Handbook for Students on Collaborative Courses
This handbook introduces students on collaborative courses to the University of Warwick and
outlines the procedures with which they should be familiar.
Table of Contents
Page
Introduction to the University
2
What are “Validated” and “Franchised” courses?
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
5
Staff-Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs)
5
Student Academic Complaints Procedure
6
Student Academic Appeals Procedure
7
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, and in 2003-04 had a total student population of around 15,536 full-time
equivalent students, of which some 18% are international students. The campus
offers many amenities including the 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 are “Validated” and “Franchised” Courses?
The type of collaborative arrangement for your course will to some extent effect the
role of the University as it applies to your course. Two common types of collaborative
arrangement are validation and franchise.
Validation means the University endorses a course taught at another institution (for
example a college of further education) as being of an appropriate standard for the
students on it to receive their qualification from the University.
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 Co-ordinator 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 Boards of Examiners
and produce an Annual Course Review report, and the University formally appoints
the course’s External Examiner. Students on validated programmes are registered
students of the institution at which the course is taught, but are not fully enrolled
students of the University of Warwick. Students on validated courses receive a
certificate from the University upon successful completion of their period of study and
student details are held with the University as a record of study.
Franchising involves the University deeming that another institution has the
appropriate staff expertise and resources to teach a course designed by the
University, and would otherwise offer at its own campus. The procedures for the
consideration and approval of franchised courses are similar to those outlined above
for validated courses. Students enrolled on franchised courses are full members of
the University and are thus eligible to receive University cards.
If you are not sure about whether the course you are registered on is validated or
franchised, please contact your Course Co-ordinator in your home institution initially to
clarify this. There are also models of collaborative provision which do not fall into
either category, which are generally referred to in this handbook as ‘other collaborative
provision’. For example, University staff may teach on a course or module as well as
2
staff from the partner institution, or significant numbers of external staff may be
involved in the delivery of a Warwick-based qualification.
3.
The University’s Commitment and the Role of the Partner Institution
Partner institutions should be able to provide you with a student handbook or other
documentation setting out:
•
•
•
•
•
•
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 the partner
institution
Details of student feedback mechanisms, the operation of the Staff-Student
Liaison Committee and any college complaint procedures relevant to your course.
The University’s role in your degree course will vary depending on the partnership
arrangement with the partner institution, as described above. For all types of
collaborative provision, the key role of University staff is to ensure that the academic
standards of the 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 Office and for
franchised undergraduate courses rests with the Centre for Lifelong Learning. 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 Director of Academic and Student
Services, Dr Paul Greatrix (tel: 024765 74800), 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 Academic Office at the University. You may also send such
information directly to the Academic Office at the University 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.
3
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.
Fee arrangements for franchised programmes are different for each programme and
you are advised to contact your home institution in the first instance should you have
any concerns about your situation. If you are eligible for a grant and need assistance
from the University in this area please contact Vivienne Sykes in the Academic Office
(tel: 02476 572 952).
7.
University Cards and Library Access
Students registered on a franchised or other collaborative course (other than
validated) are eligible to receive a University card which entitles the holder to access
the University’s Library, IT facilities and Sports Centre for the duration of your course
of study, excluding any periods of temporary withdrawal. Cards can only be issued
after a student’s enrolment details are entered on the University’s student record
system. It is normally the case that partner institutions will arrange for cards to be
issued to each new cohort of students either as a part of a visit by the cohort to the
University or by having the cards dispatched to the institution itself. Replacement
cards cost £15 each and may be obtained by sending your name, address and card
number in writing to:
Academic Office
University House
University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 8UW
8.
Temporary Withdrawals and Extensions
If you are enrolled on a course of study but are unable to do any academic work for a
significant period of time you may be able to take temporary withdrawal from your
remaining period of enrolment for up to a year. All requests for temporary withdrawal
must be made to the University via your home institution as soon as it becomes
apparent that you will be/are unable to continue with your academic work. Your case
for temporary withdrawal should be supported by evidence indicating why this is
necessary, e.g. medical certificates. If your temporary withdrawal is granted on
medical grounds, you will be asked to provide the University with adequate medical
certification of your fitness to return to your course of study six weeks before you are
due to restart. This will be forwarded confidentially for approval of certification by the
University’s Occupational Health Physician.
If you expect to reach the end of your enrolment period without having completed the
course, you may be able to request an extension of up to six months. All extension
requests must be made to the University via your home institution and should be
supported by evidence indicating why you are unable to complete on time. Where
reasons include medical problems, a doctor’s certificate is normally required.
Please note that students should have good grounds for requesting temporary
withdrawal and extensions, and that the University does not generally grant more than
two extensions at the end of a student’s period of enrolment. If you wish to speak to
4
someone at the University about a withdrawal or an extension, you can contact the
Catherine Hanley in the Academic Office (tel: 024 7652 4335).
9.
Completion of Study
When you successfully complete your course of study you will be eligible to receive a
certificate 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
the latter category to invite you to attend one of the graduation ceremonies that take
place in January and July each year. Partnership institutions or University academic
departments may arrange their own certificate presentation ceremonies for students
completing certificate or diploma courses, and will contact you directly if this is the
case. In all other cases your certificate will normally be sent to you by post (for which
reason it is important that the University is advised of your most up-to-date 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 Warwick course will have the opportunity
to be involved in a Staff-Student Liaison Committee. SSLCs exist to 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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
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.
5
(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; ideally 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 ongoing 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 Co-ordinators.
SSLCs are not appropriate fora 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 and require alternative channels of
communication. Problems that concern another individual should be directed to a
Personal Tutor, Chair of Department, the University Senior Tutor, Students’ Union
Advice and Welfare Service or the Education Officer.
More information about SSLCs and the SSLC Handbook can be found at
www.warwick.ac.uk/go/quality/sslc.
11.
Student Academic Complaints Procedure
Students on validated courses should raise any complaints about any aspect of the
teaching and learning process through the procedure of the teaching institution, as
specified in the validation agreement between the teaching institution and the
University.
Students of the University registered on franchised or collaborative courses should
raise a complaint about any aspect of the teaching and learning process, and the
provision made by the University to support that process, using the University’s
Academic Complaints Procedure which can be found at
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/academicoffice/feedback/complain/. 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 this cannot be resolved
satisfactorily the complaint may be raised with the Course Co-ordinator of the
teaching institution or Warwick department.
12.
Student Academic Appeals Procedure
(a)
For students on validated courses :
6
‘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 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, Regulations Governing Courses of Study Validated or
Franchised by the University)
(b)
For students on franchised/other collaborative courses:
A student required by a Board of Examiners to withdraw from his/her course
of study prior to the final-year examination may in most cases appeal against
this decision to the Appeals Committee of the relevant Faculty Board if he/she
is in possession of evidence which was not available to the Board of
Examiners when its decision was reached. Appeals will not be considered
where both the Chair of the Board of Examiners and the Chair of the Appeals
Committee consider that no such relevant evidence has been produced.
Appeals must be submitted within ten days of the publication of the
examination results. Further details are given in the relevant section of in the
University Calendar.
Where a final-year Board of Examiners awards a particular degree
classification (including Pass degree), or resolves that a candidate be not
awarded a qualification (with no further right of resit), a student may appeal
against the Board’s decision within ten days of its publication or notification to
a preliminary review panel, on the grounds that:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
The candidate is in possession of evidence relevant to his/her
examination performance which was not available to the Board of
Examiners when its decision was reached and c an provide good
reason for not having made the Board of Examiners aware of this
evidence; or
There appears to have been procedural irregularities in the conduct of
the examination process; or
There appears to be evidence of prejudice or bias on the part of one or
more of the examiners.
Students may only make representations on the grounds set out above and
may not use this procedure to dispute the academic judgement of a Board of
Examiners. Appeals will not be considered where the preliminary review panel
considers that the evidence provided by a student does not constitute grounds
for appeal. Further details are given in the University Calendar, Regulations
Governing Appeals Relating to Decisions of Final-year undergraduate Board
of Examiners, which may be found at
http://www.warwick.ac.uk/insite/info/gov/calendar or obtained in hard copy
from the Communications Office, University of Warwick.
7