Departments of Management and Finance Special Circumstances guidance

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• What is the minimum proportion of assessment for credit award?

  The minimum proportion (or elements) of assessment that must be completed for credit to be awarded for all undergraduate modules in the Department is 75%. Taught postgraduate students must complete 100% of assessment to be awarded credit. If a student does not reach the minimum threshold, they will not be able to receive credits for that module and will be awarded 0X.

• What do I do if I fail to submit a compulsory assessment (class test/ quiz/ essay/ report/sway/group report)?

  If a student is absent from a class test or fails to submit a Moodle quiz, the student must self-certify and contact the Module Coordinator in advance.

  If a student fails to submit a coursework (essay/project report/ group report/sway etc.), the student must self-certify and contact the Module Coordinator as soon as possible.

  If the student is facing extenuating circumstances, then the student should complete the online Special Circumstances form.

  All Special Circumstances cases with regards to absences/failure to submit any assessments will be discussed at a staff meeting called the Special Circumstances Board. Students will be asked to submit evidence regarding the reasons for absence/failure to submit. Examples of evidence that are likely to be accepted can be found below.

  Individual circumstances that may have prevented submission of assigned work will be discussed at the Special Circumstances Board. This takes place after the examination diet. Possible outcomes are discussed below.

• What do I do if I require an extension for continuous assessment?

  Assessment submission dates are communicated to students with assessment guidance for each module. Normally, no extensions for coursework submissions are available. Extensions to coursework deadlines are only granted when a student's ability to complete coursework has been significantly affected by extenuating circumstances. Please find all details regarding extensions and late penalties guidance at Extensions and late penalties guidance. Extensions need to be requested in advance before the deadline. No retrospective extensions will be granted and once an extension is granted, no further extension can be requested for that piece of work.

  If the student is not granted an extension because they did not submit a request before the deadline, but they have valid extenuating circumstances to request an academic adjustment to waiver late penalties, then the student should complete the online Special Circumstances Form.

  If the student is not granted an extension because they  submitted an assessment after the extended deadline has passed, but they have valid extenuating circumstances to request an academic adjustment to waiver late penalties, then the student should complete the online Special Circumstances Form.

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• Where the evidence supplied indicates a valid reason (see below) for incomplete assessment, these two scenarios may arise.

  1. If the minimum required assessment has been achieved, the module's final grade can be calculated using the marks completed that are provided. Note: re-weighting will be applied assuming all other assessments are completed as required, i.e., a decision about re-weighting is always conditional on what happens in the remainder of semester and only becomes final once the semester is completed.
  2. If the minimum required assessment not been achieved, the Department advises a deferred class test (if possible), or alternative assessment, or extensions for continuous assessment elements (if possible).

• Where the evidence supplied does not indicate a valid reason (see below) for incomplete assessment or the student does not submit evidence nor a Self-Certificate of absence, these two scenarios may arise.

  1. If the minimum required assessment has been achieved, the student can be awarded credit for the module, but the final grade must be calculated on the basis of being awarded zero for the missing element(s) of assessment.
  2. If the minimum required assessment has not been achieved, the student cannot be awarded credits for the module and the result 0X should be reported.

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• Failure to submit an essay/project

  If a student does not submit an essay/report/project by 10 days after the original deadline and does not formally request an extension, and if the minimum required assessment has been achieved, the student receives a mark of 0. If the minimum requirement has not been achieved, the student cannot be awarded credits for the module and 0X will be reported.

• Failure to submit online quizzes

  If a student does not submit the Moodle quizzes, and does not submit a valid reason, and if the minimum required assessment has been achieved, the student receives a mark of 0 .

  If a student does not submit the Moodle quizzes, and does submit a valid reason, and if the minimum required assessment has been achieved, the remaining assessments will be re-weighted accordingly.

  If the minimum required assessment has not been achieved a student cannot be awarded credits for the module and 0X should be reported.

• Failure to complete a class test

  If a student does not complete a class test, and does not submit a valid reason, and if the minimum required assessment has been achieved, the student receives a mark of 0.

  If a student does not complete a class test, and does submit a valid reason and if the minimum required assessment has been achieved, the other coursework elements will be re-weighted.

  If the minimum required assessment has not been achieved, a student cannot be awarded credits for the module and 0X should be reported.

• Failure to complete a group report/project

  If a student does not complete their section/part of a group report/project and does not submit a valid reason, and if the minimum required assessment has been achieved, the student receives a mark of 0 for the group report/project.

  If a student does not complete their section/part of a group report/project and does submit a valid reason, and if the minimum required assessment has been achieved, an alternative coursework will be issued.

  If the minimum required assessment has not been achieved and a student does not have a valid reason, a student cannot be awarded credits for the module and 0X should be reported.

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• Valid special circumstances

  The examples given here are taken from the University Extenuating Circumstances Policy.

  Types of issues	Circumstances LIKELY to be accepted as Extenuating Circumstances	Circumstances UNLIKELY to be accepted as Extenuating Circumstances
  Medical condition	a chronic medical condition or disability which has recently worsened absence of appropriate disability support arrangements for measures beyond the student’s control serious illness or accident short-term ill-health condition childbirth, or pregnancy complications.	medical circumstances which do not relate to the assessment period in question and/or cannot be attributed as having an impact on the assessment and/or examination medical circumstances where appropriate disability support arrangements are currently in place minor illness or ailment.
  Personal/Family circumstances	serious illness, accident, death or bereavement of immediate family or partner. This includes a person who is dependent upon the student for their care. significant adverse personal/family circumstances exceptional (i.e. non-routine) caring responsibilities.	foreseeable financial issues holiday or family events poor time management or personal organisation (work pressure; conflicting assessment deadlines) an inability or reluctance to disclose extenuating circumstances at the appropriate time failure on the part of the student to recognise University regulations and assessment procedures IT issues (network facilities, loss of computer data, printing problems etc) accidental submission of an incorrect assessment (e.g. coursework from another module) misreading of an examination timetable.
  Exceptional/ Unforeseeable issues	major transport incidents military conflict natural disaster, extreme weather conditions or global health crisis civil unrest.	transport difficulties (missed buses; strikes; traffic congestion).
  Legal proceedings	legal proceedings which require court attendance or jury service victim of criminal activity or harassment.	criminal conviction.
  Employment/Career development	significant or immediate changes in workload or changes to work pattern normally available for study or assessment (distance-learning and/or part-time students only) attendance at employment or internship opportunities pre-approved by the School.	excessive travel time to attend interviews for work placement or employment.

• Evidence that is likely and unlikely to be accepted for special circumstances

  Types of issues	Evidence LIKELY to be accepted	Evidence UNLIKELY to be accepted
  Medical condition	an independent assessment, report or letter of the student’s medical condition by a General Practitioner, health professional or clinical specialist that clearly states the dates when the illness affected the patient confirmation from the Disabilities Team that academic adjustments are appropriate but not yet in place, where the delay is not the responsibility of the student.	an independent assessment, report or letter from medical services which does not address the student's medical condition report of a medical assessment which did not take place at the time when the symptoms were present.
  Personal/Family circumstances	a signed letter from a person with an appropriate professional standing written account from University staff who have witnessed or can account for the request (e.g. tutor, module coordinator, Student Service staff).	written account, assessment or character reference from a student's family or friends who have directly witnessed the circumstances that have affected the student's academic performance written account from University staff who have not directly witnessed or cannot account for the case of extenuating circumstances, or the impact on the student's academic performance evidence that refers to extenuating circumstances beyond common issues or difficulties (e.g. common cold etc.).
  Exceptional/ Unforeseeable issues	evidence of a major transportation incident or confirmation from a transport company.
  Legal proceedings	official documentation relevant to the application which may include legal documents, police reports, insurance claim or medical report etc.
  Employment	written account by an independent third party who directly witnessed the circumstances (e.g. employer; notary) evidence showing that an interview for work placement or employment cannot be rearranged.