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A

Absence notification

N/A

Academic Skills Enhancement (ASE)

The Academic Skills Enhancement (ASE) service works in a number of ways with taught students at any level, undergraduate or postgraduate, from any subject discipline, to develop the skills and practices needed to become more effective in their academic work and excel at university.

Areas covered include: writing for academic purposes, effective reading and note-making, presentation skills, time-management, critical thinking, understanding marking criteria, using feedback, revision and exam preparation and avoiding plagiarism.  We also support the work of student mentors through providing resources and training to support peer and social learning

Academic Skills Tutors offer support and developmental opportunities in the form of one-to-one tutorials, workshops, drop-ins, and self-access resources. In addition, we host  Royal Literary Fund (RLF) Fellows who offer writing advice to both taught and research students.


Academic Skills Enhancement (ASE) are part of the Library Teaching and Learning Service and are based on the Mile End Campus and online.  For more information on the services and resources available, how to book, check https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/academic-skills/

Advice and Counselling Service

The Advice and Counselling Service offers confidential, professional support services to all Queen Mary students. We have helpful advice and guidance for financial, immigration and other practical issues as well as emotional support on our website (welfare.qmul.ac.uk). You will also find information there about our services and contact details.

Financial, Immigration and Welfare Advice

Our Welfare Advisers can advise you on solutions and options relating to financial, immigration, practical and welfare issues. We provide specialist advice and support on all aspects of student finance (loans, grants, bursaries), hardship funds and welfare benefits. We can help you plan your budget and find out how to reduce your spending. If you are an international student we can advise you on your immigration rights. We can advocate on your behalf if you need help resolving an issue, for example with Student Finance England or the UK Home Office.

We offer dedicated support for students who no longer have contact with their family (estranged), and students who have experience of local authority care, and students from a refugee background. We also provide support for students experiencing domestic abuse or forced marriage.

Counselling

Life can seem like a struggle at times, and it is normal to sometimes feel a bit low or anxious. Sometimes, though, emotional and psychological issues can become too challenging, and may have a negative effect on your studies and well-being. Our Counsellors can help you to make sense of difficult experiences and feelings by providing the opportunity to think and talk reflectively, which can bring relief and meaningful changes.

The first step is meeting confidentially with one of our Counsellors to discuss what type of support might be most useful to you. This might be short term counselling, group therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or a referral for longer term support or specialist services outside Queen Mary  / in the NHS. For many students, just one or two sessions can really help. Our Counsellors are all highly experienced in working with students, and all types of issues.

 Contacting the Advice and Counselling Service 

For more information about available services and contact details please visit the Advice and Counselling Service’s website:

www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk

Email: via website online form


Adviser/Student Support Mechanisms

 Adviser

During Welcome Week you will be assigned to a member of the academic staff, who will act as your Adviser. Where possible this person will remain your adviser for the duration of your studies.

Your adviser will help you deal with various aspects of your degree programme such as module choices and academic progress and also provides pastoral support, should you experience any personal problems during your time with us.

The role of the adviser is to guide and help you in both academic and pastoral matters during your time here.  They have a key role to play in helping you to select your modules and to formulate a coherent programme of study, which is in line with your own individual interests.

You will also have group tutorials with your advisor dealing with a variety of issues designed to both supplement formal skills acquisition but also act as a pastoral point of contact for students. These meetings are compulsory. More details will be provided during the Welcome Week.

A list of adviser and advisees will be posted on the School notice boards throughout the year. Your adviser’s name will also be noted on your individual MySIS record and module timetable.

SENIOR TUTOR

Senior Tutor in the School is Dr Nicholas Hosteller.

The Senior Tutor has set office hours that are clearly displayed on his office door. Wherever possible you should try to make an appointment with him during these hours.

The Senior Tutor is responsible for managing the School’s extenuating circumstances procedures and chairs the sub-committee of the Examination Board that considers extenuating circumstances affecting the examination period.


School Student Support

The School has Professional Services Staff whose main focus is to ensure that you have the necessary support available to you.


Jason Salucideen is the Student Support Manager (Timetabling and Student Engagement) and is responsible for the allocation of your adviser, management of your module registration and production of your personal timetable.  In addition Jason provides full student support for all first year students

Bronwyn Murphy is the Student Support Officer (Student Experience). Bronwyn is the member of the Professional Services Team responsible for providing pastoral care to all second and final year students as well being the link between students-the school-central college. Her role is to ensure that the student voice is represented appropriately in the school decision processes. Bronwyn assists the Senior Tutors with the management of extenuating circumstances (EC), and together with the Student Support Manager (Timetabling & Engagement Monitoring) is the point of contact should students require information on extensions and extenuating circumstances claims.

Both Jason and Bronwyn deal with EC applications. All EC applications should therefore first be submitted to them NOT directly to the Senior Tutor. Their contact details are here: http://www.politics.qmul.ac.uk/staff/






Appeals

An academic appeal is a request to review a decision about progression, assessment or award.

Before you submit an appeal, speak to us about the decision you wish to appeal as many issues can be resolved without the need for an appeal.

We will be able to provide you with feedback on your marks, or degree classification, and to answer any queries. Please note that an appeal cannot provide feedback on academic work.

Appeals against academic judgment are not permitted, this means you cannot appeal simply because you think the mark you have received is too low.

 There are two grounds for appeal:

  • procedural error: Where the process leading to the decision being appealed against was not conducted in accordance with Queen Mary’s procedure, such that there is reasonable doubt as to whether the outcome might have been different had the error not occurred. Procedural error shall include alleged administrative or clerical error, and bias in the operation of the procedure.

     

  • that exceptional circumstances, illness, or other relevant factors were not made known at the time for good reason, or were not properly taken into account.

An appeal must be received within 14 days of the notification of the decision you want to appeal and should be submitted from your Queen Mary email to appeals@qmul.ac.uk.

 Further information about how to appeal and the appeal form can be found on the Queen Mary website: http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/student-appeals/appeals/index.html

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your appeal you may submit a Final Review for consideration by the Principal’s nominee. Once a Final Review is complete you will be sent a Completion of Procedures letter which outlines the final decision of Queen Mary and the reasons for the decision.


Assessment types

To be eligible for a Queen Mary degree you must complete an approved programme of study. Your programme of study is comprised of a selection of modules, and it is the final mark achieved in these modules that is used to calculate your overall college mark/final classification.

You are expected to submit all elements of assessments for each of your modules, by the advertised deadlines. Failure to do so may result in your failing the module and will affect your final classification.

Coursework Assignments

You must submit one electronic copy of all assignments.

Your electronic copy must be submitted via Queen Mary’s Virtual Learning Environment (QMPlus). The School has a policy of anonymous marking. Your name must NOT appear anywhere on your work, only your student number.

Your electronic copy must be submitted by 11.55 pm on the deadline date, and will be retained and screened by anti-plagiarism software (Turnitin)

You must ensure that you include the coursework feedback and cover sheet as the first page of your assignment. Coversheets are available alongside assignment links on  QMPlus.

 REMEMBER:

  • Save your assignment with coversheet and bibliography as a single document ( as a PDF or Word) before uploading to QMPlus.

  • Assignments in formats other than PDF or Word are not supported on QMPlus and cannot be uploaded.

  • Your assignments must be submitted by 11.55 pm on the deadline date, late penalties apply immediately after the deadline.

  • If the coursework is submitted 7 days (168 hours) or more after the deadline, without an approved extension due to extenuating circumstances, the work will not be assessed and will automatically receive a mark of zero (0FL) to denote late submission.

  • Save back-up copies of all your work in case of computer failure.

It is your responsibility to make sure that the assignment has been uploaded successfully. Make sure that you have uploaded the right file. You will receive an email confirming receipt of your assignment. The email will be sent to your QMUL account (please check your junk mail folder if the email does not arrive to your inbox). It is important that you give yourself sufficient time to check your submission has been successful; this is another good reason for submitting well ahead of the deadline.  The time of submission is taken from QMPlus; the turnitin receipt shows the time turnitin processed your assignment and not the time of submission.

If you are having problems uploading your assignment, please contact Helen Murray (spir-assessments@qmul.ac.uk).


Coursework submitted late, will be penalised at the rate of 5 marks for each 24 hour period, or part thereof, after the set submission date.   An assignment handed in 7 days or more late will not be marked and awarded a mark of zero (0FL) to indicate it was received too late unless there is an approved extension due to extenuating circumstances.

College academic regulations state that students must complete all components of a module i.e. coursework and examination to pass that module.  If you do not submit an item of coursework and do not have extenuating circumstances you may fail the module.

Final year dissertation are due 24 April 2022. You must submit your project as a single file upload to QMPlus, remembering to include all appendices and bibliography in the single file. You are not required to use a coursework coversheet, but you MUST follow the template within the POL318 Research Project module outline for the layout of the first pages of your Project.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. It does not contribute to your final module mark, but it is an integral part of the learning process.

You are expected to participate in these assessments which can be subject related quizzes, or exercises linked to module materials on QMPlus.

Your seminar tutor is available to give assistance and guidance on what is expected with regards to module assessment and they are a vital source of feedback. Although they can recommend specific reading and discuss essay plans they cannot read and comment on complete rough drafts of essays.

Summative Assessment

Summative assessment contributes to the final module mark and is used to gauge your knowledge of the subject. Exams, essays and reports are just a few examples of summative assessment used in the School.

You are expected to complete all summative assessments for each module as the marks received contribute to the overall module mark and ultimately your programme degree classification.

Each piece of work that you submit will be subject to a strict deadline. It is important that you meet all deadlines.

NOTE:

The final deadline for all coursework is

TBC**

No extenuating circumstances will be given beyond this date.

The Office and/or your tutor will refuse to accept any work handed in after this date.

Extensions will not be given just because you have to submit multiple assessments on the same day. It is your responsibility to ensure you manage your time efficiently to meet the demands for all of your modules.

 

If you are unable to meet any of your deadlines due to unforeseen circumstances, such as medical problems or a family tragedy, you must contact the School Office who will advise you to complete an  Extenuating Circumstances Form. You will need to submit this, complete with supporting documentation, to the Office.

 If your circumstances are genuine, and the Senior Tutor considers it appropriate, you may be granted an extension.

NOTE: Extensions are not automatically granted; your form and supporting documentation need to be considered by the Senior Tutor

You should expect to receive your coursework back within 3 weeks of submission complete with feedback and comments from your tutor. You should use this feedback to improve your next assignment. If you are unsure of any comments or feedback you should see your tutor, during their office hour, for further guidance.

If you are experiencing genuine difficulties, of any kind, which are affecting your studies, let your Seminar Tutor, Personal Adviser, Senior Tutor or the School Office know immediately, before you fall too far behind.




 


Attendance Monitoring

*THIS IS SUBJECT TO REVISION*

Attendance: All undergraduate students are expected to attend scheduled taught sessions including lectures, practical classes, group work, workshops, tutorials, seminars, field work, computer lab sessions, problem-solving classes, exercise classes, lab sessions, project meetings, and other events which are associated with the modules for which they are registered as part of their programme of study.

Registers are taken for each seminar, and persistent non-attendance at seminars and failure to submit coursework may lead to de-registration from your programme and termination of your enrolment with Queen Mary. You are expected to be available to attend classes 9am - 6pm Monday to Friday.

It is your responsibility to regularly check your email and QMPlus announcements for notifications concerning changes to the timetable, so that you are always aware of when and where your seminars are scheduled.  Persistent non-attendance – whether for good reason or not – may affect your ability to pass a module successfully. If you do not pass sufficient modules to progress you will be required to take late summer resits and should you still not pass sufficient modules after these resits and if you have further attempts remaining, you will be registered to resit ‘out of attendance’ the following academic year. This means that you do not return to full time study until you have re-sat and passed sufficient modules to progress.

If the School notes that you are achieving low marks on your modules you may be asked to meet with your adviser to discuss your studies. However, you are always welcome to discuss all aspects of you studies with your adviser.  If you have any concerns it is better to seek advice from your adviser sooner than later.

Deregistration may occur for:

  • Persistent non-attendance in seminars

  • Non submission of assessment

If you miss 3 seminars in the same semester on a single module, you will be sent a warning email and asked to meet with your Personal Adviser to explain the reason for your absences. It is essential that you do so, as we will only be able to support/advise you when we know more about any problems you are experiencing which may be affecting your attendance and engagement.

We can only help if you are forthcoming and willing to put in the effort to improve your engagement. We recommend all students take advantage of the support and services available to them within the School and the College. If your absences persist and you miss 5 seminars in one semester, on a single module you will be sent a final warning and given one last chance to make a case to your Personal Adviser. You may be required to submit evidence of your circumstances in order to support your claim.

De-registration may lead to termination of your enrolment with Queen Mary.


Action Following Identification of Students Who May Require Support

Actions taken by the School are designed to support you to engage or re-engage with your study programme. The underpinning principles are that the School, once it has admitted you to a programme of study, has a duty of care to you, whilst in turn you have a responsibility to engage with the available support. In such cases, support will be designed by the School around your needs.

If you are identified as approaching or falling below the minimum requirements of engagement set by the School, you will be contacted alerting you to this, outlining support mechanisms to deal with the issues that may be contributing to this.

If you are identified as in need of support in order to re-engage with your studies, you will be invited to a meeting with your Personal Adviser to discuss issues that might be affecting your studies, and for the provision of encouragement/advice (with possible referral to QM support services if necessary). The first port of call is the Personal Adviser, who in turn may liaise with the Senior Tutor and the School’s Student Support Officers. In exceptional circumstances, a senior member of the School team, such as the Head of School, may be involved in this process.

The School will always try to help students who are experiencing problems, but we cannot do so if we are not kept informed of issue affecting your studies. If there are factors making your engagement with your programme difficult, it is essential that you discuss these with your Personal Adviser, Senior Tutor or the Student Support Officers at an early stage. This will enable us to assist you and, where possible, provide the necessary support.