FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
NOTES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
These notes are intended to introduce you to the Faculty of Life Sciences and to some of the
Rules, Procedures and Regulations, which affect all students in the Faculty.
Rules, Procedures, and Regulations do not make exciting reading but they are important.
Please spend some time reading these notes as well as information provided by your
Degree/Programme Tutor. UCL has a Current Students website, which contains important
information on regulations and other matters which affect you as a student of UCL
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/
You will find that most of your dealings are with those who organise your degree programme
and who run the course units/modules which are its constituents. Your Degree Programme
Tutor should always be your first "port of call". In some cases your Degree Programme Tutor
will refer you to your Faculty Tutor who deals with admissions, advice on the choice of and
change of degree programme, fees matters, examinations, attendance, poor academic
progress, reports to outside bodies, and LEA and other awards.
These notes should be read in conjunction with the information about your degree
programme provided by your Degree Programme Tutor and with the information online – see
above. The Regulations governing your degree are enshrined in the University College
London book "Regulations for Students" (the "Blue Book"). Examination Regulations are in
another booklet known as the "Pink Book". The more important of these regulations are
covered in the Current students website and in these notes. Copies of the Blue Book and the
Pink Book are available in Departmental Offices and are also available on line.
THE FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
The Faculty has BSc and BA students reading for 21 different BSc/BA degrees as well as
medical students who are doing an "intercalated BSc".
UCL Faculty of Life Sciences
University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 0884/0882 Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 0880
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lifesciences-faculty/
FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
Who’s Who
DEAN
Professor Mary Collins
PA to the Dean
to be appointed
VICE-DEAN (Teaching):
BioSciences Division
Psychology and Language Sciences
Dr Alasdair Gibb a.gibb@ucl.ac.uk
Dr David Green d.w.green@ucl.ac.uk
SUB-DEAN & FACULTY TUTOR
Dr Hilary Richards (40882) h.richards@ucl.ac.uk
FACULTY TEACHING ADMINISTRATOR:
Miss Jane Inge (40879) j.inge@ucl.ac.uk
Assistant FACULTY TUTOR & FACULTY GRADUATE TUTOR (MSc):
Dr Alastair McClelland (25384 Psychology) a.mclelland@ucl.ac.uk
FACULTY GRADUATE TUTOR (PhD):
Professor Chris Danpure (37936 Biology) c.danpure@ucl.ac.uk
FACULTY OFFICER BA/BSc (Current/Registered students):
Miss Kerri Winder (40884) k.winder@ucl.ac.uk
FACULTY ADMISSIONS OFFICER BA/BSc (Admissions):
Mrs Supneet Bajwa (40885) s.bajwa@ucl.ac.uk
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES ADMINISTRATOR:
Mr Matthew Duckett (33204) m.duckett@ucl.ac.uk
SUB-DEAN & FACULTY TUTOR (Intercalated BSc): Dr Brenda Cross (40841) b.cross@ucl.ac.uk
INTERCALATED BSc ADMINISTRATOR: Miss Rebecca Holmes (40870) rebecca.holmes@ucl.ac.uk
LOCATIONS
Faculty Office: The Faculty Office is in The Medical School Building, 74 Huntley Street
(formerly known as The Nurses’ Home). The Faculty Office is part of the Medical
School Administration complex.
The BSc/BA side of the Faculty Office is on the 2nd floor, Room 241. The office is
normally open 9am to 5.00pm (closed 1pm to 2pm for lunch).
Faculty Tutor: Dr Richards has an office there. You may telephone the Faculty Office
on 020 7679 0884 or internal extension 40884 to make an appointment. A quickish
response is usually possible if you use email: h.richards@ucl.ac.uk
Assistant Faculty Tutor: Dr McClelland's office is in the Cognitive, Perceptual and Brain
Sciences Department (26 Bedford Way). Please contact a.mclelland@ucl.ac.uk
.
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EMAIL
Your Department and the College will often use email to contact you about various
matters. It is important that you check your email regularly. When you register with
Information Systems you will be allocated a UCL email address – this is the address
which will be used by UCL staff (Please note that this email address can be
personalised)
Sometimes students prefer to use their private email address rather than the UCL one.
We do NOT advise this but if you do this it is your responsibility to arrange forwarding of
messages. If you do not do this you miss important messages. Information on how to
do this can be found at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/email/
ADDRESS
If you change address, it is most important that you inform UCL using the PORTICO
Student Information System. It is your responsibility to keep UCL up to date with any
change of address. Just telling someone is not sufficient. This is crucial, as if you miss
getting important information because you failed to supply the correct address, the fault
will lie with you.
THE DIFFERENT FLAVOURS OF TUTORS – a note on nomenclature
The Tutor in charge of your degree programme is called your Degree Programme Tutor.
Your Degree Programme Tutor approves the course-units you are taking, signs forms,
and deals with keeping track of periods of absence, alternative assessment
applications, interruptions etc. In some degree programmes duties have been divided
so one Tutor deals with year 1, another with final year students etc.
You should have a Personal Tutor assigned to you who is different from your Degree
Programme Tutor. Your personal tutor has a more pastoral role and does not deal with
bureaucratic forms and the like. He or she should refer you to your Degree Programme
Tutor or Year Tutor for these matters.
THE DATA PROTECTION ACT
Departments often print sheets of photographs of their students. These are given to
staff and are sometimes posted publicly. If you do NOT wish to have your photograph
published you should write to your Degree Programme Tutor requesting this.
Marked coursework is returned to students in various ways depending upon the course.
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It may be returned to you at a tutorial or a practical, placed in your letter box, or put out
in heaps for collection. If you wish your coursework returned to you "privately" you must
write to the course organiser making your request and supplying a self-addressed
internal envelope. (Internal envelopes are available from departmental offices.)
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES ON FACULTY COMMITTEES
There are undergraduate student members of the Faculty Board (which meets three to
five times a session) as well as two student members on the Faculty Teaching
Committee (which meets three times a year). The student members are put forward by
UCL Union: they have not yet been selected for the new academic year. We hope UCL
Union will organise this early in the session.
DEGREE PROGRAMME STAFF-STUDENT COMMITTEES (DSSC)
The DSSC is a channel for student comment. Your Programme Tutor will be able to
tell you how yours is organised. The activities of DSSCs are monitored by the College
Joint Staff-Student Committee which is chaired by the Dean of Students and has
student representatives nominated by UCL Union.
TUITION FEES
All students must pay tuition fees. These cover all elements of UCL registration, tuition
and supervision. (They do not cover field trips and students may be asked to contribute
towards the cost of such trips.) Tuition fees are charged for each academic year, or
part of an academic year that a student is enrolled. The tuition fee for a United Kingdom
(UK) student or for a student from a European Union (EU) country has been set by UCL
at £3,225 for the year 2009/10. This covers only a part of the real cost of teaching a
student, the remainder being provided to UCL in a grant made by the Higher Education
Funding Council (HEFCE). If you are a UK or EU student, you may take out a student
loan to cover the £3,225 fee but you can chose to pay the fee when it becomes due
each year.
Tuition fees for overseas students from outside the European Union cover the full cost.
These are set by UCL and increase each year to compensate for financial inflation
(normally by 4% a year). The tuition fees for overseas students for the academic year
2009/10 is £16,080.
It is very important that any student who is having problems with his/her tuition fee
payments should discuss these matters as soon as possible with the College Student
Finance office (Room G19 in the South Wing of the main building). If the problem is
ignored, it will not go away and you may find yourself de-registered if you miss the
payment deadline and have not previously been in touch with the Student Finance
office.
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Tuition fee refunds are not normally given, but applications for partial refund of fees will
be considered on an individual basis.
TUITION FEES AND STUDENT SUPPORT FOR UK AND EU STUDENTS
Most UK and EU students fall under the UK Government’s Student Support
arrangements and are eligible to apply for loans to cover their tuition fee. The fees are
paid directly to UCL on your behalf by the Student Loan Company and you do not start
to repay the loan until you have left UCL and have a job earning at least £15,000 a year.
UK students can also apply for a means-tested UK Government Higher Education
Maintenance Grant, which is non-repayable.
Additionally as a new UK student you may be eligible for a UCL Maintenance Bursary:All UCL undergraduate students receiving a UK Government Higher Education
Maintenance Grant will receive, each year, a UCL bursary equal to at least half of their
Grant.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate-study/fees-and-costs/sourcesof-funding/
and
Other web sites that may assist you are:
Directgov gives much information on student finance
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/Stud
entFinance/index.htm
Student Finance England providing information on applying for student financial
assistance and a calculator to help you work through the figures
www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk
Student Money providing
www.studentmoney.org
tools
to
help
you
manage
your
money
Aimhigher providing guidance including a budget calculator and a cost of living
calculator www.aimhigher.ac.uk
Approximately 45% of UCL's undergraduates should benefit from the Bursary Scheme.
Please remember, these UCL bursaries are not repayable.
Please note that most EU and Overseas students will not qualify for a UK Government
Higher Education Maintenance Grant and so will be ineligible to receive a UCL
Maintenance Bursary.
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COMMUNICATIONS WITH LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES
The Faculty Office is responsible for communications concerning students with outside
bodies such as LEAs on behalf of UCL. Dealings with LEAs mainly involve routine
reports, but you should know the following:(1) UCL is required to report to LEAs any student whose attendance or academic
progress is unsatisfactory for any reason. Your Degree Programme Tutor reports your
progress to the Faculty Tutor each term. LEAs require as a minimum at least 70% to
80% attendance and UCL requires 70% attendance as a minimum.
Each summer the College reports to LEAs on student progress (or lack of it in a small
minority of cases) as well as notifying them of any changes of degree programme.
Unfortunately it is common for LEAs to lose or misplace the correspondence sent to
them. This can cause difficulties with student support arrangements including student
loans. If this happens to you, you should contact the FACULTY OFFICE and your LEA
will be sent a copy of the original form or an appropriate letter. It helps us if you can
provide your Student Support Number (SSN) and the name of the person you have
been dealing with at the LEA.
Sometimes when a student has failed to progress or interrupts study for a year the LEA
requires details of why the student has failed in course units or wishes to interrupt study.
Sometimes this information is personal and it should not be revealed without your
permission. Unless you tell us otherwise, we shall assume that you are prepared
to have these details revealed to your LEA or other supporting agency.
(2) If you are allowed only the “living at home” rate for the student loan and wish to live
away from home, your LEA may require you to provide a supporting letter from the
College. We cannot make the request for you: it is your LEA and your loan, but we can
and will normally support your request. You should discuss this with the Faculty Tutor.
(3) If you withdraw from a degree programme or change to a new degree programme
your Student Support may be affected. You should always check with your LEA and
seek the advice of the UCL Union Rights and Advice Centre with its advisors.
If you are on a programme here for one academic year or less, your LEA will consider
you for full support for a future degree programme. (The LEA can refuse support if your
leaving was due to failure of the exams, but will seek advice on this point from the
Faculty at UCL.)
If you leave after more than one academic year (and it is a programme of more than two
years in length), then you may not be eligible for any support.
If you transfer to a new degree programme after one year, you will be entitled to support
for the normal length of either your original course or the course to which you transfer
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(whichever is the longer). This means that if your change entails an extra year of study
then you are likely to have to fund this yourself.
Additionally any such transfer might affect the fee which you are charged and the
associated financial student support, so it is crucial that you consult your LEA and the
UCL Union Rights and Advice Centre to make sure you understand all the implications
before matters are finalised.
So please always check with your LEA early in the process if you are considering a
change of degree programme or change of the university at which you are registered,
particularly if the change involves an additional period of study.
Because of the complexity of the regulations, it is imperative that you seek advice
before transferring. Your Student Support is a matter between you and your LEA.
(4) In all cases when a student has withdrawn, interrupted or transferred, the Faculty
must give your funding body your last date of attendance. This can be important when
your LEA does its calculations (see above). It is essential that you discuss this with your
Degree Programme Tutor and that both you and the UCL Faculty give the same last
date of attendance to your LEA.
If you decide to apply through UCAS for a different degree programme at another
university, you must let your Degree Programme Tutor know. Often institutions you
have applied to will get in touch for a quick reference - and if your tutor does not know
about your application, it looks bad and does not help your chances of being offered a
place.
See below for change of degree programme within UCL.
(5) Fee Liability if you withdraw or interrupt.
If you are a new undergraduate student and withdraw before 31 October 2009, you will
not be liable personally for tuition fees. From 1st November 2009 onwards, however, you
will be charged on a pro rata basis according to the date you leave. Continuing students
will be charged from the beginning of the academic year if they withdraw. Similarly a
new undergraduate who transfers to another university before 31 st October 2009 will not
be liable for fees, but will be liable from 1st November on the same pro rata basis.
Continuing students who transfer will be charged from the beginning of the academic
year. Undergraduate students who transfer to UCL from another university will be
charged fees on a pro rata basis. Undergraduates who are granted an interruption of
study will be charged fees on the standard pro rata basis.
ATTENDANCE
Being allowed to enter for an examination or being considered otherwise to have
successfully completed a particular course unit will depend on your satisfactory
attendance of the course and your submission of sufficient satisfactory course work.
Your course teachers should provide you with clear guidance as to what is required, but
normally attendance at all classes, i.e. lectures, seminars, tutorials and practicals is
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compulsory. If you do not attend a sufficient number of classes, you will not be allowed
to sit the examination and will thus fail that course unit. The only way to complete the
course unit concerned, if it is judged that you have not attended satisfactorily, is to
attend it properly the following year and take the examination then, though this can
prove difficult to arrange in practice, as not every course is taught every year.
Similarly, if you have not submitted sufficient assessed work, you may be considered
“not complete”, which is again a fail. Should you be deemed “not complete”, you have to
re-enter for the whole examination the following year (you cannot just submit the
missing course work).
If you are absent from College for more than two consecutive days, you must explain
your absence to your Personal or Degree/Course Tutor. If you are absent for a week or
more, you must provide a letter or certificate from your doctor, where the reason is
medical. The permission of the Faculty Tutor is normally required in advance for any
non-medical extended absence during term time.
If illness or other very good reason (such as a death in the family) prevents you
attending an examination, you must contact your Degree/Course Tutor as soon as
possible and must provide a letter or certificate from your doctor (within two weeks of
the date of the missed examination). This letter must cover the date of the missed
examination. Visiting a doctor a week or more after the missed exam is usually deemed
to be not satisfactory.
YOUR DEGREE PROGRAMME
Your degree programme is made up of course-units and an academic year is made up
of 4 course-units. A course-unit normally has about 50 hours of lectures and a total
work load (including private reading, preparation of course work and revision) of 200 to
300 hours. You may not take more than 4 course-units in a year. Each has its own
assessment components which usually include an examination and course work.
A degree programme is defined by its core course-units: those you must take. In many
cases there is the possibility of taking some additional course-units. Your Degree
Programme Tutor will provide details of optional course-units. In all cases your tutor
must approve your choice of optional course-units. In addition the department teaching
the course must approve your taking it as there may be constraints imposed by
prerequisites, the timetable or numbers.
Under the Faculty Scheme of Award (see Appendix below), which applies to you (and
indeed to all students admitted from September 2005 onwards), you must have
completed twelve course units and passed a total of eleven course units to be awarded
a degree.
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If you fail to meet the criteria for an Honours degree, you may be awarded an Ordinary
degree, providing you have completed at least eleven course units and passed at least
ten course units, including two course units at advanced level.
PASS MARK
The pass mark for undergraduate course units is 40%.
CHANGE OF DEGREE PROGRAMME
In some cases it is possible to change degree programme. Such a change requires the
approval of the Degree Programme Tutors for both degree Programmes as well the
Faculty Tutor(s). You must have the appropriate entry qualifications. Often student
numbers make changes impossible. Transfer to Medicine is NOT allowed under any
circumstances.
A change of degree programme is sometimes possible at the very start of the
programme. The final deadline for a change at the start of a degree programme is 31st
October 2009. This is really very late and students changing late will have great
difficulties in catching up. Change is not guaranteed and you must discuss the matter
with your Departmental/Programme Tutor as soon as possible.
It may be possible to change degree programme at the end of the first year. This
should be discussed with the tutors involved well before the end of the third term. In
some cases transfer into the second year is possible: in other cases only transfer into
the first year is possible. The tutor or admissions tutor for the proposed new degree
programme may say "no", may say "yes", or may say "yes subject to your achieving a
certain standard of performance in your first year course units". Change of degree
programme at the end of year 1 must be done by 31st July 2010.
If a change of degree programme is allowed it is done by completion of a “Change of
Degree Programme Form” which is signed by you and by the tutors involved (a copy of
this can be downloaded from the Registry website under the section “printable forms”,
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Registry/ ). If the change requires you to start the new programme
in year one you must sign twice to state that you understand that you must complete the
full requirements of the new degree programme. Once it has been approved your LEA
and UCL Registry is informed.
CHANGE OF COURSE UNITS/MODULES
You may change optional course-units (with the approval of the course-unit organisers
and your Departmental/Programme Tutor) up to 27th January 2010. Changes after
that date require the approval of the Faculty Tutor. This will only be given if there are
extenuating circumstances.
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STUDY ABROAD/YEAR IN INDUSTRY/EXTRAMURAL YEAR
It is unusual but not unknown for students to study abroad for a year as part of their
degree programme. If this is being considered it is vital that you discuss it with your
tutors early as there are many academic and practical problems to be sorted out. You
should note that students going abroad as part of their course MUST attend a course
run by the Study Abroad Office http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/internationalstudents/current-students/ucl-students-abroad
Extramural Year
Regulations allow students to follow a BSc degree programme over four years rather
than three. Your Departmental/Programme Tutor must approve your doing this and you
should discuss the matter in good time. The extramural year is spent on an attachment
to an organisation or institution approved by the College as having a function relevant
and suitable for the student's field of study. Each year a few students in Pharmacology
obtain industrial placements to work in the Pharmaceutical industry. These placements
are very competitive and selection is based on academic record and a visit to industry
for interview. Normally an extramural year is taken at the end of year 2 and students
doing this must be in a position to progress to year 3. The College, through your Tutors,
must approve both the institution or organisation and the work to be undertaken. The
work done during the extramural year must be written up as a project report and
submitted before the beginning of your final year. This counts as an extra course-unit.
CHECKING EXAMINATION ENTRIES
In January 2010 at the latest, you will be asked to check that all your examination
entries are correct. This is very important as you will be expected to sit the
examinations your module registration entry lists in the PORTICO Student Records
system! Every year a few students find themselves sitting the wrong examination or
submitting a dissertation for the wrong degree programme, so do please check your
entries carefully. Errors can be corrected at this point, but are extremely difficult to
rectify later.
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
EXAMINATIONS
Under Course Unit Regulations the "examination" for a course unit is all of the elements
which are assessed. This formally includes project reports, practicals, etc.: anything
which contributes towards the final mark, as well as a traditional unseen examination.
You must have "completed" all of the elements of the examination for a course-unit.
(1)
Entry to Examinations
You formally enter for examinations when you register for course units (Module
Registration) on the PORTICO Student Record System at the beginning of session. You
will be able to select your modules in stages, then submit and confirm your choices. If
subsequently viewing choices you have confirmed. you detect any error or wish to
change a course, you will need to contact your Teaching Administrator as soon as
possible, as any change will have to be entered for you by your Teaching Office no later
than 27th January 2010. Equally if you are informed by email that one or more of your
module choices have been rejected, then again you must contact your Teaching
Administrator as soon as possible.
(2)
Re-entry to Examinations
If you have failed a course unit, you must re-enter for the examination the following
academic year. (A second attempt must be made at the earliest opportunity, which is
the regular time for that examination the following session). Regulations for students
admitted since 2001 allow only a single re-entry, unless there are special circumstances
and the Senior Tutor gives formal permission for a second and final re-entry. Re-entry is
effected by entering it on the PORTICO Student Record System (it may have already
been entered for you) at the start of the academic year. This can also be done again
when you check your examination entries in January (see above).
Please note that you must have completed a minimum of 12 and passed a minimum of
11 units for a three-year degree. You must normally pass at least 3 units (out of 4 units)
to progress into year 2 and at least 7 units (out of 8 units) to progress into year 3. These
are the basic requirements for progression.
The content of course units may alter from year to year, as might organizational matters
and other issues, such as the style and format of an examination paper. If you have reentered for an examination, it is your responsibility to find out about these changes.
When you re-enter for an examination, you are entered for the elements of the
examination that you have failed. You should discuss this at an early stage with the
course teacher or organiser, as it is sometimes possible to bring forward course-work
marks from the preceding year. If you intend to submit new course work, you are
expected to comply with the deadlines set for the current session and normally to do the
work assigned for this session. It is very important for you to arrange these matters with
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
the course teacher or organiser at the start of the session or at the latest shortly before
the course unit for which you are re-entering starts to be taught.
Note that you cannot re-enter for a course-unit which you have passed.
(3) Illness on the day of an examination
If you are ill on the day of an examination, please do not go to the Examination Hall, but
report instead to the UCL Student Health Centre to see a doctor and then go to your
Department. If you are too ill to travel, telephone your Department (or ask a friend to do
this) to let the staff know what has happened and then see a doctor as soon as
possible. It is essential that you obtain a medical certificate or letter to submit to your
Department at the earliest possible opportunity.
(4)
Absence from Examinations
If you are absent from an examination this effectively counts the same as a fail. If
you miss an examination through illness you must provide a certificate or letter from
your doctor which covers the date(s) of the examination. (A letter which says “X tells me
he was poorly two weeks ago” has little value). If other circumstances cause you to miss
an examination, you must explain this to your Departmental/Course Tutor as soon as
possible and provide some form of documentation.
THIS MUST BE DONE (AND MEDICAL OR OTHER EVIDENCE PROVIDED) WITHIN
TWO WEEKS OF THE DATE OF THE MISSED EXAMINATION.
When the missed examination is not one taken in your final year and then only in a
case of illness (supported by a medical certificate or letter) or some other very good
cause (such as a very serious illness or death of a close relative), you may apply for
Deferred Assessment. This gives you a chance to take and hopefully pass the missed
examination, usually over the summer vacation. The format of the examination will
follow that of the examination you missed. Please note that Deferred Assessment is not
allowed for cases where an alarm clock failed to sound, a mistake was made of the
day/time of the examination, or you went to the wrong examination hall.
Deferred Assessment is limited to a total of four course units for a three-year degree
programme (but six course units for a four-year degree programme). A maximum of
three course units may be taken by Deferred Assessment in any one year. Deferred
Assessment must take place within six months of the date of the missed examination,
but in most cases it is required in order to complete and pass a course unit necessary
for progression to the next year of study. In these cases, it is normally carried out well
before the start of the next session (typically the end of July/beginning of August).
If you are allowed Deferred Assessment, you should be notified of the arrangements in
writing in good time. If you have not heard within one month of the date of the missed
examination, you must speak to your Degree Programme Tutor.
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(5)
Illness or Other Factors Affecting Your Examination Performance
It is important that you always inform your Degree Programme Tutor of illness or other
factors which may affect your academic performance. Medical evidence or other
documentary evidence should be provided where appropriate. When determining the
classification of your degree the Board of Examiners will take into account documented
illness and other extenuating circumstances at a Pre-Exam Board Meeting.
You must provide the Board of Examiners with documentation if you wish
extenuating circumstances to be taken into account. This must be provided to
the Chair of your exam Board no later than one week after the end of the
examination period in question. These matters are always dealt with in strict
confidence by the Board of Examiners.
(6)
Withdrawal from Examinations
If you formally withdraw from an examination it is as if you had not made an entry at all
that year (although "withdrawn" will appear on your transcript).
You may withdraw from a course-unit examination with the approval of your Degree
Programme Tutor and of the Faculty Tutor. Withdrawal will be approved only if there
are good academic reasons. This must be done by the Friday of the first week of the
third term. If you withdraw from an exam you may re-enter for it the following year
(unless you have been awarded your degree). A withdrawal from a third year courseunit may have consequences for the way Honours are determined. You must always
discuss withdrawal with your Degree Programme Tutor and make sure that you
understand the consequences.
If you are ill or suffer from some other serious problem during the examination period
you may be allowed to withdraw. Appropriate documentation is needed.
(7)
Dyslexia and Other Problems
Students who are dyslexic may, in some cases, be allowed extra time for examinations.
Applications must be made through your Degree/Programme Tutor. You must speak to
your tutor about this during the first term. Advice is available from the UCL Disabilities
Co-ordinator Ms Marion Hingston Lamb (disability@ucl.ac.uk : 020-7679-1343). The
Disabilities Co-ordinator can also advise on other matters such as access and help for
students with impaired hearing or vision.
Arrangements can be made for students to sit examinations in a special facility with
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medical help on call. You should speak to your Degree Programme Tutor as early as
possible about this. This should be done as soon as possible and certainly at least 6
weeks before the start of the examination period. Emergency arrangements can be
made close to the examinations but planning is easier if Examinations have advance
warning.
MARKING SCHEMES and CLASSIFICATION OF DEGREES
Marks for Course Unit degrees are on a standard scale: Marks of 70% and above are
first class honours degree standard; marks in the range 60 to 69% are upper second
class honours standard; marks in the range 50 to 59% are lower second class honours
standard; 40 to 49% is third class honours standard. Below 40% is a fail. Normally an
absence from an examination, a mark of “incomplete” or a withdrawal from an
examination will be counted as zero in computation of average marks unless the Board
of Examiners agree that there are documented grounds for discounting it. The Faculty
marking scheme can be found on the faculty web site http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lifesciencesfaculty/ you will need your computer id and password to access this document.
Degree classifications and marks are determined by the Board of Examiners for your
degree programme. Each Board has at least one External Examiner who acts to
ensure fairness and appropriate standards. Most Boards also have at least one
Intercollegiate Examiner who is from another College of the University. The term
"External Examiner" includes both External and Intercollegiate Examiners.
Degree classifications are determined by the Board using an approved Scheme for the
Award of Honours.
REFERRED ASSESSMENTS
The pass mark is 40% for all students, but you will be offered the opportunity of
Referred Assessment for any courses in which you obtained a final mark of 35 to 39%.
Referred Assessment consists of additional, supplementary assessment undertaken
during the Summer Vacation with a pass or fail result. If you pass, you will be awarded
the pass mark of 40% only. The additional assessment can involve a formal written
examination, an item of coursework (e.g. an essay), or an oral examination.
When offered Referred Assessment, you may choose whether to accept the offer and
the 40% pass mark if successful, OR to refuse and re-enter the failed examination at
the next normal occasion (providing the re-entry option has not yet been exhausted),
permitting you to achieve a better pass mark in a year’s time, OR having first sought
tutorial advice, you may keep the fail mark and make no further attempt to complete the
course.
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
PLAGIARISM
Please read the notes on plagiarism on the UCL Student web site
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/guidelines/policies/plagiarism Good scholarship
requires that you state your sources, but as different subjects have differing
requirements, you will also receive specific guidance and advice on this issue from your
Degree Programme Tutor. It is essential that all the work you submit is in your own
words and that you acknowledge any sources you use in the course work you
submit.
Your Degree Programme Tutor will advise you on how to present quotations and
references in your work, including references from world-wide web sources. It is not
acceptable to copy out paragraphs or sentences from books or articles making the
occasional word change. Diagrams or other illustrative material taken from a published
source must be given a detailed reference. A list of the books, articles and other
sources you have used in preparing an essay should be provided at the end of the
essay.
Copying another student’s work is a further serious aspect of plagiarism. Interaction and
discussion between students is encouraged, but when you sit down to write up course
work, you must express your thoughts in your own words. Nor should you plagiarise
your own work: course work you have submitted once for marking should not be
recycled for another assignment.
Plagiarism always attracts a penalty. Sometimes marks are subtracted or a zero
mark given. In serious cases involving assessed course work it becomes an
Examination Offence, which will be considered by the relevant Board of Examiners. If it
is a particularly serious or repeat offence, it will be referred to the Registrar, who may
refer it on to the Examinations Irregularity Panel, which normally meets in July. It is not
unusual for the Panel to decide that no report should be made on the entire course unit.
In other cases it has been decided that all the examination marks for the whole session
should be cancelled and the student is required to re-enter for all of the examinations
the following year. In the most serious cases, the student is banned from taking any
further examinations at UCL. Plagiarism is a serious offence: the punishment is
often severe.
Please note that we use TURNITIN software, which permits staff or students to check
whether course work bears a close similarity to published material derived from the
whole World Wide Web. You will receive instructions from your Degree Programme
Tutor as to how you will be expected to use this facility for your course work.
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
DEADLINES
Normally deadlines are set for handing in course work of various sorts. You must meet
these deadlines. Late work may attract a penalty or simply not be accepted. If illness or
other circumstances make it impossible for you to meet the deadline you must negotiate
an extension with the course organiser involved. This should be done before and not
after the deadline!
Sometimes deadlines for course work coincide. If this happens you should speak to the
course organisers involved well before the deadline as sometimes changes can be
made.
Teaching Offices will not normally accept work sent by FAX or by email. In some cases
course organisers may be prepared to make an exception but you must always make
the arrangements first.
PENALTIES FOR LATE SUBMISSION
The following penalties would apply to late submission of coursework and projects: a
whole 10% will be deducted (ie if awarded 70% will receive 60%) for work submitted up
to one week after the advertised deadline, unless a formal extension has been
granted. Work submitted up to two weeks after the deadline will receive a maximum
mark of 40%. The absolute final deadline for submission of coursework/project, unless
a formal extension has been granted, is two weeks after the deadline - work submitted
after two weeks will receive zero marks. Students should be aware that to be complete,
assessed coursework must be submitted.
COMPUTER EXCUSES AND PRINTING
Computers have brought with them a whole range of "computer excuses": disc
corrupted, system down, viruses, computer and hard disc stolen, printer explosion, year
2000 etc. It is your responsibility to ensure that you always have satisfactory backup
copies of your work. Do not rely on computers and printers being available at the last
minute! Course-organisers are increasingly reluctant to accept computer excuses as it
is up to you to ensure the safety and security of your work. If you wait until the last
minute to print something out you can be sure there will be a huge queue of work and
the printer will break down.
Due to the limited free printing available to you it is best to preview your printing before
printing out as some articles in .PDF format can take up more paper.
Printing quota which is not used in year 1 will be carried over to the next year.
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
COURSEWORK
In many course-units course work is part of the assessment (that is it counts towards
the mark in the course-unit.) You MUST have submitted for marking sufficient of the
required course work. If you do not hand in sufficient you will not be given a mark.
Instead you will be "INCOMPLETE" in that course-unit. This has the same effect as
failing it. Even if you take and pass the examination you cannot gain the course-unit
pass if you are "Incomplete". You can only become "complete" by re-entering the
following year and submitting the required course work required that year (and must
meet the deadlines set that year).
Clearly being "Incomplete” is to be avoided. Course organisers should tell you how
much of the assigned course work is required to avoid this: each course-unit has its own
requirements. If you wish to gain good marks for course work you must submit 100% of
it! Missing work will attract zero marks but too much missing work results in
"Incomplete".
If illness or other documented extenuating circumstances prevent you from submitting
sufficient course work it is possible that deadlines may be extended or the requirement
reduced. It is very important that you must speak to the course organiser early and
before the deadlines. You must also keep your Degree Programme Tutor informed. As
the course work is part of the examination the Board of Examiners must approve any
dispensations given.
You should always keep course work. This is particularly important for marked work
that counts towards the overall course-unit mark. It is possible that an External
Examiner may ask to see assessed work at the end of a year or at the end of your final
year. It is generally wise to keep a copy of major items of course work (such as project
reports). You may wish to use it for revision and the original may not be available for
collection until after the examinations.
Course work is often returned with marks or grades. You should note that these are
provided as feedback for you but are provisional. No marks are final until after the
Examiners have met. External Examiners may moderate course work marks
(photocopied samples are kept of work so External Examiners can check the marking).
PROGRESSION TO THE NEXT YEAR OF YOUR DEGREE PROGRAMME
Students are normally expected to pass three course units to progress from the first
year to the second year. At the end of the second year we expect you to have passed at
least seven course units to enter the third year. This means that if you are short of firstyear units passed, you should re-enter for the failed course units at the beginning of
your second year (see above).
Students who have not passed the required course units will not be allowed to progress
to the next year. Instead you will be required to retake the courses you failed, either as
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
a part-time revision student, which allows you to study for courses up to the value of 2
course units, or more exceptionally as a full-time repeat student, which permits you to
study up to 4 course units, assuming you failed all or most of the courses for that year of
study. In some cases an LEA may provide Student Support for a year of repeat study,
but normally the student is responsible for paying the tuition fee.
If you have problems being a part-time revision student you should discuss with your
tutor the alternative option for a year (“year away”) and re-enter the examinations for the
failed course units by 1st December (you must pay a fee for this) and resit them the
following summer. If you pass sufficient courses in the resits during that year out, you
will be readmitted to the College to continue a degree programme as a full-time student.
You must resit any failed examination at the first available opportunity.
For overseas students from countries outside the EU, there may be visa implications to
a repeat year, with full-time repeat status only being permitted. You are advised to
contact your Degree Programme Tutor and the UCL Student’s Union Rights and Advice
Centre as soon as possible to check your position, should this situation arise for you .
RECEIPT OF MARKS
Your official mark record will be available to you electronically in August on the
PORTICO Student Record System (see below), but you can arrange for the transcript to
be posted to your home address by the Registry.
Your Degree Programme Tutor will be able to discuss your course work through the
year as well as your examination performance with you during June, but only after the
relevant Board of Examiners has met and confirmed the marks. Should you have done
badly, you will normally receive a letter from your Department to inform you early in the
summer vacation.
Please do not telephone the Faculty Office for results! We are not allowed to give out
marks by telephone under the Data Protection Act, so please do not waste staff time.
The Registrar’s Division will send all communications to the home address you
have supplied on the PORTICO Student Record System. PLEASE ENSURE THAT
YOUR ADDRESS DETAILS ON PORTICO ARE UP-TO-DATE.
Official Transcripts are issued by the Examinations Section of the Registry (Room G6 of
the South Wing). They need some days notice and levy a charge for this service. You
may print your own from your PORTICO record.
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
INTERRUPTION OF STUDY
Sometimes illness or other similarly serious problems force a student to interrupt study.
Such cases are always dealt with on an individual basis by the Faculty Tutor.
Permission to interrupt is given for a maximum of one year and cannot be backdated.
Return to the degree programme requires you to confirm that the problem has been
rectified and that you are in a position, or are medically able to derive benefit from a
return to study. Interruption is sparingly permitted and you must discuss whether it is
appropriate with your Degree Programme Tutor before being referred to the Faculty
Tutor
EXTRAMURAL YEAR
It is occasionally possible for a student to interrupt their studies to spend a year studying
abroad or on a work placement (see Page 10) If you can make a good case and your
Degree Programme Tutor is prepared to support it, then you will be referred to the
Faculty Tutor, who will decide whether to permit it. Please note though that the normal
expectation is for students to undertake three (or four) years of continuous study for a
degree programme, in which the student progresses academically through successive
years.
CALCULATORS, COMPUTERS, MOBILE PHONES, TAPE RECORDERS
Calculators are permitted for some examinations but there are limitations on the type of
calculator allowed.
For most exams which allow use of a calculator you must use a College Approved
Calculator.
The models approved are:
CASIO FX83WA/FX83MS: battery powered
CASIO FX85WA/FX85MS: solar powered
These are available from the UCL shop.
As you must have an approved calculator for use in Examinations you are advised to
purchase one early to get used to its operation.
Some course-unit examinations may require more sophisticated calculators (these are
rare in Life Sciences). In such cases the course organisers will advise.
The more general requirement is:
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
- it must NOT have alphabetic text capacity (so you cannot input and store text)
- it must NOT be programmable by magnetic media or other forms of external storage
(this refers to plug in modules or any form of tape or disc storage)
- it must be quiet, compact and with its own power supply and be hand-held.
Calculators must be switched off and programmable memories cleared on entry to the
examination room.
You are responsible for ensuring that your calculator works! Batteries are not supplied
and spares are not available in the examination room.
Remember – You MUST have a college approved calculator for examinations.
Computers: If you are thinking about computer purchase you should consult
Information Systems Division as it may be possible to obtain a discount through them.
Mobile phones must NOT be used during lectures, practicals and tutorials. Ensure they
are switched off!
Tape Recorders. Students sometimes wish to record lectures. Opinions vary as to
whether this is of use or not and some members of the Academic Staff object to their
use. If you wish to use a tape recorder you should always check with the lecturer first.
If one is used it should be quiet in operation and should not require attention during the
lecture.
ACCESS TO LEARNING FUND
The UK Government provides universities with money from the Access to Learning
Fund, which is available to assist students suffering financial hardship. The Fund is
available to UK students only (both full-time and part-time) to assist them to access and
remain in Higher Education.
You should receive a notice about the Access to Learning Fund (ALF) at the start of
the session. To be eligible for ALF assistance, you should have applied already for a
Student Loan.
Application forms and guidance notes can be downloaded http://ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/financial-support/
Advice concerning ALF applications can be sought from the UCL Union’s Rights and
Advice Centre. Please read the ALF guidance notes carefully before filling in the
application form. Application forms are dealt with continuously as submitted.
Special arrangements exist to assist those students whose loan cheque is delayed at
the start of term. If this happens to you, please speak to your Degree Programme
Tutor.
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
SPONSORS
Sometimes students are given financial assistance by a charity or by a company. This
is particularly common for medical students doing intercalated degrees. It is good
practice to put an acknowledgement of any assistance or sponsorship you have
received in such things as project reports. Such an acknowledgement may even be a
condition of holding the award.
REFERENCES
You are almost certain to require references from your tutors either for accommodation,
summer jobs, permanent jobs, or for further study. Your Degree Programme Tutor
and/or Personal Tutor should provide a reference for you. It is always courteous to
discuss the matter with your potential referee before giving his or her name. Please
allow plenty of time - references take time to write and time to be printed.
CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION
The Registrar's Division (Registration Section) provide certificates that you are
registered at UCL. See the UCL Student Handbook.
INTERCALATED STUDENTS
As an intercalated student you now fall under course-unit regulations. All of you will be
new to course-unit degree programmes and some of you will be new to UCL. You
should read these notes, the UCL Student Handbook and ask your Degree Programme
Tutor for advice if matters are unclear.
The regulations covering an intercalated degree (which formally always has "with
medical sciences" as part of the field of study) are similar in many respects to other
course-unit degrees.
The scheme of award for an Intercalated BSc degree in the Faculty of Life Sciences will
be as follows:
(a)
(b)
(c)
calculation will be undertaken on the basis of a twelve course unit
programme with the pre-clinical first and second years of the MBBS counting
as eight course units along with the four course units from the intercalated
year;
the weighting applied will be 1: 1: 4 (first year; second year; third year);
in calculating the classification mark, the marks of University of London
medical students will be used as they stand. Results of medical students
from outside the University of London will be assessed on a case by case
basis by the Sub Dean (Admissions, Student Support and Welfare), Royal
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
Free and University College Medical School, prior to the student’s enrolment.
This will determine whether existing year 1 and 2 marks can be used. Where
this is not possible, credit will be given for years 1 and 2 and all such cases
will be reported to the UCL Board of Examiners.
USEFUL WEB ADDRESSES
useful web page for both returning and new students has been set up by UCL
Registry at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Registry
A
The Faculty web page (via the student Intranet) includes a very useful list of courseunits http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lifesciences-faculty
PORTICO: The UCL Student Information Service.
UCL introduced an electronic Student Information System in 2006. It is known as
PORTICO – The UCL Student Information Service.
Access to PORTICO is available to everyone across UCL – both staff and students alike
– via the web portal www.ucl.ac.uk/portico. You will need to logon using your UCL
userid and password, which are issued to you once you have enrolled. These are the
same as the ones used for accessing UCL restricted web pages, UCL email and the
Windows Terminal Service (WTS). If you do not know them, you should contact the IS
Helpdesk as soon as possible (www.ucl.ac.uk/is/helpdesk). Please remember that
passwords automatically expire after 150 days, unless they have been changed.
Warnings are sent to your UCL email address during a 30 day period, prior to your
password being reset.
- You can read your UCL email on the web at
https://www.webmail.ucl.ac.uk/src/login.php
- You can change your password on the web, at any time, at
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/passwords/changepw.htm.
Passwords cannot be issued over the phone unless you are registered for the User
Authentication Service, see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/helpdesk/authenticate/
We strongly advise that you register for this service. If you have not registered for the
User Authentication Service you will need to visit the IS Helpdesk in person or ask them
to post a new password to your registered home or term-time address. More information
can be found at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/helpdesk/.
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
As a student you can take ownership of your own personal data by logging on to
PORTICO.
In PORTICO you can:
 edit your own personal data e.g. update your home and term addresses, contact
numbers and other elements of your personal details;
 complete online module registration – i.e. select the courses (or modules) you
would like to study, in accordance with the rules for your programme of study
(subject to formal approval and signing off by the relevant teaching department
and your parent Department);
 view data about courses (or modules) - i.e. information on courses (or modules)
available either in your home department or elsewhere to help you choose your
optional modules or elective modules.
 view your own examination results online;
As before, any continuing student requiring official confirmation of their results, or any
graduating student requiring additional copies of their transcript, should refer to the
Examinations Section of the Registry.
On-line module registration
This facility enables you to choose your modules in accordance with the rules for your
programme of study. Note that Portico does not include timetabling information,
so you should check with the teaching department concerned to ensure that your
choice of any optional/elective module does not clash with any of your other
modules/classes. In addition, many departments have specific procedures for
approving module selections/signing students up so you should ensure that you
familiarise yourself with these. The Language Centre, in particular, requires students to
go to the Language Centre where their level of language competency will be assessed.
Please consult the UCL document Module Registration – Student User Guide for a step
by step description of the processes. Please note that once your choices have been
finalised and confirmed they can only be changed by your Department.
Online Timetable – this is new for UCL students from 2009/10 session
The UCL Online Timetable (www.ucl.ac.uk/timetable) displays your personal timetable week by
week, and lets you find out what is being taught, when, where and by whom across UCL.
To see your personal timetable or find out when things are being taught, visit the UCL Online
Timetable at www.ucl.ac.uk/timetable.
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
The UCL Online Timetable at www.ucl.ac.uk/timetable lets you see your personal timetable
week by week and can be used to find out when things are being taught across UCL. Use it to
select course units which will fit in your timetable. Your personal timetable will display all the
course units you are registered to attend including lectures, seminars, tutorials, labs, film
screenings, computer training and more. Check it regularly for changes to dates, times or
locations.
Login with your standard UCL username and password to display your personal timetable, or
select a department or subject area, a degree programme, or individual modules and create a
custom timetable, to find out when things are scheduled to be taught.
Four Types of Timetable
 Personal timetables for students and teaching staff with a UCL username and password.
 Department or Subject Area timetables by year of study.
 Degree programme timetables by year of study.
 Custom timetable lets you choose modules to create a timetable.
Features
 display a week, term or year
 click back and forth through weeks or select a week
 3 sizes of event display to choose from
 click on an event to open pop-up box and see all details
 link to UCL maps route finder by clicking on the room
 students can display all groups timetabled for their modules, by default only groups they
are assigned to are displayed
 students and lecturers see all their teaching for all departments in one view
Personal timetables for students
Your personal timetable displays the modules you are registered to attend in Portico. Students
are automatically registered for compulsory modules so they immediately appear in your
timetable. Use the Department, Degree Programme or Custom timetables to find options that fit
in your timetable. Once you select your options in Portico, they will appear in your timetable the
next day. If a module selection is rejected or deleted in Portico, it will be removed from your
timetable the following day.
Groups such as tutorials, labs and seminars are added to your timetable when you are assigned
to a group by the teaching department. You can choose to display all groups for your modules.
Timetables are subject to change. Any change to the timetable from any department at UCL is reflected
immediately in the online timetable and your personal timetable will be updated automatically. Remember
to check it regularly.
Timetables are subject to change. Check regularly for any changes to room, day or time.
Text for the Transitions website and Diary
Getting Organised page
UCL Online Timetable
The online timetable lets you see your personal timetable week by week and can be used to find
out when things are being taught across UCL. Use it to select course units which will fit in your
timetable. Your personal timetable will display all the course units you are registered to attend
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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
including lectures, seminars, tutorials, labs, film screenings, computer training and more. Check
it regularly for changes to dates, times or locations.
Getting Academic / Successful Transition page
Do you know where you are meant to be and when?
It is important that you plan around your teaching timetable. Check your personal online
timetable to make sure you know in advance where you are meant to be and when. This will help
you get to your classes on time and prepared and allow you to plan other activities without
impacting on your studies. Your personal timetable displays the course units you have selected
in Portico and the groups that you have been assigned to for tutorials, labs and seminars. Check
regularly for any changes.
Getting Started page

Getting to class at the right time in the right place
You are responsible for creating a workable timetable for yourself and then to know where
you are meant to be and when. The online timetable lets you see your personal timetable
week by week and can be used to find out when things are being taught across UCL. Check
your personal timetable regularly for any changes.
Diary, Administrative contacts page
UCL Online Timetable
View your personal timetable online, find out when modules are being taught before you select
your options, check for changes to the times or locations before you go.
WEB www.ucl.ac.uk/timetable
Dr Hilary Richards, Sub-Dean and Faculty Tutor
S:\life sciences\bsc\information for tutors\notes for students
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