DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL PHYSICS &
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
UNDERGRADUATE
STUDENT HANDBOOK:
BIOMEDICAL
ENGINEERING
2015/2016
Last update: 09 September 2015
Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook: Biomedical Engineering 2015/16
Page 2
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 24, 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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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)!
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 Prof Adam Gibson are the Director of Studies and Biomedical Engineering Programme
Director respectively, and they can advise you on any issues related to your degree. Every student is also
assigned a Personal Tutor, who is the person you should contact initially if you find you have problems of an
academic or personal nature. Your Personal Tutor is either Dr Terence Leung or Dr Pilar Garcia Souto. For
more general enquiries, you can ask James Vallerine, our Senior Teaching Administrator, located in the
department main office on the second floor. 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: Biomedical Engineering 2015/16
CONTENTS
COLLEGE TERM DATES 2015-2016..................................................................................................... 2
WELCOME .............................................................................................................................................. 3
CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................. 4
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 6
2. GENERAL INFORMATION ............................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Location of lecture theatres and other teaching venues ................................................................. 7
2.2 Access to electronic mail and WiFi ................................................................................................ 7
2.3 How to contact a member of staff .................................................................................................. 7
2.4 How staff will contact you .............................................................................................................. 8
2.5 Safety .............................................................................................................................................. 8
2.6 What we expect of you and what you can expect of us ................................................................... 8
2.7 The Faculty and Departments ........................................................................................................ 9
3. INFORMATION FOR NEW STUDENTS ......................................................................................... 10
3.1 People of immediate use to you .................................................................................................... 10
3.2 Equal opportunities and disabilities ............................................................................................ 10
3.3 Student support and services ........................................................................................................ 11
4. STUDENT FACILITIES .................................................................................................................... 13
4.1 Common Room Facilities ............................................................................................................. 13
4.2 Lockers ......................................................................................................................................... 13
4.3 Access to MPBE Department ....................................................................................................... 13
4.4 Photocopying ............................................................................................................................... 13
4.5 The Institute of Making ................................................................................................................ 13
4.6 University College London Union (UCLU) ................................................................................. 13
4.7 University of London Union (ULU) ............................................................................................. 14
5. TEACHING AND LEARNING.......................................................................................................... 15
5.1 Structure of the Degree Programmes .......................................................................................... 15
5.2 Scenarios ...................................................................................................................................... 17
5.3 Coursework .................................................................................................................................. 17
5.4 Tutorials ....................................................................................................................................... 17
5.5 Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme ......................................................................................... 18
5.6 Revision Lectures ......................................................................................................................... 18
5.7 Timetables .................................................................................................................................... 18
5.8 Reading Week............................................................................................................................... 18
6. STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES ........................................................................................................... 19
6.1 Year Abroad ................................................................................................................................. 19
6.2 UCL Global Citizenship Programme ........................................................................................... 19
6.3 UCL Advances ............................................................................................................................. 19
6.4 Internships ................................................................................................................................... 20
7. LEARNING RESOURCES AND FACILITIES ................................................................................. 21
7.1 College Library ............................................................................................................................ 21
7.2 Computing facilities ..................................................................................................................... 21
7.3 Software ....................................................................................................................................... 21
7.4 Moodle and UCLGo! ................................................................................................................... 21
7.5 MyPortfolio .................................................................................................................................. 22
7.6 Knodium ....................................................................................................................................... 22
7.7 Lecturecast ................................................................................................................................... 22
7.8 MATLAB ...................................................................................................................................... 22
7.9 CATIA .......................................................................................................................................... 22
7.10 Instron ElectroPuls E3000 ......................................................................................................... 22
7.11 Security and Privacy .................................................................................................................. 23
7.12 ResponseWare ............................................................................................................................ 23
8. STUDENT FEEDBACK .................................................................................................................... 24
8.1 Module Evaluation by Students .................................................................................................... 24
8.2 Departmental Staff-Student Consultative Committees (DSSCC) ................................................. 24
8.3 National Student Survey (NSS) .................................................................................................... 24
8.4 Peer observation of lecturers ....................................................................................................... 24
9. EXAMINATIONS .............................................................................................................................. 25
9.1 Examination schedule .................................................................................................................. 25
9.2 How to plan for and survive examinations................................................................................... 25
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Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook: Biomedical Engineering 2015/16
9.3 Withdrawal from Examinations and interruptions in study ......................................................... 26
9.4 Problems due to illness ................................................................................................................ 26
9.5 Problems due to late arrival or absence ...................................................................................... 27
9.6 Reassessments (Re-sits) of examinations and Repeats of year ..................................................... 27
9.7 Dyslexia and other medical conditions ........................................................................................ 27
9.8 Plagiarism .................................................................................................................................... 28
10. ASSESSMENT AND PROGRESSION IN THE DEGREE .............................................................. 30
10.1 Examination results ................................................................................................................... 30
10.2 September Referrals and Deferred Assessments ........................................................................ 30
10.3 Yearly progression and degree classification ............................................................................ 30
10.4 MEng progression rules ............................................................................................................. 31
11. PRIZES ............................................................................................................................................. 32
12. DATA PROTECTION ACT ............................................................................................................. 33
APPENDIX A: SUMMARY OF SAFETY POLICY.............................................................................. 34
APPENDIX B: FIRE SAFETY ............................................................................................................... 36
APPENDIX C: UCL EQUAL OPPORTUNITY POLICY STATEMENT ............................................. 37
APPENDIX D: PORTICO – THE UCL STUDENT INFORMATION SERVICE ................................. 39
APPENDIX E: BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING TEACHING LABORATORY .................................. 42
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1. INTRODUCTION
As you will already be aware, your studies at UCL will be based in our Department of Medical Physics &
Biomedical Engineering (MPBE). This Handbook contains a range of useful information about the
Department, its structures and procedures, and the wider UCL regulations that will apply to you as an
undergraduate. The 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 department, including descriptions of lecture modules and degree
programme structures, are available on our MPBE website:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys
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2. GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1 Location of lecture theatres and other teaching venues
The main teaching rooms in the Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Department are:
Lecture theatre 1.02
First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
Lecture theatre 1.03
First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
Room 1.18
(Student Study Room) First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
Room 1.19
(Seminar Room) First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
Room 1.20
First floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
Room 2.14
(Joseph Rotblat Room) Second floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
Room 3.14
(Common Room) Third floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
Room 3.14a
(Small Meeting Room) Third floor, Malet Place Engineering Building
Lab 208
Undergraduate Laboratory, Wolfson House.
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. See more information in section 4.3.
Many classes will take place outside our department. Use this map to find your way around:
www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/
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 teaching staff 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. Any mail for staff should be handed to Vikki Crowe in reception on the
second floor. 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.
If you need to contact staff from outside the College you can use the following official address and/or phone
number:
Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering
Malet Place Engineering Building
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
Phone: 020-7679-0200
To telephone individual members of staff from outside, dial 020-7679 followed by the telephone extension
number (having removed the first digit (3) to leave a four digit number) of the person whom you are trying to
contact.
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2.4 How staff will contact you
If staff members wish to contact you personally they will do so either by internal mail, by mobile phone or
(most commonly) by email and Moodle Forums. General information for students is also posted on notice
boards, and important announcements are usually posted on the inside of the glass wall on the second floor
of the Malet Place Engineering Department. You should not have personal mail delivered to UCL.
IMPORTANT: Please ensure that you check your UCL email account frequently to avoid missing
important or urgent information. It is your responsibility to be aware of such announcements! Note that UCL
will only send emails 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:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/students/mail/live/guide/owa/forwarding .
Information is also posted to our Twitter site @UCLmedphys. See also @UCLEngineering and @UCLnews.
2.5 Safety
We 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
Departmental Safety Officer, Joe Evans, and the Undergraduate Laboratory Manager, Dr Nick Everdell, will
give guidance to all students on how to conduct themselves whilst working with equipment to ensure both
their own safety and that of those working around them. The MPBE Safety Policy is given in Appendix A,
and the Code of Practice for the Undergraduate Teaching Lab is given in Appendix E.
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 and those for the Wolfson House Laboratory are in Appendix E.
2.6 What we expect of you and what you can expect of us
(a) As a student in UCL Engineering we expect you to:
1. carry out your studies effectively, to an adequate standard and within prescribed timetabled periods;
2. show respect to your fellow students and staff;
3. submit your coursework on time;
4. check your UCL email and Moodle forums frequently;
5. arrive to classes on time and engage with in-class activities
6. bring any problems which may be interfering with your work, including those of a social or medical
nature, to the attention of your Undergraduate Tutor, Personal Tutor, or Director of Studies;
7. consult in confidence with the Faculty Tutor or Director of Studies if you feel that there is a problem
with your programme that your Undergraduate Tutor is unable to resolve;
8. follow the procedures set out below for study leave or interruption of study;
(b) Meanwhile, you can expect us to:
1. provide support for your learning that is well organised;
2. be sympathetic and take seriously any concerns or problems that you raise regarding your programme
or your personal circumstances;
3. provide feedback on all work submitted. We aim to do this within 4 weeks of submission;
4. provide access to and advice on the support services offered by UCL;
5. give opportunities for feedback on all modules and programmes and demonstrate the results of this
feedback;
6. provide a personal tutor who is able to provide support for your professional development.
You are obliged to attend the all lectures and classes which constitute parts of your degree. If you are unable
to do so for any significant time, you should inform the Biomedical Engineering Programme Director Prof
Adam Gibson (020-7679-0279; adam.gibson@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.
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Attendance registers are distributed in 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.
(c) Behaviour within the Department
All students are expected to 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 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 with the
exception of water in a screw-topped bottle which may be taken into lecture theatres. UCL does not permit
smoking anywhere on its premises.
(d) Change of address
Throughout your time at UCL, it is essential that the MPBE department has an accurate record of your
address, a contact telephone number and an emergency contact. If not, tutors and others will be unable to
contact you in case of an emergency. Should you change your home address, term-time address or telephone
number, you must immediately inform UCL via the Portico website (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/portico). See
further information about Portico in Appendix D.
2.7 The Faculty and Departments
Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering is in the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, which is one of ten
faculties at UCL. Engineering Sciences contains eleven departments who undertake research and training
across a great range of disciplines. Our students and staff take discoveries from life sciences, pure maths,
psychology and many other areas, mix them together, add their own innovations and produce solutions the
world needs.
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3. INFORMATION FOR NEW STUDENTS
3.1 People of immediate use to you
You will meet many members of staff in your first few days at UCL. Below are the contact details of some
of these people in the MPBE Department:
Departmental Manager
Andy O’Reilly
Room 2.17
Phone 30250
andy.oreilly@ucl.ac.uk
Senior Teaching
Administrator
James Vallerine
Room 2.24
Phone 32548
j.vallerine@ucl.ac.uk
Director of Studies
Head of Department
Prof Sandro Olivo
Room 2.03
Phone 32444
s.olivo@ucl.ac.uk
Prof Jem Hebden
Room 2.18
Phone 30280
j.hebden@ucl.ac.uk
Programme Director:
Biomedical Engineering
Prof Adam Gibson
Room 3.05
Phone 30279
adam.gibson @ucl.ac.uk
At the start of your degree, you will be assigned a Personal Tutor. 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. You will be assigned
a Personal Tutor at the start of your first year who will normally remain with you throughout your
undergraduate studies at UCL. Your Personal Tutor is either Dr Terence Leung or Dr Pilar Garcia Souto.
Meanwhile an Academic Tutor will assist with matters related to the taught material. Students normally
meet with their Personal Tutor several times per term, although in the final year the student’s Academic
Tutor is their project supervisor.
Purely scientific questions should be discussed with lecturers and Academic Tutors, but 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 (Prof Adam Gibson). 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 Support Officer, 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
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 Equal opportunities and disabilities
UCL welcomes applications from disabled students. We support students with physical and sensory
impairments, specific learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorders, mental health difficulties, and longterm health conditions. In line with the Equality Act 2010, UCL makes reasonable adjustments to support
disabled students in higher education. Our aim is to support students, as far as possible, to study
independently during their time at UCL. Student Disability Services (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/disability) will
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provide support and advise you if you are facing (or potentially facing) disabling barriers to higher
education.
The MPBE Departmental Equal Opportunities Liaison Officer is Andy O’Reilly (telephone 30252 or email
andy.oreilly@ucl.ac.uk), who promotes 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. UCL’s Equal Opportunity Policy is given in Appendix D.
3.3 Student support and services
(a) Departmental Student Support
You first line of support is likely to be your personal tutor or one of the other members of staff in section
3.1.Other help from outside the department is also available.
(b) 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 Gower Place Practice: 020-7387-6306;
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).
UCL’s Student Psychological Service (www.ucl.ac.uk/student-psychological-services) provides an accessible
and effective professional resource for students who are facing emotional and psychological problems.
(c) Faculty Tutors
MPBE is a member of the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences (FES). The FES Tutor is Dr Simon Banks
(phone: 33911, email: s.t.banks@ucl.ac.uk), and may be consulted on administrative issues, by appointment.
(d) 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.
(e) Student Union
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.
(f) 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.
(g) International students
The UCL International Office (www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/international/countries) is a centre of
expertise and advice for students from overseas, and provides information on matters such as sources of
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funding, English language requirements, tuition and fees. Meanwhile, the UCL International Student Support
team (www.ucl.ac.uk/iss/welfare/office) offers support in the form of pre-arrival and immigration
information, orientation programme, as well as assistance with all welfare-related topics.
(h) Financial support
UCL provides discretionary financial assistance for students who find themselves in financial difficulty. The
fund, known as the Financial Assistance Fund, comes from donations made by UCL alumni, friends and
staff:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/money/bursaries/financial-assistance-fund
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.
(i) Careers advice
UCL Engineering employs dedicated members of staff to assist with careers advice. They organise careers
events, build relationships with employers, find opportunities and offer careers advice specifically tailored
for students in engineering and technology subjects. The MPBE Department also holds occasional careers
events open to all undergraduate and MSc students, where representatives of different careers in medical
physics and biomedical engineering provide short presentations.
There is a range of careers services especially for you in UCL Engineering:
• Moodle: Engineering Careers and Events page. Students can register in this course to see all
opportunities as they come up.
• Engineering jobs, internships, placement and work experience
• Engineering events on and off campus
• One-to-one Consultations
• 15min appointments with your careers consultant (book online on “My Careers Service Account”)
• Longer sessions for mock interviews will need a form to be sent that can be found in the ‘My Careers
Services Account’.
• Workshops
• Timetabled career workshops – tailored for your course and year, held in the autumn term
• Evening career workshops – advertised on Moodle, mostly held in the spring term
• Employer-led Events: Opportunities to meet employers face-to-face and find out more about sectors,
organisations and graduate programmes (details will be advertised on Moodle). A wide range of
employability skills, sector insight, and practical events run by employers, designed to increase your
chances of finding your dream role
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4. STUDENT FACILITIES
4.1 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.
4.2 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. There are also temporal lockers available at the Wolfson House lab, and key might be obtained from
Ms. Eve Hatten at the laboratory premises. These can be used to keep practical material or belongings that
you might not need to use during the practical. 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.
4.3 Access to MPBE Department
For reasons of security, access to some parts of the MPBE department is 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 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). To access to all other offices and labs on the
third floor, 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. Access to the undergraduate laboratory
in Wolfson House is described in Appendix E.
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 Manager, Andy O’Reilly (room 2.17).
4.4 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). There are also photocopiers for student use in the
DMS Watson Library.
4.5 The Institute of Making
The Institute of Making is “a multidisciplinary research club for those interested in the made world: from
makers of molecules to makers of buildings, synthetic skin to spacecraft, soup to diamonds, socks to cities”.
It is based in the Malet Place Engineering building and is a unique space where staff and students can make
things with a range of tools and techniques. Students are encouraged to join and make full use of the
Institute’s activities and facilities. See http://www.instituteofmaking.org.uk/.
4.6 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
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Union activities have stalls and provide information. The Union also has a sports ground at Shenley in
Hertfordshire. The union arranges transport there every Wednesday lunchtime.
4.7 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.
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5. TEACHING AND LEARNING
5.1 Structure of the Degree Programmes
The outline of the biomedical engineering degree programmes is given below, but please be aware that this is
subject to change. Each year consists of eight modules, although the third and fourth year projects are
equivalent to two and three modules respectively. Modules which have codes beginning with “ENGS” are
co-ordinated by the Faculty; those beginning “ELEC” by Electronic and Electrical Engineering; the three
modules in years 2 and 3 on biomaterials, biofluids and biomechanics will be co-ordinated by Mechanical
Engineering; and the remainder, beginning “MPHY”, belong to the Medical Physics and Biomedical
Engineering Department.
You can immediately see from this that the programme is highly multidisciplinary and you will be in classes
with students from a range of departments within Engineering. Moreover, most of your “MPHY” modules
will also be shared with students on our Medical Physics programmes and with medical and life science
students. This leads to an invigorating mix of interests and experiences in a class, which in turn leads to
lively discussions and arguments (which we encourage!)
We give a brief review of the first year modules below:
ENGS101P – Integrated Engineering
This module provides students with an engaging and interdisciplinary view of engineering firmly embedded
in the context of professional practice and design. Our intention is to give you an awareness of an engineer’s
influential role in the 21st century and an understanding of the impact associated with design decisions.
The ENGS101P Integrated Engineering and ENGS102P Design and Professional Skills modules are
complementary. The latter provides an introduction to design, as practised by professional engineers, while
Integrated Engineering (also referred to as “The Challenges”) is intended to give the students an opportunity
to put their learning into practice through interdisciplinary, problem-based learning with a design focus. The
learning within this module has been structured around two major five-week design challenges that are
intrinsically linked to two of the UCL Grand Challenges:
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• Sustainable Planet (first five weeks of Term 1)
• Global Health (last five weeks of Term 1)
These will act as overarching themes providing direct
opportunities to integrate the knowledge and skills provided
by the other first term modules while also providing a
vehicle to explore and engage in critical and creative
thinking, problem solving, decision making, effective teamworking, self-directed learning, professional conduct and
communication.
ENGS102P – Design and Professional Skills
Successful engineers need to be able to identify and analyse
problems, conceive and design potential solutions, liaise with
and present to clients, and work with and direct colleagues.
They need to do these things efficiently, ethically, professionally, and competently, and, often, they need to
do them quickly. Our goal is to develop these tools right from the start of your degrees. This will make you
more effective during your university career and, crucially, able to work as a competent professional not just
when you graduate, but also during your projects and internships.
We will achieve this by not only teaching about these skills, but by giving opportunities to practise and
develop them in projects, challenges and scenarios. The first term will cover subjects such as the process of
design, visual and verbal communication, critical thinking and problem solving, engineering drawing,
leadership, working in teams, and how to deal with ethical problems. Pre-lecture material, such as book
chapters, videos, articles, and short assignments will be provided before each 2 hour session that will
introduce the subject. Instead of traditional lectures, the timetabled instruction will consist of workshops
intended to help you engage with the material and give a deeper understanding of how the principles can be
used in practice.
In the second term, you will get a chance to bring all of this together in one-week ‘scenarios’ run by
individual departments. These are intensive, hands-on design projects that will use the expertise developed in
both this module and the technical parts of the course.
ENGS103P – Mathematical Modelling and Analysis
Historically, engineering programmes teach engineering mathematics theory in isolation from engineering
practice. While this can help develop an understanding of the mathematical concepts, for engineers it is just
as important to understand how to apply this newly acquired mathematical knowledge to solving engineering
problems. The Mathematical Modelling and Analysis I module utilises mathematical modelling and
simulation as a teaching tool to integrate the acquisition and practice of mathematical concepts. This
approach is underpinned by a suite of online mathematical support resources as well as a walk-in student-led
Engineering Mathematics Support team.
This module is delivered through a blend of face-to-face lectures, weekly workshop/problem classes,
structured online Moodle resources and mathematical modelling and simulation tools like MATLAB.
MPHY101P – Cardiac Engineering
Our Cardiac Engineering module acts as an introduction to biomedical engineering, but we felt it was
important also to provide a focus so that we can study a particular area in depth. The heart is ideal for this, as
is it an electromechanical pump, so provides opportunities to study medical electronics, mechanics, fluid
mechanics and imaging, all in the context of an organ where safety is critical. We will review the whole of
biomedical engineering, and highlight how different areas of biomedical engineering can be applied to the
heart. Then we concentrate on two areas in particular: electronics, where we will teach the basics of both
analogue and digital electronics; and fluid mechanics, which we will briefly cover and explain how simple
mathematics can be used to predict blood flow. Teaching is mainly through lectures and practical lab
sessions, and assessment is a combination of exam and coursework.
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ELEC102P and ELEC103P
Electronics is a fundamental part of biomedical engineering. It is necessary both to understand and develop
medical devices, but also to understand how the body works. You will attend two basic electronics modules
run by our Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department (ELEC102P covers analogue and power
electronics, and ELEC103P covers digital electronics), and we will support this by providing an academic
tutor from this department.
MPHY2001 – Physics of the Human Body
You will sit this module with students from a range of programmes, likely to include Medical Physics,
Natural Sciences and Arts and Sciences. It covers areas where an understanding of the physics and
engineering of the body are necessary to understand how the body works, such as autoregulation, the senses,
how pressure, volume and flow of blood relate to each other, and haemodynamics. Teaching is mainly
through lectures and practical lab sessions, and assessment is a combination of exam and coursework.
MPHY102P – Materials and Mechanics
Mechanics is another fundamental area of biomedical engineering. Mechanics is used to measure and predict
the strength of bones, muscles and other tissues by working out the forces acting on the body and predicting
the response of different materials to those forces. It leads on to areas like designing wheelchairs, prosthetics
and even tissue engineering. In this module, you will learn how to solve problems in statics and dynamics,
and begin to understand why different materials have different properties and how to identify an appropriate
material for a particular task.
5.2 Scenarios
We hope that one highlight of your biomedical engineering degree will be the scenarios. These will be six
one-week long group projects where you will be set a problem to solve, two of which are in Year 1 and four
in Year 2. These problems are intensive, hands-on design projects that will use the expertise developed
throughout the course. The scenarios aren’t fixed and we aim to update them in response to clinical
suggestions, but will cover the whole range of biomedical engineering and are likely to include writing a
smartphone app to use the camera to record heart rate, modelling bone and creating an article of smart
clothing for marathon runners. These will be based largely in our undergraduate teaching lab and will be
assessed as part of ENGS102P (and MPHY204P in year 2).
5.3 Coursework
Most modules include a component of continuous assessment which varies from 20% to 100% of the final
mark. This component is made up in various ways, including problem sheets, group work, presentations 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. Marks will be deducted if the coursework is submitted up to one week late. 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 courses, will be recorded as zero but the assessment will be considered to be
complete.
Coursework should be handed according to the instructions for that assignment. This will specify electronic
submission via moodle, or hard-copy, via the departmental admin office. If the latter, please submit stapled
sheets bearing the words “Biomedical Engineering” and your Personal Tutor’s name (as well as your own!)
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.
5.4 Tutorials
As described above in section 3.1, you will a have Personal Tutor. They are usually the same person
throughout the three or four years of the degree programme, with whom you 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
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to arrange a meeting. Note that there is a bond of confidentiality between tutors and the tutees, which we aim
to respect.
5.5 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.
5.6 Revision Lectures
These are normally given early in term 3, shortly before examinations begin. During revision lectures, 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
5.7 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 timetable for MPBE
modules is also available on the MPBE website.
5.8 Reading Week
Reading Weeks occur in the middle of terms 1 and 2, during which normal lectures will not be given, but
other activities might be arranged such as guest lectures and hospital visits. 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. You are expected to be present in UCL
during Reading Week and take part in any activities which are organised.
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6. STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
6.1 Year Abroad
UCL recognises that spending a period of time studying abroad as part of a degree programme is an
intrinsically valuable experience. It provides a framework in which students can develop by being exposed to
a different culture and academic environment and in so doing improve their CVs and enhance their career
prospects. All four-year programmes in the faculty have the option to study aboard, replacing the 3rd year of
study. Usually applications will be made at the end of the 2nd year once the final marks are known, but
intention of application is given forehand.
6.2 UCL Global Citizenship Programme
The UCL Global Citizenship Programme is a new feature of the undergraduate year; for two weeks after
summer exams have finished, there will be a range of opportunities for those students who do not already
have departmental activities scheduled. In each year of the Programme, students will follow different
journeys – academic courses in the first year, and practical, real-world projects in enterprise, volunteering
and employability in the final years. Each part of the UCL Global Citizenship Programme complements
students’ formal education, and helps prepare them for the world beyond graduation.
First-year undergraduates
The first year courses focus on the UCL Grand Challenges – enabling students to tackle the same key
global questions as UCL’s world-leading researchers. The courses are specially designed to be
multidisciplinary, accessible and enjoyable.
These courses are challenging, interactive and distinctive – and deliberately different from your degree
programme. For instance, you may be studying the problems water creates – as a barrier between cultures, as
a carrier for deadly diseases – and coming up with sustainable solutions as part of multidisciplinary project
teams, or looking at the complex relationship between different groups in one city and negotiating a response
between them.
Each course has been created specifically for first-year undergraduates from across UCL.
There's no specialist knowledge required, and no work to be completed beforehand, leaving you free to
concentrate on your exams before the courses start.
Third and Fourth year undergraduates
In each year you will choose one of three strands – Employability, Volunteering and Enterprise run by
UCL Careers Service, Volunteering Services Unit and UCL Advances respectively. These options are
more practical than the first year courses - preparing you for the world of work, whether that's in the
voluntary sector, your own start-up business or with a traditional graduate recruiter. The focus is still on
working in small groups to tackle real-world problems. For more details go to http://www.ucl.ac.uk/globalcitizenship/programme
6.3 UCL Advances
UCL Advances (www.ucl.ac.uk/advances) is the centre for entrepreneurship and business interaction at
UCL. It offers training, funding and business services for staff, students and external entrepreneurs to
encourage them to learn about, start or grow enterprises. Unique in the UK Higher Education sector, its
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primary role is to promote a culture of entrepreneurship on campus and engagement with entrepreneurs and
small businesses beyond UCL’s boundaries, and currently delivers over 30 activity programmes.
UCL Advances is affiliated with UCL Enterprise (www.ucl.ac.uk/enterprise), which provides UCL’s
structures for engaging with business for commercial and societal benefit.
 Enterprise Bootcamp: 3 day bootcamp open to all students, particularly useful to those about to join
the potential workforce, to develop the skills that are needed to get a job and succeed in a career longterm.
 Entrepreneurship Guest Lectures: Be inspired and make new contacts at our series of guest lectures
from leading entrepreneurs and investors.
 Student Consultancy Projects: Use your unique knowledge from your academic discipline to
contribute to a team of volunteer students paired with businesses to deliver short-term consultancy
projects. You could make a real difference to small businesses in London while getting impressive
experience for your CV.
 UCL Advances Summer Programme: Enhance your entrepreneurial knowledge and skills at a series
of masterclasses and workshops. Teams develop their ideas and work closely with their mentors,
ending with a Dragon’s Den style pitch to a panel of venture capitalists and angel investors.
 Citrus Saturday Summer Programme: Providing great opportunities for UCL students to mentor
young people in starting a micro-business from scratch in just 3 weeks, and great fun for the start of
the summer! UCL students work in pairs to mentor 12–15 year-olds during workshops and while
running their lemonade business, all done over 3 consecutive Saturdays in June and July. No teaching
experience needed, just a keen interest in inspiring young people!
 UCL Entrepreneurship Societies: Do you want to be part of a society that supports the development
of entrepreneurship across UCL? There are a number of societies you can join, including:
o UCL Enterprise - www.uclenterprise.org
o UCL Entrepreneurs - www.ucle.co
o Enactus - www.enactusucl.org
o CleanTech Challenge - www.cleantechnologychallenge.com
6.4 Internships
Opportunities for internships may be available, especially in the Summer break. These may be researchbased or teaching-based and are generally funded by UCL and advertised in the Spring term. Some
externally funded internships are available and students are encouraged to seek contacts in research and
industry, and find funding opportunities.
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7. LEARNING RESOURCES AND FACILITIES
7.1 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, 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.
7.2 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.
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.
7.3 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. It also gives access to a wide range of
software. 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.
7.4 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” – see section 7.7),
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 easiest way of downloading the app for Android,
BlackBerry and Apple devices is to go to the following link and select the appropriate option:
http://ucl.ombiel.co.uk/get .
For any other type of smartphone, access the web edition of UCLGo!:
http://ucl.ombiel.co.uk/.
We make extensive use of UCL Moodle as our virtual learning environment. The majority of the course
material (lecture notes, handouts etc.) will be posted there as well other material such as pre-reading or video
material for lectures, quizzes tutorials and additional reading. When possible, we aim to allow electronic
submission of coursework using moodle and turn-it-in. All Moodle courses also contain a discussion forum,
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this is a place where you can ask questions of the course leaders as well as discuss topics with your
colleagues.
7.5 MyPortfolio
MyPortfolio (myportfolio.ucl.ac.uk) is an e-portfolio, blogging tool, CV builder and social networking
system, connecting UCL students and staff and creating online communities. MyPortfolio provides you with
the tools to set up a personal learning and development environment. We use MyPortfolio to as an example
of how you might build up a portfolio of your activities at UCL for professional development.
We’ve provided some tutorials to get you started with MyPortfolio which are available at:
http://bit.ly/UCLMyPortfolio
7.6 Knodium
Knodium (www.knodium.com) is a network of communities within your university allowing you to
collaborate on group projects, engage with people on your courses or even to have discussions around
common interests. You don’t need to register and can sign in using your UCL account. Anyone can go and
start or join a community and it's a great way to have discussions, share documents and resources and
connect with people in your university. You can even include equations, chemical formulae and snippets
from documents straight in the documents.
7.7 Lecturecast
Many of our lectures are recorded using the UCL LectureCast service, enabling you to look back at the
lectures after and revisit the material that was presented. These are not a substitute for attending lectures as it
is a very different experience. Also in some venues things like the whiteboard do not record that well.
The best use of this technology is to go back and look at specific sections of material that you found difficult
to understand at the time, or to make more detailed notes than you were able to do ‘live’ in class. To help
you do this lecturecast has a ‘scenes’ function, the lets you jump to different points in the lecture based on
the slides. Links to lecturecast material are usually advertised via the appropriate moodle course. If you are
not sure if your class is going to be recorded or not, please ask the lecturer.
7.8 MATLAB
MATLAB by Mathworks is a powerful numerical computation tool and programming language allowing
users to process and plot data as well as create user interfaces to both code and hardware. MATLAB will be
used in a large number of courses and you are advised to become familiar with it. UCL has a full licence for
the software which allows students to use in on UCL machines, through the desktop@UCL anywhere service
or for students to download a personal copy to their own machines. A set of tutorial material, including
details of how to download it are available on the open-access Moodle course, Basic MATLAB for
Engineers (https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=27123).
7.9 CATIA
The communication of ideas and designs in a technical way is of primary importance to all engineers. There
are several CAD (Computer Aided Design) software options available that assist us with this task.
Biomedical Engineering students will be trained in the use of CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional
Interactive Application), which is a well-established commercial software used in many engineering fields,
ranging from aeronautical (Boeing and Airbus) to technology companies (Nikon and Nokia). CATIA
supports the design, study and manufacture of new products, allowing for 2D technical drawings, 3D design,
the creation of files for 3D printing, and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) among others. The software is
available on the laptops of the Wolfson House Lab, and remotely by means of desktop@UCL.
7.10 Instron ElectroPuls E3000
Our Instron ElectroPuls E3000 is a state-of-the-art Linear-Torsion Dynamic Test Instrument, used for testing
materials and devices under different loads to study their resistance to failure and to ensure that they are fit
for purpose. In the biomedical field, this testing allows the performance and compatibility of new materials
and medical devices to be proven in vitro, without putting patients at risk. It also allows critical and complex
problems to be evaluated in a controlled and repeatable manner, therefore helping new products to meet
essential regulations and verifying the quality of medical products in a production line. Instron testing
instruments are routinely found in many applications and industries, such as plastics, metals, composites,
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elastomers, components, textiles, aerospace, automotive, and biomedical. Examples of biomedical
applications are intraocular lens testing under compression, low force dynamic and fatigue testing of
orthopaedic micro-implants for fracture fixation, flexural fatigue testing of metallic bone plates, endurance
and fatigue testing of artificial hip implant prostheses, impact performance of medical implants, etc. Our
Instron system is available in the Wolfson House undergraduate laboratory for student use (under
supervision) throughout their degree, and the software is available on the laboratory laptops.
Our system allows us to study the effect of linear loads (either in compression or in tension) combined with
torsion up to ±3000 N and ±25 Nm and offers slow-speed static testing and high-frequency dynamic fatigue
testing to >100 Hz. We have a variety of grips, fixtures, and accessories which permit a wide range of
configurations, such as the BioBath where materials and devices can be tested while submerged in a saline
fluid at 37C, therefore recreating the conditions within the body more closely. The software (WaveMatrix)
provides users the ability to customize and run tests and to acquire data.
7.11 Security and Privacy
UCL's information security policy sets out to ensure that our computing systems, and all the information held
on them, are adequately protected against loss and misuse, and that protection is provided in a cost-effective
way.
The policy applies to staff and students alike, and to anyone else who has been authorized to use our
facilities. It has been endorsed by UCL's Information Strategy Committee:
www.ucl.ac.uk/informationsecurity/policy
7.12 ResponseWare
This year we are piloting an app based voting software called responseware. This enables staff to run in class
polls with the results automatically collected and instantly available to the class. You can use this in a
number of ways:
Download the App:
• Android OS 1.6 and higher;
• Apple OS 3.0 or higher – available free from the app store. Search for responseware. If download to iPad
check the iPhone only option for this to appear in the search).
Use through the web on laptop or tablet: Visit http://www.rwpoll.com
If you do not own or do not wish to bring a smart phone, laptop or tablet to college, we have a number of
dedicated ‘clicker’ devices that will enable you take part in polls. Contact the Faculty Learning Technologist
Matthew Lever (m.lever@ucl.ac.uk) for details.
In the class that uses the system you will be given a session ID to use.
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8. STUDENT FEEDBACK
We are very keen to get good quality student feedback concerning the learning process and we see this as an
extremely important part of our academic monitoring system. The main formal methods are student course
evaluation forms and the Staff-Student Consultative Committees. Verbal feedback direct to Tutors is also
important.
8.1 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. We 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 chair of the Departmental Teaching Committee.
8.2 Departmental Staff-Student Consultative Committees (DSSCC)
The MPBE 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 Director. The Minutes of the meetings, which are normally kept by a student
representative, are subsequently submitted to the Departmental Teaching Committee (DTC) for its
consideration, and posted on notice boards throughout the Department. A representative from the DSSCC
normally attends DTC meetings. Actions arising from legitimate complaints are acted upon quickly wherever
possible.
8.3 National Student Survey (NSS)
The NSS provides an excellent opportunity for you to share opinions on the quality of your course and
institution. The results will inform future students in choosing what and where they would like to study and
the NSS data and student comments are given to UCL faculties and departments (or equivalent).
If you are eligible, you will be contacted by email and invited to fill in the NSS online. More details are
available at www.thestudentsurvey.com .
8.4 Peer observation of lecturers
Individual lecturers are observed by other teachers during each of our modules. The observer attends the
lecture, but takes no part in the teaching, and afterwards discusses with the lecturer any bad or good points.
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9. EXAMINATIONS
9.1 Examination schedule
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 and maps showing the
location of the possible examination halls will be available before the end of the second term. 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 noticeboards.
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.
9.2 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:
 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.
mobile phone, 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:
 read the instructions (the rubric) at the head of the paper, taking particular note of:
o the number of questions to be answered;
o if the paper is in sections, the number of questions to be answered from each section;
o the time to be spent on each question;
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o 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.
9.3 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.
9.4 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 is 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.
9.5 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 the departmental Director of
Studies 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.
9.6 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 MEng). 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 organiser 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.
9.7 Dyslexia and other medical conditions
If you have a disability, dyslexia or other health issue, you may be entitled to extra time, rest breaks and/or to
sit in a special examination facility. To find out of you are eligible for special assessment you must undergo
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a UCL diagnostic assessment (for dyslexia) or submit an application form with supporting medical evidence.
Arrangements need to be put in place well in advance and no later than six weeks before the start of your
first examination. Talk to your tutor about submitting an application as early in the academic year as
possible, and no later than three months before the start of the examinations season. If you wait until the end
of the second term you may find that there are no available assessment appointments with Student Disability
Services. Further information can be found on the Student Disability Services website:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/disability/special-examination-arrangements
9.8 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:
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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:
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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 we 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 our department, UCL,
and other universities.
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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 is especially serious. 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.
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10. ASSESSMENT AND PROGRESSION IN THE DEGREE
The pass mark for undergraduate course units is 40% for all undergraduate students except for MEng
students when enrolled on Masters level (M-Level) course units for which the pass mark is 50%.
10.1 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 MPBE Board of Examiners has met to ratify the results. (The results
must also be ratified by the FES Faculty 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.
10.2 September Referrals and Deferred Assessments
Non-final-year students who fail a module may be offered the chance of a September referral. This normally
requires that an overall mark between 35% and 39% has been obtained. A referral involves the student resitting 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. The deferred
assessment is carried out in a 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 BEng, and six for the MEng 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.
10.3 Yearly progression and degree classification
In order to satisfy College requirements for the award of a BEng degree, twelve course units must be
completed of which eleven must be passed. “Completed” means having registered for the module, attending
the exam, and attempting and submitting any necessary coursework or project work. Attendance at lectures,
tutorials and lab sessions 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 MEng 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 BEng degree normally requires a student to pass at least three advanced level (standard year 3) units,
whereas an MEng degree requires students to pass at least three units of masters level (standard year 4)
modules to be awarded the MEng 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 BEng degree, and 1:3:5:5 for the
MEng degree. 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%
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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.
10.4 MEng progression rules
In order to progress from Year 3 to the fourth year of the MEng, students must be complete in the 4.0 course
units from Year 1 and the 4.0 course units from Year 2, and have passed at least 11.0 Course Units.
The deadline to transfer to the MEng programme is the last day of term two, in the third year of the BEng
programme. The deadline to transfer from the MEng programme to the BEng programme is the last Friday in
July in year 3.
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 BEng 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
MEng students at the end of their third year meet the criteria for progression, they can elect to graduate
immediately with a BEng 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 BEng and the
MEng requires the permission of the UK Border Agency as well as UCL.
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11. 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 MEng/MSci students in their third year:
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 all its undergraduate 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:
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.
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12. 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: 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.
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
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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/Health+and+Safety
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 FOR FIRE IN THE MALET PLACE ENGINEERING BUILDING:
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).
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APPENDIX D: PORTICO – THE UCL STUDENT INFORMATION SERVICE
The following section has been supplied by 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 courses 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
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states how many modules/credits you should choose. You must enter the correct number and then click on
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/ .
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APPENDIX E: BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING TEACHING LABORATORY
USEFUL INFORMATION
Date: 9th Sept 2015
Address:
Room 2.08, 2nd floor
Wolfson House
2-10 Stephenson Way
London
NW1 2HE
Telephone: 020 3549 5650
How to find it from the main campus:
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The blue dotted line on the map above shows the route from the Malet Place Engineering
Building. Going through the main campus is slightly quicker, but until you know your way
around, going this way is probably easier. Note that this route includes the easiest way to
get across Euston Road, which is via Euston Square Underground station. You do not
need a travel card to use this route.
When you arrive at the building, go up the stairs, through the 2 main entrance doors, then
either take the stairs to your left, or the lift to your right, to the second floor. You will need
your UCL access card. Then follow the signs to the teaching laboratory.
Coat hooks
There are coat hooks to your right as you enter the laboratory. Please use them for your
coats and bags.
Lockers
There are lockers available in the laboratory for the storage of on-going projects.
Coffee room and toilets.
Turn right out of the laboratory door, go through the card access door, and then turn left.
The male toilets are then ahead of you, and the coffee room is further along to the right.
Female toilets are situated in the same area on the 1st floor. You will need your access
card with you.
Fire exits
The main fire exit is the main entrance to the building on Stephenson Way. The alternative
exit is to the rear of the building via the back staircase. Both routes are clearly marked.
Your assembly point is at the corner of Stephenson Way and Euston Street.
Main Contacts
Laboratory Technician
Eve Hatten
Room 2.08b Wolfson House, telephone 020 3549 5650 or internal 65650
e.hatten@ucl.ac.uk
Laboratory Manager
Dr Nick Everdell
Room 3.23a Malet Place Engineering Building, telephone 020 7679 0267 or internal 30267
n.everdell@ucl.ac.uk
Senior Teaching Fellows
Dr Pilar Garcia Souto, telephone 020 7679 0454 or internal 30454
p.garciasouto@ucl.ac.uk
Dr Rebecca Yerworth, telephone 020 7679 0218 or internal 30218
r.yerworth@ucl.ac.uk
both room 2.20 Malet Place Engineering Building
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CODE OF PRACTICE
Opening hours
Wolfson House is normally open to students between 7 am and 11 pm Monday to Friday in
term time. The teaching laboratory will be open during supervised practical sessions and
available at selected times displayed in the lab and available from Medical Physics and
Biomedical Engineering reception (2nd Floor, Malet Place Engineering building). These
times will vary so check regularly.
Supervision of practical work
No practical work of any kind is to be undertaken unless a designated supervisor is
present in the teaching laboratory. A designated supervisor is a member of staff or PhD
student that has been approved by the Laboratory Manager.
Keeping the laboratory clean and tidy
It is the student’s responsibility to keep their own work area clean and tidy, as well as any
communal areas (e.g. the soldering station) that they may use. Students should also pack
and store away the equipment used for the practicals, as to leave the tables free for the
next class. Boxes or a locker can be provided to store any works in progress in the lab.
Students will be assigned a laptop to use in laboratory sessions. They must make sure
that their laptop is fully shut down and put away, with the power supply, neatly at the end of
each session.
General hazards
Damaged or malfunctioning equipment should be reported at once to a member of staff.
Always keep the floor clear. If you see something on the floor, pick it up – don’t wait for
someone else to do it. Personal items must not be stored in the laboratory.
Electrical and electronic equipment
All electrical and electronic equipment must be used sensibly and safely. This includes:

no wet hands

no leads dangling over the front of the bench

no access cards around necks

nothing placed on top of electrical equipment that could fall down through vent
holes
It is each individual student’s responsibility to ensure that both water and electricity in
his/her area are turned off at the end of a practical session.
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Using tools
Safety is a priority. Whenever you use even the simplest of tools, think carefully about
what you are doing. Are you using the right tool for the job? Is what you want to do with it
safe? Always think about what will happen if a tool slips - always work away from your
body and face. Speak to the technician if you are planning to use a tool for the first time.
Safety is everybody’s responsibility Look out for yourself and others. If you see someone
in the lab doing something unsafe, warn them, or discuss it with a member of staff.
Using power tools
These are particularly dangerous for the inexperienced user. If you have long hair, always
tie it back. Do not have your access card around your neck.
Soldering
No soldering is to be done until the appropriate training has been received. All soldering
must be done in the designated area, always with the extraction and filtration equipment
switched on. The fumes emitted are potentially harmful, and this risk should not be
ignored. Be aware also of the risk of burns and eye injury. It is very easy, especially when
de-soldering, for molten solder and/or flux to be splashed into your face.
Borrowing tools and equipment
Always put borrowed tools back where you found them, as soon as you have finished
using them.
The Instron system and software
The Instron system and its PC can only be used by, or under the direct supervision of, fully
trained members of staff. Other users will require the appropriate training, as well as staff
approval and an allocated time for their experiment. The relevant software (WaveMatrix) is
available on the laboratory laptops. Training will be advertised and offered several times
during the academic year. Please contact Dr Pilar Garcia Souto if you wish to use the
system. All relevant health and safety practices must be observed by users. Other
laboratory users are required to be aware of the health and safety implications of this
equipment, especially whilst it is in use. Sensitive experiments might run for weeks at a
time, so please do not touch the samples being tested.
Food, drink and hygiene
Eating, drinking, smoking and the application of contact lenses and cosmetics are not
allowed. No food or drink is allowed on the laboratory benches. Bottled water may be
taken into the laboratory but must be left at the entrance along with coats and bags. Food
must not be cooked or heated in laboratory equipment of any kind. Food and drink, even if
in sealed containers, must never be kept in laboratory refrigerators or freezers. Always
remove any protective equipment and wash your hands after working in the laboratory.
Personal protection
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When appropriate, always use additional protection (e.g. face mask, rubber gloves). Use
safety glasses if working with toxic or corrosive compounds liable to splash.
Waste disposal
Please keep the laboratory tidy – there are waste bins throughout the room – please use
them.
Fire Emergency
In the event of a fire, sound the fire alarm, or phone 222 and give your location as “Room
2.08, Wolfson House, Zone 049” clearly.
When the fire alarm sounds you must leave the building immediately and proceed to the
fire assembly point, which is at the corner of Stephenson Way and Euston Street. You
must obey the instructions of the fire evacuation marshals who will be wearing a
fluorescent tabard.
Other emergencies and serious accidents
In the event of an emergency or serious accident, phone 222 and clearly state your
location as “Room 2.08, Wolfson House, Zone 049”, and the nature of the emergency. In
the event of injury, obtain assistance from the nearest qualified first-aider.
Minor accidents involving injury
Obtain assistance from the nearest qualified first-aider, which for the teaching lab is Eve
Hatten. Deep cuts should always go to UCLH Accident & Emergency.
Incident book
All serious incidents and accidents must be recorded in the incident book. This is kept on
the bench nearest the main door to the laboratory.
Eyewash station
For minor eye splashes, there is an eyewash station available. This is also situated on the
bench nearest the main door to the laboratory.
Safety Policy and Fire Safety
This code of practice takes precedence over Appendices A and B of your student
handbook, but in the absence of superseding instructions, these appendices still apply in
the teaching laboratory.