMINATION BOARDS
10.1 The Examination Board will meet at the end of the course year to confirm unit
marks, student progression and achievement.
10.2 All marks issued during the year are provisional and subject to change until
ratification by the Examination Board at the end of the course level.
11. RESULTS AND FEEDBACK
11.1 Students will normally receive written feedback on any summatively assessed work
during the course of the year. The student will also receive a provisional result,
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normally within three to four weeks of the assessment deadline, but no later than
six weeks.
12. PUBLICATION OF MARKS
12.1 The Registry will issue the pass list on the appropriate student noticeboards
between 36 and no later than 48 hours of the Examination Board meeting.
Candidate numbers will be used for the pass list.
12.2 Results letters will normally be sent to students within ten working days of the
Examination Board meeting.
12.3 Results letters will not be issued to students who owe monies to the College.
13. PROGRESSION
13.1 There is no award on successful completion of Level 0, but students will progress
directly to Level 1 of their chosen degree. There is no automatic right of
progression to any other course in the College.
13.2 In order to progress to the undergraduate degree, students are required to have
successfully completed the units, totalling 120 credits, specified for the level in the
Course Handbook.
13.3 Students may not carry failed credits from Level 0 to an undergraduate course,
subject to paragraph 15 below.
14. RETRIEVAL
14.1 Students are normally permitted one opportunity to retrieve a failed unit or unit
component, capped at an E grade. A student who fails to pass at the second
attempt will normally be required to attend and repeat the unit(s) for one final
attempt. Exceptionally the Examination Board may permit the student a second
opportunity to retrieve a marginal fail without repeating the unit.
14.2 Students will normally be permitted to retrieve a maximum of 20 credits in any one
level. A student who has failed more than 20 credits will not normally be permitted
to progress to the next level and will be required to intermit his/her studies to repeat
the failed unit(s) and assessment.
14.3 Where a student is required to intermit their study to retake failed units, s/he may
not normally repeat units where s/he has already achieved a pass mark.
15. COMPENSATION
15.1 A student must normally satisfy all the assessment requirements specified for each
unit of study. In certain circumstances, the Examination Board may at its discretion
choose to permit performance in one area to compensate for underachievement in
another. The application of compensation is a matter of academic judgement by
the Board. There is no right to compensation.
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15.2 Compensation of a failure of a unit
15.2.1 Where a student has marginally failed a unit the Examination Board may at
its discretion permit the student’s overall performance for that level to
compensate for the failure, provided the student achieves an overall pass
for the level, subject to the conditions below.
15.2.2 When reviewing a student’s performance, the Board will take account of all
relevant information, including:
a) the student’s overall performance for that stage (which should aggregate by
average to an overall pass);
b) the achievement of required learning outcomes for the programme;
c) any mitigating circumstances.
15.2.3 No more than 20 credits per level may be compensated for failure of a unit.
15.2.4 A student’s transcript will indicate where a unit has been compensated.
15.3 Compensation of a failure of an assessment requirement within a unit
15.3.1 Where a student has marginally failed an assessment requirement within a

unit the Examination Board may at its discretion permit the student’s overall
performance for that unit to compensate for the failure, provided that:
a) the learning outcomes for the unit overall are achieved;

b) the weighted overall average result for all the assessment requirements
aggregates to an overall unit pass.
16. GRADING
16.1 The College currently expresses its final unit outcomes as grades (A to E and fail).
The College’s minimum grade for a pass at Level 0 is E. Grades are expressed
according to the following scale:
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Categorical Marking Scheme

Grade Classifications Mark Predetermined Marking intervals
Bands Bands marks
(Percentage
Grade Points)
100
90 High A+ 90 - 100
80 Medium A 80 - 89
74 Low A- 70 - 79
A First 70 -100
Outstanding 68 High B+ 67 - 69
65 Medium B 64 - 66
62 Low B- 60 - 63
B Upper Second 60 – 69
Excellent 58 High C+ 57- 59
55 Medium C 54 - 56
52 Low C- 50 - 53
C Lower Second 50 – 59
Good 48 High D+ 47- 49
45 Medium D 44 - 46
42 Low D- 40 - 43
D Third 40 – 49
Competent Marginal
38 Pass E 35 - 39
E Pass (notional) 35 – 39
Marginal
30 Fail F+
20 Fail F
10 Poor F-
0
17. ACADEMIC OFFENCES: CHEATING, COLLUSION AND PLAGIARISM
17.1 Cheating may be defined as an attempt to gain an unfair advantage by breaching

regulations, by bribery or inducement, or by deception.
17.2 Collusion is taken to mean unauthorised collaboration to produce individually

assessed work, without acknowledgement to those who have contributed to the
work. It is distinct from authorised collaboration on projects which is strongly
encouraged.
17.3 Plagiarism is the passing off by one person of another person’s work, without
acknowledgement to the original author. Any material used in a piece of work which
is not original MUST be acknowledged to the original author in the approved
format, or it will be treated as plagiarism, which is regarded as an extremely serious
academic offence amounting to theft of ideas. Such material may be text or image,
and may be derived from published or unpublished work, from any source (e.g.
books, journals, newspapers, the internet, fellow students’ notes etc.).
17.4 Suspected cases of cheating, collusion and plagiarism will be dealt with under the
College’s procedure (See Annex D).
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18. ACADEMIC APPEALS
18.1 A student may make an appeal if:

[a] the student can establish that their performance in assessment was
adversely affected by illness or other mitigating circumstances which they
were unable, or for valid reasons unwilling, to divulge prior to the
Examination board reaching a decision. The student’s request for
reconsideration must be supported by documentary evidence as to why it
could not have been presented at the correct time.
[b] satisfactory evidence can be produced that there has been a material
administrative error, or that assessment was not conducted in accordance
with the College’s regulations or the current regulations for the course, or
that some other procedural defect has occurred.
18.2 A student should lodge an academic appeal in accordance with the College’s
Academic Appeals procedure (See Annex E).
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ANNEX A
REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS TO ASSESSMENT AND EXAMINATION
ARRANGEMENTS POLICY AND PROCEDURE
1. Policy Statement
1.1 The College has a duty to ensure that assessment and decisions about
assessment are conducted in accordance with its equal opportunities policy and
current legislation.
1.2 It is the responsibility of the student to declare a disability and inform Student
Services of any difficulties they may have at the earliest opportunity, preferably at
the beginning of the course. Failure to do this may affect the effectiveness of
support arrangements or the ability for the College to implement reasonable
adjustments.
1.3 Reasonable adjustments to assessment arrangements may be made for

candidates who have a disability, either permanently or temporarily.
1.4 Each request for reasonable adjustments will be considered by the Course Leader,
in consultation with the student and the Student Services.
1.5 In exceptional circumstances, an alternative form of assessment may be agreed,

provided it can be demonstrated that s/he will achieve the learning outcomes.
Such requests must be approved by the exam board/external examiner/validating
body.
1.6 A candidate for whom reasonable adjustments have been made may not normally
use the same reason as a ‘mitigating circumstance’.
2. Procedure
2.1 Students should submit a request for consideration for reasonable adjustments to
the Students Services in the first instance.
2.2 A student who makes a request must submit appropriate evidence, or in the case
of dyslexia, the report of an education psychologist, confirming the condition.
2.3 The Student Services will refer the request to the Course Leader, who will then
determine in consultation with the student and the Student Services what
arrangements are deemed appropriate.
2.4 Examination arrangements may include:
[a] Allowing the candidate extra time at the end of an examination in

accordance with public examination practice;
[b] Providing suitable rooms for examinations to take place;
[c] Providing support services, such as a reader or amanuensis.
2.5 Where an alternative form of assessment is granted the alternative mode must test
the same learning outcomes as those tested by the ‘original’ mode of assessment.
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2.6 The Course Leader will report any reasonable adjustment or alternative forms of
assessment that have been granted at the next meeting of the Examination Board.
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ANNEX B
MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES
POLICY AND PROCEDURE
1. Policy Statement
1.1 The College has a duty to ensure that assessments are conducted fairly and in
accordance with its Equal Opportunities Policy and that each student has the
opportunity to demonstrate her/his true level of academic performance.
1.2 A mitigating circumstance is defined as a serious or significant adverse event or

illness which was unexpected and has impacted upon a student’s academic
performance. A student who believes that due to illness or other valid cause (such
as bereavement):
[a] his/her performance has been adversely affected; OR
[b] he/she was unable to submit assessed or reassessed work by the scheduled
deadline
may submit a claim for consideration of mitigating circumstances.
1.3 It is expected that students will take reasonable steps to avoid foreseeable
problems and technical failure of IT or any other equipment will not normally be
accepted as mitigating circumstances, neither will pressure of work nor transport
problems.
2. Procedure for submitting a claim for mitigating circumstances
2.1 A student who believes he/she has mitigating circumstances should obtain a
Mitigating Circumstances form, available from the Registry.
2.2 When completing the form the student should state clearly the grounds for
mitigation and the date(s) when the circumstances occurred.
2.3 The claim must be corroborated by independent (third party) evidence such as a
medical certificate, a solicitor’s letter, or any other official document. A claim will
not normally be considered without independent evidence. Original documents
must be submitted but these will be copied and returned to the claimant.
2.4 The claim must be countersigned by a Course Tutor to confirm that s/he supports
the claim.
2.5 The deadline for submission of a claim is normally the deadline for the assessment
to which the mitigating circumstances relate. Where circumstances prevent a
student from submitting a mitigating circumstances form at that particular point,
s/he should submit it at the earliest opportunity but normally no later than seven
days before the meeting of the Examination Board.
2.6 Mitigating circumstances will not be taken into consideration if the procedure has
not been followed.
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3. Confidential information
3.1 All claims for mitigating circumstances are confidential to the Mitigating
Circumstances Panel and will not be disclosed outside the meeting.
3.2 If the student feels the circumstances are of a particularly sensitive or personal
nature, s/he may submit the claim and corroborating evidence in a sealed envelope
marked confidential with the student’s name, ID number and the unit(s) against
which a claim is being made.
4. Consideration of evidence
4.1 The claim will be considered by a Mitigating Circumstances Panel which shall
normally comprise:
[a] The Head of Student Services

[b] The Head of Registry
[c] An academic member of staff
4.2 The Panel will consider each claim and decide upon an outcome which it will
recommend to the relevant Examination Board. In making its recommendation, the
panel will take into account:
[a] the supporting evidence;

[b] the timing of the circumstances, namely do they correspond with the date of
the affected assessment;
[c] the nature and severity of the circumstances.
4.3 The Panel will only take into account claims of mitigation which have been
submitted formally. It will not consider claims which have not been submitted
according to the College’s procedure.
4.4 If the Panel accepts the student’s claim for mitigation the student may be required
to submit/sit the assessment for a first attempt or in the case of a
resubmission/resit the student may be required to resubmit the assessment under
the original conditions.
4.5 Mitigating circumstances do not permit the examiners to raise marks, however
where the Panel may recommend to the Board that it may use its discretion in
borderline cases to raise a student’s overall degree classification, subject to
meeting any other criteria to raise the classification.
4.6 The Panel reserves the right to reject a claim that does not adequately account for
mitigation of a non submission or failure.
4.7 The Head of Registry will report the Panel’s recommendations to the relevant
Examination Board. The Panel however will not disclose the nature of the
circumstances.
5. Data Protection
5.1 Following the decision of the Panel, a copy of the mitigating circumstances will be
stored in a sealed envelope in the student’s central file marked ‘confidential’.
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ANNEX C
INVIGILATION AND EXAM HALL CONDUCT†
1. Exam paper preparation and security
1.1 Examination papers must be prepared by the Tutor/Assessor in consultation with

the relevant Course/Subject Leader. They must be checked and signed-off by the
Head of Faculty. Particular attention is required in ensuring accuracy and clarity of
the rubric explaining what students are required to do.
1.2 In advance of the examination, the papers must be stored securely. Hard copies
should be in secure location and electronic versions must be stored on the Course
Leader’s personal folder.
1.3 In the case of final assessment, examination papers must be approved, in writing
and by post, by the relevant External Examiner before they are printed or
distributed. They must not be transmitted electronically
2. Notification of time and location of exams
2.1 Candidates should note carefully the time and place of each of their own exams. A
candidate who fails to attend an exam without approved mitigating circumstances
will be failed and will only be eligible for a maximum of a bare pass grade at
retrieval.
2.2 Candidates with religious objections to taking an unseen exam on a particular day
of the week should notify the Course / Subject Leader before the end of the
Autumn Term so it can be taken into account when drawing up the exam timetable.
2.3 Notification of exams will be given on the course notice boards and in issued
timetables.
3. Time of arrival
3.1 Candidates must present themselves at the appropriate examination venue fifteen
minutes before each exam is due to begin.
3.2 Students may be admitted to the examination room up to 60 minutes after the start
of the examination (and conversely no student may leave during this period).
4. Student identity cards in unseen examinations
4.1 Candidates must bring their Student ID card to each exam. The member of staff
invigilating the exam may require candidates to place the ID card on the desk at the
start of an examination.
4.2 Candidates unable to produce a valid Student ID card if asked for by a member of
staff invigilating the exam will be reported to the Course Leader and investigated as
potential misconduct. The misconduct investigation will normally be based on
comparisons of handwriting on examination scripts and other documents.
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5. Start of the unseen examination
5.1 Before the commencement of the examination, candidates should read the
instructions on the cover of the answer-scripts, and may read the question papers.
Candidates may not complete the cover-sheets of the answer-scripts until the
examination formally commences. The commencement of the examination, when
candidates may complete the cover sheet and begin to answer questions from the
question paper, will be clearly announced.
5.2 The invigilator will announce the start of the examination, the time and the
scheduled time for completion. S/he will remind candidates that they should begin
each question they attempt on a new sheet of paper, that the candidate name must
be clearly written on all sheets together with the number of each question
attempted.
6. Examination aids
6.1 For certain papers, specific aids or handouts will be provided by the invigilators
where questions necessitate their use. Information about handouts and other aids
will be provided in advance of the examination. No other aids (e.g. dictionaries) will
be permitted.
6.2 Candidates are permitted to use a calculator where necessary but it must be non-
graphical, non-programmable and capable of numerical display only.
6.3 Where a paper has been classified as an ‘open-note unseen exam’, candidates are
allowed to refer to notes during the examination but textbooks may not be used. If a
paper has been classified as ‘open-book’, candidates are permitted to refer to any
books or notes.
7. Conduct during unseen examinations
7.1 Candidates must follow any instructions given by the invigilator.
7.2 Throughout the examination at least one invigilator shall be present who has power
to:
7.2.1 permit candidates to leave the room for short periods of time, subject to
adequate supervision.
7.2.2 require a candidate to leave the room and surrender their script if, in the
invigilator’s opinion, they have been guilty of misconduct.
7.3 Any candidate given permission by the Invigilator to leave the examination room for
a short period of time will have their answer-script marked in red indicating the time
of departure and return as evidence of their temporary absence.
8. Misconduct in an unseen examination
8.1 A candidate may be disqualified or be liable to such other penalties as the

Examination Board may determine:
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8.1.1 for having access to, or attempting to gain access to, any books
memoranda, notes, mobile telephones, pagers, electronic organisers,
unauthorised calculators, or any other unauthorised materials or devices;
8.1.2 for aiding or attempting to aid another candidate, for obtaining aid or
attempting to obtain aid from another candidate, or any other
communication within or beyond the examination room during the period of
the examination.
9. Personal belongings
9.1 Candidates may not bring into the examination any books or notes (unless the
exam specifically allows it), dictionaries or reference works, briefcases, large bags
or other personal belongings. Small bags may be taken into the examination,
though the invigilators have the right and the authority to inspect the contents
should it be considered necessary.
9.2 Mobile telephones, pagers and other electronic devices must be turned off and
either left with the invigilators at the front of the room or left with other personal
belongings.
10. Behaviour during the examination
10.1 No candidate may smoke or drink alcohol in the examination room, or behave in
any way that might disturb other candidates during the examination. Anyone
leaving an examination room while other candidates are still writing should do so as
quietly as possible. Candidates will not be permitted to leave the examination room
in order to smoke.
10.2 No candidate may talk to another candidate while in the examination room.
11. Emergency situations
11.1 In the event of the activation of the fire alarm or other emergency, candidates must
leave all examination materials on the desk when leaving the room. Candidates
may take personal belongings that are to hand at their desk, but most not stop to
collect bags etc. left in the care of the invigilating staff.
12. End of the exam
12.1 Ten minutes before the end of the exam the invigilator will announce the time and
will remind candidates to ensure that their name is on every page of your script and
that they have correctly numbered each question attempted. At the end of the
exam the invigilator will ask candidates to stop writing.
12.2 The invigilator will normally collect all the scripts before candidates leave the
examination hall. They will also collect any rough work or incomplete scripts.
12.3 Following the exam the scripts will be delivered by the invigilator to the Tutor(s)
responsible for marking them, or if this is not possible to a secure location where
they will be kept until they can be collected.
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13. Legibility of unseen exam scripts
13.1 It is the individual candidate’s responsibility to produce a script that is clearly

legible. A candidate whose script is deemed illegible by its examiners may be
required to have the script typed, or rewritten, under supervision, at the candidate’s
expense, before it is marked.
13.2 In such cases the candidate would be issued with instructions for the copy typist, or
copyist. The typed script will be returned to the examiners with a declaration,
signed by the copy typist/copyist and the candidate, that the instructions have been
followed.
14. Absence from an unseen examination
14.1 If a candidate fails to attend, or arrive too late to be admitted to and exam, s/he will
have a fail grade recorded unless s/he has mitigating circumstances that are
approved by her/his Course Leader and subsequently by the Examination Board.
14.2 To make a claim for mitigating circumstances candidates must complete the form in
accordance with the College’s procedure (Annex B).
†
THESE GUIDELINES ARE SUBJECT TO REVISION DURING 2005/06
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ANNEX D
MISCONDUCT IN EXAMINATIONS OR OTHER ASSESSMENTS†
This note should be read in conjunction with the existing College policy on cheating and
plagiarism. It is a duty on academic staff to remind students that sources used in
coursework should be acknowledged, as plagiarism can be inadvertent by those unfamiliar
with the conventions. A separate note refers to examination hall conduct, for unseen
examinations: this note refers to suspected plagiarism emerging at the marking stage.
Guidelines for staff reporting cheating by plagiarism:
1 Most plagiarism in course work will be detected and should initially be addressed
as above, in that the student may well not be aware of the need to acknowledge a
source or a reference.
2 Where a deliberate plagiarism is suspected, the suspicion should be reported by

the tutor to the Head of Student Support and Information Services who is
responsible for dealing with all cases across the College. Where an external
examiner suspects plagiarism, a member of teaching staff should discuss the
concerns and then act on behalf of the examiner.
3 The report should be in writing, signed and dated by the tutor, and indicate the
details and the evidence for suspecting plagiarism. Where visual or written work is
involved, the original work should be retained by the college, with a copy returned
to the student.
4 The Head of Student Support and Information Services should copy the report to
the student and request an explanation or refutation. A reasonable time limit
should be set for a response. At the same time, the Quality Manager (or other
person who is appointed by the Director to receive student appeals and complaints)
should be notified.
5 Where a sufficient explanation is received, the Head of Student Support and

Information Services may close the matter and inform the appointed person. The
appointed person may also decide that there is no prima facie case and order the
matter to be closed.
6 Where the student denies the allegation, does not provide a sufficient explanation
or does not reply, the appointed person will set up a panel, including two members
of staff from another area of the college who have not taught the student. A panel
meeting will be convened and the student will be invited to attend. The student
may be accompanied and represented by an appropriate member of staff. The
student may offer a response to the allegation. The tutor will be invited to present
the allegation but will not be party to the decision.
7 The panel should determine a) whether the candidate was guilty or not and b) the
penalty. The appointed person should make a written record. The exam board
should then be informed of the panel’s decision, which the exam board should
implement. Where the student admits plagiarism, the procedure will be the same.
The panel will either indicate that the evidence does not support the allegation and
dismiss the matter, or report that it is supported/admitted and an appropriate
penalty recommended, as below.
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8 The recommendation will be received by the relevant Examination Board, which will
make the final decision and apply the penalty, subject to discussion in the light of
any other evidence available to the Examination Board on the student.
9 Where a matter is dismissed under 5 or 7 above, no record will be kept on the

student’s file and the work in question returned to the student.
Penalties
10 The recommendation to the Examination Board may be that either minor

misconduct or major misconduct has occurred:
11 Minor misconduct might be knowingly using artefacts, images, designs or text from
another source without acknowledging that source, or an offence equivalent in
level.
Penalties for minor misconduct include:
A record of the plagiarism placed on the student’s file, a reduced mark in the
coursework or examination concerned, or a requirement to repeat the work
12 Major misconduct might be large-scale plagiarism in coursework, cheating in an

unseen examination, repeated plagiarism where previous offence(s) are on file, or
permitting an impersonator to take an examination
Penalties for major misconduct include:
Failure in the project or whole unit concerned, or limitation on degree classification

if the offence comes to a final year Exam Board.
The Examination Board may in particularly serious cases suggest reference to the
disciplinary process, which could lead to exclusion on disciplinary grounds.
†
THESE GUIDELINES ARE SUBJECT TO REVISION DURING 2005/06
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________
ANNEX E
STUDENT APPEALS
POLICY AND PROCEDURE
1. Policy Statement
1.1 The College has a duty to ensure that assessment and decisions about
assessment are conducted fairly and in accordance with its equal opportunities
policy.
1.2 A student is entitled to make an appeal against the decision of the Examination
Board if s/he believes that the result of her/his assessment has been adversely
affected by a health or personal difficulty which for good reason s/he was unable to
disclose on time, or by an administrative or procedural error on the part of the
College.
1.3 An appeal will not be considered where it is made against academic judgement.
2. Grounds for an Appeal
2.1 A student may make an appeal if:

[a] the student can establish that their performance in assessment was
adversely affected by illness or other mitigating circumstances which they
were unable, or for valid reasons unwilling, to divulge prior to the
Examination board reaching a decision. The student’s request for
reconsideration must be supported by documentary evidence as to why it
could not have been presented at the correct time.
[b] satisfactory evidence can be produced that there has been a material
administrative error, or that assessment was not conducted in accordance
with the College’s regulations or the current regulations for the course, or
that some other procedural defect has occurred.
2.3 A student who requests an appeal is bound by the original grade awarded (and any
conditions associated with the resubmission of an assessment or retake of an
examination) until the result of the appeal process is known. However in certain
circumstances, to be determined by the Chair of the Appeals Panel, a student may
be permitted to progress to the next level, pending the Panel’s decision, so as not
to disadvantage the student academically. This will not prejudice the outcome of
the appeal and if the appeal is rejected the student will not be permitted to continue
at the next Level and the decision of the Examination Board will stand.
2.4 Appeals will not be considered where they are made against academic judgement.
2.5 The appeals procedure may not be used to pursue any complaint against services
provided by the College, including delivery of teaching, or a complaint about
misconduct by a member of staff or another student. A student who wishes to
make such a complaint must follow the College’s Complaints Procedure [See the
Student Contract Handbook].
2.6 The College reserves the right to terminate the appeals procedure at any time if it is
judged that the appeal is vexatious or frivolous. This decision will be made by the
Director of the College and will be communicated in writing to the appellant.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Procedure for Appeal against a Result declared by the Examination Board
3.1 Errors in published marks or grades
3.1.1 If a student believes that a mistake has been made in the grade for an
individual assessment or overall result, the matter should be raised with the
Registry as soon as possible after the publication of the results
3.1.2 If an error has occurred, the Registry must notify the Chair of the
Examination Board immediately so that s/he can take chair’s action in
consultation with the external examiners to rectify the error as soon as
possible.
3.1.3 Written confirmation of the action taken will be provided to the student, and
the matter will be reported to the Examination Board at its next meeting.
3.1.4 If an error did not occur, the student must be notified in writing normally
within two weeks of the claim.
3.2 Other administrative or procedural errors or mitigating circumstances
3.2.1 The student should appeal to the Head of Quality normally within three
weeks of publication of the results, in writing, stating clearly the grounds for
appeal (i.e. under 2.1 [a] or 2.1. [b]) and attaching any relevant
documentation.
3.2.2 The Head of Quality will acknowledge receipt of the appeal normally within
five days, that either:
[a] the appellant has a case, and confirming the arrangements for an
Appeal Panel;
or
[b] the case does not fall within the grounds for appeal, and inviting the
appellant to a meeting to discuss the case.
3.2.3 An appeal is unlikely to succeed if a student cannot explain satisfactorily

why they were unable to provide the examiners in advance of the
examination board with information about any personal circumstances that
may have affected their performance in assessment.
3.2.4 If the appellant has a case, the Head of Quality will obtain written evidence
and opinion from all parties concerned, and convene an Appeals Panel.
4. The Appeals Panel
4.1 The Appeals Panel will normally consist of:
[a] the Head of the Faculty or other senior member of staff unconnected with
the course;
[b] one or more tutors who are not directly involved with the course on which
the student is registered;
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________
[c] a student of the College, nominated by the Students’ Union, not connected
with the student or the course;
[d] a member of Quality staff (Secretary).
4.2 The student will be invited to attend to present his/her case to the Panel,
accompanied by a friend or other representative if desired. The student will be
notified in writing of the composition of the Appeals Panel and has the right to
challenge where [s]he feels there is a conflict of interest.
5. Decision of the Appeals Panel
5.1 After due consideration, the Panel may decide:

either: to reject the appeal;
or: to allow the student to re-enter the examination/ re-submit the assignment;
or: to overturn the original decision of the Examination Board and substitute a
different decision.
5.2 The Chair of the Appeals Panel will confirm the decision in writing to the student
normally within five working days of the meeting of the Appeals Panel.
5.3 The decision will be reported to the next meeting of the Examination Board and to
the College’s Academic Board.
5.4 If the appeal is not upheld the student has the right to appeal to the Vice Chancellor
of the University of Sussex who will ascertain that the correct procedures were
followed. The decision of the University is final and indicates the completion of the
appeals procedure.
6. Final Redress
6.1 Where the student is not satisfied with the outcome of the procedure, s/he may
request a review by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA). The OIA
provides an independent scheme to enable the review of unresolved student
complaints, including appeals.
6.2 The student must submit an appeal to the OIA within three months of receiving the
notification of the decision of the University’s of Sussex.
6.3 An appeal to the OIA is made by completing a Scheme application form. Copies of
this form are available from:
• The Student Welfare Office;

• The Student Union Office;
• The Learning Resource Centre;
• The Quality Office.
Alternatively the form can be downloaded from the OIA website or requested by
telephone or letter: www.oiahe.org.uk
Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education

5th Floor, Thames Tower
Station Road, Reading, RG1 1LX
Tel 01189 599813 e-mail – enquiries@oiahe.org.uk
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
- 22 -

Academic Regulations: Welcome To Ravensbourne

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Academic Regulations: Welcome To Ravensbourne

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Welcome to

6. Extensions to submission deadlines 4

9. Marking and moderation 5

10. Examination Boards 5

11. Results and feedback 5

12. Publication of marks 6

17. Academic offences: cheating, collusion and plagiarism 8

18. Academic appeals 9

Annex A: Reasonable Adjustments to Assessment and Examination Policy and Procedure 10

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

1.2 Assessment is a matter of judgement, not simply of computation. Marks, grades

Course The named programme of study onto which students enrol,

Programme The syllabus of the course: how a course is structured and

Unit A discrete formally structured learning experience with a

Credit Credit is a quantified means of expressing equivalence of

Level Credit level or course level, an indicator of the relative

Assessment Assessment requirements are those specified tasks which

Submission deadline This is the published point by which assessment

Retrieval The process by which a student who has failed a unit is

Compensation The decision of the Examination Board in specific

Examination Groups of internal markers and, where awards are being

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

each stage of programme of study. The constitution and

5.3 A student who fails to submit an assessment or an element of assessment by the

6. EXTENSIONS TO SUBMISSION DEADLINES

6.1 Extensions to submission deadlines may in exceptional circumstances be granted

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

Deadlines may only be extended up to a maximum of two weeks (other than in

6.2 Extensions are normally not permitted for group work.

8.1 A mitigating circumstance is defined as a serious or significant adverse event or

a) his/her performance has been adversely affected; OR

b) he/she was unable to submit assessed or reassessed work by the scheduled

may submit a claim for consideration of mitigating circumstances.

9. MARKING AND MODERATION

10. EXAMINATION BOARDS

11. RESULTS AND FEEDBACK

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

12. PUBLICATION OF MARKS

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

15.2 Compensation of a failure of a unit

15.3 Compensation of a failure of an assessment requirement within a unit

15.3.1 Where a student has marginally failed an assessment requirement within a

a) the learning outcomes for the unit overall are achieved;

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

Categorical Marking Scheme

17. ACADEMIC OFFENCES: CHEATING, COLLUSION AND PLAGIARISM

17.1 Cheating may be defined as an attempt to gain an unfair advantage by breaching

17.2 Collusion is taken to mean unauthorised collaboration to produce individually

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

18. ACADEMIC APPEALS

18.1 A student may make an appeal if:

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

1.3 Reasonable adjustments to assessment arrangements may be made for

1.5 In exceptional circumstances, an alternative form of assessment may be agreed,

2.4 Examination arrangements may include:

[a] Allowing the candidate extra time at the end of an examination in

[b] Providing suitable rooms for examinations to take place;

[c] Providing support services, such as a reader or amanuensis.

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

Level Zero Courses 2007/08

1.2 A mitigating circumstance is defined as a serious or significant adverse event or

[a] his/her performance has been adversely affected; OR