QUALITY ASSURANCE SERVICES A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE FOR CHAIRS OF BOARDS OF EXAMINERS Key information relating to progression, eligibility for award and degree classification Chairs of Boards of Examiners Introduction This document is designed to be used as a quick reference guide for chairs of Boards of Examiners. Section C of the Academic Principles and Regulations provides full details of progression and award requirements and Board and Committee processes. Please ensure you have access to these when chairing: www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/about/academic-regulations.htm. The information in this summary relates to the standard regulatory position. As a chair you will need to be aware of regulatory exemptions to courses considered by your Board. The relevant course leader or your Faculty Quality Assurance & Governance Team can advise on approved exemptions to standard regulations of assessment. There are no changes to the standard regulatory position for academic year 2015/16. However, the significant changes to award eligibility/outcome introduced for 2012/13 require careful consideration in their application as follows: The requirements for eligibility to receive an award: The majority of students will be subject to the current requirements but a small number will remain on the former requirements. The methods for classification of honours degrees: The majority of students will be subject to both current and former methods but a small number will be subject to current requirements only. The BOE needs to understand the application of these requirements to make appropriate decisions. It is anticipated that the changes to progression regulations introduced in 2012/13 will now cover all current students. Students would have been required to commence their current level prior to August 2012 to be considered under the former progression regulations. In the unlikely event of any such students being identified at a pre-Board, please contact Quality Assurance Services for further advice. Key Points for Chairs Hold a Pre-board; Familiarise yourself with any regulatory exemptions which apply to the courses being considered; Make sure the BOE is clear regarding the requirements for progression and award as they apply to each student (See ‘Progression and Eligibility for an Award’ and ‘Classification of Honours Degrees’ below for further details). Classification of Honours Degrees Any student who commenced their studies under the former regulatory arrangements will not be disadvantaged by the current ‘Best 100 method’ for classifying honours degrees (i.e. they will receive the best result arising from the former and current methods of classifying honours degrees). Where a student started their studies after the introduction of the new regulations, they will only receive the benefit of the new method. Updated by QAS September 2015 1 On this basis, students will be identified by their Admit Term (a student’s ‘Admit Term’ is set when they first register with our university) as follows: Those with an Admit term of 2011/12 or earlier will be classified using former and current methods. Those with an Admit Term of 2012/13 or later will be classified using the current method only. The ‘Admit Term’ of all students will be displayed on all Contribution to Honours reports. This means… Continuing Students (any student who registered with our university PRIOR TO August 2012 – with an ‘Admit Term’ 201112 or earlier) will be classified by the following methods: Best 100 method Profile method Weighted Average New Students (any student who registered with our university AFTER August 2012 – with an ‘Admit Term’ of 201213 or later) will be classified by the following method only: Best 100 method The way we tell which methods are applicable to students is by asking the following question: Did that student register prior to August 2012 (i.e. Does the student have an ‘Admit Term’ of 2012/13 or later)? If the answer to the question is ‘YES’ all three methods will apply If the answer to the question is ‘NO’ only the ‘Best 100 method’ will apply Please see Appendix 1 for further details about these methods. Updated by QAS September 2015 2 Table 1 - Level 4 and Level 5 Progression requirements Requirement Former Regulations Current Regulations (from Aug 2012) Credits studied per level (inc. APL) 120 120 Submission in… All Components All Components Passed Credits Min. - L4 (@ 40% or more) 90 100 Passed Credits Min. - L5 (@ 40% or more) 105 100 Overall Level Average - Across All Modules 40% min. 40% min. Min. Fail Mark 20 30 Re-assessment allowance 50% of the level Full level Re-assessment undertaken at… Component level / Synoptic At component level Compensation 30cp max. @ L4 15cp max. @ L5 No compensation Updated by QAS September 2015 3 Table 2 - Final Level Requirements for UG Courses (BAH / BSCH, FDA / FDSC, HND, Cert HE, Dip HE etc) Requirement Former Current Credits studied per level (inc. APL) 120 @ Final Level 120 @ Final Level Submission in… All Components All Components Passed Credits Min. (@ 40% or more) 105 100 Overall Level Average - Across all modules 40% Min. 40% Min. Min. Fail Mark 20 30 Re-assessment allowance 50% of the level Full level Re-assessment undertaken at... Component level / Synoptic At component level Compensation No compensation No compensation Updated by QAS September 2015 4 Table 3 - Final Level Requirements for PGT Courses (MA/MSc, PGDIP, PGCRT etc) Requirement Former Current Credits studied per level (inc. APL) 180 @ MA / MSC 120 @ PGDIP 60 @ PGCERT (No APL allowed) 180 @ MA / MSC 120 @ PGDIP 60 @ PGCERT (No APL allowed) Submission in… All Components All Components Passed Credits Min. (40% or more) MA / MSC = 160 PGDIP = 100 PGCERT = 60 MA / MSC = 160 PGDIP = 100 PGCERT = 60 Overall Level Average Across All Modules 40% min. 40% min. Min. Fail Mark 20 PGCERT – Must pass all modules 30 PGCERT – Must pass all modules Re-assessment allowance 50% of the level: 90 credits @MA/MSc 60 credits @ PGDIP 30 credits @ PGCERT Full level Re-assessment undertaken at… Component level / Synoptic At component level Compensation No compensation No compensation Updated by QAS September 2015 5 Appendix 1 - Classification Methods Explained Best 100 Method (All students) Average of the Best 105*/100** credits at Level 5 – Weighted at 25% + Average of the Best 105*/100** credits at Level 6 – Weighted at 75% = Final overall score Due to the modular structures of their course (i.e. modules of 15 credits or modules of 20 credits or a mix of the two), some students may be classified based on 105 credits rather than 100 credits. *If the level contains all 15 credit modules (or multiples thereof) or a mix of 15s and 20s (or multiples thereof) the average will be based on their best 105 credits at that level. **If the level contains all 20 credit module (or multiples thereof) the average will be based on their best 100 credit at that level. Profile Method (Students with “admit term” of prior to 201213) Level 5 (20 credit modules) will contribute 0.25 to the total for that classification Level 6 (20 credit modules) will contribute 0.75 to the total for that classification Students must score MORE THAN HALF of the total available to receive that classification *Adjustments to these weightings are made for any students with a mixture of 15 and 20 credit point modular structures within a level (mixed economy students) as follows: Level 5: 15 credit modules will contribute 0.25 to the total for that classification/20 credit modules will contribute 0.33 to the total for that classification Level 6: 15 credit modules will contribute 0.75 to the total for that classification/20 credit modules will contribute 1.0 to the total for that classification Weighted Average (Students with “admit term” of prior to 201213) Average of Level 5 credits – Weighted at 25% + Average of Level 6 credits – Weighted at 75% = Final Overall Score Updated by QAS September 2015 6