ADVICE RESOURCE HUB
Here, you will find up to date information on things currently going on across the University, and within the UK Higher Education sector, that may be useful prior to your visit to the Student Advice Clinic.
Below you will also find relevant forms and associated guidance that may assist you with your advice case- you may want to read through this page before submitting your advice query to us.
Below you will also find relevant forms and associated guidance that may assist you with your advice case- you may want to read through this page before submitting your advice query to us.
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All users of the Student Advice Clinic have to adhere to the Service Agreement (left) before we can assist you with your issue.
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The Quality Assurance Policy outlines how we ensure we are providing you with advice that's of a good quality.
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At the Student Advice Clinic, we can provide you with advice and information across four main areas: Complaints, Academic Misconduct Panels, Academic Appeals and Mitigating Circumstances. We can also provide General Advice, such as where a certain room is on campus or where you might be able to find access to water facilities.
However, we cannot provide Advice on areas such as Finance or Student Housing. If you approach us with a query such as this, we will signpost you to relevant organisations that may be able to help you with this.
Below, you can find links to all of the resources you may need to access when submitting a Complaint, Academic Misconduct Panel, Academic Appeal or Mitigating Circumstances:
However, we cannot provide Advice on areas such as Finance or Student Housing. If you approach us with a query such as this, we will signpost you to relevant organisations that may be able to help you with this.
Below, you can find links to all of the resources you may need to access when submitting a Complaint, Academic Misconduct Panel, Academic Appeal or Mitigating Circumstances:
COMPLAINTS
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The Complaints Procedure is outlined fully in the 'Student Complaints Procedure' document. Complaints have three stages: Informal, Stage 1(Formal) and Stage 2 (Formal). You also have the option to submit your Complaint to an external body (OIA) if you are unsatisfied with your resolution at Stage 2.
Informal - Before you can submit a formal Complaint, you should try and resolve it informally first- this could be through mediums such as an informal conversation with the person/s, or a mediated meeting with a third party present, to discuss the issue and attempt to resolve it.
Stage 1 (Formal) - If you have tried to solve it informally, and not come to a successful outcome, you can then progress onto submitting a formal, Stage 1 Complaint. For this, it's important to include any evidence you have to support your claim. Also, you should try and be solutions focused- when writing your potential resolution, be realistic.
Stage 2 (Formal) - If you submit your Stage 1 (Formal) Complaint, and are not satisfied with the response given at that stage, you can move onto a Stage 2 (Formal) Complaint. The University will review the response given at Stage 1 and decide whether any further appropriate action will be taken.
Informal - Before you can submit a formal Complaint, you should try and resolve it informally first- this could be through mediums such as an informal conversation with the person/s, or a mediated meeting with a third party present, to discuss the issue and attempt to resolve it.
Stage 1 (Formal) - If you have tried to solve it informally, and not come to a successful outcome, you can then progress onto submitting a formal, Stage 1 Complaint. For this, it's important to include any evidence you have to support your claim. Also, you should try and be solutions focused- when writing your potential resolution, be realistic.
Stage 2 (Formal) - If you submit your Stage 1 (Formal) Complaint, and are not satisfied with the response given at that stage, you can move onto a Stage 2 (Formal) Complaint. The University will review the response given at Stage 1 and decide whether any further appropriate action will be taken.
Key things to be aware of regarding Complaints:
- The University may not review your case if you do not attempt to resolve the issue informally first (please provide details of how you've attempted to do so on the form you submit).
- The University will try to resolve your Complaint quickly (within 20 working days, or less).
- Information that you share on the Complaints form will be shared with the individual/s that the Complaint is about- this is to identify the route of the problem, and to attempt to provide a solution. Therefore, the University does not accept anonymous complaints.
- Once your Complaint has been submitted through the Complaints policy, and a resolution has been found, or your case has been dismissed, you cannot have the same case heard through a different route.
- The Students' Union, and Student Advice Clinic, can provide you with help to fill out a Complaints Form, however they have no jurisdiction over the outcome of the case.
External Organisation - You can, if you are unhappy with the result of the Universities Complaints process, submit a final copy of the Complaint to an external organisation- the OIA (Office of the Independent Adjudicator). The OIA are an independent body, who review Complaint cases from Universities across the country. The Student Advice Clinic can signpost you to the OIA, and how to submit your Complaint to them, however this is the only involvement that the SAC can have.
If you have any questions about the Complaints procedure, or would like assistance completing the form, please contact su-advice@newman.ac.uk, where you will be contacted by a member of SU staff.
- The University may not review your case if you do not attempt to resolve the issue informally first (please provide details of how you've attempted to do so on the form you submit).
- The University will try to resolve your Complaint quickly (within 20 working days, or less).
- Information that you share on the Complaints form will be shared with the individual/s that the Complaint is about- this is to identify the route of the problem, and to attempt to provide a solution. Therefore, the University does not accept anonymous complaints.
- Once your Complaint has been submitted through the Complaints policy, and a resolution has been found, or your case has been dismissed, you cannot have the same case heard through a different route.
- The Students' Union, and Student Advice Clinic, can provide you with help to fill out a Complaints Form, however they have no jurisdiction over the outcome of the case.
External Organisation - You can, if you are unhappy with the result of the Universities Complaints process, submit a final copy of the Complaint to an external organisation- the OIA (Office of the Independent Adjudicator). The OIA are an independent body, who review Complaint cases from Universities across the country. The Student Advice Clinic can signpost you to the OIA, and how to submit your Complaint to them, however this is the only involvement that the SAC can have.
If you have any questions about the Complaints procedure, or would like assistance completing the form, please contact su-advice@newman.ac.uk, where you will be contacted by a member of SU staff.
ACADEMIC APPEALS
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The Academic Appeals Procedure is outlined fully in the 'Student Academic Appeals Procedure' document. Academic Appeals have two stages - Stage 1 (Formal) and Stage 2 (Formal).
Stage 1 - This is the form you should use if you want to formally appeal against the decision on your progress (this could include progression between different levels of study) and/or results made by the Programme Assessment Board.
Stage 2 - This is the form you should use if you have already followed the Stage 1 process and you are still not satisfied with the outcome.
You have the option to appeal a decision made on your academic piece of work on the following two grounds:
A - Material irregularity in the way the student’s case was considered by the Programme Assessment Boards.
B - Extenuating circumstances which affected a student’s performance of which the Programme Assessment Board was unaware and where it was not possible to notify the University prior to the decision of the Programme Assessment Board.
Please be aware that disagreement with the academic judgement of a Programme Assessment Board cannot in itself constitute grounds for a request for an Academic Appeal. Furthermore, any alleged inadequacy of supervision during a period of registration as a Newman University student is not admissible grounds for an appeal.
Stage 1 - This is the form you should use if you want to formally appeal against the decision on your progress (this could include progression between different levels of study) and/or results made by the Programme Assessment Board.
Stage 2 - This is the form you should use if you have already followed the Stage 1 process and you are still not satisfied with the outcome.
You have the option to appeal a decision made on your academic piece of work on the following two grounds:
A - Material irregularity in the way the student’s case was considered by the Programme Assessment Boards.
B - Extenuating circumstances which affected a student’s performance of which the Programme Assessment Board was unaware and where it was not possible to notify the University prior to the decision of the Programme Assessment Board.
Please be aware that disagreement with the academic judgement of a Programme Assessment Board cannot in itself constitute grounds for a request for an Academic Appeal. Furthermore, any alleged inadequacy of supervision during a period of registration as a Newman University student is not admissible grounds for an appeal.
Key things to be aware of regarding Academic Appeals:
- An academic appeal must be sent to examsandassessments@newman.ac.uk by the dates advised by the Assessments team (this information will be on your grading letter from the Programme Assessment Board) or within two months of the date of the decision by the Programme Assessment Board to be considered.
- This procedure applies to both students studying at Newman University and to students of an institution in partnership with Newman University, where the student is studying on a programme validated by Newman University.
- Once your case has been processed through this route, you do not have the right to have the same case heard through a different route.
- In cases where examination or assessment performance has been genuinely affected by adverse personal circumstance, students should always advise the Assessment Team in the Registry as soon as possible. The University has a process for Programme Assessment Boards to take mitigating circumstances into account.
- If you wish to continue on to a Stage 2 Academic Appeal, you must notify the Universities Deputy Registrar within 25 working days of receipt of the letter notifying them of the outcome of the Stage 1 Review, requesting progression to the Final Stage Appeal of the process- within which, stating the grounds for your appeal.
If you have any questions about the Academic Appeals procedure, or would like assistance completing the form, please contact su-advice@newman.ac.uk, where you will be contacted by a member of SU staff.
- An academic appeal must be sent to examsandassessments@newman.ac.uk by the dates advised by the Assessments team (this information will be on your grading letter from the Programme Assessment Board) or within two months of the date of the decision by the Programme Assessment Board to be considered.
- This procedure applies to both students studying at Newman University and to students of an institution in partnership with Newman University, where the student is studying on a programme validated by Newman University.
- Once your case has been processed through this route, you do not have the right to have the same case heard through a different route.
- In cases where examination or assessment performance has been genuinely affected by adverse personal circumstance, students should always advise the Assessment Team in the Registry as soon as possible. The University has a process for Programme Assessment Boards to take mitigating circumstances into account.
- If you wish to continue on to a Stage 2 Academic Appeal, you must notify the Universities Deputy Registrar within 25 working days of receipt of the letter notifying them of the outcome of the Stage 1 Review, requesting progression to the Final Stage Appeal of the process- within which, stating the grounds for your appeal.
If you have any questions about the Academic Appeals procedure, or would like assistance completing the form, please contact su-advice@newman.ac.uk, where you will be contacted by a member of SU staff.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT PANELS
| Student Academic Misconduct Procedure |
Academic misconduct is an attempt made by a student to obtain an unfair advantage in the assessment of their academic work. You can read the full procedure in the 'Student Academic Misconduct Procedure' document.
Some examples of academic misconduct include:
- Commissioning - the requesting and/or purchase of a piece of work from a third party and the submission of this work (in whole or in part) for assessment as the work of the student.
- Plagiarism - the use of another person's work or ideas without the use of quotation marks and/or following the conventions for acknowledging sources. The offence does not require any deliberate intent by the student to be proved but the extent of deliberation involved may affect the nature of the penalty awarded.
- Collusion - unauthorised co-operation to gain an advantage. This may occur where students have collaborated on a piece of work which is then submitted as an individual effort, for example.
Some examples of academic misconduct include:
- Commissioning - the requesting and/or purchase of a piece of work from a third party and the submission of this work (in whole or in part) for assessment as the work of the student.
- Plagiarism - the use of another person's work or ideas without the use of quotation marks and/or following the conventions for acknowledging sources. The offence does not require any deliberate intent by the student to be proved but the extent of deliberation involved may affect the nature of the penalty awarded.
- Collusion - unauthorised co-operation to gain an advantage. This may occur where students have collaborated on a piece of work which is then submitted as an individual effort, for example.
Key things to be aware of regarding Academic Misconduct Panels:
- Many different types of action can be taken by the University in an academic misconduct case, such as a standard letter sent by the Head of Department advising of the offence and how to avoid a similar issue in the future, through to resitting assignments at a capped grade or a recommendation that the student leave the University. The type of action taken depends on a number of factors, such as the intent behind the misconduct, the frequency of instances of academic misconduct, the evidence provided etc.
- Students' Union Officers may be called to sit on an academic misconduct panel (usually, each panel contains an SU representative) Their role within the panel is to discuss the case from a student perspective- they are not there to represent you as an individual.
- Students' Union Officers and Staff can also act as a supporter to the student in front of the panel. Within this role, the supporter is there to provide moral support to the student and to assist them to make their case (although the SU representative can only speak with permission of the panel Chair).
- Please be aware that there is no time limit beyond which academic misconduct will not be investigated (including after graduation).
If you have any questions about the Academic Misconduct procedure, or would like assistance with the process, please contact su-advice@newman.ac.uk, where you will be contacted by a member of SU staff.
- Many different types of action can be taken by the University in an academic misconduct case, such as a standard letter sent by the Head of Department advising of the offence and how to avoid a similar issue in the future, through to resitting assignments at a capped grade or a recommendation that the student leave the University. The type of action taken depends on a number of factors, such as the intent behind the misconduct, the frequency of instances of academic misconduct, the evidence provided etc.
- Students' Union Officers may be called to sit on an academic misconduct panel (usually, each panel contains an SU representative) Their role within the panel is to discuss the case from a student perspective- they are not there to represent you as an individual.
- Students' Union Officers and Staff can also act as a supporter to the student in front of the panel. Within this role, the supporter is there to provide moral support to the student and to assist them to make their case (although the SU representative can only speak with permission of the panel Chair).
- Please be aware that there is no time limit beyond which academic misconduct will not be investigated (including after graduation).
If you have any questions about the Academic Misconduct procedure, or would like assistance with the process, please contact su-advice@newman.ac.uk, where you will be contacted by a member of SU staff.
MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES
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You can read the full Mitigating Circumstances procedure, with associated guidance, via the 'Mitigating Circumstances Guidance' document above. We recommend that you read through this document before submitting your forms. Please also find above a downloadable copy of the Mitigating Circumstances Application Form. Other useful resources can be found on the Newman University website.
Mitigating Circumstances (sometimes referred to as extenuating circumstances) is a process by which students can apply for additional support if:
A - You have an assessment submission due and have circumstances outside of your control which will reasonably affect your ability to submit on time (and, unless it's a resit, a short extension will not allow you to catch up), or have meant you have already missed a submission deadline.
B - You have circumstance outside of your control which reasonably mean you will not be able or ready to sit an exam, or have already missed an exam.
PLEASE NOTE - if you are applying for mitigating circumstances, you should not make a submission/sit the assessment. If you do so, you are agreeing that you are happy that it has not been affected by your circumstances and these circumstances are extremely unlikely to be able to be taken into account at a later date.
Mitigating Circumstances (sometimes referred to as extenuating circumstances) is a process by which students can apply for additional support if:
A - You have an assessment submission due and have circumstances outside of your control which will reasonably affect your ability to submit on time (and, unless it's a resit, a short extension will not allow you to catch up), or have meant you have already missed a submission deadline.
B - You have circumstance outside of your control which reasonably mean you will not be able or ready to sit an exam, or have already missed an exam.
PLEASE NOTE - if you are applying for mitigating circumstances, you should not make a submission/sit the assessment. If you do so, you are agreeing that you are happy that it has not been affected by your circumstances and these circumstances are extremely unlikely to be able to be taken into account at a later date.
Key things to be aware of regarding Mitigating Circumstances:
- Whilst some applications will require approval from the Mitigating Circumstances Board, other applications can now be granted clerically (by the Assessments Staff Team). This includes cases such as: Student Pregnancy, Student bereavement within the last 3 months, Student is ill and has appropriate documentation (such as a sick note or GP letter), Student or partner has given birth within the last 3 months. Full information on this can be found in the Guidance document.
- A Mitigating Circumstances application can be submitted upto 28 days after the deadline of your academic piece of work.
- Please be clear and use the correct terminology in your application.
Resit means that you are looking to hand in the outstanding work at the next resit date.
Retake means that you will need to attend all of the associated lectures/sessions again for the particular module, which usually comes at a cost.
- It is vital that you include evidence in your application- please try and label this clearly, in relation to your application. Insert it in chronological order if possible (the order in which it happened). Within the Guidance document is a non-exhaustive list of evidence examples, which you may want to refer to for help.
- As part of your application, you may ask to be allowed a plan to help you to spread out your workload- this will be via an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) or a Reasonable Adjustments Plan (RAP). If you would like this type of support to be considered, please include this on your application form, with reasons why you think it would be helpful.
- For professional courses, with specific requirements, it may not always be possible for Mitigating Circumstances to be granted, particularly for the attendance component.
- If you are unhappy with the result of your application, you can submit an application again with new evidence, or alternatively look at pursuing other routes, such as a Student Complaint.
If you have any questions about the Mitigating Circumstances procedure, or would like assistance with the process, please contact su-advice@newman.ac.uk, where you will be contacted by a member of SU staff.
- Whilst some applications will require approval from the Mitigating Circumstances Board, other applications can now be granted clerically (by the Assessments Staff Team). This includes cases such as: Student Pregnancy, Student bereavement within the last 3 months, Student is ill and has appropriate documentation (such as a sick note or GP letter), Student or partner has given birth within the last 3 months. Full information on this can be found in the Guidance document.
- A Mitigating Circumstances application can be submitted upto 28 days after the deadline of your academic piece of work.
- Please be clear and use the correct terminology in your application.
Resit means that you are looking to hand in the outstanding work at the next resit date.
Retake means that you will need to attend all of the associated lectures/sessions again for the particular module, which usually comes at a cost.
- It is vital that you include evidence in your application- please try and label this clearly, in relation to your application. Insert it in chronological order if possible (the order in which it happened). Within the Guidance document is a non-exhaustive list of evidence examples, which you may want to refer to for help.
- As part of your application, you may ask to be allowed a plan to help you to spread out your workload- this will be via an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) or a Reasonable Adjustments Plan (RAP). If you would like this type of support to be considered, please include this on your application form, with reasons why you think it would be helpful.
- For professional courses, with specific requirements, it may not always be possible for Mitigating Circumstances to be granted, particularly for the attendance component.
- If you are unhappy with the result of your application, you can submit an application again with new evidence, or alternatively look at pursuing other routes, such as a Student Complaint.
If you have any questions about the Mitigating Circumstances procedure, or would like assistance with the process, please contact su-advice@newman.ac.uk, where you will be contacted by a member of SU staff.
