What kind of additional assessment might I be asked to do?
This depends on your programme. However all online assessments in the summer period will be designed to be as inclusive as possible, taking account of any reasonable adjustments, additional time requirements, and the current circumstances in which students are working.
What if I cannot do an online assessment?
For a small number of students, it may not be possible to complete an online assessment due to the current circumstances. Your programme team will work with you to identify reasonable alternatives so that you can meet the required number of credits. Students with a Reasonable Adjustment Plan (RAP) in place will be considered and may be offered an alternative assessment type where our arrangements for an additional/online assessment are not practical.
I have been told I have completed all the credits I need this year; do I still need to do the outstanding assessment?
Your programme lead or team will advise on whether you are able to drop remaining pieces of coursework or whether these are required as part of your 80-credits. Remember that completing your final year project/dissertation is always a requirement.
What if I have submitted an assessment but not yet received my marks?
This work will count as contributing to credits. If, when you get the marks back, this brings you to the number of credits we require, you will not need to do any additional assessment. If the marks are amongst your ‘best’ for your assessments then these will be included in your degree classification calculation, if not then they will be discounted.
Why do the credits used to calculate my degree include the dissertation/ project?
We have determined that in order to meet your Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and to assure the academic integrity of our degrees, your marks for your dissertation/project must be used to calculate your degree classification and overall mean mark.
What will my transcript look like?
Your transcript will reflect all the modules that you have studied, even if they were not formally assessed as part of the updated credit requirements for 2020.
I’m a final year UG/Integrated Masters student – will I be able to resit a failed assessment?
If you subsequently fail some of the assessments that you have submitted but have not yet had marked, and you then fall below the emergency threshold we have set, you will have the usual opportunity to resit in August (online). We will keep this requirement to an absolute minimum.
I’m a PGT student – will I be able to resit failed modules or assessments?
If you subsequently fail either full modules or some of the assessments that you have submitted but have not yet had marked, and you then fall below the emergency threshold we have set, you will have the usual opportunity to resit in August (online). We will keep these requirements to an absolute minimum.
My programme has a Professional, Statutory, or Regulatory Body – do these processes still apply to me?
Your programme lead or team will be in touch to advise if these processes apply to your degree and any professional standards or requirements, and if not, what the next steps are.
I am doing a Postgraduate Degree Apprenticeship. How am I affected?
You must still fulfil your off-the-job training hours in order to progress to End Point Assessment prior to graduating. You will need to be able to demonstrate that you have met all Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours set out in the relevant Apprenticeship Standard prior to graduating. Your programme lead or team will advise you in more detail.
**Why can’t Birmingham just take the same approach as other Universities and count the marks from all years towards the degree classification? **
Universities have different ways of calculating degrees (i.e. degree algorithms). In our case, in a 3 year UG degree, we don’t count 1st year marks towards degree classifications, and year 2 only counts for 25%. Given that students completed their assessments in years 1 and 2 with these expectations, it would be unfair on many students if we took a blanket decision to weight all these marks differently now. Nonetheless, in looking across the whole profile of a student at the exam boards this summer, we will take into consideration all the final year marks available and analyse whether there has been any negative change in profile from any work submitted earlier in the final year and in the second year. We will always take the most positive approach to each student when arriving at the final degree classification.
Why do some Birmingham students have so few final year marks available at this stage compared to those at other universities?
Universities have different ways of calculating degrees (i.e. degree algorithms) and different ways of organising the academic year. Many other universities have a two semester system with two formal examination points each year. This means they already had at least 50% of final year marks available (from the Semester One exams) for their final year UG students, or PGT programme students, before this disruption started. For many of our programmes, we only have one formal examination period – in May/June - which means we have suffered more disruption than some other universities because we have very few final year marks available.
In this situation, we have to balance two things: (i) the need to ensure that a Birmingham degree will be comparable to others in the sector and so will retain its value over time to the graduate; and (ii) the desire to reduce to an absolute minimum the number of online assessments that any student is required to do. So, we have devised a framework that ensures a student’s degree classification will be based on sufficient final year marks to have credibility with employers, while taking into account the circumstances. That’s why we are looking at each student individually, ensuring we ask the absolute minimum to ensure students meet the programme learning outcomes. At exam boards, we will also be looking at each individual student and their profiles from all years/or across the PFT programme, to ensure the final degree classification is a fair reflection of achievement in these difficult circumstances.
Why is it important to ensure that Birmingham students have sufficient final year marks in their profile and on their transcripts?
As students go into their careers, they will want to be confident that their degree is as credible as those of students from any other university. In the framework we have developed, this will be very clear to employers.
Why do we need all students to complete the project/dissertation (where relevant to their programme)?
In most programmes, the project/dissertation is designed as a capstone type of learning activity that covers multiple programme learning outcomes. This means that where we are able to count the project/dissertation marks, we can reduce the need for students to undertake some or all of the exams they were expecting in the summer. Students also tend to secure comparatively high marks in their project/dissertation, so weighting this more heavily where students are short of final year marks will often be to the student’s advantage.
In a few cases, even with the dissertation marks, students will be short of marks to make up the 80 credits required from the final year. For these cases, we are designing inclusive and flexible replacement assessments for the exams. We will keep these to an absolute minimum (usually no more than one or two assessments) because we recognise that students are completing them in far from ideal circumstances. We will then look at a student’s total profile at exam board, including year 2 marks, so we can mitigate where we see evidence of negative impacts on profiles.
What if I am unhappy with my final degree classification?
If you receive your degree classification and feel it is unfair, you can appeal for the opportunity to take a full set of final exams at the next available opportunity after the pandemic restrictions are lifted. We will make every effort, however, to ensure that we make the very best decisions for each of you so that won’t be necessary.