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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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/ )
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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
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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)
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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
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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.
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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/
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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).
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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 .
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SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook
12.9
Year Planner
Academic Year Planner
2011
JULY
AUG
SEPT
OCT
NOV
Mon
1
Tues
2
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Welcome
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(continued overleaf)
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SBCS Undergraduate Student Handbook
Year Planner
2012
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