To: Postgraduate students From: coronavirus.information@durham.ac.uk Subject: Assessment policy, Serious Adverse Circumstances and Examination Deferral forms update To be issued: Thursday 7 May
Dear Durham Students,
Assessment policy update
In April, we wrote to you to outline our commitment to introduce a No Detriment policy where assessments undertaken during the pandemic can only raise and not lower your degree classification. Yesterday, the University’s Senate approved the full implementation of that policy.
For postgraduate masters students, the approved policy means that you will now be awarded your degree with Merit or Distinction if you achieve either a final average mark of at least 60 (Merit) or 70 (Distinction) or a mark in your dissertation or major project of at least 60 (Merit) or 70 (Distinction). Ordinarily, you would need to achieve both.
In addition, for all taught postgraduate students, we will generate two final marks. The first ‘normal’ final mark will include all of your assessments, the second ‘no detriment’ final mark will include assessments due on or before 13th March 2020, plus your dissertation or major project.
We recognise this means that although your dissertation/major project may have been affected by Covid-19 it will be included in the ‘no detriment’ calculation, but given the significance of this component within PGT degrees, it is necessary for this work to be considered as part of the classification of any degree awarded. Be assured that robust mitigation processes will be applied to your dissertation or major project to ensure the mark awarded mirrors as best possible what you would have been able to achieve under undisrupted conditions.
How we use the ‘no detriment’ final mark will depend on how much work you have completed on or before the pandemic started, but as long as you pass the modules required to qualify for your degree, the ‘no detriment’ mark will always be considered by the Board of Examiners which classifies your qualification. Full details of the policy are now available online( https://www.dur.ac.uk/student.registry/assessment/covid19/classification/ ).
No Detriment is one of the measures we are adopting to ensure that you are not disadvantaged during this pandemic. Further information on such measures, including our approach to dealing serious adverse circumstances in light of Covid-19, is also available below.
Serious Adverse Circumstances and Examination Deferral forms
We are pleased to advise that the online Serious Adverse Circumstances (SAC) Form is now available, as is the Examination Deferral Form.
Before accessing either form, make sure you have read the detailed information on the Serious Adverse Circumstances webpage( https://www.dur.ac.uk/student.registry/assessment/covid19/sacs/ ). A flowchart( https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/student.registry/assessment/Covid19Mitigationoptionscombined2.pdf ) is also now available on that webpage to help you determine what action, if any, is required by you.
If you do need to complete an online SAC Form then visit here( https://www.dur.ac.uk/student.registry/assessment/covid19/sacs/online/ ).
If you do need to complete the Examination Deferral Form then visit here( https://www.dur.ac.uk/student.registry/assessment/covid19/sacs/examdeferral/ ).
Full guidance about how the two forms work, how they should be completed, and by when, is provided on the dedicated Serious Adverse Circumstances webpage( https://www.dur.ac.uk/student.registry/assessment/covid19/sacs/ ).
Conclusion
We will always do our best to help and to support you; as ever, your College’s student support staff and the Students’ Union advice service are available to support you with any individual difficulties you may face.
Once again, thank you for your patience in these incredibly difficult and challenging times. We wish you all the best for these upcoming assessments, and that you and those near and dear to you stay safe and well.
With best wishes,
Alan Houston David Evans Vice-Provost (Education) SU PG Academic Officer