DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL PHYSICS &
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
UNDERGRADUATE
STUDENT HANDBOOK:
MEDICAL PHYSICS
2015/2016
Last update: 14/07/2015
Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook: Medical Physics 2015/16
College Term Dates 2015-2016
First Term:
Reading week:
September 28, 2015
November 9, 2015
-
December 18, 2015
November 14, 2015
Second Term:
Reading week:
January 11, 2016
February 15, 2016
-
March 23, 2016
February 21, 2016
Third Term:
April 25, 2016
-
June 10, 2016
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this document, the
Department cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions contained herein.
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Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook: Medical Physics 2015/16
Page 3
WELCOME
Welcome to UCL, one of the foremost universities in Britain and the world. It is a pleasure to welcome you
also to the Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering. I hope that the time you spend with us
will be thoroughly enjoyable and highly productive.
Our Department is proud to host internationally-leading research groups covering a broad range of activities
and spread over several sites. As you will discover, our staff and students have a diverse range of interests
and expertise, covering many areas of physics, engineering, medicine, physiology, computer science, and
mathematics. This provides a highly stimulating multidisciplinary environment for learning and for scientific
research. Although one of the largest Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Departments in the UK,
we are small enough to enable staff and students to get to know each other well, which we believe engenders
a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Our Department staff and students regularly organise various
academic activities (such as lunchtime seminars) and social events throughout the year, and you are strongly
encouraged to participate in any that interest you (or even organise some of your own)!
A significant proportion of your time, particularly during the first two years of your degree, will be spent in
our sister department, the Department of Physics & Astronomy. The general aim of both departments is to
deliver degree programmes designed to develop a student’s full potential, using the research strengths and
experience of the staff in a challenging and stimulating environment. During your course you will not only
acquire an in-depth understanding of your chosen field of study, but also gain a sufficiently broad education
in specialist and transferable skills to facilitate progression to a wide variety of careers, both within and
outside the field of medical physics.
If you are a new student, you may find the size of UCL a little daunting at first. But please do not panic - you
will soon find your way around! You are entering into a new and exciting phase of your life and there are
bound to be many things with which you are unfamiliar. However, we have many people in both departments
who will be delighted to help you. In the Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Department, Prof.
Sandro Olivo and Dr. Ben Cox are the Director of Studies and Medical Physics Programme Director
respectively, and they can advise you on any issues related to your degree. Every student is also assigned a
Personal Tutor in the MPBE department, who is the person you should contact initially if you find you have
problems of an academic or personal nature. Your Personal Tutor is Prof. Gary Royle. For more general
enquiries, you can ask James Vallerine, our Senior Teaching Administrator, located in the department main
office on the second floor. In the Physics & Astronomy Department, Dr Stan Zochowski
(s.zochowski@ucl.ac.uk) is the Physics Undergraduate Tutor who can advise you on academic matters, and
Ms. Joanna Davies (j.l.davies@ucl.ac.uk), the Undergraduate Teaching & Admissions Coordinator (room
E2), is also available to offer advice. Meanwhile, feel free to come and see me to say hello or to discuss any
problems you may encounter.
I wish you every success in your studies and an enjoyable time at UCL.
Professor Jem Hebden
Head of Department
Email: j.hebden@ucl.ac.uk
Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook: Medical Physics 2015/16
CONTENTS
DATES OF COLLEGE TERMS...........................................................................................................2
WELCOME ............................................................................................................................................3
1. INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................6
2. GENERAL INFORMATION............................................................................................................6
2.1 LOCATION OF LECTURE THEATRES AND OTHER TEACHING VENUES .....................................................6
2.2 ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC MAIL AND WI-FI ...........................................................................................7
2.3 HOW TO CONTACT A MEMBER OF STAFF...............................................................................................7
2.4 HOW STAFF WILL CONTACT YOU ..........................................................................................................7
2.5 SAFETY ................................................................................................................................................8
2.6 WHAT WE EXPECT OF YOU ...................................................................................................................8
(a) Attendance......................................................................................................................................8
(b) Behaviour within the Department ..................................................................................................8
(c) Change of address ..........................................................................................................................8
3. INFORMATION FOR NEW STUDENTS.......................................................................................8
3.1 PEOPLE OF IMMEDIATE USE TO YOU .....................................................................................................8
3.2 OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION WITHIN THE TWO DEPARTMENTS .................................................10
(a) Careers advice.............................................................................................................................. 10
(b) Equal opportunities and disabilities.............................................................................................10
3.3 ADVICE ELSEWHERE IN THE COLLEGE ...............................................................................................10
(a) Health service............................................................................................................................... 10
(b) Faculty Tutor................................................................................................................................ 10
(c) Dean of Students........................................................................................................................... 10
(d) Advisers to women students.......................................................................................................... 10
(e) Financial support ......................................................................................................................... 11
4. STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND FACILITIES ...............................................................................11
4.1 CUMBERLAND LODGE WEEKEND ......................................................................................................11
4.2 COMMON ROOM FACILITIES ..............................................................................................................11
4.3 LOCKERS ...........................................................................................................................................11
4.4 ACCESS TO MEDICAL PHYSICS & BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT ....................................11
4.5 PHOTOCOPYING .................................................................................................................................12
4.6 STUDENT PHYSICS SOCIETY ..............................................................................................................12
4.7 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON UNION (UCLU) ..............................................................................12
4.8 UNIVERSITY OF LONDON UNION (ULU) ............................................................................................12
4.9 INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS .......................................................................................................................12
5. TEACHING AND LEARNING ......................................................................................................13
5.1 STRUCTURE OF DEGREE PROGRAMMES ..............................................................................................13
5.2 MOODLE AND UCLGO! .....................................................................................................................13
5.3 PROBLEM SOLVING TUTORIALS AND IN-COURSE ASSESSMENTS .......................................................13
5.4 COURSEWORK....................................................................................................................................13
5.5 TEXT BOOKS ......................................................................................................................................14
5.6 TUTORIALS ........................................................................................................................................14
5.7 PEER ASSISTED LEARNING (PAL) SCHEME ........................................................................................15
5.8 REVISION LECTURES..........................................................................................................................15
5.9 TIMETABLES ......................................................................................................................................15
5.10 READING WEEK ...............................................................................................................................15
6. LIBRARY AND COMPUTING RESOURCES.............................................................................16
6.1 COLLEGE LIBRARY ............................................................................................................................16
6.2 PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY ......................................................................16
6.3 COMPUTING FACILITIES .....................................................................................................................16
6.4 SOFTWARE .........................................................................................................................................16
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Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook: Medical Physics 2015/16
7. STUDENT FEEDBACK .................................................................................................................17
7.1 MODULE EVALUATION BY STUDENTS ...............................................................................................17
7.2 STAFF-STUDENT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE (SSCC) .....................................................................17
7.3 FEEDBACK FROM THE GENERAL SESSION AT CUMBERLAND LODGE ..................................................17
7.4 PEER OBSERVATION OF LECTURERS ...................................................................................................17
7.5 INTERNSHIPS ......................................................................................................................................17
8. EXAMINATIONS ............................................................................................................................17
8.1 EXAMINATION SCHEDULE ..................................................................................................................18
8.2 HOW TO PLAN FOR AND SURVIVE EXAMINATIONS ..............................................................................18
8.3 WITHDRAWAL FROM EXAMINATIONS AND INTERRUPTION IN STUDY .................................................19
8.4 PROBLEMS DUE TO ILLNESS ...............................................................................................................19
8.5 PROBLEMS DUE TO LATE ARRIVAL OR ABSENCE ................................................................................20
8.6 RE-SITS AND REPEATS OF YEAR ........................................................................................................20
8.7 DYSLEXIA AND OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS ...................................................................................20
8.8 PLAGIARISM ......................................................................................................................................21
9. ASSESSMENT AND PROGRESSION IN THE DEGREE..........................................................22
9.1 EXAMINATION RESULTS .....................................................................................................................22
9.2 SEPTEMBER REFERRALS AND DEFERRED ASSESSMENTS ...................................................................22
9.3 YEARLY PROGRESSION AND DEGREE CLASSIFICATION .......................................................................23
9.4 MSCI PROGRESSION RULES ................................................................................................................23
10. PRIZES............................................................................................................................................24
11. DATA PROTECTION ACT..........................................................................................................24
APPENDIX A: SUMMARY OF DEPARTMENTAL SAFETY POLICY ......................................25
APPENDIX B: FIRE SAFETY - EMERGENCY PROCEDURES..................................................27
APPENDIX C: UCL EQUAL OPPORTUNITY POLICY STATEMENT .....................................28
APPENDIX D: PORTICO ...................................................................................................................30
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Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook: Medical Physics 2015/16
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1. INTRODUCTION
As you will already be aware, your studies at UCL will be located partly in our Department of Medical
Physics & Biomedical Engineering (MPBE), and partly in the Department of Physics & Astronomy (P&A).
While your principal base is within the former, you will find that you spend the majority of your time during
the first two years attending lectures in the latter. Consequently we have sought to provide you, within this
Handbook, with a range of useful information about both Departments and their structures and regulations in
so far as they apply to you as an undergraduate. This Handbook complements a comprehensive set of useful
information available on the UCL website:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/
You might also like to visit UCL’s special website for new students at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/new-students
Much more detailed information about the two departments, including descriptions of lecture modules and
degree programme structures, are available on our MPBE and P&A websites:
Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys
Physics & Astronomy:
http://www.phys.ucl.ac.uk
Most members of staff in both departments have their own webpage which will contain a short biography
along with their research interests. For the P&A Department, Joanna Davies (room E2) can provide you with
the necessary ID and password to access appropriate intranet webpages.
2. GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1 Location of lecture theatres and other teaching venues
The main undergraduate student spaces used by the two Departments are given below.
Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering
Lecture theatre 1.02
Lecture theatre 1.03
Room 1.18
Room 1.19
Room 1.20
Room 2.14
Room 3.14
Room 3.14a
First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
(Student Study Room) First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
(Seminar Room) First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
(Joseph Rotblat Room) Second floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
(Common Room) Third floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
(Small Meeting Room) Third floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
Except for some students who have been given swipe-card access to the third floor, students must use the
security intercom to the right of the door opposite the lifts on the third floor in order to visit an office or lab
located on the third floor. Access to the second floor offices and labs may be obtained by asking a member of
administrative staff in the main office.
Physics & Astronomy
Massey Theatre
A1
D103
Cluster room D105
Lab 1
Lab 2
Lab 3
A19
Ground Floor, Union Building
Fourth floor, Physics Building
First floor, Union Building (access from Union Building)
First floor, Union Building (access from Physics Building)
First floor, Physics Building
Second floor, Physics Building
Third floor, Physics Building
Asteroid cluster room, Fourth Floor, Physics Building
The lift within the Physics Building serves all four floors directly, while the lifts at the North Cloister
entrance to the Department only appear to serve three higher floors and the basement. However, floor 1 is
reached by that lift where there is access via stairs to Lab 1 (1st Floor Physics) and Lab 2 (2nd Floor
Physics).
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2.2 Access to electronic mail and WiFi
On joining UCL, all students are allocated a UCL user-ID (e.g. wmapabc) and password, and an email
address (e.g. albert.einstein.15@ucl.ac.uk). Your user-ID and password will enable to you log on to any
UCL PC, as well as access your email anywhere with an internet connection via live@UCL. For more
information, visit the following webpage:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/students/mail .
Note that UCL has a free WiFi service known as eduroam. This is also available at other participating
universities. Students can log on to eduroam using their UCL User ID and password. To learn how to
connect to this service, view the following webpage:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/common/wireless/eduroam/guide .
Note that access to the above guide also requires your UCL User ID and password.
2.3 How to contact a member of staff
Members of the teaching staff in both departments can be contacted by using the internal mail or email.
Room numbers and phone extension numbers for MPBE staff can be obtained from the picture board
exhibited on the second floor foyer. Mail trays are located in the printer room (2.19) within the reception
area on the second floor of the Malet Place Engineering Building. Any mail for staff should be handed to
Vikki Crowe who occupies a desk in the reception area, and she will place it in the appropriate tray. Email
addresses for most staff are available on the MPBE website, but generally everyone can be contacted using
“first initial” dot “last name” followed by @ucl.ac.uk.
For P&A staff, mail boxes (“pigeon holes”) are situated outside room E15, on the ground floor of the Physics
Building. If there appears to be no appropriate box, ask the Undergraduate Teaching Secretary in room E2
for guidance. Room numbers for teaching staff can be obtained from the two boards facing the mail boxes
outside room E15. Email addresses for P&A staff can be looked up in a Departmental Directory which is
available in room E2 (again ask the secretary there for assistance) or can be found from the Departmental or
College websites. In any communication with a member of P&A staff, always state your name, degree
course and year. It takes time for staff to get to know the large number of students in the Department.
If you need to contact anyone in either Department from outside the College you can use the following
official addresses and/or phone numbers:
Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering
Malet Place Engineering Building
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
Phone: 020-7679-0200
Phone: 020-7679-7144
You should not, however, have personal mail delivered to either address. To telephone individual members
of staff from outside, dial 020-7679 followed by the telephone extension number (having removed the first
digit to leave a four digit number) of the person whom you are trying to contact.
2.4 How staff will contact you
If staff members from either Department or from a College administrative division wish to contact you
personally they will do so either by internal mail, by mobile phone or (most commonly) by email. However,
general information for students is also posted on notice boards. For the P&A department, the notice-board is
outside the Massey Lecture Theatre. For the MPBE department, announcements are usually posted on the
inside of the glass wall on the second floor.
All students have a mailbox located at the entrance to The Massey Theatre, ground floor, Union Building.
IMPORTANT: Please ensure that you check your mailbox and your UCL email account regularly to avoid
missing important or urgent information. It is your responsibility to be aware of such announcements! Note
that UCL will only send email to your official UCL computer account. If you want to redirect emails to
another account, there are instructions for doing this on the following UCL webpage:
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http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/students/mail/live/guide/owa/forwarding .
2.5 Safety
Both departments place great importance on safety, with special emphasis on safety in the Laboratories. You
are expected to behave in a sensible manner, especially when dealing with any of the Laboratory equipment.
The P&A Departmental Safety Officer, Mr. Derek Attree, will give guidance to all students at the beginning
of the session on how to conduct themselves whilst working with equipment to ensure both their own safety
and that of those working around them. Further detailed information is given in the laboratory handbooks for
the Physics Laboratories. The MPBE Safety Policy is given in Appendix A.
Fire drills are held during the academic year at unannounced times, so you should familiarise yourself with
the instructions displayed on notice boards in hallways and on lab notice-boards as to the procedure you
should follow and where assembly points are. There are Fire Evacuation Marshals (FEMs) appointed from
the staff and technicians who will take charge of you during these times. The MPBE Fire Safety Procedures
are summarised in Appendix B.
2.6 What we expect of you
(a) Attendance
Every student is obliged to attend the lectures, laboratory classes and tutorials which constitute parts of their
degree. If you are unable to do so for any significant time and for any reason, you should inform the Medical
Physics Programme Director Dr. Ben Cox (020-7679-0292; b.cox@ucl.ac.uk) as soon as possible. This
should be done either in person, by telephone, letter (internal mail or normal mail) or email. For extended
absence due to illness, you must provide a Medical Certificate upon your return to College.
Attendance registers are distributed in all lectures and practical sessions and you are expected to sign them.
If you are noted to be absent from a sequence of two lab sessions or three lectures from a module, that fact
will be reported to the Tutors who will take the appropriate actions. Tutorial absences will also be reported in
a similar manner.
(b) Behaviour within the Department
It is expected that students will observe the basic courtesies in their behaviour towards staff and fellow
students. While asking questions in lectures is to be encouraged, a background of whispering can totally
disrupt a lecture for other students and is strongly discouraged. You may be excluded from lectures for
persistent disruptive behaviour. You are expected to arrive at lectures, tutorials and laboratory sessions on
time. If, however, you are unavoidably delayed, you should join the class with the minimum of disruption,
with any apologies being saved for later. No food or drinks are to be consumed in the lecture theatres or
laboratories. UCL does not permit smoking anywhere on its premises.
(c) Change of address
Throughout your time at UCL, it is essential that the MPBE department has an accurate record of your
address and a contact telephone number if possible. If not, tutors and others will be unable to contact you in
case of an emergency. Should you change either your home or term-time address (or telephone number) at
any time, you must immediately inform UCL via the Portico website (www.ucl.ac.uk/portico). See further
information about Portico in Appendix D.
3. INFORMATION FOR NEW STUDENTS
3.1 People of immediate use to you
There are a number of staff in both departments who you will meet in your first few days at UCL. Below are
the contact details of some of these people in the MPBE Department:
Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook: Medical Physics 2015/16
Departmental Manager
Andy O’Reilly
Room 2.17
Phone 30250
andy.o’reilly@ucl.ac.uk
Senior Teaching
Administrator
James Vallerine
Room 2.24
Phone 32548
j.vallerine@ucl.ac.uk
Director of Studies
Prof. Sandro Olivo
Room 2.03
Phone 32444
s.olivo@ucl.ac.uk
Head of Department
Prof. Jem Hebden
Room 2.18
Phone 30280
j.hebden@ucl.ac.uk
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Programme Director:
Medical Physics
Dr. Ben Cox
Room 3.18a
Phone 30292
b.cox@ucl.ac.uk
Here are the contact details of some staff you will meet in the P&A Department:
Name
Title
Room
Ext
Email
Dr. S Zochowski
Physics Undergraduate Tutor
E8
37038
s.zochowski@ucl.ac.uk
Ms. Joanna Davies
Teaching & Admissions Coordinator E2
37246
j.l.davies@ucl.ac.uk
Mr. D. J. Attree
Safety Officer
C19
33459
dja@hep.ucl.ac.uk
Mr. J. O’Brien
Lab Superintendent
Lab1
33445
j.o’brien@ucl.ac.uk
The Head of the P&A Department is Prof. Jon Butterworth (Room E12/E14, ground floor, Physics Building).
Whilst he is happy to talk to students about their problems, it is advisable in the first instance, that such
problems should be addressed to the Tutors.
At the start of their degree, every student will be assigned a Personal Tutor and an Academic Tutor in the
MPBE Department (although this might be the same person). A Personal Tutor helps and guides students on
all matters related to their academic experience at UCL, including advice on progression and careers, and is
the first point-of-contact in event of any personal or financial problems. Students are usually assigned a
Personal Tutor at the start of their first year who remains with them throughout their undergraduate studies at
UCL. Your Personal Tutor is Prof. Gary Royle. Meanwhile an Academic Tutor provides help and advice on
the content of the degree course, and any other matters related to the taught material. Students normally meet
with their Academic Tutor several times per term, although in the final year the student’s Academic Tutor is
their project supervisor.
Whereas purely scientific questions should be discussed with lecturers and Academic Tutors (see section
5.6), for any other problem which is preventing you working at your best (whether it is academic, financial,
personal welfare etc.) do not hesitate to talk to your Personal Tutor or to the Programme Director (Dr. Ben
Cox). Your Tutor may discuss some issues with the Head of Department as and when necessary, but any
discussions will be treated in strict confidence. However, if you wish the information to be confined to the
Tutor, then that is what will happen! The Tutor’s advice will always be given in a spirit of helpfulness,
although it may not necessarily be what you want to hear; they have to work within the rules of the
Department and UCL. For example, it is their responsibility to monitor attendance at lectures and practical
sessions and they will certainly want explanations if your attendance is not regular or your work appears to
be falling off in quantity or quality. If you need a reference during your time at College, whether for personal
or academic reasons, you can ask either your Personal Tutor or the Programme Director. Tutors and other
staff are generally happy to provide references for students they know, but remember that it is only polite to
ask them first before you put their name on an application form. For more general enquiries, you should ask
James Vallerine, the MPBE Senior Teaching & Learning Administrator, located in the department main
office on the second floor.
In addition, you will also be assigned – along with several other students on your degree programme – a
student mentor under the College’s Transition Programme. Your mentor will normally be on the same
programme as you, but a year or two ahead. Accordingly, he / she will be able to help you settle in to UCL
Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook: Medical Physics 2015/16
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and tackle the various challenges that come along. You will be introduced to your mentor during induction
week and meet with them regularly as the year unfolds.
3.2 Other sources of information within the two departments
(a) Careers advice
The P&A Departmental Careers Officer is Prof. W. R. Newell, with whom appointments can be made either
by telephoning extension 37140 or by email at w.r.newell@ucl.ac.uk. He can also be found in room E8
which is on the ground floor of the Physics & Astronomy Building. The MPBE Department also holds
occasional Careers Events open to all undergraduate and MSc students, where representatives of different
careers in medical physics and physics in general provide short presentations.
(b) Equal opportunities and Disabilities
The MPBE Departmental Equal Opportunities Liaison Officer is Andy O’Reilly (telephone 30252 or email
andy.oreilly@ucl.ac.uk), whose function is the promotion of equal opportunities for women, ethnic
minorities and those with socio-economic disadvantages. If you feel that you have been discriminated against
on racial or sexual grounds or have been harassed in any way, you should inform Andy O’Reilly or your
Personal Tutor directly. Immediate confidential help in dealing with the problem is assured. Andy is also the
departmental Student Disabilities Coordinator. A statement of UCL’s Equal Opportunity Policy is given in
Appendix D.
3.3 Advice elsewhere in the College
(a) Health service
Students are welcome to consult, by appointment, any of the staff at the Gower Place Practice (formerly the
Health Centre), who include Physicians, Psychologists, Dental Surgeons and Nurses.
http://www.gowerstreetpractice.org.uk .
All these staff are familiar with the special difficulties that students may encounter, and all such
consultations are entirely confidential. The telephone numbers are as follows: Gower Place Practice – 0207387-6306; Dental Practice – 020-7679-7186. Both the Doctors and Dentists are located at 3 Gower Place
which is situated at the rear of the Physics Building. In addition, a Student Counselling Service is available
which covers such aspects as: homesickness, loneliness, anxiety, depression; problems with studies and
exams; problems in relationships; family problems; eating disorders; drug or alcohol problems; and sexual
issues. This service is totally confidential and “demand-friendly”. Appointments can be booked by calling in
person at 3 Taviton Street (First Floor, room 101), or by telephone (020-7679-1487).
(b) Faculty Tutors
Rather confusingly, MPBE is a member of the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences (FES) while P&A is
within the UCL Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MAPS). The FES Tutor is Dr. Simon Banks
(phone: 33911, email: s.t.banks@ucl.ac.uk) and the MAPS Tutor is Dr. Caroline Essex (phone: 37235),
email: c.essex@ucl.ac.uk.). Either Tutor may be consulted on administrative issues, by appointment.
(c) Dean of Students
Dr. Ruth Sidall is the Dean of Students (Welfare) and can be consulted by appointment during mornings only
(4 Taviton Street, Ground Floor). Her secretary can be contacted on 020-7679-4545. The Dean is available to
help with all aspects of welfare in the College and can help even in difficult cases concerning student
financial worries.
(d) Advisers to women students
The MPBE department has an Advisor to Women Students (Dr. Jenny Griffiths, j.griffiths@ucl.ac.uk) who is
available specifically for women students who need to talk to another woman about any issue. In addition,
UCL has Advisers to Women Students who assist the Dean of Students in providing advice and welfare
support to female students. Appointments with the Adviser to Women Students (Dr. Hilary Richards – 40882
or h.richards@ucl.ac.uk) may be made by calling the Dean of Students Secretary on 020-7679-4545 or
visiting the office at 4 Taviton Street.
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(e) Financial support
UCL has been allocated by the Government a limited sum of money, known as the Access to Learning Fund,
from which grants can be made to British students who find themselves in financial difficulty. These grants
do not have to be repaid. Eligible undergraduate students must provide evidence of having taken out a
Student Loan. Application forms are available from the Students Union’s Rights and Advice Office, First
Floor, Bloomsbury Building and the Dean of Students’ Office, 4 Taviton Street. The college also offers
emergency loans and hardship funds. All details are on the UCL website.
An “Information for Students” booklet should be sent to you by the College Registry which will give you a
more complete overview of the help available from UCL personnel.
4. STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND FACILITIES
4.1 Cumberland Lodge Weekend
Every year, during the first term, a group of approximately 50 students and several members of the academic
staff from the P&A Department spend the weekend at Cumberland Lodge, a beautiful country house close to
Royal Lodge, the late Queen Mother’s residence which she left to the Duke of York, in Windsor Great Park.
The intention is to get students and staff away from the College environment and to get them to know each
other better over discussions of interesting problems in physics and astronomy in an informal and very
pleasant environment. The majority of students attending are from Year 1, though other years and
postgraduates are also well represented.
Talks are given by members of P&A staff, and invited people from outside College. Topics include some of
the research activities of the P&A Department, sometimes a lighthearted look at Science. The weekend
concludes with a general discussion period, chaired by the Departmental Undergraduate Teaching
Committee chairman, during which students can give their opinions about the Department, the lecture
modules, or indeed any topic which they wish to raise. In addition to the talks, ample time is available for
informal discussions and for social activities, two of the most popular of which are walking in Windsor Great
Park and the Saturday night party.
The Weekend usually takes place over the first weekend in November. Students travel to Cumberland Lodge
by coach, leaving the College site on the Friday afternoon and returning to London after tea on the Sunday
evening. The fee, including transportation and all meals, is around £60. This is considerably less than the
actual cost, owing to the large subsidies provided by the P&A Department and by the St Catherine’s
Foundation, which runs Cumberland Lodge. Students invariably enjoy the Weekend and regard it as
excellent value for money. You are encouraged to book early as places are limited.
4.2 Common Room Facilities
A common room (room 3.14) on the third floor of the Malet Place Engineering Building is available for all
MPBE students and staff throughout the day. It contains basic tea and coffee making equipment, a
microwave oven, a refrigerator (although nothing should be left inside overnight), and a water cooler. A
social area located outside the common room on the third floor foyer is also available to students at any time.
There is a small Undergraduate Student Common Room provided within the P&A Department which is
located in room A17 on the top floor of the Physics Building.
4.3 Lockers
All MPBE students are allocated a locker for storage of books and personal effects, which is located in the
corridor on the first floor of the Malet Place Engineering building (outside room 1.19). Keys are available
from the MPBE main office for a £5 deposit, which will be refunded on return of the key/receipt. If the key
is lost, the deposit is retained by the department, and a second key is only issued on receipt of a further £5
deposit. Items are placed in the lockers at the student’s own risk, and therefore it is important that students do
not use the lockers to store valuables (especially laptops). Please do not leave food in the lockers overnight.
4.4 Access to MPBE Department
For reasons of security, access to some parts of the MPBE department is somewhat restricted. The
department is primarily located on the first, second, and third floors of the Malet Place Engineering Building,
next door to the Science Library. All visitors to the department need to swipe their ID cards to enter the
building, and access is permitted during the hours 08:00 – 19:00. The lifts provide access to all floors except
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the first floor, for which students must take the stairs (special provision is made for disabled students).
Access to the student study room (room 1.18) and the seminar room (room 1.19) requires a key code which
students will be given at the start of the year. If you need to visit anyone on the second floor, you should ask
a member of the administrative staff in the main office. The common room (room 3.14) on the third floor is
usually unlocked and accessible during working hours (08:00 – 18:00). Normally, access to all other offices
and labs on the third floor requires students and other visitors to use the security intercom to the right of the
door opposite the lifts. However, some students who need to visit the third floor regularly may be given
swipe-card access.
Note that all experimental laboratory work must be directly supervised at all times by a designated person.
Other activities, such as reading, writing, computer work, etc. may be conducted in appropriate areas in the
department without direct supervision, although only during permitted working hours (08:00 – 19:00). If you
need to access the department outside of these hours, please discuss with your tutor and/or with the MPBE
Departmental Administrator, Andy O’Reilly (room 2.17).
4.5 Photocopying
All MPBE students are provided with a number code which enables them to use the MPBE photocopier in
the department’s third-floor Common Room (Room 3.14). Undergraduates are not allowed use of the
photocopying machines located within the P&A Department. However, there are also photocopiers for
student use in the DMS Watson Library.
4.6 Student Physics Society
There is a Physics Student Society called Event Horizon, which has associations with the Institute of Physics.
It offers social events, arranges lectures by visiting speakers from other Universities, and coordinates visits to
external research organisations and industry. A small annual membership fee is payable.
4.7 University College London Union (UCLU)
UCL has a very active Students Union located at 25 Gordon Street, adjacent to the Physics Building. There
are several bars and coffee shops, a general shop and hairdressing salon within the Union Building. In
addition, there are a vast number of societies catering for all tastes and interests. The Union holds a Freshers
Fair in the College Cloisters at the beginning of the first term, where all the societies, sports clubs and other
Union activities have stalls and provide information. The Union provides basic advice on such things as
financial matters, welfare, housing, Council Tax, legal problems, health etc. and there are full-time
Sabbatical Officers (current UCL students who take a year break from their studies to administer the Union)
on hand to help. The Union runs a Night Line (020-7631-0101) for students who are in trouble or just need to
talk to someone during the hours when the College and Union are closed. The Union also has a sports ground
at Shenley in Hertfordshire. The union arranges transport there, every Wednesday lunchtime.
4.8 University of London Union (ULU)
The ULU building is located on Malet Street. You will need a valid Student Identity Card to enter. It
contains a multitude of facilities including a swimming pool in the basement and a refectory on the top floor.
It is an ideal place to meet students from other Colleges in the University of London.
4.9 The Institute of Physics (IoP)
The IoP is the professional body for physicists. Student membership (at a modest cost) brings with it the
excellent monthly publication Physics World which contains informative scientific articles as well as news of
the Institute’s activities and job opportunities. The IoP is located at 76 Portland Place and offers the use of a
library to its members.
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5. TEACHING AND LEARNING
5.1 Structure of Degree Programmes
The structure and content of the three-year BSc Physics with Medical Physics degree (F351) and the fouryear MSci Medical Physics degree (F350) are described in detail on the following webpages:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/undergrad/bsc
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/undergrad/msci
These webpages list the compulsory modules taken by students each year, and the optional modules
available to students in the third year and (for MSci only) fourth year. Most modules contribute 0.5 “course
units” towards the degree, while final-year project modules contribute 1.0 (for BSc) or 1.5 (for MSci) course
units. The number of units which the student must pass to progress to the next year and obtain the degree are
described in section 9.3. For both degree programmes students will be registered for four course units worth
of lecture and practical modules each year, which are delivered during terms 1 and 2. A full description and
syllabus of each for the Medical Physics modules can be obtained by clicking on the appropriate links on the
following webpage:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/undergrad
Meanwhile, descriptions of the Physics & Astronomy modules are available by following the appropriate
links here:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/phys/admissions/undergraduate/ .
Note that students are expected to consult with their tutors regarding their selection of modules at the end of
their second year and (for MSci only) third year. Students can switch from our MSci to our BSc programme
at any time, but a switch from our BSc to MSci will not be allowed any later than the start of the third year
and is subject to satisfying the MSci progression rules (section 9.4). Which programme is followed will
probably depend on the career path(s) being considered. For some options an MSci (or MSc) is mandatory,
while for others it makes no difference. Students should consult with their personal tutor if they are unsure,
ideally before the end of their second year.
5.2 Moodle and UCLGo!
Moodle is the name given to UCL's online teaching and learning environment, which enables students to
interact with all their course modules online. This includes accessing handout notes and coursework
assignments, participating in activities such as quizzes and wikis, sharing thoughts and ideas in discussion
forums with lecturers and other students, watching recorded lectures (via “Lecturecast”), and submitting
assignments (via “Turnitin”). All UCL lecture modules have an associated page on moodle to which students
should have automatic access when enrolled on the module. For more information on moodle and what it can
provide, visit the following webpage:
https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/ELearningStudentSupport/Moodle+FAQs .
To logon to moodle, go to:
http://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/
.
Moodle can also be accessed via UCLGo! - an application for students to access UCL University and Union
information directly from their mobile devices. The app is available from Google Play and from Apple Store.
5.3 Problem Solving Tutorials and In-Course Assessments
All first-year and second-year P&A modules have associated Problem Solving Tutorials (PSTs) to help
students develop their problem solving ability. The PST groups and schedules appear in a student’s timetable
a week or two after the start of the academic year. These are normally held during weekday afternoons.
Although they are not assessed, attendance is expected. PSTs are an integral part of each module. During
these sessions, students attempt problems while two instructors are on hand to give assistance. One of the
instructors will probably be the lecturer for the module.
Most first-year and second-year P&A modules are also associated with two In-Course-Assessments (ICAs).
These are based on unseen and all seen problems and homework, and are marked and count towards the final
assessment of the modules. Other homework papers will not be marked but it is expected that students
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attempt them. For most first-year modules, ICAs contribute towards 15% of the final mark, while for secondyear modules the contribution is 10%.
Note that Medical Physics modules do not have ICAs. Instead, they include coursework assignments (as for
third-year and fourth-year modules) as described below.
5.4 Coursework
All third-year and fourth-year modules include a component of continuous assessment. For most modules it
counts for between 10% and 20% of the final mark. This component is made up in various ways, including
problem sheets and essays. The marks for continuous assessment contribute to the final grading achieved for
modules and hence towards the class of degree attained. When possible, coursework is handed out to a
schedule to limit the overloading of students and should consequently be submitted on time. Coursework
submitted late will be marked, but will subject to a penalty unless a reasonable excuse is provided. P&A and
MPBE operate different penalty schemes. For P&A, a coursework submitted N days late (where N < 7) will
have its raw mark reduced by a factor of (0.9)N. For MPBE, the following penalty scheme is applied:
 The full allocated mark will be reduced by 5 percentage points for the first working day after the deadline
for the submission of coursework.
 The mark will be reduced by a further 10 percentage points if coursework is submitted during the
following six days.
All coursework that is submitted later than seven days after the deadline, providing it is submitted before the
end of the first week of term 3 for undergraduate modules, will be recorded as zero but the assessment will
be considered to be complete (see section 9.3 for the criteria for completion).
Coursework should be handed in as stapled sheets with your name and the name/number of the module at the
top. It is our aim to get marked work back to you as quickly as possible. If you have been unable to hand in
work due to illness you should contact the lecturer or your Tutor.
Attendance at lectures, laboratory sessions and problem classes, and the submission of coursework are all
closely monitored. The Programme Director will require explanations from students failing to perform
adequately in these respects, and UCL will suspend students who pay insufficient attention to their academic
studies.
Grading on practical laboratory modules are based entirely on continuous assessment. Such modules may
consist of a combination of experiments recorded in notebook form, selected experiments reported in full
detail, some lectures and problem sheets. All constituent parts of a module must be attempted in order that
you are considered to have completed the module.
Considerable emphasis is placed on developing effective communications skills. It forms an integral part of
your training in years 1 and 2, accounting for about 5% of a BSc degree and 3% of an MSci degree. Thus
failure to get a good mark in the Communication Skills components could affect your degree classification
adversely.
5.5 Text books
Each year lecturers recommended books for their lecture module to the P&A Undergraduate Teaching
Committee. For the very large modules in first and second years (and sometimes in the third year also) the
P&A Department tries to make arrangements to buy sufficient copies of those books at a discount and sell
them to students at the discounted price. For modules having a smaller enrolment, it is normal for students to
look in either the UCL or Departmental libraries to find the recommended books or buy them online or from
local bookshops such as Waterstones.
5.6 Tutorials
As described above in section 3.1, students will have two tutors to support them in their studies (although a
single person may sometimes serve in both roles). The MPBE Personal Tutor is usually the same person
throughout the three or four years of the degree programme, with whom students will meet occasionally, and
who will be the first point-of-contact in case of any personal or financial difficulties, or if any advice
regarding module options, careers, etc. is required. Students should feel free to contact their Personal Tutor
at any time to arrange a meeting. Note that there is a bond of confidentiality between tutors and the tutees,
which we aim to respect.
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In addition, during the first and second years students will have an MPBE Academic Tutor, whose role will
be to support them with the taught material. During regular tutorials (held several times per term) with their
Academic Tutor students will be able to discuss any problems encountered with coursework (essays and
problem sheets) and other matters of an academic nature. However, note it is not the job of an Academic
Tutor to do students’ courseworks for them! Students may have a different Academic Tutor each year.
Students normally meet with the Academic Tutor as part of a small group, usually comprising five or six
students. Tutorials are also an important opportunity for students to highlight any problems which they may
be encountering.
5.7 Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
The idea behind this scheme is that students who have been through a lecture module are often the best
people to understand the difficulties that other students have. Each year volunteers are sought from second
and third year students to run lunchtime classes three or four times a term to help students with problems on
some of the core first-year and second-year modules. The scheme is run by students for students and no staff
are present at these sessions.
5.8 Revision Lectures
These are normally given early in term 3, shortly before examinations begin. Each lecture module is assigned
two periods, when you may ask the lecturer to go over problems or subject areas where difficulties have been
encountered. Attendance at these is not mandatory and no new material is covered. Timetables for revision
lectures will be issued at the end of term 2.
5.9 Timetables
Personal timetables are available via the following UCL website, where students can find out when and
where modules are being taught throughout UCL:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/timetable
Personal timetables will reflect modules selected via Portico (see Appendix D). The times and locations of
P&A modules is also displayed on the P&A Tutors’ notice board between rooms E4 and E6 on the ground
floor, and on the P&A website. Likewise, the timetable for MPBE modules is available on the MPBE
website.
5.10 Reading Week
P&A modules and MPBE modules observe Reading Weeks in the middle of terms 1 and 2, during which
normal lectures will not be given, but other activities might be arranged such as ICAs or guest lectures.
Tutorials and practical classes usually continue as normal. Students are strongly advised to use this
opportunity to catch up with their work, or broaden their understanding by additional reading or discussion.
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6. LIBRARY AND COMPUTING RESOURCES
6.1 College Library
The College has several libraries and you are strongly advised to find out the whereabouts of these early in
your course. The main Science Library is located in the DMS Watson Building, next door to the MPBE
department in Malet Place. In addition you may wish to visit the Main Library (The Donaldson), which is
located under the Dome of the College adjacent to the Flaxman Gallery. You will need to have a valid
student identity card to gain access to these libraries and enrol so that you may borrow books.
6.2 P&A Undergraduate Library
The P&A Department has a small undergraduate library, housed on the top floor of the P&A building in
room A21, which is for use by its own undergraduates. The library carries multiple copies of the course
books for first and second year lectures, useful reference books, and some course books for third and fourth
year courses. The Library is managed by a member of the academic staff, but staffed by undergraduates who
are paid by the P&A Department for this work. Apart from books, it also provides a small area for study and
work. A charge of £25 is made to join the Library. This is a once-only fee, normally paid when you first
meet the P&A Departmental Tutors, and no other charges are made. This money is used to buy books for the
library. Past examination papers for all first, second, third, and fourth year modules are available at:
http://digitool-b.lib.ucl.ac.uk:8881/R&?local_base=EXAMPAPERS .
6.3 Computing facilities
The MPBE department has a small student study room (room 1.18) located on the first floor. It contains a
cluster of twenty networked PCs which can be used for any work-related activities, including report writing
and reading emails. To use these machines you will need to use your Medical Physics computer account.
Access to room 1.18 requires a key code which is available from your MPBE tutor.
Within the P&A department there are personal computers available for student use in the teaching
laboratories. These are primarily used for the laboratory courses, but can be used for report writing when no
laboratory course is being given. (NOTE: In such cases, safety considerations dictate that there must
always be a technician or academic staff member present in the laboratory.) These computers have
limited connection to the internet or to other machines distributed around the College. There is also a cluster
of networked PCs located in the Asteroid Cluster Room (room A17) for which a valid access password
(other than the UCL account ID) is required; this password is obtainable from Professor I. D. Howarth
(email: idh@star.ucl.ac.uk). These machines are normally available to final year students for project work.
UCL Information Systems manages a large number of computers, which are sited in clusters around the
College. Time on these machines must normally be reserved in advance and further information about
booking may be obtained from the Information Systems Help Desk located in the basement of the Language
Centre Building. To be able to use the College computers you will need an account ID and password, which
will be allocated at the beginning of the first Term. The cluster located in room D104/5 of the P&A
Department is open from 09:00 to 21:00. This cluster (which is not under the control of P&A, but is under
the direct control of the College IT authorities who are responsible for ensuring that it is open by 9 am) is
used for class teaching purposes, but outside scheduled times it may be used by individual students without
booking. Towards the end of term, when reports and essays become due, College-managed computers tend
to be heavily used, so plan well ahead.
6.4 Software
UCL has recently launched an online package known as desktop@UCL which enables all students to access
UCL-supported applications, including email, as well as their own stored files and data, from any computer
at UCL or located anywhere else with an internet connection. The service is in the process of being installed
in every UCL cluster room, hall of residence, and lecture theatre. Further information about desktop@UCL is
available here:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/common/ucldesktop/anywhere-user-guide .
Students are able to access a broad variety of common applications, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc.,
as well as more specialised software.
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7. STUDENT FEEDBACK
Student feedback concerning the learning process is an extremely important part of the academic monitoring
system in both departments. The main formal methods are student course evaluation forms and the StaffStudent Consultative Committees. Verbal feedback direct to Tutors is also important.
7.1 Module Evaluation by Students
Every lecture and practical module is assessed by students. Towards the end of the module, questionnaires
specifically tailored to the form of teaching are distributed to students about 5 or 10 minutes before a
teaching session ends. Instructions are given to the students by the lecturer about the forms and how to fill
them in. Volunteers are usually sought to collect all forms and produce an overall summary sheet. Written
comments about aspects of the module are also asked for on the forms, which are completely anonymous.
The completed forms and summary sheet are handed by the collator to the Teaching Support Co-ordinator,
who will then process them for the Undergraduate Teaching Committees in each department and the
corresponding Head of Department. Both departments greatly value the feedback from students which in the
past has resulted in many positive changes; complete confidentiality is assured. Modifications to modules
and their delivery can be made very quickly by action of the chairs of the Undergraduate Teaching
Committees.
7.2 Staff-Student Consultative Committees (SSCC)
Each department has a Staff-Student Consultative Committee which meets once in each of the first two terms
and is a chance for students to bring matters of importance and concern to the attention of each department
through elected representatives from each year. Comments made to Personal Tutors can also be passed on by
the Programme Directors. The Minutes of the meetings, which are normally kept by a student representative,
are subsequently submitted to the corresponding Undergraduate Teaching Committee (UTC) for its
consideration, and posted on notice boards throughout the Department. A representative from the SSCC
normally attends UTC meetings. Actions arising from legitimate complaints are acted upon quickly wherever
possible.
7.3 Feedback from the general session at Cumberland Lodge
One part of the Cumberland Lodge meeting in term 1 (see above) is always a general discussion session,
involving all student and staff attendees, covering all aspects of the learning process from first year to
postgraduate. It often produces some extremely useful information for the teaching staff, which can be acted
upon for the following academic term or session.
7.4 Peer observation of lecturers
Observation of individual lecturers by other teachers within both departments is carried out at least twice per
lecture module. The observer attends the lecture, but takes no part in the teaching, and afterwards discusses
with the lecturer any bad or good points.
7.5 Internships
Internships undertaken in the summer months can be valuable both personally and professionally. The
benefit comes not only from the internship itself but also the experience of finding one and being accepted
onto it. The onus is therefore on students themselves to find internship opportunities, although if suitable
opportunities are made aware to staff they will forward them to students. A list of funders of undergraduate
research bursaries is available at the link below:
http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/undergraduate-research-bursaries-science-0
Due to competition for places, students are advised to start looking for internships early in the academic year.
UCL Careers can also assist with finding internships. Personal tutors may provide references for students, if
requested.
8. EXAMINATIONS
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8.1 Examination schedule
A mid-sessional examination for the first year mathematics module (PHAS1245) is held in the last week of
the first term, just before the Christmas break. This examination is designed to give us guidance on students’
progress and to provide students with experience of the style of University examinations. It counts as a small
part towards the continuous assessment of that module. A maths test will also be held at the mid-point of the
first term to monitor the initial progress of students.
The main examination period is during the third term, usually running over a four-week period, typically
from week 2. Most examinations are held away from the main College site, so that it is important that you
know exactly where and when the examination is being held. Examination timetables for College-based
examinations and maps showing the location of the possible examination halls will be available before the
end of the second term. These must be collected by candidates from their Departmental Tutor. The
timetables also display an important alphanumeric identifier code, unique to each student, which is used to
identify your answer paper, as papers are marked anonymously. This timetable must be your constant
companion, along with your College ID card, when you attend an examination. Any student who has not
received such a timetable at least two weeks’ prior to the start of the examinations period should check
immediately with their Tutor and/or the Examinations Section of the Registry. Without it you may be refused
entry to an examination. Dates and times of examinations are also displayed on Portico and on Departmental
notice-boards.
Where the use of calculators is permitted in an examination, all students will have to use “standard”
calculators in examinations which conform to the College specification. These will not have any text facility
nor be able to store, for example, equations. UCL has decreed that, except in certain specified examinations,
only the following calculators should be used:
(a) Battery-powered CASIO FX83GT+
(or older versions FX83WA, FX83ES, FX83MS).
(b) Solar-powered CASIO FX85GT+
(or older versions FX85WA, FX85ES, FX85MS).
The above calculators are both widely available and are sold at the UCL shop.
NOTE: The unauthorised use of calculators during an examination constitutes an examination
irregularity.
8.2 How to plan for and survive examinations
However carefully all the examinations are planned by the Registrar’s Division, in consultation with all UCL
departments, because of the wide range of options, it is impossible to please everyone all of the time. You
may find that all your examinations are scheduled close together with no substantial break in between. The
important thing is not to panic. Listed below are a few hints, which might make your examination period a
little less stressful.
Students habitually lose marks in examinations for reasons that have nothing to do with their lack of
knowledge of the subject matter. You have studied for a long time (usually a year at least) to do your best in
the examination and it would be irrational to throw away credit through lack of common sense. Here is some
simple advice to improve your examination performance.
Before an examination:
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check its date, time and location;
know how long it will take you to get there;
know the format of the paper (how many questions to choose from, how many questions to do, how
much time to spend on each, etc.);
prepare the required implements (pens, pencils, calculator, etc.);
remember your College identification card and exam timetable.
Do not take anything into the examination hall which could be misconstrued as helping you in the exam, e.g.
small slips of paper with equations written on them, or anything written on your hands. UCL is very
determined to eliminate plagiarism and cheating and will certainly act vigorously if such events are detected.
You could be removed from the College without ever being allowed to finish your degree studies.
At the examination:
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read the instructions (the rubric) at the head of the paper, taking particular note of:
► the number of questions to be answered;
► whether the paper is in sections, the number of questions to be answered from each section;
► the time to be spent on each question;
► whether or not each new question has to be started on a new page of the answer book.
decide which questions you are going to attempt, trying to rank them in order of easiness, and answer
them in this order;
do all the parts you can of all the questions you decide to answer;
if you get completely stuck on part of a question, do not pursue it whilst there are other questions that
you know you can answer; you can always come back to the ‘troublemaker’ later, if time permits;
most questions are in several parts and each part carries marks – even if you are unable to tackle the
whole of a question, always make an attempt to do as much of it as you can and clearly identify which
part you are answering;
do not write long, rambling essays; examiners will be looking for understanding of a few key points, so
list the ones you want to make, and write concisely about them – a single sentence on each key point is
often all that is needed;
it is unlikely that your handwriting will be at its best under examination conditions, but the examiner
cannot give marks for an answer that cannot be deciphered – try to write as clearly as you possibly can;
never leave an examination before time is up; even if you have done very little, there may be more
marks to be had by polishing and thinking more about the questions;
if you are in danger of running out of time, quickly sketch a skeleton of the answer you would have
given; it may earn you a few more marks.
All the above may seem very obvious. Nevertheless, year after year failure to observe these few commonsense guidelines leads some students to doing worse than they are capable of and in some cases to fail. Make
sure you are not among them.
8.3 Withdrawal from Examinations and interruptions in study
To withdraw from an examination you need to complete the appropriate form and obtain signed approval of
MPBE Department and Faculty tutors. Such approval may only be given on medical grounds or following
the death of a near relative or other cause acceptable to the College authorities and provided certification is
given to the MPBE Department. Once approval has been granted you will not be regarded as having made an
entry to the examination and may resit in the following session without penalty (see resits below). NOTE: If
you are considering withdrawing, you must discuss the matter with the appropriate Departmental
Tutor. Of course a withdrawal from an examination may impede your progression into the next year.
Students with major health problems, or personal or financial difficulties may apply for an “interruption in
study”, which normally also means that the student is withdrawn from all exams for that academic session.
The student may resume at a later date subject to the resolution of the problem, normally supported by
medical reports etc.
8.4 Problems due to illness
If you are ill immediately prior to an examination it is essential that you inform your MPBE Tutor. If you are
unable to sit the examination through illness or other grave personal circumstances and supply documentary
evidence it may be possible to apply for deferred assessment. Applications must be made within a week of
the end of the examination period on the appropriate form to your Departmental Tutor for approval by the
Faculty Tutor. All medical matters are treated confidentially. Deferred assessments are not permitted in
your graduating year. Absence from exams on compassionate grounds are treated in a similar manner. This
type of assessment will normally be carried out in the summer vacation (see section 9.2).
If you sustain an injury such that you are unable to write, it may be possible for you to be supplied with an
amanuensis, someone who will write down your answers to examination questions as you dictate. Several
things should be borne in mind before you decide that an amanuensis is the way forward: a) the amanuensis
must take down exactly what you say, even if it is wrong; b) you may be awarded extra examination time.
Alternatively, if your medical condition means you are capable of writing slowly, you may prefer to be
assessed by Student Health and be allowed to sit the examination under medical supervision. Although you
will be given no extra time for the exam, you will be allowed breaks when the clock will be stopped and then
started again after you resume writing.
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If you are taken ill during an examination you may be taken to Student Health together with your
examination paper. This means that if you recover sufficiently to be able to continue, you can do so under
medical supervision. If you decide that, despite feeling ill, you still want to sit the examination, you will be
allowed to leave, temporarily, the examination hall under supervision. You will not be allowed any extra
time, although a note of your absences from the examination hall will be made on the formal notification to
the Registry. Please ensure that you are accompanied at all times if you do, temporarily, leave the
examination hall.
8.5 Problems due to late arrival or absence
If you arrive less than half-an-hour late you will be allowed to enter the examination hall and to sit the
examination but you will not be given any extra time and MUST finish at the same time as the other
candidates sitting the paper. If you arrive after the first half-an-hour but before the end of the examination
you will not be allowed to sit in the examination hall but will be sent to report to your Departmental Tutor
without delay. You may be allowed to sit the paper in the Department but 30 minutes will be deducted from
the time allowed. You will be asked to give a written explanation for your late arrival. If you arrive at the
Department AFTER the time for the normal end of the examination you will NOT be allowed to sit the
paper.
8.6 Reassessments (Re-sits) of examinations and Repeats of year
A module is passed when the aggregate of marks from all components (usually exam and coursework)
exceeds the pass mark (40% in years 1, 2 and 3, and 50% in year 4 of the MSci). If the overall module mark
is less than the pass mark, the module is failed and may be retaken, or reassessed. According to UCL rules,
components of failed modules that were given a mark below the pass mark may be retaken. Thus a retake
can involve retaking the exam only, redoing the coursework only, or both. The retake requirements for
individual students will be indicated on Portico (see Appendix D). Any modules, or indeed components of
modules, which have been recorded as passed may not be retaken to gain a better mark. The onus is on
students who are resitting a module to find out from the module organisor which elements of any continuous
assessment (coursework or lab reports) they failed the first time around, and make arrangements to retake
them.
Students who at a first attempt do not pass a module may retake normally on not more than ONE occasion
provided the original or a strictly comparable course is being examined. Such a reassessment must be made
at the next available opportunity. For example a failed first year module may be retaken at the same time as
all second year exams in the following session. If you are unsuccessful in the reassessment, application must
be made to the College for special permission to be reassessed on one further occasion. Normally, if a
module is passed on re-sit, the “failed mark” is replaced by the new mark obtained at resit without any
penalty being applied. If the mark for the second attempt is lower than the first, the higher mark is used. Note
that if you are re-sitting an exam, the onus is on you to check with the module organiser if the module
content has changed since your first attempt, and ask for information on any new material that you will need
to master.
Students who fail to progress are normally expected to re-take their failed courses part-time with attendance
(up to half the normal load, or up to 2.0 course units). However, they may elect to seek re-assessment
without attendance, or re-take more than 2.0 course units with attendance by communicating their intentions
to the Faculty office before the end of July. In each case UCL will require a fee to be paid, but fees for a
repeat year without attendance are much lower since no tuition is received.
If you are obliged to repeat a year you may substitute up to two modules for original non-core courses failed
or not examined. No more than two modules may be substituted in this way over your entire degree
programme. However, you will normally only be allowed ONE attempt at the examination in the new
courses, i.e. no resit of a substitution is allowed.
Note: Overseas students who have visas which limit the time that they are permitted to remain in the UK
should check the visa implications of re-sitting examinations and repeating a year.
8.7 Dyslexia and other medical conditions
If you have been clinically diagnosed as suffering from dyslexia you will be allowed extra time during
examinations – usually an extra 10 minutes per hour. However, it is vitally important that your Tutor is made
aware that you are dyslexic at least 3 months before the examination period, so that certain administrative
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documentation can be produced to ensure that the Examinations Section of the Registry are aware of your
needs. Examinations taken by dyslexic students are held centrally in a room on the College campus.
Special exam facilities are also made available by UCL for students with long term medical conditions.
Again, adequate notice must be given to make these arrangements, through your Tutor.
8.8 Plagiarism
The following are extracts from the “UCL Student Handbook”, prepared by the Registrar’s Division.
“Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another person’s thoughts or words or artefacts or
software as though they were a student’s own. Any quotation from the published or unpublished
works of other persons must, therefore, be clearly identified as such by being placed in side
quotation marks, and students should identify their sources as accurately and fully as possible .A
series of short quotations from several different sources, if not clearly identified as such, constitutes
plagiarism just as much as does a single unacknowledged long quotation from a single source.”
“Where part of an examination consists of ‘take away’ papers, essays or other work written in a
student’s own time, or a course work assessment, the work submitted must be the candidate’s own.”
Plagiarism constitutes an “examination offence under the University regulations and will normally
be treated as cheating or irregularities under the regulations for Proceedings in respect of
Examination Irregularities. Under these Regulations students found to have committed an offence
may be excluded from all further examinations of the University or of the College or of both.”
The following is taken directly from a handout entitled “How NOT to fail your Degree” produced by N.
Hayes and R. Muid from the UCL Department of Pharmacology (2006), but is also applicable to other UCL
departments.
“What does this mean in practice for you, as a student in this Department?
It means you CANNOT do the following:





Cut and paste from electronic journals, websites or other sources to create a piece of work.
Use someone else’s work as your own.
Recycle essays or practical work of other people or your own (this is self plagiarism).
Employ a professional ghostwriting firm or anyone else to produce work for you.
Produce a piece of work based on someone else's ideas without citing them.
You CAN do the following:



You can quote from sources providing you use quotation marks and cite the source (this
includes websites).
You can paraphrase (take information from a piece of work and rewrite it in a new form) but
you must still mention the source.
In the case of joint work (e.g. a group project) individuals may use the same data, but the
interpretation and conclusions derived from that data must be their own.
It doesn’t matter if you didn’t mean to plagiarise; at UCL any form of plagiarism is an offence which
will be punished. Ignorance is not an excuse.”
Note that inclusion of the above section in this Handbook is not plagiarism by us, as it has been enclosed in
quotes and fully attributed to someone else in another UCL department. That is allowed!
The most common form of plagiarism consists of downloading large sections of essays from the internet
without including the necessary quotation marks or specific references. When teaching staff mark written
work such as an essay or report, they often check for web-plagiarism. Students should note that UCL has
now signed up to use a sophisticated detection system (known as Turn-It-In ®) to scan work for evidence of
plagiarism, and the MPBE and P&A departments intend to use this for assessed coursework. This system
gives access to billions of sources worldwide, including websites and journals, as well as work previously
submitted to both departments, UCL, and other universities.
The MPBE and P&A departments also consider the undisclosed “borrowing” of the results of laboratory
experiments from other students in order to write up a detailed report on an experiment that has not been
fully completed to be especially serious in that the whole practical module is judged by continuous
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assessment. If you work in a partnership with someone on an experiment or a group you may all use the
same data obviously but it is expected that any report you produce will be in your own words and your own
layout. Just changing the odd word here and there is not sufficient to avoid being very heavily penalized for
plagiarism.
It is educationally very healthy if students discuss their course material and problems with each other, but the
mere copying of coursework without contributing to the dialogue serves little purpose in either
understanding the subject matter or preparing a student for examinations. Again, the writing-up of
coursework solutions must be done independently in your own fashion. Markers are particularly good at
spotting identical patterns of errors (such as accidental typographical errors) occurring in courseworks,
which is often the consequence of blind copying.
Cases of suspected cheating are first investigated by a Departmental Disciplinary Panel. In accordance with
the Examination Regulations, all serious cases must then be passed on to the College Registry, which will
decide whether the case should be dealt with at the College or Departmental level. Penalties that can be
imposed by the College can be very serious - students do get expelled and do not complete their degrees - as
outlined by the Registrar’s Division at the start of this section.
Students should be aware that a future employer requiring references about a student, normally seeks
information from a Tutor regarding a student’s “honesty and integrity”. It is impossible to give a good
reference for any student who has been caught resorting to plagiarism of any kind.
9. ASSESSMENT AND PROGRESSION IN THE DEGREE
For modules at levels 1, 2, and 3, the pass mark is 40%. The pass mark for M-level modules is 50%. For
lecture modules, a continuous assessment mark from courseworks is combined with that obtained in the
written examination to determine your final mark for each module.
9.1 Examination results
Marking and second-marking of exam scripts takes place in May and early June. Preliminary examination
results emerge in late June after the P&A and MPBE Boards of Examiners have met to ratify the results.
(The results must also be ratified by the FES and MAPS Faculties and the College Board of Examiners
before they are final.) The relevant Departmental Tutor will inform students of their progression in their
degree. Confirmed marks will be released in late July through the Portico website by the Registry after full
ratification of the results has occurred. Students can access this website using their UCL username and
password.
9.2 September Referrals and Deferred Assessments
Non-final-year students who fail a module may be offered the chance of a September referral. There is no
limit on the number of referrals, but a student is only allowed to take referrals if, by passing them, enough
units would be obtained to progress to the next academic year.
For MPBE modules (MPHY code) this requires that an overall mark between 35% and 39% is obtained. For
P&A lecture modules (PHAS code), a referral is offered if a mark of between 30% and 39% has been
obtained, with at least 30% achieved on the examination component. For P&A practical modules, a referral
is offered if a mark is between 35% and 39%.
A referral involves the student re-sitting the failed exam paper under examination conditions, but only after
he/she has had the opportunity to study the paper at home, and work out the answers to all the questions
using notes, books, and the help of other people as necessary. To pass the referral, the student must attain a
score of at least 55%, after which the student is assigned a minimum pass mark capped at 40% for the
module.
If a student has been given permission for a deferred assessment, usually granted for documented medical
reasons, this will be held during the same period as referrals in September. Applications for deferred
assessments must be received within a week of the end of the May examination period. For P&A modules,
the deferred assessment will involve taking a written paper under examination conditions, with different
questions from the paper not taken in May. For MPBE modules, the deferred assessment is carried out in a
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similar way to referrals (i.e. taking the May exam paper), but after the paper is marked, the student will need
to undergo an oral examination. A mark in the full range of 0-100% is awarded for deferred assessment.
No more than four units for the BSc, and six for the MSci. degree may be taken by deferred assessment
during the period of study for these degrees, with a maximum of three units in any one year. However, no
deferred assessments are allowed in the final graduating year.
9.3 Yearly progression and degree classification
In order to satisfy College requirements for the award of a BSc degree, twelve course units must be
completed of which eleven must be passed. “Completed” means having registered for the module, attending
problem solving tutorials and the exam, and (if coursework counts for more than 20% of the assessment)
attempting and submitting coursework assignments. Attendance at lectures may also be relevant. A failure to
attend sufficient teaching elements of a module can also be grounds for non-completion. For the award of an
MSci degree, sixteen course units must be completed of which 14.5 must be passed. In view of this, the
appropriate Faculty Tutor will not allow progression into the second year of the course unless you have
passed at least 3.5 units in year 1, while the transfer from year 2 to year 3 requires seven or more units.
Exceptions are only made if there are serious mitigating circumstances.
A BSc degree normally requires a student to pass at least three advanced level (standard year 3) units,
whereas an MSci degree requires students to pass at least three units of M-level (standard year 4) modules to
be awarded the MSci degree.
To determine the final honours classification, first the weighted mean of a student’s performance for each
year is calculated, using the weighting factors 1:3:5 for the three-year BSc degree, and 1:3:5:5 for the MSci
degree. The weighted mean is then combined with the average mark achieved on the two Developing
Effective Communication modules (PHAS1901 and PHAS2901) such that these two modules contribute
approximately five percent of the final BSc mark, or about three percent of the MSci mark. Finally, the
award of honours is then determined as follows (after rounding the final percentage mark to the nearest
integer):
Degree Class
First
Upper Second
Lower Second
Third
Weighted Mean
70%
60-69%
50-59%
40-49%
Students who fail to meet the criteria for an Honours degree will, if they have passed 10 and completed 11
units with at least two at advanced (year 3) level, be considered for the award of an Ordinary (unclassified)
degree.
Borderline cases are reviewed at the final MPBE Examination Board Meeting when relevant information,
including performance in all units, may be taken into account. You should make sure that your Programme
Director is aware of any extenuating circumstance which may have affected your performance in exams or
work throughout the year. You will be required to provide written documentation supporting your claim.
These matters will not be discussed openly at the Examination Board Meeting. Students who present
extenuating circumstances should be aware that allowances made are almost always marginal, and important
only to those students near borderlines.
9.4 MSci progression rules
The following are additional criteria which are normally applied for determining progression to the third and
fourth years of an MSci programme.
Before confirmation of entry to the third year of an MSci programme, a student should have been awarded at
least seven course units, with a weighted mark of at least 50%, as compounded from all available elements of
the first and second year work. If the criteria are not satisfied the student is required to re-register on the
relevant BSc programme. Before confirmation of entry to the fourth year of an MSci programme, a student
must have:
• Registered on a four-year degree course at least before the end of term 2 in year 3;
• Taken all appropriate third year modules of a four-year MSci programme;
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• Been awarded at least 10.5 course units, which should normally include all core modules;
• Achieved a weighted mark of at least 55%, as compounded from all available elements of the first, second
and third year work.
If you do not fulfil the required criteria to proceed at the end of the third year, you will be considered for
graduation with the award of a BSc Honours degree. Note that, unless there are medical or other extenuating
circumstances, you are not allowed to resit third year units in order to meet these criteria. Even if MSci
students at the end of their third year meet the criteria for progression, they can elect to graduate immediately
with a BSc degree instead providing our Director of Studies is notified before the last Friday in July.
Note: Overseas students who have visas which limit the time that they are permitted to remain in the UK
should note that, since the terms of their visa may need to be changed, switching between the BSc and the
MSci requires the permission of the UK Border Agency as well as UCL.
10. PRIZES
At the end of the academic year, MPBE awards the John Clifton Prize for the best performance by a non
final-year undergraduate. Except for previous winners of the prize, all first-year and second-year students are
eligible, and MSci students in their third year. The prize is described on the following webpage:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/undergrad/cliftonprize
Each year MPBE also offers the Sidney Russ Prize for the most outstanding performance by a final-year
undergraduate (which includes students enrolled in BSc, MSci, and Intercalated BSc degree programmes).
The prize is named after the UK’s first hospital physicist, who formed the medical physics group at the
Middlesex Hospital Medical School out of which our UCL department was later created. The prize is
described on the following webpage:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/undergrad/russprize
In addition, following the recommendation of the Chairs of the Examination Board Meetings in June each
year, and subject to approval by the External Examiners, an outstanding graduating student may be
nominated for an FES Faculty Prize. Exceptional performances by first-year and second-year students may
also be nominated for UCL Faculty Scholarships.
11. DATA PROTECTION ACT
The Data Protection Act (1998) states than an individual has the right to see any personal information held
about them by any organization, and to stop information about them being published without their
permission. You do not have the right to see your exam scripts, but can request to see examiners’ comments
made about them.
When you enrol in the Registrar’s Division you will be asked to sign an enrolment form which contains a
clause for Data Protection allowing UCL to hold your personal information “for the purposes of
administering your student life”. When you become a user of the UCL information technology (IT) system
you will sign a disclaimer, in the contract, agreeing that UCL may hold information about you for this
purpose, and that UCL may monitor your use of IT equipment. In order for both departments to comply with
the requirements of the Data Protection Act, we will ask you to sign a disclaimer agreeing to the ways in
which the departments will use and publish such information. Please ensure that you read the letter
carefully and return it, signed, without delay at the start of the new Academic Year.
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Appendix A
Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering
Summary of Safety Policy
1. The policy of the Department is to promote the safety, health and welfare of all its staff, students,
visitors, contractors and members of the public on the Department’s premises and to protect
them elsewhere from any adverse effect on their health or safety arising from the activities of the
Department.
2. The Department is committed to ensuring that risk assessments are carried out as required by the
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 and other regulations. These risk
assessments will be made by the staff responsible for the work, set out in writing and signed by
the relevant manager or supervisor. No work is permitted to start unless it is covered by a
suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks involved in the work.
3. The Department arranges for all work activities to be performed by persons competent to
perform these activities1. To this end, the Department is committed to ensuring that all members
of the Department receive such training as required for them to be able to discharge their tasks
and duties in a competent manner.
4. The Department arranges for all staff activities and work activities to be supervised by
competent people.
5. A person can only be competent in discharging a duty if they accept that duty, understand the
responsibility of that duty and are allocated sufficient time to be able to discharge that duty.
6. The Department is a Department of University College London, and as such is responsible to the
Provost, through the Management Team, for the implementation of the arrangements in the
College Statement of Safety Policy.
7. It is a legal duty2 for all staff, students and visitors in the Department to co-operate with the
arrangements for safety set out in this document.
8. To give effect to this policy, the organisation and arrangements as described in this document
have been approved and authorised by the Head of Department with whom rests the ultimate
responsibility for the standard of safety within the Department.
9. This policy is intended to reflect the current state of affairs within the Department. To this end,
it will be revised upon any substantial change of organisation or arrangements within the
Department, and in any case, annually. This policy and its revision will be communicated to all
persons affected by the activities of the Department.
1
i.e. people who have the skills, knowledge and experience required to discharge safely a particular duty and who
know the limits of their competence and seek advice when reaching those limits.
2
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Section 7.
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LOCAL SAFETY RULES
The rules contained in the UCL Procedures Handbook apply to all staff of the Department of
Medical Physics and to any others working in or visiting the Department. Safety is your business.
These Rules are intended as a minimum standard. There are many other good practices specific to
your area of work which you will think about and follow. Accidents happen because no one thinks
they will. Accidents result in loss, pain and distress, so always make safety your business. If you
spot any potentially unsafe procedure or situation, it is your moral duty to either put it right and/or
report it to the Departmental Safety Officer, or Head of Department. You will never be penalised
for being safety conscious. The objectives of these Rules are:
a. To secure the health, safety and welfare of staff and other persons within the Department;
b. To inform all staff, creating an awareness of the importance of achieving high standards of
health and safety, and encouraging their involvement in the process;
c. To identify good practice for the control, storage and use of goods and equipment.
All members of staff will have access to copies of relevant Policy Statements issued by UCLH and
UCL. The Safety Policy of UCL and related information is available at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/efd/safety_services_www
Specific Local Rules
In certain laboratory areas, specific local safety rules are in operation. These rules supplement the
general guidance given in the UCL Procedures Handbook. Make sure that you read and observe any
additional specific rules which apply to your work. These are all available on the Medical Physics
intranet, and are listed on the following webpage:
https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/mpab/Departmental+Safety+Rules
These specific local rules include rules on chemical safety, compressed gases, electrical safety, laser
safety, radiation safety, tissue policy and workshop safety.
There are additional Health And Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines on the use of hazardous
substances, including benzene, cadmium, gluteraldehyde, lead, nickel and oxygen, as well as
guidelines on noise in the workplace, lifting and carrying policies, personal protective clothing, safe
disposal of glass and other sharps, use of bottle banks and working with visual display units.
UCL policies can be found on the Safety Services website, or by request from the Departmental
Safety Officer.
SECURITY IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY
USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Emergencies: UCL extension 222
UCL Security, ext 37111
Departmental Safety Officer: Mr Joe Evans ext. 30295
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Appendix B
FIRE SAFETY
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES:
If you discover a fire:
1
Raise the alarm from the nearest fire alarm call point.
2
Call the Fire Brigade via the UCL Communications Centre on 222, giving your location or
“Fire Zone 350” clearly.
3
If fire is small and you are not putting yourself at risk, and are formally trained to do so, use
an appropriate fire extinguisher to attack the fire.
4
Leave the building by the nearest emergency exit.
WHEN A FIRE ALARM SOUNDS:
You must leave the building immediately, by the nearest emergency exit, which may be at the
rear of the building, when the fire alarm sounds.
FIRE EXITS:
1) Main staircase at the front of the Malet Place Engineering Building
2) Via the walkway into the Roberts Building
3) At the rear of the building.
 Do not stop to collect belongings. If possible, close all windows and doors of unoccupied rooms.
 Do not use the lift.
 Proceed immediately to the designated ‘Fire Assembly Point’, which is the South Junction. On
leaving the building, move away and up towards the main building through the archway. Do not
stand in front of the building or in the roadway, or obstruct Fire Brigade access in any way.
When the fire alarm sounds: the electromagnetic doors in corridors and on the Staff Room
automatically close, access control doors on the rear fire escape will unlock and all lifts will return
to the ground floor.
Please ensure that you obey any instructions given by authorised UCL Fire Evacuation Marshals
(wearing Day-Glo waistcoats), or others in authority.
Disabled refuge:
On each floor, in each fire exit, there is a safe refuge for anyone unable to use the stairs. There is an
intercom system to contact Security and inform them that you are in the refuge.
Staff must also ensure that any students or visitors are directed to the nearest fire exit and then to
the assembly point.
You may re-enter the building only on the instructions or the Fire Evacuation Marshals or the Fire
Brigade.
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Appendix C
UCL EQUAL OPPORTUNITY POLICY STATEMENT
The equal opportunity policy of the College is that in the recruitment, selection, education and
assessment of students and in the recruitment, selection, training, appraisal, development and
promotion of staff, the only consideration must be that the individual meets, or is likely to meet the
requirements of the programme or course or post.
The requirements being met, no student or employee will be discriminated against on the basis of
their sex, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality (within current legislation),
disability, marital status, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs on matters such as
religion and politics.
The College is committed to provide a learning, working and social environment in which the rights
and dignity of all its members are respected, and which is free from discrimination, prejudice,
intimidation and all forms of harassment including bullying.
This Policy means that all students and employees of UCL have the right to study or work in an
environment free from discrimination, prejudice and all forms of harassment or bullying.
University College is committed to a programme of action to ensure that its policy is implemented
and monitored at an organisational and individual level.
WHAT IS MEANT BY "EQUAL OPPORTUNITY”?
Factors such as sex, marital status, ethnic origin, race, religion, colour, nationality and disability
should not be taken into account for the purposes of:
STAFF:
Recruitment, appointment, training, appraisal, promotion, discipline etc.
STUDENTS:
Application to and acceptance on to a course of study, and assessment of academic performance
Selection for a course of study or for a job should be made solely on merit
DEOLO Role
The Committee for Equal Opportunity (CEO) has, with the support of the Provost, created a
College-wide network of Departmental Equal Opportunity Liaison/Information Officers
(DEOLOs).
The Departmental Equal Opportunities Liaison Officer for Medical Physics is Andy O’Reilly.
Any student or member of staff who feels that he or she has suffered discrimination, harassment or
bullying of any kind should feel free to contact Andy O’Reilly as soon as possible, to discuss and
try to resolve the situation.
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The role of the DEOLO is:
 Being the first point of contact for personal equal opportunities issues within your department.
 To be a local resource within your department to whom staff and students can come for
information and advice, distributing and drawing attention to new equality developments and
legislative change and ensuring staff and students are conversant with UCL's EO policies and
procedures.
 Liaising with the Head of Department about implementation of equal opportunity good
practice within the department and corporately.
 To help the Head of Department with the implementation of UCL's Equal Opportunities
Policies and practice at a departmental level. This will include assisting your department with
developing and implementing departmental Equality Action Planning initiatives, assisting
disabled colleagues with applications to the Access to Work Scheme and in Science,
Engineering and Technology (SET) departments, assisting the department with initiatives that
advance the careers of women in SET. (See elsewhere on the Equalities Web Site for further
details on the above.)
 To provide valuable feedback about equal opportunity implementation at a departmental
level, on any specific issues, problems or successes within your department.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you are interested in finding out more about any aspect of equal opportunities at UCL you can
contact:
Equal Opportunities Coordinator: Sarah Guise (phone 09761, s.guise@ucl.ac.uk).
Equalities website: http:www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/equalities/
Disability Co-ordinator - Marion Hingston Lamb (phone 31343, m.lamb@ucl.ac.uk).
For all other Equalities and welfare contacts:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/equalities/contacts.php
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Appendix D
PORTICO – The UCL Student Information Service.
The following section has been supplied by the UCL Registry.
Access to Portico is available to everyone across UCL – both staff and students alike - via the web portal:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/portico.
You will need to logon using your UCL userid and password, which are issued to you once you have
enrolled. These are the same as the ones used for accessing UCL restricted web pages, UCL email and the
Windows Terminal Service (WTS). If you do not know them, you should contact the IS Helpdesk as soon as
possible (www.ucl.ac.uk/is/helpdesk). Please remember that passwords automatically expire after 150 days,
unless they have been changed. Warnings are sent to your UCL email address during a 30 day period, prior
to your password being reset.
- You can read your UCL email on the web at: http://www.webmail.ucl.ac.uk
- You can change your password on the web, at any time, at:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/passwords/changepw.htm.
Passwords cannot be issued over the phone unless you are registered for the User Authentication Service, see
www.ucl.ac.uk/is/helpdesk/authenticate/. We strongly advise that you register for this service. If you have
not registered for the User Authentication Service you will need to visit the IS Helpdesk in person or ask
them to post a new password to your registered home or term-time address. More information can be found
at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/helpdesk/.
As a student you can take ownership of your own personal data by logging on to Portico.
In Portico you can:
• edit your own personal data e.g. update your home and term addresses, contact numbers and other
elements of your personal details;
• complete online module registration – i.e. select the modules you would like to study, in accordance with
the rules for your programme of study (subject to formal approval & sign off by the relevant teaching
department and your parent department);
• view data about courses/modules - i.e. information on courses/modules available either in your home
department or elsewhere to help you choose your optional modules / electives.
• see and print your personal timetable;
• view your own examination results online (in late July);
As before, any continuing student requiring official confirmation of their results, or any graduating student
requiring additional copies of their transcript, should refer to the information for obtaining an official
transcript at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/examinations/transcripts/
If you have any comments or suggestions for Portico then please e-mail:
portico_web_feedback@ucl.ac.uk
a) On-line module registration for most students in years 2, 3 and 4.
You can choose your modules in accordance with the rules for your programme of study. This is not
necessary for 1st year students, only students in later years where option modules have to be chosen Note that
Portico now includes timetabling information, but you should check with the teaching department
concerned to ensure that your choice of any optional/elective module does not clash with any of your
other modules. Also, many departments have specific procedures for approving module selections/signing
students up so you should ensure that you familiarise yourself with these.
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You can access the Module Selection screen in Portico via the option ‘Select your modules/course
components’ in the Student Academic Details container. Clicking on this option opens the following screen:
The top of the screen shows any compulsory modules which you have to take. To complete the module
registration process you should select any optional/elective modules as listed at the bottom of the screen.
Clicking on the ‘Select’ button next to the appropriate rule, which will open the optional/elective selection
screen.
b) Selection screen – optional modules
If the rule specifies choosing a module from a defined list (an optional module), you will be presented with a
screen as follows:
Click in the ‘Select’ box next to the appropriate module to choose the module(s) you wish to take. To view
further details about the module, click on the module name. The rule in the header above the list of modules
states how many modules/credits you should choose. You must enter the correct number and then click on
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the ‘Submit Selections’ button to return to the main screen. To return to the main screen without submitting
any selections, click on the ‘Cancel Selection’ button.
c) Selection screen – elective modules
If the rule specifies choosing ‘any undergraduate’ or ‘any postgraduate module’ (an elective module, subject
to approval), clicking on the ‘Select’ button next to the appropriate rule on the main screen will open the
following screen:
As with the optional module selection screen, the rule in the header will state how many modules/credits you
should choose. You should input the appropriate module code(s) in the module box and insert an ‘A’ in the
‘Occ’ (Occurrence) field. Alternatively, you can use the ‘Search’ button to find a module. Use the ‘Submit
Selections’ button to enter the modules, or the ‘Cancel selections’ button to return to the main screen without
submitting anything.
d) Validation/Confirmation of selections
Once you have completed all of your selections, ensure that they comply with any ‘Overarching rule’
indicated in the ‘Overarching’ column on the main screen and then click on the ‘Submit Selections’ button
on the main screen.
Once you have submitted your selections, you will be presented with a final screen, where you can either
undo your last change or you can confirm your selections by clicking on the ‘Confirm Selections’ button.
Note that once you have clicked on this button you cannot go back – you will then need to contact your
Programme Director to make any amendments to your selections. Following your confirmation, you will
be presented with a screen that confirms you have completed the module registration process, listing the
modules you have selected.
All of your selections are subject to the approval of the teaching department for the module and your parent
department. You will receive an automatic email to your UCL email address if any of your selections are
rejected and you must ensure that you respond to this by contacting your Programme Director, whom you
should also contact if you wish to amend a selection at any time. You can check on the approval status for
each of your modules by clicking on the ‘View Module Selection status’ option in your Student Academic
Details container. “
Any continuing student requiring official confirmation of their results, or any graduating student requiring
additional copies of their transcript, should refer to the information at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/registry/current/examinations/transcripts/
.
To re-iterate, module selection in P&A is relevant to students in year 2, 3 and 4, not first year students as
their programme is fixed. However timetables for all years are available on Portico.