School of Biological and Chemical Sciences (SBCS) Undergraduate Student Handbook 2011-2012 This Handbook is for all undergraduate students in the School but also includes information specific to first year induction. 3D virtual model of sodium chloride This handbook should be used together with the Academic Regulations and the Student Guide. This handbook provides information specific to the School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, while the Student Guide gives information common to all students at Queen Mary. The Academic Regulations provide detailed information on progression, award and classification requirements. Nothing in this handbook overrides the Academic Regulations, which always take precedence. The School of Biological & Chemical Sciences student handbook is available online at: courses.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/handbook.pdf You will receive a copy of the Student Guide at the start of the academic year. It is also available online at: www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk The Academic Regulations are available online at: www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy_zone/index.html#academic_policies This Handbook is available in large print format. If you would like a large print copy please contact Reception on the 3rd floor of the GE Fogg Building. If you have other requirements for the Handbook, please contact Mrs Jean Smith via Reception. The information in this handbook is correct as of August 2011. In the unlikely event of substantial amendments to the material, the School will attempt to inform you of the changes. QMUL cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of information given in third party publications or websites referred to in this Handbook. About this Handbook This Handbook is for undergraduate students in the School of Biological & Chemical Sciences (SBCS). It provides basic information regarding School procedures, rules and regulations. However, more in-depth information can be found on the “Information for current students” section of the main School website: www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk For quick access to the various on-line facilities mentioned in this handbook we would recommend that you use the SBCS Student Portal: courses.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk CONTENTS Page Welcome to the School of Biological & Chemical Sciences 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Induction / orientation for 1st year students 1.1 Welcome week timetable 1.2 Map of campus 1.3 Guide to teaching rooms 4 6 7 About the School 2.1 SBCS Reception (School Office) 2.2 Academic staff 2.3 Administrative staff involved in Teaching and Learning 8 9 10 Registration and Enrolment 3.1 Registration dates 3.2 Module registration procedures 3.3 Enrolment 3.4 QMUL Academic Registry 3.5 Student ID card 11 11 12 12 13 Communication, IT Services and Student Records 4.1 Computer account 4.2 Queen Mary email address 4.3 SBCS Student Control Panel and QM MySIS 4.4 Updating your personal details 4.5 Student Teaching and Learning webpages 4.6 Blackboard VLE 4.7 Student PC Service 4.8 SBCS Student Portal 4.9 myQMUL 4.10 WiFi access from your own Laptop 4.11 Communications with/from staff 14 14 14 15 15 15 15 15 15 16 16 Student Support and Feedback 5.1 Student guide 5.2 Expectations 5.3 Personal academic advisers 5.4 Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS) 5.5 Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) 5.6 Advice and Counselling Service 5.7 English Language and Academic Support 5.8 Quality assurance and student feedback 5.9 National student survey 5.10 Graduate attributes and your academic and professional development 17 17 18 18 18 19 19 19 20 20 QMUL Calendar and semester dates 6.1 Structure of the academic year 6.2 Semester dates for the academic year 2011-2012 6.3 Year planner 6.4 Reading weeks 6.5 Revision week 21 21 21 21 21 Timetables 7.1 Lectures and practicals 7.2 How to construct your personal timetable 7.3 Tutorials 7.4 Field courses 7.5 Advanced Experimental Chemistry 22 23 24 25 25 (continued overleaf) 1 8. Attendance 8.1 Attendance monitoring 8.2 Extenuating circumstances 8.3 Procedures for certifying absences 8.4 Absence for religious reasons 8.5 Restarting the year 8.6 Interruption of study 8.7 Withdrawal from QMUL 8.8 Deregistration 26 26 27 27 28 28 28 28 Degree Programmes and modules 9.1 List of programmes in the School 9.2 Programmes and modules for first-year students 29 30 Procedures, Rules and Regulations 10.1 Marks and grades for individual modules 10.2 Submission of coursework 10.3 Plagiarism and referencing 10.4 Behaviour in lectures and laboratories 10.5 Other unacceptable behaviour (copying, cheating etc.) 33 34 35 35 36 11. Health, Safety and Security 37 12. General information 12.1 Essential reading / reading lists 12.2 The QMUL Library 12.3 Careers advice 12.4 Student prizes 12.5 Reference requests 12.6 Harassment policy and procedures 12.7 Comments and complaints 12.8 Frequently asked questions 12.9 Academic Year Planner 38 38 38 39 40 40 40 40 42 9. 10. 2 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Welcome Welcome to the School of Biological & Chemical Sciences I am very happy to welcome you to the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences whether you are new to QMUL or are a continuing student. We hope that you will find your studies interesting, stimulating and thoroughly enjoyable. In the case of new students, you will meet people from many different backgrounds and with many different ideas from your own. You will have the opportunity to join societies covering a wide range of activities and we would encourage you to join some of these and to participate fully in university life. You have doubtless been told about university life by friends or relations. You should be wary of some of that advice; students always understate to their friends the amount of time they spend on academic work. Your programme will be intensive, as you would expect it to be, for three years is a very short time to reach honours degree standard. In most of Europe it would typically take you five years to reach the same level! By the end of your studies we would expect you to be capable of discussing work in your field with leading scientists. This means that we expect you to work hard and spend about 40 hours per week on your studies during term time (and you must also expect to do some work in vacations). Of this 40 hours about 20 hours will be formally timetabled as lectures, practicals and tutorials. The remaining 20 hours which are not timetabled are for independent work to be done at times of your choosing. Regular attendance at the timetabled sessions is essential if you are successfully to complete your year and progress. Experience has repeatedly shown us that those who fail the first year are generally those whose attendance is poor. You must pay particular attention to developing a good set of notes for each subject. The demands on your time will not be even throughout the year but rather lower in the early weeks and greater towards the end of term. So it is essential that you complete those tasks set early in the term in good time. Many students these days feel they need to take a part-time job to help their finances. There have been several studies on the effects of non-academic work on degree results. Although it varies slightly from subject to subject, it is generally agreed that, for science students, 10-12 hours per week is the maximum that you should work if you do not wish your degree class to be adversely affected. Since you will often have to complete assignments during the week and will sometimes be at classes from 9am – 6 pm, it would be sensible to limit any non-academic work to the weekend. Having to be at work, or having to work late, is not acceptable as an excuse for either missing classes or for late submission of assignments. So, in short, work hard and play hard. Join societies and participate in their activities. Give something back to your University. You are being presented with a unique opportunity – don’t miss out. Professor Matthew Evans Head of School, Biological & Chemical Sciences 3 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 1. Induction Induction / orientation for 1st year students (September 2011) Any late changes to this information will be posted on www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/welcome.shtml 1.1 Welcome week timetable Monday 19th September 13.00 – 14.00 School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Welcome & Briefing for students on the following programmes in the Mason Lecture Theatre (The Bancroft Building, opposite Library). Chemistry programmes Psychology Biology with Psychology Biochemistry 14.00 – 15.00 (F100, F103, F152, F153, F1C7, F1N2) (C800) (C1C8) (C700) School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Welcome & Briefing for students on the following programmes in the Mason Lecture Theatre (The Bancroft Building, opposite Library). Biology Biomedical Sciences Zoology programmes Genetics Medical Genetics 15.00 – 16.15 (C100) (B990) (C300, C3C1) (C400) (C431) Enrolment slot for SBCS students in the Octagon (Queens’ Building) for students who did not enrol over the previous weekend. Please ensure you take the necessary documentation with you. Tuesday 20th September 10.00 - 12.00 Meeting with your Adviser (GE Fogg or Joseph Priestley Building). You can find out who your Adviser is and where their office is located from the list in the foyer of the GE Fogg Building and also from your MySIS page. Any time Purchase the recommended Biology textbook and Mastering Biology access card package (or access card only) from John Smiths bookshop (on campus). You will have received advice on what to purchase during the Welcome & Briefing sessions on Monday, but all students need to purchase at least the Mastering Biology access card in order to enrol on the Mastering Biology programme on Thursday/Friday. Wednesday 21st September 14.00 – 16.00 Programme Briefing for students on Chemistry programmes, i.e. F100, F103, F152, F153, F1C7, F1N2, in GE Fogg Lecture Theatre. 14.00 – 15.00 Programme Briefing for students on B990 Biomedical Science programme in Arts 1 Lecture Theatre. 15.00 – 16.00 Programme Briefing for students on C700 Biochemistry programme in The Bancroft Building room 3.26. Thursday 22nd September 14.00 – 15.00 Safety in the Chemistry Laboratory session in GE Fogg Lecture Theatre for “Biological Science” students taking the following programmes, i.e. for all C700 students and for C100, C1C8, C400, C431, C300 students if they have registered for Chemistry for Biologists. 15.00 – 16.00 Safety in the Chemistry Laboratory session in GE Fogg Lecture Theatre for all Chemistry programme students, i.e. F100, F103, F152, F153, F1C7, F1N2 16.00 – 17.00 Maths Diagnostic Test for all Chemistry students, i.e. F100, F103, F152, F153, F1C7, F1N2 4 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Induction Thursday 22nd, Friday 23rd September You will need to attend the Mastering Biology registration & lab-handbook / EVS (Electronic Voting System) distribution session in the computer lab LRC2 (Joseph Priestley Building, ground floor). You are allocated to a time by the initial of your family name – see the list below. It is important that you attend the session you are booked into as you will receive a personalized lab-handbook and a Turningpoint EVS clicker. Please do not enrol for Mastering on your own! Thursday 22nd Sept Friday 23rd Sept Time Initial letter of family name Time Initial letter of family name 10:00 10.45 11:45 12:15 A B-C D–G H-K 10:00 10.45 11:45 12:15 L-O P-R S-T U-Z Important: You need to bring your pre-enrolment certificate to this session (this is the certificate you printed from MySIS prior to enrolment - it contains a big barcode) and your Mastering Biology access card. Welcome Receptions (21st, 22nd, 23rd September) In addition, Welcome Receptions will be held during this week for students to meet both other students on the same programme of study and the academic staff: Reception for students on the following programmes …. Day / time Location (in the foyer of ..) Biology, Genetics, Medical Genetics, Zoology Wed 21st September, 4-5 pm GE Fogg Building Biochemistry, All Chemistry programmes, Wed 21st September, 4-5 pm J. Priestley Building Psychology, Biology with Psychology Thu 22nd September, 4-5pm GE Fogg Building Biomedical Science Fri 23rd September, 4-5pm GE Fogg Building Monday 26th September. Week 1 and start of teaching Your first day of lectures. It is possible that your first lecture will be at 9.00 am. Check the noticeboards in the GE Fogg Building, or the SBCS website, before this date for your timetable and the lecture room locations. On Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of week 1 you will need to attend a Library Induction – information on the time and date you need to attend will be posted on the noticeboard on the ground floor of the GE Fogg Building. 5 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Induction GE Fogg Building is No. 11 on map Joseph Priestley Building is no. 34 on map 6 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 1.3 Induction Guide to teaching rooms Lecture / workshop rooms The first number of the room denotes the floor level (e.g Eng 3.24 is on the third-floor of Engineering) Room Abbreviations Arts One Arts Two BRxxx Drapers LT Fogg LT FBxxx David Sizer LT EB xx Eng xxx GO Jones xxx Geog xxx Laws xxx LRC2 Mason LT Maths LT PP1 PP2 Skeel LT W207 PC lab Map no / Building Name [29] Arts Building [27] Arts Building (entrance to rear of Library building) [60] Above Student Union, Bancroft Road entrance [19] Geography Building basement [11] GE Fogg Building (ground floor) [26] The Bancroft Building (1) [26] The Bancroft Building (1) (ground floor) [16] Queens’ Building, east basement [7] Engineering Building [20] GO Jones Building [19] Geography Building [28] Laws Building [34] Computer room, Joseph Priestley Building (ground floor) [26] The Bancroft Building (1) (first floor) [4] Maths Building [15] People’s Palace (downstairs, main building) [15] People’s Palace (downstairs, main building) [15] People’s Palace (upstairs, main building) [16] Queens’ Building (second floor) Notes: 1. The Bancroft Building was formerly known as the Francis Bancroft building and may still be referred to by this former name in some literature. The main entrance is off the Library Square. (Not to be confused with the Bancroft Road lecture rooms – entrance in Bancroft Road). 2. The Perrin Lecture Theatre, used for first-year teaching, is situated in the Blizard Building, Newark Street, Whitechapel (behind the Royal London Hospital). See map at http://www.qmul.ac.uk/docs/about/27062.pdf SBCS Teaching Laboratories JP.G - is the laboratory on the ground floor of the [34] Joseph Priestley Building (room G.22). JP.2 - is the large teaching laboratory on the 2nd floor of the [34] Joseph Priestley Building (room 2.21). Lab 301 - is located on the 3rd floor of the [11] GE Fogg Building. Lab 304 - is located on the 3rd floor of the [11] GE Fogg Building. 7 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 2. About the School About the School In 2005 the School of Biological Sciences and the Department of Chemistry merged to form the School of Biological & Chemical Sciences. The School is located in two buildings on the Mile End Campus, the GE Fogg Building and the Joseph Priestley Building. Academic staff are based on both sites and each building houses teaching laboratories. The only lecture room in the School is on the ground floor of the GE Fogg Building and is known as the Fogg Lecture Theatre. You can find a map of all QMUL campuses at www.qmul.ac.uk/about/howtofindus/ The School of Biological & Chemical Sciences at QM offers both a broad-based training in Biology and Chemistry, and more recently Psychology, and specialization at undergraduate and postgraduate level in a range of subjects from Chemistry, Biochemistry and Genetics to Aquatic Biology and Ecology. An Academic Committee, which meets at least once a term, provides a forum for the discussion of School affairs and for approval of proposals put forward by members or groups of members. The Committee consists of all members of the teaching staff, plus representatives of postdoctoral staff, postgraduate students, undergraduate students (each of the three year groups has one representative) technical staff and administrative staff. There is also an active Student/Staff Liaison Committee for discussion of student matters. The School is administered by the Head (who is usually appointed for a four-year period) with assistance from a number of ad-hoc sub-Committees and various Officers. There are currently 75 academic staff within the School. With approximately 1200 undergraduate students this current academic year, we are the biggest department in QMUL. There are also more than a hundred postgraduate students as well as postdoctoral assistants, laboratory technicians and administrative staff. The main administrative centre is on the 3rd floor of the GE Fogg Building, where you will find a Reception desk. Room numbers, telephone extensions, email addresses and photographs for all staff in the School can be found on the People section of the website. More general information about QMUL is available at www.qmul.ac.uk/about/ 2.1 SBCS Reception (School Office) The main SBCS Reception and School Office is located on the 3rd floor of the GE Fogg Building, although there is also an enquiry office on the ground floor of the Joseph Priestley Building. You can contact any member of the administrative staff via Reception. You will also be able to pick up forms, such as change of programme forms, from the Reception Desk. Opening hours for Reception are from 9 am - 4 pm during term time, and from 10 am – 1 pm; 2 pm – 4 pm during vacation. The exception to this will be during the examination and registration periods when Reception will be open from 9 am – 5 pm. If you wish to phone the School from outside QMUL, the telephone number is 020 7882 3038 which will put you in contact with Reception. 8 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 2.2 About the School Academic staff Head of School: Professor Matthew Evans Director of Taught Programmes: Dr Roger Nix Name Dr I Abrahams Prof J Allen Dr R Ashworth Dr C Bray Dr C Brennan Dr R Buggs Dr AC Campbell * Dr G Chass Prof L Chittka Dr BPG Curran Dr R Cutler Dr A Dobbs Dr T Eilola Prof MR Elphick Dr N Emery * Dr C Bray Dr CG Faulkes Prof B Finlay Dr SM Goldup Dr J Grey Prof DV Griffiths * Prof J Gurnell Prof AG Hildrew* Dr A Hirst Dr RG Hughes Dr P Hurd Dr TC Ings Dr RW Janes Dr K Jensen Dr JI Jones Dr R Knell Dr N Krauss Dr I Larrosa Dr N Lebrasseur Dr SC LeComber Prof AR Leitch Dr E Main email i.abrahams@qmul.ac.uk j.f.allen@qmul.ac.uk r.ashworth@qmul.ac.uk c.bray@qmul.ac.uk c.h.brennan@qmul.ac.uk r.buggs@qmul.ac.uk a.c.campbell@qmul.ac.uk To be confirmed l.chittka@qmul.ac.uk b.curran@qmul.ac.uk r.cutler@qmul.ac.uk a.dobbs@qmul.ac.uk t.eilola@qmul.ac.uk m.r.elphick@qmul.ac.uk n.j.emery@qmul.ac.uk c.bray@qmul.ac.uk g.e.faulkes@qmul.ac.uk b.j.finlay@qmul.ac.uk s.m.goldup@qmul.ac.uk j.grey@qmul.ac.uk d.v.griffiths@qmul.ac.uk j.gurnell@qmul.ac.uk a.hildrew@qmul.ac.uk a.g.hirst@qmul.ac.uk r.hughes@qmul.ac.uk p.j.hurd@qmul.ac.uk t.c.ings@qmul.ac.uk r.w.janes@qmul.ac.uk k.jensen@qmul.ac.uk j.i.jones@qmul.ac.uk r.knell@qmul.ac.uk n.krauss@qmul.ac.uk i.larrosa@qmul.ac.uk n.lebrasseur@qmul.ac.uk s.c.lecomber@qmul.ac.uk a.r.leitch@qmul.ac.uk e.main@qmul.ac.uk Name Dr CA Malcolm Dr AG McElligott Dr A Mesoudi Dr F Missirlis Prof C Mullineaux Prof RA Nichols Dr J Nield Dr RM Nix Dr M Osman Dr BC Parkin Prof IR Phillips Prof RW Pickersgill Dr M Proulx Dr J Puddefoot Dr S Puthiyaveetil Dr Q Rahman Dr M Resmini Dr SJ Rossiter Prof A Ruban Dr JM Schmid-Araya Dr TS Sheriff Dr P Skorupski Prof R Stanewsky Dr A Stollewerk Prof AC Sullivan Dr J Sullivan Mrs BA Thake * Dr M Trimmer Dr J Viles Prof A Vlcek Prof M Watkinson Dr R Whelpton * Dr S Wilkinson Dr G Woodward Dr Yannick Wurm Dr PB Wyatt Dr A Zarbakhsh email c.a.malcolm@qmul.ac.uk a.g.mcelligott@qmul.ac.uk a.messoudi@qmul.ac.uk f.missirlis@qmul.ac.uk c.mullineaux@qmul.ac.uk r.a.nichols@qmul.ac.uk j.nield@qmul.ac.uk r.m.nix@qmul.ac.uk m.osman@qmul.ac.uk b.c.parkin@qmul.ac.uk i.r.phillips@qmul.ac.uk r.w.pickersgill@qmul.ac.uk m.proulx@qmul.ac.uk j.r.puddefoot@qmul.ac.uk s.puthiyaveetil@qmul.ac.uk q.rahman@qmul.ac.uk m.resmini@qmul.ac.uk s.j.rossiter@qmul a.ruban@qmul.ac.uk j.m.schmid-araya@qmul.ac.uk t.s.sheriff@qmul.ac.uk p.skorupski@qmul.ac.uk r.stanewsky@qmul.ac.uk a.stollewerk@qmul.ac.uk a.c.sullivan@qmul.ac.uk j.a.sullivan@qmul.ac.uk b.thake@qmul.ac.uk m.trimmer@qmul.ac.uk j.viles@qmul.ac.uk a.vlcek@qmul.ac.uk m.watkinson@qmul.ac.uk r.whelpton@qmul.ac.uk s.r.wilkinson@qmul.ac.uk g.woodward@qmul.ac.uk To be confirmed p.b.wyatt@qmul.ac.uk a.zarbakhsh@qmul.ac.uk * part-time staff More details information regarding academic staff, including their research interests, can be found at: www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/people/academicstaff/ 9 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 2.3 About the School Administrative staff involved in Teaching & Learning Your main point of contact for enquiries related to your programme should normally be your Academic Adviser, whose office hours should be shown under their entry on the Staff website and on their office door. However, if you have a query relating to the administration of teaching, including practical assignments, Mastering Biology etc. then you can go to the Reception desk on the 3rd floor of the GE Fogg Building. The following list gives an indication of the responsibilities of some of the main administrative staff involved with teaching and learning, but a more comprehensive guide is given under the “People” section of the School’s website: www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk . Contact details Main responsibilities Carol Allen Administrative Assistant c.a.allen@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 3014 Stuart Cadby Administrative Assistant s.j.cadby@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 3015 Examinations assistant (incl. late summer resits) Extenuating circumstances during exam time (EC3) Coursework EC applications Karen Clarke Administrative Assistant (part-time) k.m.clarke@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 2869 Alex Crundwell Administrative Assistant a.crundwell@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 3014 Angela Grocott Administrative Assistant (part-time) a.m.grocott@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 2869 Michelle Restarick School Administrator for Teaching & Learning m.restarick@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 7529 Jean Smith Administrative Officer j.m.smith@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 7615 Kath Smith Administrative Assistant k.m.smith@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 3038 Susanne Steck Administrative Officer s.steck@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 5029 Barbara Tennis School Manager b.tennis@qmul.ac.uk Tel. 020 7882 7679 Mastering Biology, EVS Coursework and exam marks; attendance records Psychology programmes Project Skills in Chemistry / Life Sciences Final year projects (chemistry) Receptionist Joseph Priestley building Field courses Admissions enquiries Receptionist Joseph Priestley building Secretary to SSLC School Administrator for Teaching & Learning Timetabling of lectures and practicals Final year projects (biology/psychology) Registration of students ESB/ESC/ISBS/PBL tutees and record keeping Receptionist, GE Fogg Building Examinations Officer School Manager 10 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Registration and enrolment information 3. Registration and enrolment information 3.1 Registration dates st 1 year students will meet with their Advisers on Tuesday, 20th September. 2nd year students will meet with their Advisers on Thursday 22nd September. 3rd/4th year students will meet with their Advisers on Friday 23rd September. 3rd year students taking an Investigative Project must also attend the practical briefing meeting on the afternoon of Friday 23rd September and the practical sessions in Lab JP.2 during week 1 of term. More information regarding registration and enrolment can be found on the School website www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/teachingandlearning/Registration/ 3.2 Module registration procedures First year students You must register for 8 modules in your first year. On some programmes you will have all compulsory modules, but in others you may have to choose which optional modules (“electives”) you would like to take. You will meet with your adviser on Tuesday 20th September and they will be able to recommend which optional modules will best suit you. They are also responsible for confirming your module registration. To register for your modules you will log-in to MySIS (your personal area of SIS – the Student Information System) with your QMUL computer log-in, or the temporary login provided to you for preenrolment. Once you have seen your advisor, and you are happy with your choices, then you should enter them into MySIS and they will be automatically sent to your advisor for his/her final approval. All modules have a limited number of places, and priority is given to students who are required to take them for their programmes. Therefore it is important that you choose your electives and complete module registration as soon as possible – you should aim to complete this process by no later than Thursday 22nd September. All module registration must be completed by the specified deadline – this is usually the end of the second week of teaching. However, during the first two weeks of each semester, students on some programmes of study are able to modify their choice of modules. This is done by asking your advisor, or a member of the administrative team, to undo your choices on MySIS and then you are able to make new selections. Any change to your original selection will be dependent upon there still being room available on the modules that you now wish to take. Towards the end of your first-year, you will be asked to meet again with your adviser and then to preregister for the modules that you wish to take in the second year. Instructions on this process will be provided nearer the time. For continuing students registration takes place in two stages: Pre-registration At the end of each year you will have an opportunity to meet with your Adviser in June to collect your provisional results from the May exams (your Adviser will tell you the date and time of this meeting). At this meeting, your Adviser will be able to discuss your choice of modules for the next year, as well as giving you a general indication of your performance in the exams. Students who fail to pre-register might find that some of their optional modules are no longer available by September. Before you meet your Adviser in June, you should view the programme structure on the SBCS Control Panel, or the programme website, and decide which modules you would like to take. You can then pre-register yourself on MySIS but if you are unsure of which modules to select, you can do this when you meet with your adviser to collect your provisional exam results. 11 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Registration and enrolment information When you are pre-registering for a future academic year, you must register for 120 credits. Most modules are worth 15 credits, but some modules (e.g. research projects) are worth more (typically 30 credits). You also need to consider the following points: You must take all modules listed as compulsory or core for the relevant year of your degree programme. These will already be selected for you on MySIS. In some years you will then have to make a choice from a specific list of modules. For example, in the final year of many SBCS programmes, you must choose between a research project, an investigative project, and one of the project skills modules. If your diet of modules is still incomplete, you must then select sufficient elective modules (recommended options for your programme) to make up a total of 120 credits for the year. When selecting electives, you need to check the prerequisites for any module that you are considering taking. A prerequisite is a module (generally from a previous year) that you must normally have taken before registering for the module of concern. Registration Prior to returning to QMUL in September, you will be required to ensure that the modules you pre-registered for on MySIS are the ones you still wish to take and to confirm your registration. More information on this process will be sent to you over the summer vacation by the QMUL Academic Registry. You will normally need to meet with your Adviser to confirm and sign off your choice of modules. This will also give you the opportunity to discuss any possible final changes to your elective modules with your Adviser. 2nd year students should see their Adviser on Thursday 22nd September 2011 3rd/4th year students should see their Adviser on Friday 23rd September 2011 3rd year students who will be taking the Investigative Project module must attend a briefing on the afternoon of Friday, 23rd September (location to be advised). For general enquires relating to module registration, please consult your Adviser or the staff of the School Office. 3.3 Enrolment First-year students must formally enrol as a student of Queen Mary before starting on their degree programme. To do this you will be required to attend an enrolment session, with documents which substantiate your identity, nationality and prior academic qualifications. Detailed instructions, including your time-slot for enrolment will be sent-out to you by the QMUL Academic Registry. Continuing students can renew their enrolment electronically. The relevant information will be sent to students by the QMUL Academic Registry. 3.4 QMUL Academic Registry The central office at Queen Mary is responsible for all aspects of student enrolment and registration is the “Academic Registry” (sometimes known as the Registry or Student Administration Office). Their main office is on the ground-floor of the Queens’ Building, CB.05. The Academic Registry is part of Academic Registry and Council Secretariat (ARCS) and their website is the definitive source of information about Queen Mary’s regulations, procedures and policies – the website address is www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk . For most day-to-day matters, however, we would advise you to first contact the School’s administrative staff via the SBCS Reception in the GE Fogg building. 12 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 3.5 Registration and enrolment information Student ID card You will receive a QMUL photo-ID card upon enrolment. This card is very important, and must be carried with you at all times on campus. If you do not produce this card upon request and satisfy staff that it is your card (through comparison of your face with the photograph), you may be removed from the building, or from campus. You must take your card into all examinations, and display it on your table for inspection. The card also shows your Student Number. You will need to provide your Student Number when submitting coursework assignments and you must also write it on all your examination answer booklets. The card additionally serves as your library card (for borrowing books), and will permit you to gain access to various college buildings which require you to scan your card to release the doors. It is vital that you keep your card safe and with you at all times on campus. If you lose your card, or if your card is stolen, you should contact Academic Registry, who will be able to help you. A fee may be charged to replace lost ID Cards. 13 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Communication, IT Services and Student Records 4. Communication, IT Services and Student Records 4.1 Computer account When you first enrol as a student, you will be issued with a Queen Mary computer account (username and password). These account details are needed to access all the online and computing services that you will need throughout your studies including: Queen Mary’s Student PC Service your Queen Mary email account the SBCS Control Panel (for your timetabling, module information, coursework marks etc.) MySIS (the central Student Information System) the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) off-campus access to QMUL webpages and other services It is essential that you keep your computer account details secure, and that you do not share them with any other student, as you will have to take responsibility for all actions undertaken when loggedin using your account details. Take care also not to divulge these details in response to "phishing" attempts. 4.2 Queen Mary email account When you first enrol as a student, you will be issued with a Queen Mary email account (often referred to as your “College email”). This is the only email address we will use to communicate with you. It is very important that you check your emails regularly as numerous important communications will be sent to you via this email address. The School will not be responsible for you failing to act upon information which has been sent to you by email and which you have failed to read. If you communicate with staff via email then please note the following guidelines; We will only respond to emails sent from your Queen Mary email account. We do not respond to emails sent from personal email accounts. You must use formal English (not text speak), and you should address the recipient appropriately (for example, by using the appropriate academic title e.g. Dr Andrews). You must ensure you include your full name and student number. If you are replying to an email then please include a copy of that email. Please note if you fail to follow the above guidelines, then you may not receive a response. You can access your email account by logging on to a QMUL Student PC Service computer, or, if you are not on campus, at: webmail.stu.qmul.ac.uk 4.3 SBCS Student Control Panel and QM MySIS As an undergraduate student you will need to use two databases: the School’s Student Control Panel and the QMUL MySIS system. The School’s Student Control Panel (www2.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk) gives you access to personal information related to your studies (such as practical timetabling, your attendance record and coursework marks). You will need to login using your QM computer account/password when accessing this information. You should check your coursework marks when work is returned to you and at the end of each Semester and any problems should be reported to the School’s administrators immediately. All marks are provisional until they have been agreed by the SBCS Examination Board. At the start of term you need to access the QMUL MySIS system (mysis.qmul.ac.uk) to (re-)enrol and to complete module registration. You can also change certain personal information, such as your home address (in vacations) and your term-time contact details. At the end of each year, your examination marks and overall module marks will also be published on the MySIS system. 14 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 4.4 Communication, IT Services and Student Records Updating your personal details It is important that Queen Mary has up to date personal details for all students. As noted above, you can update your address and contact details on line using MySIS, but a change in name must be done in person at Academic Registry (Queens’ CB.05) with accompanying identification. 4.5 School’s Teaching & Learning webpages In addition to the information provided in this handbook, there is an extensive amount of other important information published on the Undergraduate section of the School’s website. This includes information that is more specific to individual programmes. On this website, we will also publish any changes to the information contained in this handbook, and important information relating to examinations etc. To get to the School’s teaching & learning webpages you may use the following direct link: www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/ or, alternatively, follow the link from the SBCS Student Portal (see section 4.8 below). 4.6 Blackboard VLE The Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is used to provide access to additional learning materials (in addition to those provided on the SBCS Control Panel). It is also used on some modules to deliver online assessments. Blackboard may be accessed using the link provided in the top-left corner of the Control Panel, or directly via: www.elearning.qmul.ac.uk When you login to Blackboard you will see the range of modules for which material is available. 4.7 Student PC Service The Queen Mary Student PC Service (sometimes known as the “Teaching Service”) is an extensive network of Windows-based PCs that provide access to the Blackboard VLE and to a range of software applications that you will need to use throughout your studies (including general applications such as Microsoft Office, and also more specialised scientific applications such as molecular modelling software). The PCs of the service are housed in various locations across College, as detailed on the IT Services webpages ( http://qm-web.its.qmul.ac.uk/ ). Some of these locations are sometimes booked for classes (and booked classes always take preference), but at other times these facilities are open for individual student access. The section of the service which is housed in the main library is always open-access and, if these PCs are busy, there is a screen in the library that will advise you on where you might find a free machine. The IT Services Helpdesk, located on the second floor of the Queens Building, (room W209) Mile End campus, Tel: 020 7882 5932 or email its-helpdesk@qmul.ac.uk is open week days and is able to provide support or give you advice on any IT related subjects. 4.8 SBCS Student Portal This is a webpage designed to provide you with quick-links to the most important online resources for your studies. The SBCS Student Portal can be accessed via: courses.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk 4.9 myQMUL The MyQMUL website is another student portal providing access to a range of online studentoriented information. The site can be accessed via: my.qmul.ac.uk 15 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 4.10 Communication, IT Services and Student Records WiFi access from your own Laptop Wi-Fi access is now available in many campus locations. We recommend you connect to the Wi-Fi network using the Eduroam – Janet Roaming Service. Details of how to use Eduroam can be found using this link: www.its.qmul.ac.uk/network-services/Eduroam.html . 4.11 Communications with/from staff QMUL will communicate with you in a variety of ways. Formal correspondence will be sent to you by letter, and it is important that you keep the College records on MySIS up to date with your personal details and address. However, it is most common for the School and QMUL to contact you by email. You are assigned a QMUL email address when you enrol, and you are strongly advised to check this account daily. Please be aware that staff will not respond to emails sent from other email addresses – your QMUL account must be used at all times. Student noticeboards are situated on the 3rd floor of the GE Fogg Building. It is your responsibility to check these noticeboards regularly – any important changes to timetabling or allocations to workshops/labs will be posted on the noticeboards in addition to being updated on the website and sent by email. There are also information screens in the foyers of both the GE Fogg and Joseph Priestley buildings which will give up-to-date information. The room numbers, telephone numbers and email addresses of all staff are listed on the SBCS website. All academic staff should have "Office Hours" posted on their office doors and/or on the SBCS Control Panel - these are times when students can consult them without a prior appointment. These are not the only times staff are at work but they are times when they will not be giving lectures, practicals or carrying out research in the field or laboratory. If you wish to communicate with a member of staff in writing you should do this by email or by leaving a note in their pigeon-hole located on the same floor as the academic’s office. Students can expect to be treated courteously by staff but they themselves must treat administrative staff, technicians, demonstrators, research and academic staff with courtesy at all times. Students should generally use academic titles when communicating with academic staff (e.g. Dr Andrews, Professor Evans). Communication with relatives: You should be aware, and you should inform your relatives, that university students are regarded as adults and therefore it is not Queen Mary's policy to divulge any information concerning a student's progress or attendance to parents, guardians or other relatives. The only exception would be if you have given prior agreement - for example, if you are present with them, or if have given written permission for this to occur. 16 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 5. Student Support 5.1 Student Guide Student Support The Student Guide is a QMUL publication that you will receive at the start of the academic year. The Student Guide should be used together with this Handbook for general information on your time at Queen Mary. The Student Guide contains a wide range of information, including: Academic and student support services The academic year Campus facilities Simplified academic regulations How to? Advice Queen Mary contact information Calendar Graduation and Alumni Student Administration, and common issues and processes QMUL policies Campus and QMUL information 5.2 Expectations What students can expect from us You can expect: information regarding your programme structure, individual modules and methods of assessment via the SBCS Control Panel and the SBCS internal website. to receive information regarding the scheduled classes for your modules, including the timetables for your lectures, tutorials, workshops and practicals. to be provided with a Personal Academic Adviser who will act as your personal tutor throughout your studies and will advise you regarding your choice of modules. to receive advice and guidance regarding academic issues and assistance with contacting the appropriate QMUL advice centre if necessary. to receive notification regarding changes to any scheduled lectures, tutorials or workshops via your QMUL email account and/or the SBCS website. to receive assessment feedback within a reasonable period of time (normally within two weeks, but there may be exceptions for larger assessments) to have the opportunity to provide us with feedback regarding your individual modules and your overall programme. your module organiser to respond to your module feedback (and, where appropriate, to take action to address any issues raised). to be represented by student members in the SBCS student/staff liaison committee and on other QMUL committees. SBCS staff to abide by QMUL’s code of conduct for staff. What we expect from you – You are expected: to enrol and register on your programme on a timely basis. to attend classes on time, and to submit coursework assessments on time. to behave in a mature and reasonable manner in classes, and to not disrupt lectures. to take responsibility for your own learning and personal/professional development. to familiarise yourself with your programme structure and modules via the SBCS Control Panel. to adhere to health and safety rules and regulations at all times (especially in laboratories). to regularly read your Queen Mary email account, the SBCS website and noticeboards. to notify us about absences/missed assessments using the forms provided on the SBCS website. to provide constructive feedback on modules and programmes when requested to do so. to abide by QMUL Code of Student Discipline ( www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy_zone/ ) 17 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 5.3 Student Support to engage in academic discussion and feedback, when requested to do so. to check your coursework marks at the end of each semester and report any problems immediately. to check examination timetables and to ensure you attend your exams. to update QMUL records with any change in your contact details. to give your Adviser reasonable notice (normally 2 weeks) when you require an academic reference. Personal Academic Advisers Each student will be assigned to a Personal Academic Adviser (your “Adviser”) who will generally stay with you throughout your academic career. Your Adviser will help you select your course modules at the beginning of each semester, sign any forms you need and advise you about dealing with any academic or personal problems you may have. They will normally be the person to give you a reference at the end of your studies. You will also attend tutorials with your Adviser during your first year. If you wish to see your Adviser, you should either meet during his/her office hours, or make an appointment by email. The School also has two Senior Academic Advisers who will help with more serious problems. These are Dr Jenny Schmid-Araya and Dr Chris Faulkes. In the unlikely event that you wish to change your Academic Adviser during your studies, you will need to make an appointment to see the Director of Taught Programmes (Dr Roger Nix) by email. 5.4 Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS) Starting university can be daunting: socially, academically and even geographically. The PASS scheme is here to help. The Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS) scheme aims to increase first year students’ understanding of concepts central to their academic lives. In addition, the scheme seeks to develop leadership, management, and communication skills in second and third year students who serve as PASS mentors. Times of the PASS sessions are shown in the first year timetables and the info screens in the foyers. Our aim is to equip first year students with the tools to survive, achieve and successfully reach their academic potential. We will use an interactive, flexible, and dynamic approach to help you make the leap from a more conventional style of study to a creative and self- directed approach. Self-directed study allows you to spark your scientific curiosity and enjoy reading around your degree. The self-directed approach to study is essential for your academic career. Through sessions scheduled to suit the students, third years will pass on the valuable lessons they have learnt about independent study, career choices and university life in general. Students will learn a number of practical skills including: time management, note taking, selecting appropriate books, self-motivation, identifying their individual style of study, extra reading, using scientific equipment and much more. PASS at Queen Mary is run in partnership with the Widening Participation Team in the Department of Corporate Affairs. Information about the PASS mentoring in the SBCS can be found on the SBCS Teaching and Learning webpages ( www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/) and will also be sent to you by email. 5.5 Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) The Student-Staff Liaison Committee provides the opportunity for students and staff to communicate and discuss matters arising in the School and QMUL that are of more general interest, rather than individual interest. This could include content and assessment of modules, the adviser and tutor systems and academic and social facilities. Feedback from the SSLC is posted on the School's website and referred to the Teaching & Learning Committee (TLC) and the SBCS Academic Committee. The SSLC is chaired by Dr Caroline Brennan (c.h.brennan@qmul.ac.uk) and is normally attended by the Head of School, the Director of Taught Programmes and the Senior Academic Advisers. Student representatives from each year attend up to four meetings per year and contact details for such representatives are shown on the SSLC website. 18 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 5.6 Student Support Advice & Counselling Service The Advice and Counselling Service offers a free and confidential service to all Queen Mary students, including the key areas of support listed below: General advice and guidance on issues such as: money, housing, legal rights, anxiety, depression, bereavement and personal problems; Information and advice for international students; Information and advice for students with dyslexia; Information and advice for students with other disabilities; Counselling. Please visit the Advice and Counselling web site (www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk) for full details of the help they offer, information on making an appointment, and extensive online information that may answer your initial queries. The Advice and Counselling staff provide a confidential service and will not, in normal circumstances, pass on personal information about you to anybody outside the service, unless you have given your permission. 5.7 English Language and Academic Support The Language and Learning Unit offers a range of courses, workshop classes and individual tutoring in English language, academic communication skills and related areas. All students are eligible to use this service, which is free of charge. Whether you are unsure about the skills required for your degree or wish to enhance your abilities in a particular area, you are encouraged to contact them. Please see their website for further information: www.languageandlearning.qmul.ac.uk The Drop-In Study Centre (DISC) offers free and impartial advice about a range of academic topics. DISC covers mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and statistics, and can offer guidance on how to approach your subject, general help on questions and one-on-one tutoring. For more information, go to www.languageandlearning.qmul.ac.uk/as/disc/ 5.8 Quality Assurance and Student Feedback The School is committed to operating within the framework of QMUL’s quality enhancement procedures to provide excellent teaching and learning. Your views are important to the School and to Queen Mary. There are a variety of ways in which you can communicate your opinions to us. At a College level, there are student representatives on committees across Queen Mary. The School’s Teaching & Learning Committee (TLC), chaired by the Director of Taught Programmes, meets regularly throughout the year to discuss all aspects of undergraduate teaching and learning and makes recommendations to the SBCS Academic Committee on such issues as programme and module reviews. The Student Staff Liaison Committee reports on QA issues raised by students to the TLC. At the end of each semester, you will be asked to complete a module evaluation which gives you the opportunity to comment on the modules you have taken and make suggestions regarding aspects of the courses that may need moderating. The School takes your comments very seriously and is grateful for your contribution to the QA process. However, you are asked to provide constructive feedback, and not to personalise these evaluation forms by commenting on particular members of staff. 19 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 5.9 Student Support National Student Survey All final year students at UK institutions take part in the National Student Survey (NSS). This is your opportunity to share your experiences of Queen Mary with the wider world and future students. Please do complete the NSS, and fill it in conscientiously. If you are a finalist, you will usually be contacted by email in the spring term. The results are important as they are used in compiling university league tables, which can determine national university ‘rankings’ in the press. 5.10 Graduate Attributes and your Academic and Professional Development Queen Mary wants you to make the most of your student experience. For that reason, we want to help you identify the opportunities that exist to develop your graduate attributes. These attributes reflect the location, profile of the student body and research-intensive nature of the university and are detailed in the Queen Mary Statement of Graduate Attributes. The Queen Mary Statement of Graduate Attributes identifies 32 attributes grouped into 7 themes that will help you prepare yourself for your future employment. You can read more about our graduate attributes statement here www.qmul.ac.uk/gacep/statement/ Here are the main ways that you can develop the knowledge, skills values and behaviours that employers of graduates value. Engage fully in your degree programme learning Make sure that you identify where in your degree programme the opportunities for developing graduate attributes occur and engage fully in these learning activities. Engage in work experience and other forms of extra-curricular activity Make sure you take up some of the wide range of opportunities open to you, such as work experience, volunteering, and enterprise education and entrepreneurship opportunities. Enhance your ability to reflect on your learning and monitor your progress for employability Sign up to an award or certificate designed to ensure you gain the most from your student experience. Be active in career decision making and preparation for employment – from your arrival at Queen Mary Make sure you attend the careers programme in your school and the College wide activities. Make employability information work for you! Look at these resources early on and plan ahead. Mind the GAP (Graduate Attributes and Employability Site for all Students) mindthegap.qmul.ac.uk Queen Mary Careers Site www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 20 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Calendar and semester dates 6. QMUL Calendar and semester dates 6.1 Structure of the academic year The Academic Year is split into two semesters of 12 weeks and an exam term of approximately six weeks. Semester A runs from September to December, Semester B runs from January to April (depending on the timing of Easter), and the examination period runs from May-June. In some documents, you may find that semesters are referred to as Semester 1 and Semester 2, rather than as Semester A and Semester B. 6.2 Semester dates (for the academic year 2011-2012) Semester A: 19th September 2011 to 16th December 2011 (teaching begins on 26th September) Semester B: 9th January 2012 to 30th March 2012 Revision week: 23rd – 27th April 2012 Examination period: 30th April to 8th June 2012 Key QMUL dates are available online at www.qmul.ac.uk/about/calendar/ 6.3. Year planner For timetabling purposes, you will need to know the date of each week of term – week 1 will begin on Monday, 26th September. You can find a Year Planner at the end of this handbook, and on the School website. 6.4 Reading weeks Week 7 of each semester is designated as a Reading Week. This week is not a half-term vacation and you are required to attend any scheduled classes or assessments in this week. It is, however, an opportunity to catch-up with any outstanding work and to undertake independent additional learning. In general, modules do not have any lectures during this week but there are some exceptions to this. Some of you will have scheduled tests; some modules may have practical classes or coursework exercises; and there may be some special lectures (e.g. revision lectures, or lectures by visiting speakers). As already noted, during these Reading Weeks, you should aim to make sure all your coursework is up to date and go over all your lecture notes to make sure they are complete and that you understand them. You should use textbooks and the library to help you to clear up any topics you find difficult. If you are involved in project work, make sure you are on schedule – this is an excellent opportunity to press ahead with literature searches. 6.5 Revision week Immediately prior to the examination period, there will be a Revision Week where academic staff have the opportunity to give revision lectures. Not all modules have lectures at this time as in some cases, revision material is covered during the normal teaching period, or provided by alternative methods. 21 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 7. Timetables 7.1 Lectures and practicals Timetables You will find the SBCS timetables on the School website: www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/teachingandlearning/timetables/ Lecture timetables (with guide to lecture rooms), Summary of workshop/laboratory afternoon commitments, Planner for academic year. Most modules conform to a lecture pattern of 2 x 1-hour or 1 x 2-hour lectures per week and students must attend all lectures. First-year and second-year modules with practical components normally have afternoon practical laboratory sessions timetabled and, due to the size of the classes, these laboratory sessions often run on more than one day of the week. You will be allocated to one day for each practical experiment and we would stress that once allocated, it is not normally possible for you to change the day. The laboratories have a limited amount of bench space and the School has to limit numbers to comply with Health & Safety regulations. Some modules run workshops or computer classes instead of practicals. Information about the scheduling of your practicals/workshops will be posted on your personalised page of the SBCS Control Panel at the end of the first week of term to tell you on which days you will need to attend. When you register for your modules, your Adviser should ask you whether you would like us to try and keep Wednesday afternoons free for other QM activities, i.e. sports or QM Society meetings – you may need to give proof to your Adviser that this is the case. We will do our best to comply with your request but in exceptional cases we may not be able to accommodate your request, due to the aforementioned issues with laboratory capacity. You will find that some of the first-year Biology practicals are arranged differently to others (especially the Chemistry practicals). Each advisorial group of students will be assigned to a practical facilitator (demonstrator) who will schedule each practical for that particular group of students within the week specified on the practical timetable. Almost all lectures/practicals are held on the QM campus. Lectures can be held in any lecture theatre in any building but almost all laboratories will be in either the GE Fogg or Joseph Priestley Buildings. Some modules have computer classes which are timetabled in one of the Student PC Service classrooms. You can find a guide to lecture rooms on page 7 of this Handbook and on the School website. Before you begin your practical work, you must read the information on practical classes, which includes guidance on what equipment you will need (note: all students are required to wear a lab coat when working in the lab), how to write up your work, and health and safety in the lab. For essential reading, please see Section 12.1. 22 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 7.2 Timetables How to construct your personal timetable of lectures/practicals/workshops a) You will be able to see on MySIS which modules you are registered for. You can also check your modules on your personalised page of the SBCS Control Panel ( www2.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk ). This will indicate in which semester (A or B) each module is running, with Semester A modules listed first, followed by Semester B modules. At the end of week 1, you will also be able to see your allocations for the practicals/workshop groups (see example below). b) Check the relevant semester timetable (which can be downloaded from the School website); this will tell you when and where the lectures for the modules take place: An example is shown below: School of Biological & Chemical Sciences Timetable First year - Semester A Please note that practicals/workshops are not always on the same day as the lectures - the afternoon information just shows the weeks and location of the sessions. See separate laboratory timetable for exact days: 9am Foundations of Organic Chemistry (m) Exploring Psychology The Microbial World & Humans (m) 11am FBcmlt Chemistry for Biologists Mon 10am 12pm FBcmlt 1pm 2-6pm Wks 3,5,9,11 Lab JP.G (Fridays); Wks 2,4,6,8,10, 2-4pm w/shop Arts B-G.02 Skeel PP2 Wks 2,6,9,11 lab JP.2 at 2pm. Wk 6 comp, Thurs FB123, Fri LRC2 Eng 216 FB 240 Wks 4,10; 2-4 pm comps FB115a GO Jones BR 401 Wks 4,6,9,11 Lab 3.04, 2-5pm Some lectures are split across multiple days and you will need to attend all the lectures. Room details (such as abbreviations and locations) can be found in section 1.3 of this handbook. 23 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Timetables c) During week 1 of term you will be allocated to specific laboratory sessions and your personal timetable will appear on your SBCS Control Panel at the end of this week. Prior to this you can check the first year practical/workshop timetable (on the School website) to find out which weeks the practicals and other commitments take place: Summary of first year practical/workshop commitments Semester A Week MON TUES 1 ESB/ESP/ESC Library Fund Management 35pm WEDS Intro Chem w/shop Intro Chem lab 3 FRI ESB/ESP/ESC Library Cell Dynamics / The Human Cell 2 THURS Found Org Chem Fund Management 35pm Diversity of Life Elem.Phys.Chem workshop in LT Chem for Biologists w/shop Phys Chem for Biologists w/shop Chem for Biologists lab Ecol & Environ Techs field trip Atom, Molec & Ionic Structure Fund Management 35pm Chem for Biologists w/shop Chrom Gene Func and Hered Gene Act 4 Intro Chem w/shop Atom, Molec & Ion Struct workshop 13pm Elem.Phys.Chem workshop in LT Micro.World & Humans (plate checks) Example: For Chemistry for Biologists your commitments would be on Fridays in weeks 2,3,4 – some weeks laboratories and some weeks workshops (and other weeks not shown in the example above). For some large modules, the classes will be repeated on several days of the same week in which case you will be allocated to one specific day of the week (e.g. The Diversity of Life). The time and day you attend each module should be the same for that particular module for each week it runs (normally 4 practicals per semester). In the same website link, you will see the Laboratory timetables. These will show you week by week which modules are running in a particular laboratory. There are four laboratories – two in the GE Fogg Building and two in the Joseph Priestley Building. Practicals could take place in either building. d) It would be advisable to keep a personal diary and make a note of your lecture/lab/workshop commitments for the whole semester. Your adviser should be able to help you with this. Any timetable queries should be directed to the Student Reception in the fogg Building – remember that student timetables are individual and your friend will probably have a different timetable to you! 7.3 Tutorials First-year students take one of the following modules: SBS002 Essential Skills for Biologists, CHE100 Essential Skills for Chemists or SBC140 Essential Skills for Psychologists. Whichever module you take you will attend both the lectures and the tutorials. The tutorials are with your Adviser and there will be four tutorials per semester. On these modules the coursework element (from the tutorials, and other specified items) will count as 50% of your total marks for this module, the other 50% being awarded for the examination paper taken in May. It is very important that you attend all tutorials – if you fail to do so, you are likely to find that you fail the coursework element of this module and subsequently fail the entire module. 24 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Timetables Many second/third- year students take SBS007 Integrative Studies in Biological Sciences, SBC340 Integrative Studies in Psychological Studies or SBS320 Biomedical Science Case Approach to Problem Solving, depending on their programme of study. This is a two-year tutorial-based module with an examination in the 3rd year; although you will begin this module in the 2nd year, it is credited to the 3rd year. You will be required to attend 3 or 4 tutorials per semester, normally with a different tutor each semester. The tutorials will account for 50% of the coursework element for this module. Individual module organisers may hold other tutorial classes as a compulsory element of their module – if applicable, you will find this information on the timetables. 7.4 Field courses Some modules run field courses instead of laboratories, and this information can be found on the School website. Field courses are a compulsory element of the module, but will often run outside of the normal teaching semesters. Failure to pay the cost of the field course (which is partly-met by the School) will result in you being a debtor and you will be unable to progress with your studies. Should you select a module which includes a field trip and subsequently do not attend the field trip after accommodation/travel bookings have been made, you will have to reimburse the School for any costs already incurred on your behalf. More information regarding field courses can be found at www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/teachingandlearning/fieldvacationmodules/ 7.5 Advanced Experimental Chemistry (CHE010) This module (a compulsory module on all chemistry degree programmes) normally runs between the second and third years, and the credit counts towards the third-year of your studies. The course is generally split into two parts, with the first part held after the second-year examinations (in June) and the second-part at the very beginning of the next academic year (in mid-September). If you are registered for this module then you must attend both parts. 25 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 8. Attendance 8.1 Attendance monitoring Attendance You are expected to attend all lectures, practical classes, workshops, tutorials, field courses and other events which are part of the modules you are registered for. Evidence of attendance will be collected from time to time by means of registers, which it is your responsibility to sign, and through the barcode system used in some practicals and workshops. Attendance may also be monitored in other ways: for example, some modules have short tests in practical classes or in randomly-selected lectures, or use the EVS (Electronic Voting System). Poor attendance may result in you being issued with a warning by the Director of Taught Programmes. These warning may be sent-out by email, or as letters to your term-time address. If your attendance fails to improve then you may be deregistered from any affected modules, or from your complete programme of study (see section 8.8). Poor attendance might also be reported to your funding authority or UK border agency, and will normally be mentioned in any reference from the School. In summary, attendance is important; failure to attend usually leads to failure in assessment and persistent non-attendance may result in your de-registration. Other students’ lecture notes are not a satisfactory substitute for attending yourself and absence from practical classes or other in-class assessments cannot usually be rectified. If you fail to attend a field course for which the School has already incurred costs, you will be charged the full cost of the course. 8.2 Extenuating circumstances (ECs) Extenuating circumstances are defined by Queen Mary as circumstances that are outside a student’s control which may have a negative impact on a student’s ability to undertake or complete any assessment so as to cast doubt on the likely validity of the assessment as a measure of the student’s achievement. Extenuating circumstances (ECs) include illness, death of a close relative, etc. but do not include issues such as computer problems, misreading your exam timetable, planned holidays or local transport delays. A booklet providing guidance about extenuating circumstances is available from the Advice and Counselling website: www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk The most common type of EC is ill-health, which can affect your ability to complete assessments contributing to the evalulation of your degree programme. If you are not in sufficiently good-health to attend a class involving an assessment or an invigilated examination then you should not attend and you should instead submit a claim for extenuating circumstances. In particular, you should note that Queen Mary's regulations state that if you attend an examination then you will be deemed to have declared yourself well enough to sit it and as a result any subsequent extenuating circumstances claim will not normally be considered. The procedures that must be followed for making an EC claim are outlined in the following section, and more detail is given on the following page of the SBCS website: www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/assessment/absencefromclasses/ All claims of extenuating circumstances are considered only by a small sub-board of the Biological and Chemical Sciences examination board. All proceedings of the sub-board are strictly confidential, and will not normally be discussed at the full examination board meeting. 26 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Attendance Please note: 8.3 it is your own responsibility to submit any claims for extenuating circumstances, not that of your adviser. Please ensure that if you do have what you believe is a valid case, you complete the submission process in accordance with the SBCS guidelines and deadlines. it is not possible to make a retrospective claim for extenuating circumstances, specifically it is too late to make a claim once you know your results. Therefore claims submitted after the final deadline will not be considered by the examination board. Procedures for certifying absences / making EC submissions Information about the procedure to follow in the event that you miss an assessment due to extenuating circumstances, together with a link providing access to the EC claim form and information about the various deadlines for submission, are available from the following page on the SBCS website: www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/assessment/absencefromclasses/ If you believe that you have a genuine case for consideration, you should complete and submit the EC claim form. You must also supply supporting documentation (for example medical certification, death certificate, police report and crime number, or other written evidence from an appropriate person in authority – more detail on what type of documentation is acceptable can be found in the EC guidance notes available from www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk ). The hardcopy of the claim form, and all supporting paperwork, must be submitted to the GE Fogg Student Reception by the specified deadline. You will be given a receipt for the claim form you have submitted and you must keep this safe for the duration of your studies. You should further note that: EC claims for absences should only normally be made if it was a requirement for you to be present in a class at a specified date and time for the assessment to be made, or your presence was required for observations or data collection which is the basis of an assessed report (as in a laboratory practical). you are not allowed to miss a practical and submit a report based on another student’s results without the agreement of the module organiser (otherwise it is plagiarism). Completion of an EC claim form does not necessarily mean that you will be granted compensation for any missed coursework assessment – this will be decided by the sub-board after due consideration of the information and supporting documentation that you have provided. Once your claim has been considered you will be notified of the result. In those cases where the EC claim is accepted for a missed coursework assignment, this is usually done by flagging the missed assessment as an EC-case on the SBCS Control Panel. In some circumstances, however, you may be required to complete an alternative assignment, in which case you will be contacted by the module organiser with details of the new arrangements. If you fail to complete this alternative assignment then a zero-mark will be awarded. 8.4 Absence for religious reasons Due to the cultural diversity of students taking modules in SBCS and the pressure on staff, facilities and room availability, it is not normally possible for us to cater for absences due to religious reasons. However, if sufficient warning is given to us of intended absences we will try, if possible, to be flexible and to accommodate reasonable requests. In cases where a submission deadline coincides with a religious holiday, you should always aim to submit the work in advance of the deadline. If absence for religious reasons may impact on the examination timetable, it is vital that students inform the Academic Registry at the beginning of Semester B. 27 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 8.5 Attendance Restarting the year Students who have started on one SBCS degree cannot normally restart on another degree. Any request to do so will be considered by, and is at the discretion of, the Senior Admissions Tutor. Students who suffer serious extenuating circumstances near the start of the academic year may, however, apply for interruption (see below) and then restart their studies on the same programme at the start of the next academic year. 8.6 Interruption of study If it is necessary for you to interrupt your studies until the next academic year due to serious ill health or other personal problems, you should first discuss this with your Adviser and complete the necessary paperwork (available from Academic Registry or the SBCS Reception). Interruptions are normally for a period of 12 months (from the date of interruption), but in exceptional circumstances, you may interrupt for a maximum of 24 months. Any request for interruption must be made before the end of Semester B. 8.7 Withdrawal from QMUL Occasionally it is necessary for students to withdraw from their studies due to illness or other exceptional reasons. However, before you come to any decision about whether you should withdraw from QMUL, you should discuss this with your Adviser to see if there are ways in which this could be avoided - once a withdrawal form is completed, the decision is irreversible. We would also advise you to discuss any problems as soon as they arise, as there is often something that can be done to help you provided it is not left too late. However, if you do ultimately decide to withdraw, you must complete a withdrawal form (available from Academic Registry or the SBCS Reception) which will need to be signed by the Senior Academic Adviser. If you fail to enrol at the beginning of the academic year and after the Academic Registry has contacted you, after a appropriate period of time it will be assumed that you have withdrawn from QMUL and your registration will be officially terminated. 8.8 Deregistration In exceptional cases the School may (in accord with Queen Mary’s Academic Regulations) take steps to deregister students from specific modules and/or their programme of study, as a result of very poor attendance or a failure to submit sufficient coursework. In such cases you will be issued with at least one warning (sent by email to your Queen Mary account), and given an opportunity to improve your attendance and submissions, or to raise any extenuating circumstances, before a deregistration decision is taken. If you are deregistered from: one module, then you may no longer attend scheduled classes or attend the final examination for that module. your programme of study then your enrolment at Queen Mary will be terminated, and you may no longer make use of any of the facilities of the Queen Mary campuses. Deregistration from a core module, or modules exceeding 30 credits in total, will generally lead to deregistration from your programme of study. International students should appreciate that poor attendance and deregistration is also likely to result in your visa to study in the UK being revoked. We would stress that the School regards deregistration as a last resort, only to be taken in exceptional circumstances, and we would much prefer that you seek help early-on if you are having problems, rather than letting the problems escalate out-of-control. 28 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Degree programmes 9. Degree programmes and modules 9.1 List of programmes in the School The School offers a total of 13 BSc and 3 MSci undergraduate degree programmes, which are made up of more than 100 different modules: BSc Degree Programmes C700 Biochemistry C100 Biology C1C8 Biology with Psychology B990 Biomedical Sciences F100 Chemistry F1C7 Chemistry with Biochemistry F1N2 Chemistry with Business Management C400 Genetics C431 Medical Genetics F154 Pharmaceutical Chemistry C800 Psychology C300 Zoology C3C1 Zoology with Aquatic Biology MSci Degree Programmes F103 Chemistry F152 Pharmaceutical Chemistry F153 Pharmaceutical Chemistry with a Year in Industry It is possible that you may wish to change your programme of study after you begin your course. Provided you have taken all the compulsory modules for the new programme, and met the academic progression conditions, you can normally do this by contacting your Adviser and completing a Change of Programme form available from Reception. In some changes, a request for a change of programme will need to be approved by the Senior Admission Tutor. You should also note that it is not possible for students to transfer onto some programmes after the first year of study due to specialist first year modules, e.g. B990, C1C8, C800, F1N2. In some programmes, you will have no choice of which modules you take (i.e. they are composed entirely of compulsory modules) but other programmes are made up of a mixture of compulsory modules and optional (elective) modules – the programme diets on MySIS (and also displayed on the SBCS Control Panel) indicate which modules are compulsory and which are optional for each programme. If you do have optional modules then you will select these modules when you meet with your Adviser to discuss registration (see the registration information in section 3 ). Some modules are only available to students on specific programmes. The following pages outline the programme diets for the first year of each programme. For more information on programmes and a list of modules available for the full duration of each programme of study, please see the programme information given on the SBCS Control Panel. Information on module pre-requisites and module specifications can also be accessed via the Control Panel (www2.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk). 29 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 9.2 Degree programmes Programmes and Modules for First Year Students Compulsory courses are shown in bold typeface, elective modules in non-bold typeface. Although the programme information in this handbook is accurate at the time of publication, aspects of the programme may be subject to modification and revision. Information provided by the School during the year may therefore supercede the information contained in this handbook. C700 Biochemistry Semester A Semester B SBS002 Essential skills for biologists SBS019 Cell dynamics SBS017 Basic biochemistry CHE121 Foundations of organic chemistry CHE242 Kinetics and coordination chemistry SBS008 Heredity and gene action CHE222 Organic functional group chemistry CHE146 Physical chemistry for biologists C100 Biology Semester A Semester B SBS002 Essential skills for biologists SBS019 Cell dynamics SBS017 Basic biochemistry SBC115 Ecological and environmental techniques SBC116 Conservation and the environment SBS008 Heredity and gene action SBS110 Evolution SBS005 The diversity of life SBC108 Chemistry for biologists (for students with A level Chemistry) CHE043 Introductory chemistry (for students without A level Chemistry) C1C8 Biology with Psychology Semester A Semester B SBS002 Essential skills for biologists SBC104 Exploring psychology SBS110 Evolution SBS005 The diversity of life SBC105 Cognition, evolution and behaviour SBS019 Cell dynamics SBC116 Conservation and the environment SBC115 Ecological and environmental techniques SBS017 Basic biochemistry SBS008 Heredity and gene action SBC108 Chemistry for biologists (for students with A level Chemistry) CHE043 Introductory chemistry (for students without A level Chemistry) B990 Biomedical Sciences Semester A Semester B SBS002 Essential skills for biologists SBC210 Chromosomes and gene functions SBS022 Biomedical physiology I SBC102 Human anatomy SBC323 Biomolecules of life SBC100 The human cell SBC101 Tissue biology SBC211 The microbial world and humans 30 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Degree programmes F100 Chemistry (BSc) / F103 Chemistry (MSci) Semester A Semester B CHE100 Essential skills for chemists CHE111 Atomic molecular and ionic structure SBC107 Analytical chemistry CHE135 Elements of physical chemistry SBS017 Basic biochemistry CHE121 Foundations of organic chemistry CHE242 Kinetics and coordination chemistry CHE222 Organic functional group chemistry F1C7 Chemistry with Biochemistry Semester A Semester B CHE100 Essential skills for chemists CHE111 Atomic molecular and ionic structure SBS017 Basic biochemistry CHE135 Elements of physical chemistry CHE242 Kinetics and coordination chemistry CHE121 Foundations of organic chemistry CHE222 Organic functional group chemistry SBS008 Heredity & gene action F1N1 Chemistry with Business Management Semester A Semester B SBS100 Essential Skills for Chemists CHE111 Atomic, Molecular and Ionic Structure BUS017 Economics for business CHE135 Elements of physical Chemistry CHE242 Kinetics and Coordination Chemistry CHE121 Foundations of organic chemistry CHE222 Organic functional group chemistry BUS001 Fundamentals of management C400 Genetics Semester A Semester B SBS002 Essential skills for biologists SBS019 Cell dynamics SBS017 Basic biochemistry SBS005 The diversity of life SBC116 Conservation and the environment SBS008 Heredity and gene action SBS110 Evolution SBC108 Chemistry for Biologists (for students with A level Chemistry) CHE043 Introductory chemistry (for students without A level Chemistry) C431 Medical Genetics Semester A Semester B SBS002 Essential skills for biologists SBS019 Cell dynamics SBS017 Basic biochemistry SBS005 The diversity of life SBC110 Evolution SBS008 Heredity and gene action SBC101 Tissue Biology SBC108 Chemistry for Biologists (for students with A level Chemistry) CHE043 Introductory chemistry (for students without A level Chemistry) 31 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Degree programmes C800 Psychology Semester A Semester B SBC140 Essential skills for psychologists SBC141 Brain and behaviour SBC105 Cognition, evolution and behaviour SBC104 Exploring psychology SBS110 Evolution SBS401 Biology for psychologists SBC142 Research methods & statistics in psychology I SBS008 Heredity and gene action LIN101 Language acquisition C300 Zoology (Whole Organism stream) Semester A Semester B SBS002 Essential skills for biologists SBS019 Cell dynamics SBS017 Basic biochemistry SBC115 Ecological and Environmental Techniques SBC116 Conservation and the environment SBS008 Heredity and gene action SBS110 Evolution SBS005 The diversity of life C300 Zoology (Physiology stream) Semester A Semester B SBS002 Essential skills for biologists SBS019 Cell dynamics SBS017 Basic biochemistry SBC115 Ecological and Environmental Techniques SBC116 Conservation and the environment SBS008 Heredity and gene action SBS110 Evolution SBS005 The diversity of life SBC108 Chemistry for biologists (for students with A level Chemistry) CHE043 Introductory chemistry (for students without A level Chemistry) C3C1 Zoology with Aquatic Biology Semester A Semester B SBS002 Essential skills for biologists SBS019 Cell dynamics SBS017 Basic biochemistry SBC115 Ecological & Environmental Techniques SBC116 Conservation and the environment SBS008 Heredity and gene action SBS110 Evolution SBS005 The diversity of life F152 Pharmaceutical Chemistry / F153 Pharmaceutical Chemistry with a Year in Industry (MSci) Semester A Semester B CHE100 Essential skills for chemists CHE111 Atomic molecular and ionic structure SBS017 Basic biochemistry CHE135 Elements of physical chemistry CHE242 Kinetics and coordination chemistry CHE121 Foundations of organic chemistry CHE222 Organic functional group chemistry SBS008 Heredity and gene action 32 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 10. Procedures, rules and regulations Procedures, Rules and Regulations It is your responsibility to read and understand the rules and regulations relating to your studies. There are additional notes on various topics relating to the assessment of your degree on the SBCS website (www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/) and you are strongly recommended to read these pages. The topics which are covered on the website include: 10.1 Absence from assessed classes Submission of coursework (including penalties for late submission) Plagiarism (including statement on plagiarism) Examination information (for BSc and MSci programmes) Late summer examinations Marking criteria for essays Marks and grades for individual modules In order to pass an individual module you must achieve an overall mark of 40% or above, and meet any additional requirements specified in the module specification. How the Overall Mark for a Module is Calculated The module mark is normally calculated (to a precision of 1 decimal place) by taking a weighted average of the overall coursework mark and the mark achieved in the final examination. The relative contributions of coursework and examination to the aggregate mark depend on the module; these proportions are given in the module specification. In a few modules the assessment is 100% coursework and there is no final examination. For some modules, however, there may be additional requirements which need to be satisfied, and if these additional requirements are not met then the overall mark awarded for a module may be lower than the weighted average mark described above. In such cases the details of the additional requirements are given in the individual module specification (this includes many SBCS modules, which have a requirement that a mark of 35% or better must be obtained in both the overall coursework and examination components, in order for the module mark to exceed 40%) The overall coursework mark is itself calculated from the percentage marks obtained in the individual assessments completed as part of the coursework for the module. These assessments will typically have different weightings, as indicated in information provided at the beginning of the module. Grading of your Final Marks For each module, in addition to the percentage mark, you will receive a letter-grade. These are assigned as described below. Mark 70% or above 60-69% 50-59% 45-49% 40-44% 39% or below Grade A B C D E F Pass Fail Thus, your final mark in a particular module might be given, for example, as 47.2 D or 81.8 A. 33 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Procedures, rules and regulations Publication of Marks Most items of marked coursework should be returned to you on an individual basis in workshops, or returned via your adviser. Your marks on each element of coursework will be available to you via your personal page on the SBCS Control Panel. The Control Panel will also display how your mark compares against the distribution of marks obtained by the whole class on the same assignment. At the end of the academic year, your overall coursework mark, examination mark, and final overall mark in each module will be made available to you via MySIS. 10.2 Submission of coursework Some items of coursework must be completed and submitted in scheduled classes. If you do not attend such classes then you will normally be given a mark of zero for the item of coursework concerned. However, if you are prevented from attending such classes by circumstances outside of your control then you may make an extenuating circumstances submission, and if this is approved by the examination board then allowances will be made for the missed coursework assignment (see sections 8.2/8.3 for more details). In other cases coursework must be completed in your self-study time and you will be advised by the teaching staff on how and when the coursework should be submitted. If the work does not already have a coversheet then you must print-out a coversheet from the SBCS website and attach it to the front of your work. Before submitting coursework you must complete all sections of the coversheet. Normally, such coursework is submitted via the postbox beneath the plasma screen in the foyer of the GE Fogg Building and, unless advised otherwise, the deadline for submission of the coursework is 5:30 pm. In those cases where you are asked to submit coursework such as essays in a wordprocessed form, or have completed other exercises involving the use of computer software, the module organisers may require you to submit your work in electronic form. This is so that it can be checked for originality and plagiarism. You may be asked to supply the electronic copy of your work either at the time of initial submission, or at a later date. If you fail to supply such an electronic copy when requested to do so then you will automatically receive a zero-mark for the item of work concerned. Very occasionally, items of coursework do go astray, so you should keep a copy of any submitted coursework. If you have completed the work using a computer then you should keep an electronic copy of your work. If the work is handwritten then you are strongly advised to make a photocopy before submission and to keep this copy until the original copy of the work has been returned after marking. In some modules you may also be required to hand-in a portfolio of all your coursework at the very end of the module. This is so that it is available for inspection by external examiners. If this applies, then you will be told about this at the beginning of the course concerned and it is very important that you keep all copies of your coursework in a safe place. Failure to submit such a portfolio may result in you failing the entire module. In those cases where you have been issued with coursework and asked to submit it by a specified deadline then you should always aim to ensure that you have completed and submitted the work sufficiently far in advance of the deadline that your ability to submit the work is not affected by anything unexpected that happens near to the deadline. It is not normal practice for the School to grant extensions to deadlines because of extenuating circumstances that occur near a coursework submission deadline. If you do miss the submission deadline you should submit the work as instructed above as soon as you are able to do so. However, in exceptional circumstances, where your ability to complete the work during the allowed period has been affected by extenuating circumstances of a more extended duration, then you may apply for an extension to the submission deadline. The form for making a request for a deadline extension is available from www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/assessment/submissionofcoursework/ 34 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Procedures, rules and regulations - such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation, and must normally be made well in advance of the original submission deadline. Any coursework which is submitted late (without a prior extension to the deadline being granted due to extenuating circumstances) will be subject to a marks penalty. For more information please see: www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/assessment/submissionofcoursework/ 10.3 Plagiarism and referencing QMUL defines plagiarism as presenting someone else’s work as one’s own, irrespective of intention. Close paraphrasing, copying from the work of another person, including another student, using the ideas of another person, without proper acknowledgement or repeating work you have previously submitted without properly referencing yourself (known as ‘self plagiarism’) also constitute plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious offence and all students suspected of plagiarism will be subject to an investigation. If you are found guilty, penalties can include failure of the module or failure of the whole diet of modules for the academic year of concern. It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand plagiarism and how to avoid it. The recommendations below can help you in avoiding plagiarism. Be sure to record your sources when taking notes, and to cite these sources if you use ideas or, especially, quotations from the original documents. Be particularly careful with quotations and paraphrasing. Be particularly careful if you are cutting and pasting information between two documents, and ensure that references are not lost in the process. Be sensible in referencing ideas – commonly held views that are generally accepted do not always require acknowledgment to particular sources. However, it is best to be safe to avoid plagiarism. Ensure that all works used are referenced appropriately in the text of your work and fully credited in your bibliography. Be aware that sophisticated technology is now routinely used at Queen Mary to automatically detect plagiarism. As previously noted, you must also avoid self-plagiarism by failing to reference your own work that you have already used in a previous essay, or commit plagiarism by failing to credit the input of other students on collaborative work/group projects. If in doubt, ask for further guidance from your adviser or module tutor. All students should read the SBCS policy on plagiarism on the School website www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/assessment/plagiarism/ 10.4 Behaviour in lectures and laboratories You are expected to arrive punctually (to be in your seat by no later than 5 min past the hour) for all lectures, tutorials, and other classes. It is very disruptive for other students and the lecturer if you arrive after the lecture or class has begun. In some cases you may not be permitted to enter the class if you arrive late. Some lectures will be given to large numbers of students and it can quite difficult for students to hear the lecturer clearly if they are not sitting at the front of the lecture theatre. If just a few students are talking while the lecturer is speaking then this can make the lecture inaudible to the rest of the class and it is also very disrespectful to the lecturer. You will be asked to leave if you persist in talking during a lecture. If you are disruptive in lectures, you will reported to the Director of Taught Programmes and may then be subject to disciplinary action. 35 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Procedures, rules and regulations Mobile phones must be switched off before you enter a lecture theatre – the same applies to other electronic devices (unless they are being used for note-taking). The same applies to other scheduled classes, including tutorials, workshops and practicals. In the case of practical sessions, poor behaviour can also result in risks to the health and safety of everyone working in the laboratory. This is completely unacceptable, and behaviour which is prejudicial to the health and safety of staff and other students is likely to result in your suspension from the programme. 10.5 Other unacceptable behaviour (copying, cheating etc.) The satisfactory completion of coursework is a very important part of the learning process and it is very important that the coursework which you submit is your own work. If you copy work from another student and submit it as your own then this is cheating. Furthermore, whilst it is reasonable to discuss how to approach a problem with fellow students, it is important that the work that you eventually submit for assessment is recognisably your own work and not a "collaborative effort". If two identical or near-identical pieces of coursework are received, both students will normally have their marks for this item of coursework reduced to zero. The lecturer will not normally attempt to discover whether the work was done jointly, or who copied from whom. Another form of cheating is the fabrication of data in laboratory experiments, or making a claim to have done something that you have not actually achieved. This is a type of fraud, and is just as serious an academic offence as plagiarism or the other forms of cheating mentioned previously. In summary, it is essential for your successful completion of your programme that you do not submit any coursework that has been copied from (or obtained from) another person or other source. If you are found to have cheated in a piece of work then the minimum punishment that you can expect to receive is that your mark for that work will be reduced to zero, and in serious cases the punishment can be much more severe. 36 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 11. Health, safety and security Health, Safety and Security Information relating to Health and Safety can be found on the SBCS website under the following headings: Emergency Procedures Risk Assessments Experimental Safety General Safety All students must read this information before they attend practicals and carry out fieldwork. You may also be required to attend specific safety briefings and complete tests of your competence in health and safety matters, prior to attending such elements of your course. Failure to complete such tests, or to meet any other safety-related requirements, may lead to your automatic deregistration from the module, or suspension from your programme of study. You should familiarise yourself with emergency procedures for all areas in which you work, noting the location of emergency exits, assembly points and equipment. In case of a fire, immediately leave the building by the nearest exit point. Do not use the lifts. Fire action notices are displayed in corridors and by fire escapes. You must ensure that corridors and doorways are not obstructed, and that firefighting equipment is not removed from its station, as this could endanger lives. First aid assistance for minor accidents can be obtained by dialling 3333 from an internal phone, or 020 7882 3333 from any other telephone. You can also obtain first aid assistance from Reception on the 3rd floor of the GE Fogg Building. What should you do in an emergency ? In an emergency, be it security-related or a serious incident/accident, dial 3333 from any internal phone and clearly state the nature and location of the problem, your name, and the number you are calling from (if known). If there is no internal phone available, call 999 and follow the normal procedure for notifying the emergency services. 37 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 12. General information 12.1 Essential reading / reading lists General information All first year students who are taking one or more biology modules (i.e. all students except those on the F1N2 programme and some Psychology students) are required to purchase an access code for Mastering Biology, which is an essential part of the first-year teaching. You are strongly advised to purchase a package which includes the recommended textbook in combination with the access code package for Mastering Biology. This package will be available from John Smith’s Bookshop (on campus). A subsidy from the School is already included in the final price to help you with this purchase. Recommended / required reading for individual modules is provided on the module websites and associated electronic reading lists. You will be told how to register for Mastering Biology at the briefing sessions, held on Thursday/Friday of the welcome week - don’t register yourself before this meeting! 12.2 The QMUL Library For information on library opening hours and loans procedures, please see the Library Services website (www.library.qmul.ac.uk). The library is used by the whole academic community, both for teaching and research. Many research activities, in particular, require intense concentration and a quiet environment. If you need to engage. Please do not use the library as a place for active discussion of work or noisy debate (valuable though those activities are): it is a place for individual study where silence is essential. Disturbance can cause a great deal of resentment. Please: consider the needs of other users of the library; be silent in the silent study areas on the upper floors; confine group working to the designated group study areas; keep noise to a minimum in other areas e.g. the ground floor entrance and circulation area; never talk in anything other than a quiet voice and then only where permitted; never allow your mobile phone to ring in the library. Students causing noise or other disturbance in the library will be reported to the Head of School. There is a system of sanctions for non-compliance with the above, starting with one-day bans and escalating to four-week bans and worse for frequent offenders. Persistent offenders are banned from the library. Our School is fully supportive of the disciplinary measures implemented by the library and we may take our own action against any student who does not respect the study environment. It is in all our interest to keep the library as a place of serious study. 12.3 Careers advice Dr Ali Zarbakhsh is the Careers Liaison Officer for the School, and maintains the School's careers website (see the Careers section of the School’s Teaching & Learning website www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/ ). He is responsible for ensuring that students are informed about careers opportunities, vacancies and research studentships. From time to time Careers Advisers will visit the School to give talks or to run careers sessions. Careers noticeboards are located outside the Teaching Labs on the third floor of the GE Fogg Building. Queen Mary’s Careers Service (www.careers.qmul.ac.uk) is available to all students and graduates of QMUL. Its professional advisers can help you choose a career, help you present yourself favourably to prospective employers, liaise with employers of previous graduates and provide 38 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook General information facilities for employer/student interviews. Please visit the Careers Service website, using the link above, for their location, contact details and opening hours. You are strongly advised to contact the Careers Service early in your second year, to familiarise yourself with the facilities available and to arrange a preliminary interview. The Careers Information Room houses a comprehensive collection of information covering such areas as possible employers, recruitment interviews (at appropriate times of the year), careers seminars and vacancies. The Careers Service is also willing to talk confidentially to those who wish to discontinue their studies or who have particular difficulties in coping with their work at QMUL. During the academic year, first-year students will also be invited to meet with their adviser in an individual tutorial to discuss career matters. 12.4 Student prizes The School awards a range of prizes to undergraduate students in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences in recognition of outstanding academic performance. The value of each prize is normally £100. The prizes awarded each year include: College Prizes (including Drapers Company Prizes, Westfield Trust Prizes, Leverhulme Prizes): Prizes which are awarded to undergraduate students from any department. These prizes are generally awarded to graduating students. In addition the School awards are a range of named-prizes that have generally been established in recognition and memory of, former members of the School of Biological Sciences and the Department of Chemistry. These include the: Bevan Prize: Awarded for outstanding performance in Biological Sciences. Available to a student of any year, including the first year. If two or more candidates are of equal merit then preference is given to a student specialising in Genetics. C.M. French Prizes: Awarded to students from any year for outstanding performance in Chemistry. D.C. Bradley Prize: Awarded to a final year student in recognition of excellence in project work in Inorganic/Physical Chemistry. Fogg Prize: Awarded to a final year student in Biological Sciences in recognition of excellence in a particular area, and with preference given to those specialising in Plant Biology or Aquatic Biology. Hickinbottom Prize: Awarded to a final year student in recognition of excellence in project work in Organic Chemistry. Vinson Prize: Awarded to a final year student who has demonstrated outstanding academic performance in Biomedical Sciences. Webb Prize: Awarded to a final year student who has demonstrated outstanding academic performance in Zoology. Whittingham Prize: Awarded to a final year student who has demonstrated outstanding academic performance in Biochemistry. Carthy Prize: Awarded to a final year student who has demonstrated outstanding academic performance in Psychology. A list of the students who were awarded prizes in 2010/11 can be found on the School website. 39 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 12.5 General information Reference requests If at any time you require a written reference from your Adviser, you will normally need to give at least two weeks notice for such a reference to be written. 12.6 Harassment policy and procedures QMUL has a strict policy on student harassment. Information on this policy and procedures to be followed can be found at www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy_zone/wellbeing/harassment_policy.pdf 12.7 Comments and complaints Minor issues and complaints concerning teaching should be raised initially with the individual staff member concerned, the module organiser or your personal adviser. However, if there is a problem which is affecting many students (rather than just yourself) then this can also be raised with the Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC), or with one of the Senior Academic Advisers. If a problem about a teaching issue is not satisfactorily resolved by the above processes then it should be referred to the School's Director of Taught Programmes, using the complaints procedure outlined at www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/internalstudents/undergraduate/complaints/. The matter will then be investigated and (if appropriate) the matter may be considered at the School’s Teaching and Learning Committee, or referred to the Head of School. Exceptionally, more serious complaints (of whatever nature) can be raised directly with the Head of School. Serious complaints coming to Head of School will receive a reply within two weeks. If the Head of School believes the complaint is in need of further investigation then he/she may set up a panel of senior staff not previously involved in the case, who will report within four weeks. A record will be maintained of all matters complaints made to the Director of Taught Programmes or Head of School, with a note of investigations made and of the outcomes. You will find more information on the QMUL policies on student contact and the complaints procedures at www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/student_complaints/ 12.8 Frequently Asked Questions The following list gives guidance as to who to see (or what to do) if you have queries about the indicated topic: Accommodation Go to Residences Office, Queens’ Building E01. (Tel. 020 7882 5015) Bursaries / grants Go to Awards Office, Queens Building CB02 (Tel. 020 7882 5079) Change of adviser Make an appointment to see the Director of Taught Programmes ( r.m.nix@qmul.ac.uk ). Change of module If you need to do this after you have confirmed modules with your Adviser, you will need to do this via the SBCS Reception. Change of programme You should complete form (from Reception), get signature from Adviser and return to Jean Smith. Approval needs to be given by Admissions Tutors. Disability / dyslexia Go to the Disability & Dyslexia Service www.dds.qmul.ac.uk Email problems Go to IT Services Reception, Queens' Building W209 (Tel. 020 7882 5932 or email its-helpdesk@qmul.ac.uk ) Enrolment If you are a new student see: www.qmul.ac.uk/enrolment/ If you are a returning student see: www.qmul.ac.uk/enrolment/return/ Fees Go to Fees Office, 1st floor, Queens’ Building (Tel. 020 7882 7676). 40 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook General information Field courses See Karen Clarke on Mondays/Tuesdays in Joseph Priestley Building. Library All first-year students should attend a library introduction during week 1. Check the ground-floor Fogg noticeboards for your allocated time. Enquire in the library or see the library website ( www.library.qmul.ac.uk ) for other information. Laboratory coats Lab coats will be provided at the start of each practical – you do not need to have your own coat. ISBS / ISPS Integrative Studies in Biological/Psychological Sciences course for 2nd/3rd students (not Biomedical Sciences or Chemistry students). See Mrs Jean Smith if you have not been allocated to a tutor on the Control Panel. PBLs Biomedical Sciences Case Approach to Problem Solving (B990 students only). See Mrs Jean Smith if you have not been allocated to a tutor on the Control Panel. Password (lost) Go to IT Services Reception (Queens W209). Practical allocations Where labs run on more than 1 day of the week, students will be allocated to specific days and must check the Control Panel for your assigned day. Students will only get option of having Wednesday afternoon free if involved in legitimate QMUL activities – this must also be mentioned when registering for modules with Adviser. Practical allocation cannot be changed once made, unless for a medical reason. For some modules, students will be allocated to a practical facilitator (demonstrator) who will arrange individual sessions for groups of advisees. Project allocations See Mrs Jean Smith (for Biology/Psychology projects) or Mr Stuart Cadby (for Chemistry projects), via SBCS Reception. Project Skills modules See Mr Stuart Cadby (via SBCS Reception). Registration for modules See your adviser. If you need to change your registration, or are unable to find your advisor, go to the SBCS Reception. Student ID card (lost) Complete form available from Academic Registry (Queens’ CB05), take to Cashiers Office and pay replacement fee. Take receipt to Academic Registry and they will issue a new one. Timetables Lecture timetables are on the SBCS website. Practical/workshop times are given on the SBCS Control Panel. Go to the SBCS Reception if you have a problem. Travel discount cards For the 18+ Oyster card see www.qmul.ac.uk/enrolment/oystercard/ ; go to the Student Union for other discount enquiries. For answers to many other questions, and more guidance on who to contact about specific problems, see my.qmul . 41 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook 12.9 Year Planner Academic Year Planner 2011 JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV Mon 1 Tues 2 1 Wed 3 2 Thurs 4 1 3 DEC 1 Fri 1 5 2 4 2 Sat 2 6 3 1 5 3 Sun 3 7 4 2 6 4 Mon 4 8 5 3 Tues 5 9 6 4 8 6 Wed 6 10 7 5 9 7 Thurs 7 11 8 6 10 8 Fri 8 12 9 7 11 9 Sat 9 13 10 8 12 10 Sun 10 14 11 9 13 11 Mon 11 15 12 10 Tues 12 16 13 11 15 13 Wed 13 17 14 12 16 14 Thurs 14 18 15 13 17 15 Fri 15 19 16 14 18 16 Sat 16 20 17 15 19 17 Sun 17 21 18 16 20 18 Mon 18 22 19 Welcome 17 Tues 19 23 20 week 18 22 20 Wed 20 24 21 19 23 21 Thurs 21 25 22 20 24 22 Fri 22 26 23 21 25 23 Sat 23 27 24 22 26 24 Sun 24 28 25 23 27 25 XMAS Mon 25 29 26 Tues 26 30 27 25 29 27 Wed 27 31 28 26 30 28 Thurs 28 29 27 29 Fri 29 30 28 30 Sat 30 29 31 Sun 31 30 wk1 24 31 Mon (continued overleaf) 42 wk2 wk3 wk4 wk5 wk6 7 14 21 28 wk7 wk8 wk9 wk10 5 12 wk11 wk12 19 26 SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook Year Planner 2012 JAN FEB MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE Mon 1 Tues Wed 1 Thurs 2 2 1 3 Fri 3 2 4 1 Sat 4 3 5 2 4 1 6 3 2 4 BH 5 BH Sun 1 5 Mon 2 6 Tues 3 7 6 3 7 BH 8 Wed 4 8 7 4 9 6 Thurs 5 9 8 5 10 7 Fri 6 10 9 6 11 8 Sat 7 11 10 7 12 9 Sun 8 12 11 13 10 Mon 9 8 Easter Sunday 9 14 11 Tues 10 14 13 10 15 12 Wed 11 15 14 11 16 13 Thurs 12 16 15 12 17 14 Fri 13 17 16 13 18 15 Sat 14 18 17 14 19 16 Sun 15 15 20 17 Mon 16 16 21 18 Tues 17 21 20 17 22 19 Wed 18 22 21 18 23 20 Thurs 19 23 22 19 24 21 Fri 20 24 23 20 25 22 Sat 21 25 24 21 26 23 Sun 22 26 25 22 27 24 Mon 23 23 Revision 28 25 Tues 24 28 27 24 week 29 26 Wed 25 29 28 25 30 27 Thurs 26 29 26 31 Fri 27 30 27 29 Sat 28 31 28 30 Sun 29 Mon 30 Tues 31 wk1 13 wk5 wk6 19 wk2 wk3 20 27 5 12 wk9 wk10 18 wk7 wk8 19 26 wk11 wk12 29 wk4 30 Exam period 43 28