Accessibility in the Psychology Undergraduate Curriculum
A guide for Psychology undergraduates at Cardiff University
This document outlines components of the BSc and BSc with Professional Placement
degree programmes, identifies some of the challenges that might be faced by students with
various disabilities or personal circumstances in enrolling on and completing these
undergraduate degree programmes, and describes practices that have been adopted by the
School to make the programmes inclusive. Some topics are discussed in more detail than
others.
Comments on this document can be sent to Todd Bailey (BaileyTM1@Cardiff.ac.uk) or Judy
McPherson (McPherson@Cardiff.ac.uk).
Table of Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Statutory duties regarding disability
School procedures for students with a disability
Admissions and enrolment processes
Accommodation
Curriculum
5.1. Orientation (Year 1)
5.2. Reading
5.3. Academic tutorials (Years 1-2)
5.4. Lectures
5.5. Research practicals (Years 1-2)
5.6. Computing practicals/demonstrations (Years 1-2)
5.7. Research participation (Years 1-2)
5.8. Professional placement (optional Year 3)
5.9. Project supervision (Final Year)
5.10. Course-specific software
5.11. Indicative calendar and timetables
6. Assessment and feedback
6.1. Coursework
6.2. Research project (Final Year)
6.3. Examinations
6.4. Extenuating circumstances
This document can be made available in the following alternative formats:
Braille, tape, large print, disc and on coloured paper. Please contact Judy
McPherson (McPherson@Cardiff.ac.uk), School Administrator, Room 6.02
to request a copy in your chosen format.
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1. Statutory duties regarding disability
Higher education institutions are bound by a number of statutory duties regarding disability.
In summary, higher education institutions are required:
 not to treat disabled people less favourably,
 to make reasonable adjustments so disabled people are not substantially
disadvantaged as a result of their disability, and
 to anticipate the needs of disabled people and make adjustments in advance.
A person is considered disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a
substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day
activities. This includes impairments of vision or hearing, mental health difficulties, specific
learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia or dyspraxia), various physical conditions (e.g. paraplegia,
cerebral palsy, repetitive strain injury, arthritis, ME), hidden disabilities (e.g. epilepsy,
diabetes, asthma), and long-term medical conditions (e.g. cancer, HIV).
Academic standards, flexibility, and transparency. The content of the undergraduate
psychology curriculum is highly constrained by accreditation requirements set by the British
Psychological Society. Within that framework, our teaching, learning and assessment
philosophy emphasizes the role of the learner, who is expected to access information in
published books and journal articles, and be able to express topic-related ideas and
arguments clearly.
Ultimately, it is the learning experience and qualification embodied by the degree
programme which must be accessible. The formal parts of the curriculum are intended to
assist the learner in various ways, but they are generally not ends (or requirements) in and
of themselves. Where standard learning opportunities and assessments cannot be made
fully accessible in a generic way, alternatives are considered on a case by case basis.
2. School procedures for students with a disability
This section discusses the procedures and decision-making processes within the School for
working with disabled students.
2.1. Procedures for communication about disabled students’ needs
Incoming students often declare a disability on their UCAS university application form. Other
students declare a disability after beginning their undergraduate course (e.g. a student may
discuss a hidden disability with his/her personal tutor and decide to declare the disability so
that appropriate adjustments can be made). The School’s Disability Contacts liaise with the
Dyslexia and Disability Service to track disabled students and agree on appropriate
adjustments.
The School itself contacts all students over the summer with details about enrolment, along
with an invitation for students to declare a disability if they have not already done so, and a
request for incoming Year 1 students to notify the School if they anticipate difficulty using an
ordinary computer so that appropriate adjustments can be made prior to induction.
Shortly before the start of each autumn semester Student Services sends the School a list of
disabled students who are likely to enrol. After enrolment, students are assigned to personal
tutors (with returning students generally being assigned to the same tutor they had the year
before). The list of disabled students is matched up with the list of personal tutors, and
personal tutors are notified of any disabilities their students have declared (subject, as
always, to the student having given permission for us to share information about his/her
disability on a need to know basis). Because the beginning of the academic year is very
busy, personal tutors may not receive this information until the second or third week of the
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semester. Tutors and students should be aware that they are likely to have their first
meeting before tutors have received top-down information about disabled students.
Student Services carries out a needs assessment for each disabled student (sometime
during the academic year), and sends the School an Individual Support Arrangements
Notification (ISAN). The Disability Contact then consults with appropriate members of the
School (e.g. the Chair of the Board of Studies, the School’s Teaching & Learning Officer,
etc.), the Disability and Dyslexia Service, and the student, as necessary to agree on
appropriate arrangements the School can implement. Staff members within the School
(tutors, lecturers, markers, etc.) are then advised, on a need-to-know basis, how they can
help. A needs assessment may recommend flagging a particular student’s work for markers
to identify the work as being from a student with disability-related writing difficulties. As
explained below under Assessment, flagging is not applied to coursework in the School, but
is applied where appropriate to exam scripts by the student him/herself before the scripts are
passed to the School for marking.
2.2. Record-keeping and monitoring statistics
The School maintains a list of current students who have declared a disability, with
information about adjustments that have been agreed. Information about a student’s
disability is kept in a sealed envelope in the student’s file, for access by staff members on a
need to know basis. Along with most other details in the student file, this information is
destroyed one year after the student leaves the School.
The School strives to provide a high-quality educational experience for each student, and
responds flexibly as required to achieve that. Qualitative feedback from students is
monitored closely, and the School continually updates its policies, procedures, and
curriculum in an effort to improve the training that students receive. At the end of each
academic year, all students are asked to evaluate the overall curriculum for the year they
have just completed. The questionnaire asks about the adequacy of provisions for
disabilities. Responses are monitored by Year Coordinators and by the Teaching & Learning
Committee.
2.3. Personal tutoring
The personal tutor system is a central part of student support within the University. Personal
tutors monitor the academic progress of their tutees, provide feedback and advice on
academic and personal matters as they are able, and provide a first point of contact to the
student support services provided by the University.
Personal tutors will generally be informed about disabilities that have been disclosed by their
tutees (subject to the student’s permission). Personal tutors can help their tutees to make a
disability disclosure. Personal tutors can also advise on when and how to report extenuating
circumstances, or request a deadline extension, etc.
Students preparing to return from an Interruption of Study may contact their personal tutor
for advice and support. A month prior to a student’s scheduled return, Registry asks the
student whether they intend to return and to provide documentary evidence of fitness to do
so.
Further details can be found in the Academic Regulations Handbook, and also in the
School’s Student Handbooks.
2.4. Coursework submission, extenuating circumstances and programmerelated enquiries
The School has an Extenuating Circumstances Administrator, and a Coursework
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Administrator. They are based in Room 6.01 (Tower Building). The Administrators
coordinate the submission and return of all coursework, and collate documentation relating
to student absences, extenuating circumstances and extension requests. They also deal
with the EMS, Plagiarism and other student/programme related tasks. Students can also get
replacement key cards here (for accessing student study rooms 1.01 and 1.07).
3. Admissions and enrolment
This section covers tasks that students must complete to sign up for the degree programme
(informational documents are identified in section 7.1). Admissions and enrolment includes
the following activities:
 Open Days
 Admissions
 Enrolment
Students who receive a conditional offer of admission are invited to attend one of the
School’s Open Days. Alternatively, when a conditional offer is made, Registry invites
disabled students to visit the University and meet with a disabilities adviser and an
admissions tutor to discuss the requirements of the course and what arrangements might
reasonably be made to minimize any academic disadvantage due to the student’s disability.
Students who did this would not normally attend one of the Open Days as well, because it
would offer them no new information.
Students complete central enrolment using an online process through SIMS Online, often
before they arrive in Cardiff. Alternative arrangements are made for students who anticipate
difficulty with this process.
4. Accommodation
The School of Psychology is housed primarily in a 12-story building. This section covers
physical access to the School, including evacuation procedures for anyone unable to use the
stairs. The following topics are discussed below:
 Building access
 Lifts
 Getting to lectures
 Evacuation without lifts
Building access. The front entrance to the Psychology building is from a raised patio which is
normally accessed by climbing a few steps from the pavement. There are two ways to
access the building without navigating stairs.
 There is a lift between the pavement and the front patio, but a key is required to
operate the lift. Visitors can ring reception 029 2087 4007 to request access on a
particular occasion. Students and staff who need to use the lift on a regular basis
should contact the Technical Support Manager, Claudia Calder.
 There is a side door at the top of a driveway that slopes up from the street. This door
opens automatically. The slope of the driveway might be too steep for some
wheelchair users.
Lifts. Inside the building, two lifts facilitate access to the upper floors. A key is required to get
the lift to stop on floors 1 and 2 (which house a large lecture theatre, the undergraduate
computing lab 1.07 and the interactive common room 1.01 , and a number of offices and
research labs). The receptionist in the foyer has a lift key and can use it to facilitate
occasional access to floors 1 and 2, but students with a mobility impairment will generally be
issued their own lift key (this is arranged through the Technical Support Manager, Claudia
Calder, 029 2087 9446).
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Getting to lectures. Most Psychology lectures take place within the Psychology building
itself. The recommended wheelchair access to the large lecture theatre, SPLT, is on floor 2,
and the doors to the lecture theatre on that floor can be opened by pressing a button on the
wall nearby. Some lectures take place in nearby buildings, and students with mobility
impairments may need to use the lifts in those buildings. For those lifts that require a key,
the same key that operates the Psychology lift operates the lifts in nearby buildings, too.
Most lecture theatres have doors that could be hard for some people to open (e.g. someone
in a wheelchair). Usually, others going to the same lecture (including the instructor) will be
available and glad to offer assistance if necessary. Failing that, the porter/receptionist in the
foyer of the relevant building would be able to help.
Evacuation without lifts. The lifts cannot be used in the event of a fire alarm, so alternative
arrangements must be made to evacuate people who are unable to use the stairs. The
School’s Safety Officer (John Culling) contacts students with mobility impairments to draw
up an individual evacuation plan. For example, the evacuation plan might recommend
retreating to a designated stairwell to wait for assistance.
5. Curriculum
This section considers components of the curriculum. The degree programme is organized
as a three-year full-time course of study (with an optional additional placement year for the
Professional Placement programme). Students are required to complete all modules of each
year before progressing to the following year.
Teaching sessions take place on week days (Monday to Friday), usually between 10.00am
and 4.00pm, with a few beginning as early as 9am or ending as late as 5pm. There are
about 10-12 hours of scheduled teaching each week. In addition to formal classes, students
are expected to use their own time to study material supplementary to lectures, participate in
research, and complete coursework assignments. An average student should normally plan
to spend a total of about 40 hours per week on their studies.
5.1. Orientation
Orientation for incoming students includes the following activities during the week prior to the
beginning of the formal autumn teaching semester:
 Meeting with personal tutor
 Welcome and introduction
 Introduction to computing facilities
 Introduction to research
 Improving financial capability
 International student meeting
 Personal development planning, career planning
 Research participation and ethics
 Seminars and tutorials
 Library facilities
As part of the introductory talk, one of the School’s Disability Contacts is introduced.
Generally, these orientation activities present few unique issues for disabled students that
are not already discussed elsewhere in this document.
Introduction to computing facilities. Some disabilities make it difficult to use a standard
computer (e.g. limited vision or manual dexterity). In many cases, special hardware or
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software can be obtained to accommodate particular needs, but we must make
arrangements in advance if the affected students are to participate fully in the introduction to
computing facilities during orientation. When information about orientation is sent to students
during the summer, we ask students to let us know if they have a disability that makes it
difficult for them to use an ordinary computer. Our IT technicians then liaise with individual
students and with the University Disability & Dyslexia Service to arrange special hardware or
software as appropriate to accommodate the needs of the student. Ideally, these
arrangements are put in place in time for Orientation, so that all students can participate fully
in the Introduction to Computing Facilities.
Flexibility. Alternative arrangements can be made, if necessary, for any component of
orientation.
5.2. Reading
The School’s Teaching, Learning and Assessment policy is that learners play the leading
role in their own training. Readings are the primary source of information at all levels of the
degree programme, beginning primarily with textbook chapters in Year 1, and progressing to
an emphasis on original research articles in academic journals in the Final Year.
Most reading materials are accessed either from the library (books, journal articles, and
photocopy items) or the internet (email, online library catalogue, journal articles, e-books,
Learning Central, PSYCH web pages, lecture notes, student handbooks, etc.). Issues
relevant specifically to the internet and to lecture materials are discussed farther below.
5.2.1. Alternative formats
Some students are able to access paper-based readings, but only slowly. Other students
have difficulty accessing paper-based readings in their original format. In principle, readings
can be converted to alternative formats (Braille, large font, electronic, audio). Diagrams are
sometimes harder to convert to useful alternative formats, but textual descriptions or tactile
diagrams can often be helpful substitutes. The “Core Graphics Pack: Psychology” (available
from the School’s Disability Contact, Todd Bailey) has tactile versions of some key
psychology diagrams, along with textual and Braille descriptions of those diagrams and
more. The Dyslexia and Disability Service provides good practical advice on the best option
for a particular student and how to make it happen. The School’s Disability Contact liaises
with instructors and with the Dyslexia and Disability Service to arrange for readings to be
converted to alternative formats as appropriate for particular students.
5.2.2. Reading speed
Students using alternative formats almost always require more time to cover the same
amount of material. The marking criteria index the amount of independent learning exhibited
(so higher marks are awarded to students who know more). The choice, then, is for students
to take the time required to access the “readings”, or receive lower marks.
5.2.3. Advance readings
The potential value of preparatory reading varies with the purpose and content of a lecture.
Given that readings are intended to be the primary source of information for students, and
given that lectures are generally a poor way to convey information, instructors often use
lectures to motivate interest in a topic, to outline the range of topics students are expected to
learn, to demonstrate classic experiments with audio-visual aids, and/or to direct active
learning exercises or discussions. For some of these types of activities, advance reading
might not be important to all students.
Nevertheless, advance reading is an effective way for students to prepare for informational
lectures, and this may be particularly important for students who have some difficulty
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extracting auditory or visual information from lectures on the fly (e.g. a student who is lipreading cannot watch slides on the screen and the instructor at the same time). Moreover,
for any type of lecture there is almost certainly some potential student who would benefit
from a relevant advance reading (e.g. to identify technical vocabulary so that a deaf student
and sign interpreter could agree on appropriate signs). Useful advance readings might take
the form of book chapters, journal articles, lecture notes, key points, or just a list of technical
vocabulary.
Module descriptions include indicative reading lists for lectures, and these are prepared for
Registry every spring. These are available far in advance of the related lectures, but the
weakness of these lists is that they are very general. During the course of the term,
instructors typically suggest specific readings within or in addition to those published in the
module descriptions. Some instructors provide detailed reading lists at or even before the
start of term. Other instructors list readings on handouts given out in lecture, which may not
be available in advance except by prior arrangement. Individual instructors choose whether
or not to identify a few specific readings for all students in advance of lectures. Where not
identified for all students, advance readings can be identified for specific students on
a case by case basis (where this is recommended by a needs assessment).
5.2.4. Prioritizing
Reading lists generally distinguish between core readings and supplementary ones, with the
expectation that students should focus first on core readings before delving into a selection
of secondary readings. The indicative reading lists given in module descriptions make this
distinction, and the library stocks books in different numbers based on the module
descriptions.
The School’s marking criteria state that a first class piece of work must show evidence of
independent learning. Reading lists for specific lectures often list more supplementary
readings than most students will be able to do, and students are also expected to be able to
identify further relevant readings on their own (e.g. by following up referenced papers, or
searching online databases of journal articles). Thus, the ability to prioritize potential
readings is an important skill that students are expected to develop. This skill is assessed
indirectly, by how well students do overall in their written assessments (including essays,
practical reports, and essay exams).
There is a trade-off between time spent practising prioritizing skills and time spent learning
the target material itself. Generally, prioritizing various supplementary readings will be more
difficult when the speed of information access is slow, because it will take students longer to
evaluate each potential reading (e.g. by skimming abstracts, or whatever). This will be the
case for some students using paper-based readings (e.g. dyslexic students), and also for
students using alternative formats. Such students might benefit from more specific advice on
reading priorities.
5.2.5. Online materials
Students access a variety of reading materials online, including databases of published
research, online journal articles, library information, course handouts and lecture slides, and
email. Standard computers can be hard to operate for people with limited manual dexterity
or limited vision. The Disability & Dyslexia Service is very helpful in identifying and obtaining
hardware and software relevant to particular disabilities, which is often installed on the
student’s own laptop. We have sometimes installed special software on some of the
computers in the undergraduate computing lab, e.g. using non-standard screen settings to
obtain large print.
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5.2.6. Lecture materials
Many lectures are accompanied by electronic notes of some sort, according to the judgment
of the instructor. Material might include copies of lecture slides, an outline of the lecture, key
points and diagrams, detailed lecture notes, or some combination of these.
Like other readings, lecture materials must sometimes be provided in alternative formats. In
practical terms, this often just means providing the student with an electronic version (which
could be viewed at different levels of magnification, or read aloud by text-to-speech
software, etc.). Lecture materials are routinely made available on the web via Learning
Central, in advance of the lecture when possible.
Visual material (pictures, graphs, tables) is sometimes harder than straight text to convert to
useful alternative formats. The “Core Graphics Pack: Psychology” (available from the
School’s Disability Contact, Todd Bailey) has tactile versions of some key psychology
diagrams, along with textual and Braille descriptions. Tactile versions of diagrams can be
created if necessary (though with a longer lead time). The School’s Disability Contact liaises
with instructors and with the Dyslexia and Disability Service to arrange for content to be
converted to alternative formats as appropriate for particular students.
Lecture materials are sometimes not available in advance. The specific content of lectures
often changes from year to year, for a variety of reasons (changes in the curriculum,
changes in lecturing staff, new developments in psychology, changes in teaching strategy
based on critical reflection, etc.). Specific readings can sometimes be an appropriate
substitute when lecture materials cannot be made available in advance (e.g. to identify key
concepts and vocabulary).
5.3. Academic tutorials
Students in Years 1 and 2 attend weekly small-group tutorials, covering topics related to
lectures as well as feedback on coursework.
Year 1 tutorials usually take place in seminar rooms in the Psychology building, which are
reasonably accessible. Some tutorials take place in the student’s Personal Tutor’s office
(see below).
Year 2 tutorials usually take place in the tutor’s office.
Most tutors are located in the Psychology building, which is reasonably accessible. A few
tutors have offices in other buildings. Some of these offices may be difficult to reach for
students with mobility impairments. If there is a difficulty for a particular student in getting to
the tutor’s office, alternative arrangements are made (e.g. the student might be assigned a
different tutor, or tutorials might be held in a more accessible room).
Most staff offices in the Psychology building are very easy to find, since offices are just
numbered down the single corridor on each floor. For example, room 7.10 will be on the 7th
floor.
Deaf students might need to use a portable radio aid and microphone to amplify sound.
Flexibility. Students are ordinarily required to attend tutorials. However, this requirement
might be waived where a reasonable justification exists (e.g. perhaps a student with a social
phobia). Decisions about reasonable justification would normally be made by a student’s
personal tutor in consultation with the Board of Studies and the Disability & Dyslexia Service.
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5.4. Lectures
Lectures support students in learning from their reading and their practical experiences. The
focus of lectures changes across the three years of the degree programme, as stated in the
School’s Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy. Level 4 lectures (autumn of Year 1)
supply a framework and structure from which students can guide their studies. Level 5
lectures (through Year 2) encourage students to question the process by which specific
knowledge arose, and what research needs to be done in the future. Level 6 lectures (Final
Year) highlight what is not known as well as what is, and devote more time to discussion and
questioning.
Lectures are multimodal in the sense that they typically involve auditory information and
visual information simultaneously. Sources of relevant auditory information include the
lecturer, other students (asking questions or participating in discussion), and possibly
recorded lecture material or sound demonstrations. Sources of relevant visual information
include anyone speaking to the class, whether lecturer or student, lecture slides or other
visual presentation, and possibly lecture materials that have been made available in
advance on Learning Central.
Lecturers will ordinarily be informed ahead of time about students in their class with a
declared disability that might interfere with the student’s ability to follow a lecture (e.g. a
hearing or visual impairment).
 A deaf student might ask a lecturer to wear a mic for their own portable hearing aid
system.
 Students are sometimes advised that they might benefit by tape-recording lectures.
Although we are sceptical about the value (or indeed, the intelligibility) of recordings
obtained by placing an audio recorder at the front of a classroom, the School’s policy
is to cooperate when this has been recommended by the Dyslexia and Disability
Service. In that case, the student is advised to approach individual instructors and
ask their permission (the School would normally advise the relevant instructors
ahead of time, as well).
 The Dyslexia and Disability Service arranges note-takers or translators for students
where necessary.
Induction loops. Most lecture theatres in the University have an induction loop system that
helps deaf people who use a hearing aid or loop listener hear sounds more clearly. These
systems have a mic located on a wall or ceiling. The sound signal from the mic is amplified
and sent through a cable that loops around the room. The loop produces a magnetic field,
and a hearing aid switched to the ‘T’ setting will pick up it up. This will reproduce the original
sound for the listener, but with background noise greatly reduced. More information on
induction loops can be found on the RNID fact sheet at http://snipurl.com/qj35 .
Lecture recordings.
Most lectures are recorded and made available to students online to support learning. These
recordings can be an important aid to learning for all students, and may be particularly
important for students with certain disabilities or for students who unavoidably miss a
lecture.
 Students who ask questions during a lecture are welcome to ask that their
contribution be removed from the recording.
 Lecture recordings are for use by students on the course, for course-related learning.
Students do not have the right to edit or distribute lecture recordings.
Students are advised that a lecture is an introduction to a topic, and should not be taken as
a definitive statement. Moreover, a lecture recording may contain accidental mistakes.
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Lecture recordings usually capture lecture slides and accompanying audio (i.e. the spoken
lecture). Lecture participants are generally not captured on film.
Slides.
Lecture slides are ordinarily available online 24 hours or more in advance of lectures, though
they are occasionally not available until some time after the lecture is delivered.
Handouts. Handouts are not usually provided within lectures, but may be made available
online along with lecture slides. The type of information provided on handouts for lectures
varies widely depending on the module and the instructor (e.g. nothing, copies of slides, key
points and diagrams, detailed lecture notes, or some combination of these). Accessibility
issues related to lecture materials are discussed above in the section on the Curriculum.
Lecture notes. Instructors have freedom over the content and format of their lectures,
including the potential to conduct spontaneous or interactive sessions. Lectures do not
necessarily follow a rigid plan fixed in advance, and lecturers do not necessarily prepare or
follow detailed written notes.
We often receive requests from the Dyslexia and Disability Service to provide “lecture notes”
in advance to specific students who are likely to have difficulty processing or remembering
interactive audio-visual information from lectures (e.g. dyslexic students and others might
take longer than other students to read what’s on slides during a lecture; a deaf student and
an interpreter might need to agree in advance on appropriate signs for technical vocabulary).
Usually, what is required is for at least the main issues and specialized vocabulary to be
identified in advance. Often, a specific advance reading will suffice. Lecturers are not
expected to prepare bespoke detailed notes.
Flexibility. Attendance at lectures is not an aim in and of itself, and is not monitored.
Although lecture content is relevant to assessments (coursework as well as exams), in most
cases the assessed portion of lecture content will be a subset of the relevant content from
recommended readings and lecture materials. In this sense, lectures support the readings. If
a particular lecture covers material not in the recommended readings, and if the lecture itself
cannot be made accessible to a particular student (e.g. through a lecture recording, or by
providing a note-taker, or a translator, etc.), alternative arrangements can usually be made
(e.g. by identifying a suitable set of readings, or providing a personal tutorial).
5.5. Research practicals
Students in Years 1 and 2 participate in research practicals, where they are introduced to
classic psychology experiments, collect data from each other, then analyze and write up
their own results in a report in the style of a journal article. Year 2 practicals often require
students to design their own study.
Practicals typically involve group work, listening and viewing slides (simultaneously),
computer work, and report writing.
Flexibility. Potentially a student could be allowed to work alone if necessary.
5.6. Computing practicals
Students in Years 1 and 2 ordinarily attend weekly computing practicals in autumn semester
as part of the Research Methods and Statistics modules. These practicals cover statistical
analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics, along with supporting use of MS Excel and MS Word.
Issues of manual dexterity and visual perception are salient, but these have been discussed
above.
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Flexibility. Whilst attendance at these practicals is ordinarily expected, the demonstrations
and practice sessions are supported by appropriate readings and by handouts. Students
may prefer to work independently with a textbook and their own computer configured with
IBM SPSS Statistics and MS Office, and raise questions for the instructor outside of class as
required.
5.7. Research participation
All single honours students in the School of Psychology are required to participate in the
experimental work of the School. Students in Years 1 and 2 must complete 25 hours each
year as human participants in the research conducted within the School. The allocation of
hours across semesters can vary somewhat from year to year. In 2015-2016, students were
required to do 10 participation hours in semester 1 and 15 in semester 2.
 Participation gives students insight into the wide range of current academic research
projects being run in the School. As participants, students become familiar with
procedures used in real research and with the role of the research participant. This
familiarity will prove valuable to students in their own research, both in practicals and
final year projects.
 Acting as a research participant provides a simple and efficient means of facilitating
human research in the School. This integration of educational and research aims
supports the School by helping to maintain its standing as a centre of research
excellence. The School has attained the highest research rating in all previous
research assessments, and students have played an important role in this
achievement.
 Perhaps most importantly for students, final year students are able to use the
participant panel to secure participants for their own research projects.
Flexibility. Although it is usually up to students to sign up for studies at their convenience, if a
student’s disability or other circumstances justify it, staff can help to arrange participation in
studies that are best suited to the circumstances. Where research participation is impractical
(e.g. if a mobility impairment makes it difficult for a student to efficiently navigate to research
labs; if a perceptual impairment makes participation difficult; etc.), students can potentially
be assigned essay topics relevant to Research Methods as an alternative to research
participation.
5.8. Professional placement
There is an option for students to undertake a year’s Professional Placement as part of their
degree course.
Students with a disability should seek advice from the Disability & Dyslexia Service when
considering potential placements. Disability issues that arise on placement can differ from
the issues that are relevant to academic study. Placements outside the UK may not offer the
same level of support.
In any event, the student would be encouraged to disclose their disability to the placement
organisation during the application process. Whilst the primary responsibility for making
suitable adjustments for the placement period lies with the placement organisation, the
School has many long-established contacts and good working relationships with placement
organisations, enabling confidential discussion of an individual student's requirements. The
University would also have a responsibility to ensure that no student who wished to
undertake a placement was discriminated against or unnecessarily disadvantaged.
Students can also find further advice on Career Central at
https://careercentral.cardiff.ac.uk/topics/you/for-students-with-disabilities/ (university login
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and password required).
5.9. Project supervision
Final year students consult with a project supervisor at all stages of their research project.
Supervisory meetings usually take place in the supervisor’s office, but if there is a difficulty
for a particular student in getting to the supervisor’s office, a more accessible location can be
agreed. Most supervisors are located in the Psychology building, which is reasonably
accessible. A few supervisors might have offices in other buildings (e.g. CUBRIC or 63 Park
Place, etc.).
Most staff offices in the Psychology building are very easy to find, since offices are just
numbered down the single corridor on each floor. Whatever location is agreed for
supervisory meetings, if it is hard to find, the supervisor can provide directions. These can
be crucial for blind (or partially-sighted) students who will not be able to follow visual
signage.
Deaf students might need to use a portable radio aid and microphone to amplify their
supervisor’s voice. In that case, students might want to remind supervisors to take care not
to turn away from the microphone or cover their mouths with their hands while talking.
5.10. Course-specific software
MS Office. Coursework must generally be submitted electronically in the form of an MS
Word document. MS Excel is generally used for graphing statistical results, and may also be
used to organise data from experiments or for some simple analyses. MS Powerpoint is
generally used for presentations that students may do in the context of tutorials as well as
for the final year research project.
IBM SPSS Statistics is used for analyses in the Year 1 and Year 2 statistics courses, for
research practicals, and often for the final year research project.
Final year research projects often use other software packages to present stimuli or collect
data. These include MediaLab and DirectRT, among others, depending on the needs of the
student’s project.
5.11. Indicative calendar and timetables
Undergraduate teaching begins in late September, as illustrated in the indicative calendar
below. There are 11 weeks of teaching in each semester, followed by a revision week with
no time-tabled teaching. Exams are spread across several weeks. The resit period in August
provides an opportunity for missed or failed exams to be recovered before the start of the
next session.
Semester
Autumn
Spring
Indicative Dates1
23 Sep
30 Sep – 13 Dec
16 Dec – 5 Jan
6 Jan – 10 Jan
13 Jan – 24 Jan
27 Jan – 11 April
14 Apr – 4 May
5 May – 9 May
12 May – 14 Jun
Duration
1 week
11 weeks
3 weeks
1 week
2 weeks
11 weeks
3 weeks
1 week
5 weeks
12
Activity
Enrolment and induction2
Teaching
Vacation
Revision3
Exams
Teaching
Vacation4
Revision3
Exams
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15 Jun – 10 Aug
Vacation
11 Aug – 22 Aug
2 weeks
Resit exams5
1
Notes: Dates are indicative only, and will vary from year to year. 2Induction applies
to Year 1 undergraduates only. 3There is no time-tabled teaching during revision
weeks. 4Spring vacation tracks Easter, and usually imposes a gap in the middle of
spring semester teaching. 5Students who have passed all modules are not involved
in resits.
Teaching sessions take place on week days (Monday to Friday), usually between 10.00am
and 4.00pm, with a few beginning as early as 9am or ending as late as 5pm. Wednesday
afternoon is reserved for students’ extra-curricular activities.
There are about 10-12 hours of scheduled teaching each week. Year 1 and Year 2 students
complete an additional 25 hours of research participation across each year, by appointment.
In addition to formal classes and research participation, students study and complete
coursework assignments in their own time. In total, an average student should normally plan
to spend about 40 hours per week on their studies.
The timetable changes from one year to the next, and also from one student to another. The
indicative timetables below illustrate what a representative timetable could look like for an
individual student during each semester of Years 1, 2 and 3. In addition, students on the
Professional Placement programme would have a placement year sandwiched between
Year 2 and the Final Year.
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5.11.1. Sample timetable—Year 1 autumn
Time
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY*
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
9.00
PG Tutorial
Wks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10,
11
10.00
11.10
PS1015 Practical
Psychology (stats)
12.10
PS1016
Introduction to
Psychology
PS1016
Introduction to
Psychology
PS1014
Psychological
Research
Personal /
Academic Tutorial
PS1015 Practical
Psychology
(Research Design)
Visiting Speaker
(Optional)
Wks: 5, 8, 10, 11
PS1016
Introduction to
Psychology
Wks 10,11
PS1014
Psychological
Research
Level 4 Exam & Exit
Talk
Wk 10
1.10
PS1015 Practical
Psychology
(Stats)
2.10
3.10
Practicals
GTA Seminars
Wks 3-10
PS1015 Practical
Psychology
(Computing)
4.10
5.10
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5.11.2. Sample timetable—Year 1 spring
Time
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY*
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
9.00
10.00
PS2020
Language &
Memory
11.10
PS2017 Biological
Psychology
PS2020
Language &
Memory
PS2016 Social
Psychology I
12.10
Personal Tutorial
Wks: 3, 11
PS2016 Social
Psychology I
Practicals
PS2017 Biological
Psychology
Wks: 1,4,7
Exit Talk
Wk 10
1.10
GTA Seminars
Wks 2-10
2.10
3.10
4.10
PG Tutorial
Wks 2, 4, 5, 7, 8,
10
5.10
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5.11.3. Sample timetable—Year 2 autumn
Time
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY*
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
9.00
10.00
PS2007 Social
Psychology II
PS2019 Research
Design, Statistics
& Computing
Academic Tutorial
11.10
Wks 7-11
PS2019 Research
Design, Statistics
& Computing
PS2011
Developmental
Psychology
Practicals
Wks 7-11
12.10
Academic Tutorial
Wks 2-6
Careers
Wks 4 – 8
(Optional)
Placement Intro
Wk 2 (Optional)
SPRint talk
Wk 8 (Optional)
PS2019 Research
Design, Statistics
& Computing
3.10
4.10
PS2019 Research
Design, Statistics &
Computing
PS2007 Social
Psychology II
Visiting Speaker
LT2 (Optional)
1.10
2.10
PS2011
Developmental
Psychology
Personal Tutorial
Wks 1, 11
Practicals
Wks 2-6
5.10
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5.11.4. Sample timetable—Year 2 spring
Time
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY*
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
9.00
Academic Tutorial
10.00
Wks 2-6
PS2022 Thinking
& consciousness
in humans and
machines
PS2021 Perception,
Attention and Action
Academic Tutorial
11.10
Wks 7-11
Visiting Speaker
(Optional)
12.10
1.10
2.10
3.10
Personal Tutorial
Wks 2 & 10
PS2022 Thinking
& consciousness
in humans and
machines
PS2021
Perception,
Attention and
Action
Practicals
Wks 2-6
Exit Talk
Wk 8
Practicals
Wks 7-11
Project talk or
placement briefing
Wk 8
4.10
5.10
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5.11.5. Sample timetable—Final Year autumn
Time
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY*
THURSDAY
9.00
10.00
PS3417 The
Development of
Psychopathology
& Criminality
11.10
PS3418 Attitudes
& Attitude Change
12.10
PS3417 The
Development of
Psychopathology &
Criminality
FRIDAY
PS3201 Animal
Learning &
Cognition
Wks 1-4, 6-10
Participant Panel
Introductory Talk
Wk 3
Research Skills
Clinic
Wk 4
1.10
2.10
3.10
PS3418 Attitudes
& Attitude Change
Personal Tutorial
Wks 1 & 11
PS3202
Neuroscience of
learning &
memory
Place’t
f’back
(Wk 2)
4.10
5.10
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Present
poster
(Wk 3)
5.11.6. Sample timetable—Final Year spring
Time
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY*
9.00
Personal Tutorial
10.00
THURSDAY
PS3208 Memory
Processes &
Memory Disorders
PS3209 Structural
& Functional
Neuroimaging
Wks 3 & 11
11.10
PS3314 Vision &
Action
FRIDAY
PS3313* Speech
Communication
Degree exit seminar
12.10
Wk 10
1.10
PS3314 Vision &
Action
(Workshops)
Wks 1-3 & 5-10
2.10
PS3000 Project
Presentation
Wk 6 or 7
3.10
4.10
PS3314 Vision &
Action (Journal
Club)
Wks 2, 3, 6, 7, 9
&10
PS3313 Speech
Communication
(Discussion
forums)
5.10
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6. Assessment and feedback
Assessment ordinarily takes the form of either written coursework or written examinations.
See the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy for a description and rationale of
assessment in the various years of the degree programme.
The School’s assessment policy on written expression is:
Students are expected to achieve learning outcomes related to accuracy and
correctness of written language independent of the content of written work. However,
it is not essential that they demonstrate skills relating to accuracy and correctness of
written language under examination conditions.
6.1. Coursework
Coursework primarily takes the form of written essays, practical reports, and (in Final Year)
a project report. In Years 1 and 2, essays and practical reports provide an opportunity for
students to put their knowledge to practice and to receive feedback. These contribute only a
modest percentage to module marks. There are also critical reviews, computing
assignments and statistics assignments. The final year research project is considered
separately below.
All students are expected to produce coursework to a high standard of written language
(English or Welsh), with appropriate support as necessary for disabled students. This policy
helps students develop effective strategies for producing written language to a high standard
regardless of any disability they might have, and also allows our students to tell potential
employers that their university marks reflect what they can actually do with appropriate
support, since the marks are not inflated by markers making allowances. If students have
concerns about the level of support they receive, or if they feel they are nevertheless at a
disadvantage, they are advised to consult the School’s Disability Contact or the Disability
and Dyslexia Service for further advice.
Flexibility. Students who have trouble using ordinary computers can often complete their
written coursework on their own laptops, equipped with special software and/or hardware.
Other students may require the aid of a typist. Adjustments of this sort are typically arranged
through the Disability and Dyslexia Service. There are also a number of specially accessible
computers in the library equipped with special hardware and/or software to accommodate
various disabilities that ordinarily make it difficult to use a computer.
Alternative coursework formats can be arranged where justified. Deadlines for coursework
can be extended where this is a reasonable adjustment, though moving one deadline usually
impacts on the time available for the next piece of coursework. Requests for extensions
should be made to the nominated officer of the School’s Examining Board.
For coursework, the School has an optional cover sheet that deaf or dyslexic students may
choose to attach to their assignments (after their need is established via the Disability and
Dyslexia Service). The cover sheet calls the marker’s attention to the fact that the piece of
coursework comes from a student with a disability that affects the ability to produce written
language, so that the marker is better able to give appropriate feedback. However, the
same standards are expected for all students, and clarity of written expression is a
learning outcome that all students are expected to achieve. Students have numerous
opportunities to practice these skills, and markers provide feedback on the form
(organisation, style, grammar, spelling, etc.) as well as the content of students’ coursework.
The presence of the cover sheet has no effect on the mark assigned to the work – its
purpose is solely to inform feedback.
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6.2. Research project
Final year students design and conduct a research project, resulting in a written report in the
style of a journal article. Issues of reading speed may be relevant, and possibly writing
and/or typing speed.
Flexibility. Much flexibility is already built into the research project, since the project topic is
negotiated between the student and the supervisor. Additional flexibility can be offered by
providing assistance with accessing readings, in taking notes, or typing up the report, etc.,
as necessary. Also, the deadline can be altered in cases where it is appropriate to allow
additional time to complete the project.
We do not anticipate any circumstances under which an alternative to a written report would
be appropriate.
6.3. Examinations
A large proportion of the assessment is carried out via unseen written examination, including
various combinations of multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and essay
questions. The emphasis on written exams is documented in the Teaching, Learning and
Assessment Policy which is included in Student Handbooks.
Accuracy and correctness of written expression is not assessed via examination.
Assessment criteria for examinations refer to knowledge, understanding, evidence of
reading and study, and so forth. Minor errors of spelling and grammar are discounted
(though errors that render the content ambiguous or incorrect are not).
Flexibility. There is flexibility in terms of location, timing and format of exams. For example,
students with particular needs often take exams in an alternative venue; some students
require rest breaks during an exam, or extra time to complete an exam; exams can be
postponed from one exam period to a later one; an exam could be divided into smaller units
to be taken at different times; a reader/scribe can be provided to read out questions and
write down answers; and so on.
A needs assessment may recommend flagging a particular student’s work for markers to
identify the work as being from a student with a disability that affects the production of
written language (e.g. dyslexia or deafness). Exam scripts are flagged where appropriate by
by the student, using a sticker provided by Registry, before the scripts are passed to the
School for marking (subject to the wishes of the student, and without disclosing the student’s
identity to markers). Instructions circulated with the scripts remind markers to discount minor
errors of spelling and grammar on flagged scripts (though errors that render the content
ambiguous or incorrect are not to be ignored). Markers should be discounting minor errors of
spelling and grammar on all scripts anyway, since accuracy and correctness of written
expression is not intended to be assessed by exams, but flagging may serve as a useful
reminder to markers and ensure that those students are not disadvantaged.
Limits of flexibility. In general, alternative methods of assessment must have the same levels
of validity and reliability as the standard forms of assessment, and must assess the same
learning outcomes. The School believes that oral examinations do not generally meet these
criteria, and are therefore not appropriate substitutes for written examinations.
The School will not substitute coursework for examinations because there is no way to verify
that work done outside is that of the student submitting it.
6.4. Extenuating circumstances
Inevitably students sometimes experience personal circumstances that impact on their
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studies. Such extenuating circumstances should be reported as soon as possible and before
the deadline published by the School. Forms for reporting extenuating circumstances can be
found on Learning Central. General information about extenuating circumstances can be
found at:
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/regis/sfs/studentcases/extenuatingcircumstances.html
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