Handbook for Students on Courses Validated by the University of Warwick
This handbook introduces you to the University of Warwick and outlines some
procedures you should be aware of.
Table of Contents
Page
Introduction to the University of Warwick
2
What is a “Validated” course?
2
The University’s Commitment and the Role of the
Partner Institution
3
University Processes for Students on Collaborative Courses
3
Enrolment
3
Fees
4
University Cards and Library Access
4
Temporary Withdrawals and Extensions
4
Completion of Study
4
Staff-Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs)
4
Student Academic Complaints Procedure
6
Student Academic Appeals Procedure
6
Welcome!
Welcome to the University of Warwick! Although you are studying a course taught at
another institution, it is a course leading to a qualification of the University of
Warwick, so on behalf of the University, I would like to welcome you. You may not
come into contact with Warwick or its staff at all during your course, or you may visit
our campus in Coventry. Some of your modules may be taught by Warwick staff,
most are not. Most of your day-to-day contact will be with your home institution, and
they will be able to provide you with the information you need to make the most of
your course. However, whatever the arrangements for your course, the University of
Warwick pays close attention to the quality of the teaching and learning on it – and
you will hopefully end up with a University of Warwick award at the end of it, because
we are happy that the standards on your course match up to ours.
I hope you enjoy your course, and learn a lot from it!
Dr David Lamburn
Chair, Collaborative, Flexible and Distributed Learning Sub-Committee
University of Warwick
1.
Introduction to the University
The University of Warwick, which is situated on the southern outskirts of
Coventry, was established in 1965 and, in the succeeding 40 years, has
become one of the most successful universities in the country, highly rated for
both research and teaching quality. The University has links with many local,
national and international industries which have helped to earn it a reputation
as an entrepreneurial institution. It has 26 academic departments in four
faculties; Arts, Medicine, Science, and Social Studies, with over 20,000
students following degree, diploma and certificate courses, and a further
8,000 people studying on Open Studies courses. Around 20% of our students
are international students. The campus offers many amenities including
Warwick Arts Centre, the largest arts centre outside London, a well-stocked
bookshop and a recently refurbished sports centre. Further information about
the University can be found on its website at www.warwick.ac.uk
The purpose of this booklet is to clarify the nature of your relationship with the
University, your rights, and the services to which you are entitled.
2.
What is a “Validated” Course?
Validation means that the University of Warwick endorses a course taught at
another institution as being of an appropriate standard for the students on it to
receive their qualification from the University. Your home institution has
designed your course and is responsible for all the teaching and support, but
the University is involved in the assessment of your work and your
qualification is an award of the University of Warwick.
The validation process involves close scrutiny by the University of the course
in question and the facilities available at the institution at which it is being
offered. A University Course Coordinator is appointed to liaise with the
partner institution, a validation group consisting of members of staff from the
University and from the partner institution is formed to oversee the course, act
as its Board of Examiners and produce an Annual Course Review report, and
the University formally appoints the course’s External Examiner.
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As a student on a validated course you are registered as a student at your
home institution; you are not a Warwick student. You will, though, receive a
certificate and transcript from the University upon successful completion of
your period of study, and the University will keep records of your academic
work and progress.
3.
The University’s Commitment and the Role of the Partner Institution
Your home institution should provide you with a student handbook or other
documentation setting out:
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The intended aims and learning outcomes of your course
Information on any admissions requirements, including relevant work
experience
Information on assessment methods
Information on fees
Information on guidance and support services available to you at your
home institution
Details of student feedback mechanisms, the operation of the StaffStudent Liaison Committee, or equivalent, and the complaint procedures
relevant to your course.
The key role of University staff is to ensure that the academic standards of
your course are, and continue to be, of the highest possible level, and that
they justify the conferral of a University award.
4.
University Processes for Students on Collaborative Courses
At the University of Warwick, responsibility for dealing with the student
administration for validated undergraduate courses rests with the academic
department at the University most closely associated with your course. The
Graduate School oversees all matters relating to postgraduate courses.
Responsibility for monitoring the quality and standards of all University of
Warwick courses, including collaborative courses, lies with the Teaching
Quality team. You should not normally need to contact any of these offices
yourself but should you encounter a problem which can only be dealt with by
the University and your institution is unable to assist you, please contact the
University Course Coordinator in the first instance.
5.
Enrolment
In order for you to be enrolled as a student with the University, the Academic
Office needs you to complete an enrolment form with all the relevant
academic and personal details relating to your course of study. For most
students this will entail completing an online enrolment form. Full details will
be provided prior to the form becoming available. You will be asked to
complete and submit the form within a certain time.
The data you provide enables the University to keep track of you throughout
your academic career and to ensure that you are correctly issued with a
certificate upon successful completion of your course. For these reasons it is
helpful if you inform your home institution of any changes in your name or
address so that these details can be passed on to the University’s Academic
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Office via the University Course Coordinator. You may also send such
information directly to the University Course Coordinator if you are concerned
that the University’s records may not have been updated. As the registration
form makes clear, data about you will be held on computer on the University’s
central student record system in accordance with the Data Protection Act
1998.
6.
Fees
If you are studying on a validated course you will be required to pay a fee to
the University which will be levied by your home institution, possibly as a part
of your other fees payments.
7.
University Cards and Library Access
You will receive an ID card from your home institution. Your home institution
will also provide access to its library, and any other facilities, such as IT
resources and sports facilities.
8.
Temporary Withdrawals and Extensions
You are subject to your home institution’s normal policies and procedures
regarding temporary withdrawals or extensions to the duration of your course.
9.
Completion of Study
When you successfully complete your course of study you will be eligible to
receive a certificate and transcript from the University of Warwick.
If you are following a course leading to a degree at either undergraduate or
postgraduate level, you will be presented with your certificate during your
graduation ceremony. The University’s Degree Congregation Team will
contact you if you fall into this category to invite you to attend one of the
graduation ceremonies that take place in January and July each year. Your
home institution may arrange their own presentation ceremonies for students
completing certificate or diploma courses, and they will contact you directly if
this is the case. The University’s Centre for Lifelong Learning also has an
annual awards ceremony; if you are eligible to attend this, the Centre will
contact you directly. In all other cases your certificate will normally be sent to
you by post. For this reason it is important that the University has your up-todate address.
Your certificate will bear the University name, crest, and the title and
classification (where relevant) of your award. It will be signed by the
University’s Vice-Chancellor and Registrar. You will also receive a transcript
that will detail the marks that you were awarded on each of the modules
followed during your course, which will normally be sent to you by post within
three months of receipt of your certificate. You may request additional
transcripts from the University’s Academic Office for a fee of £25 for up to 10
transcripts.
10.
Staff-Student Liaison Committees
It is expected that any student enrolled on a course validated by Warwick will
have the opportunity to be involved in a Staff-Student Liaison Committee
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(SSLC) or equivalent. SSLCs provide a forum for staff and students to
discuss issues relating to a course, a department or centre. They are
important to the University and Students’ Union because they provide a
unique forum for staff and students to discuss new ideas and solve problems.
Issues that arise will vary from year to year, but the following broad themes
should be addressed at least once each year:
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Curriculum and teaching
Assessment and examination
Library
Computing and e-Learning issues
Careers and skills development issues
Student support and guidance
The University has set out the following Principles to underpin SSLC
arrangements at the University of Warwick and in partner institutions:
(a)
Staff-Student Liaison Committees constitute an important formal
channel through which the views of students on academic matters may
be communicated. Discussion should focus on teaching, learning and
student support issues. An SSLC should be informed of any major
changes to the curriculum and syllabus. The Staff-Student Liaison
Committee shall not consider matters relating to individual named
member of staff or a student’s personal grievances.
(b)
The Chair of the SSLC should be a student representative; the Chair in
collaboration with the Academic Convenor is responsible for establishing
an agenda for meetings.
(c)
SSLCs should meet regularly, no less than four times a year.
Divergence from this practice should only occur when justification in
terms of the structure and delivery of the course may be provided and
alternate arrangements for on-going feedback from students are
demonstrably in place.
(d)
Departments should report back to SSLCs on action being taken as a
result of feedback. This includes disseminating information obtained
from student feedback, discussing issues raised by the feedback and
publicising the action resulting from student feedback. It is important that
a positive culture exists in which the department makes explicit its
commitment to listening to and responding to students’ views. Students
in turn have a responsibility to treat the process seriously and
thoughtfully.
(e)
The SSLC system constitutes the mechanism for evaluating student
feedback and for identifying trends across courses offered by the
University. Progress on issues identified throughout the year and in
previous years should be summarised in an Annual Report and
considered by the appropriate Board/Committee and the University’s
SSLC Coordinators.
Your SSLC is not an appropriate forum for raising personal grievances or
complaints that involve specific named members of staff or students.
Discussions of matters of this nature are often highly subjective and emotive
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and require alternative channels of communication. Problems that concern
another individual should be directed to a Personal Tutor or other member of
staff at your home institution.
More information about SSLCs and the SSLC Handbook can be found at
www.warwick.ac.uk/go/quality/sslc.
11.
Student Academic Complaints Procedure
If you have any complaints about any aspect of the teaching and learning
process you should raise them through the procedure of your home
institution. In the first instance, students should raise the complaint in writing
with the person responsible for the action which has given rise to the
complaint, and if it cannot be resolved satisfactorily the complaint may then
be raised with the Course Coordinator of your home institution, or with the
Course Coordinator in the appropriate department at Warwick. If the
complaint is still not resolved to your satisfaction, you may escalate it using
the University’s Academic Complaints Procedure, which can be found at
www2.warwick.ac.uk/academicoffice/feedback/complain/.
If the complaint still remains unresolved, you may be able to take it further
through the independent student complaints scheme run by the Office of the
Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). Further information is
available from your Students’ Union, or from the OIA website at
www.oiahe.org.uk
12.
Student Academic Appeals Procedure
‘Appeals against the decisions of the Board of Examiners for a validated
course shall be considered either in accordance with the appeals procedure
of the teaching institution or in accordance with those set out below [in
Regulation 32] and the procedure to be used for each validated course shall
be specified in the validation agreement between the University and the
teaching institution’. (University Calendar, extract from Regulation 32:
Regulations Governing Courses of Study Validated or Franchised by the
University)
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