Education Updates

• • All exams and assessments have now been moved online. The April/May Alternative Assessment Timetable and Summer Alternative Assessment Timetable were released in April and both can be found on the Exams Website.
• • You can find your personalised timetable of all assessments replacing your exams when you log into the Alternative Exams Portal (AEP)
• • See general guidance on the new online assessments here and here that will help you to prepare with info on how to use the AEP, academic integrity and plagiarism, reasonable adjustments, and more.

• • All scheduled teaching for Term 3 has been cancelled for all students “unless it is essential for the learning outcomes of your degree”, except for a few degree apprenticeships, PGT teaching and some accredited courses.
• • This means revision sessions, dissertation supervision, academic support and personal tutoring will all go ahead but there will be no new delivery of content.
• • If you are not studying a degree apprenticeship or on a PGT or accredited course and you think that your department is continuing to deliver teaching sessions or assigning coursework where it shouldn’t be, please get in touch with us to raise this issue (education@warwicksu.com and postgrad@warwicksu.com)

• • The Library will continue to deliver their services online as much as they possibly can.
• • You are encouraged to contact your departments academic support librarian who is best placed to assist you in locating relevant resources
• • The More Books Campaign is focusing on e-books, so you can request any e-resources that you currently do not have access to
• • If you currently have books out from the library, you will not be charged fines on these books during this period
• • If you have any library books checked out, you are encouraged to keep them safe, and a plan for returning them will be made once we have a clearer idea of when the library will open again
• • The Library and the PG Hub are still hosting Study Happy events, and PG Community events online!

• • No exams (including lab work) for Year 1 and 2+2 students (except for some accredited courses where some exams are still required)
• • Current and planned coursework assessments for Term 3 will go ahead - you’re still expected submit those. If you encounter any troubles completing your coursework, the expanded Mitigating Circumstances policy is in place until the end of term. See the section on Mitigating Circumstances below for more info.
• • Academic support will continue to be available from departments, personal tutors, and academic support librarians at The Library.
• • First years are encouraged to take part in the newly developed Warwick Online Learning Certificate in Term 3.

Progression to Year 2

• • All First-Year students who meet the learning outcomes for their course will proceed automatically. Departments will review your marks this academic year and inform you that you proceed automatically.
• • If your department has serious concerns about your performance, they will contact you to discuss your situation. This decision won’t be affected by any marks missing for modules or assessments due to Industrial Action or the current Covid-19 situation unless a student has not taken enough credits to progress. If this is the case your department will have contacted you about taking resits.
• • Although most students are thought to be eligible to progress into Year 2, there will not be an official confirmation of this until following Exam Boards in July and August 2020. However, unless you have failed assessment, or your department has expressed a concern with your attendance or performance, you will fall into the category of students that are to progress into Year 2
• • On courses where marks from the first year do count towards your final degree classification, the University will typically change this for your year group so that it no longer contributes, or where that is not possible, will ensure that the cancelled exams do not negatively impact on your classification. If in doubt about the current weighting of each year in your degree, you can check your course handbook.
• • See all information about first year progression here.

The Safet-Net is the University’s no-detriment policy for Intermediate and Final Years to ensure that “end of year average marks in 2019/20 for undergraduate students in their intermediate and final year would not be detrimentally affected by the changes we are making to teaching, learning and assessment as a consequence of Covid-19".

The Safety-Net is a bundle of mitigation support that currently includes:

• • A guarantee that a student’s graduating degree outcome in the future will not be lowered by assessments taken after 13/3/20 in the 19/20 academic year as long as all assessments are still taken in Term 3.
• • Automatic 2-week extensions on work currently in progress.
• • The ability to self-certify for an additional 5 working days extension on assessed work (on top of the 2-week extended deadline if necessary). This can be applied for 5 working days before your assessment deadline.
• • The application of robust mitigation procedures but with relaxed requirements around the required evidence. This removes the difficulty and stress for students of obtaining evidence and the burden on the NHS or other health and wellbeing systems for providing it.
• • If you are struggling to get the right resources to complete your dissertation or research project, you should contact your supervisor to discuss this as soon as possible. Your department has been advised to provide you with a cover letter for you to be able to explain why your dissertation was impacted. This cover letter will be taken into consideration when dissertations are marked. Some departments may adjust their dissertation expectations or address the issue in another way. Get in touch with us if you feel your department hasn’t offered any support to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on your dissertation or final year project.

• • The Graduation Benchmark is an assurance that your grade will not be negatively affected due to the changes to assessment for Term 3 19/20
• • At the end of your final year, there will be a calculation of all your marks, including the assessment that you have taken during Term 3 of year 19/20. This calculation may include first-year marks where they contribute to your final degree classification, for example on some accredited courses and science courses. There will also be a calculation of your marks except for the assessment during Term 3 of year 19/20. Your final grade will be which of these two calculations is higher. The University has released information on how these grades will be calculated
• • All these calculations will be done during Exam Boards in your final year so you will not know your Graduation Benchmark grade until then
• • You still need to have passed enough modules to achieve the required amount of credits for your degree, which is detailed here
• • If you are found guilty of cheating or plagiarism in your Term 3 assessments, you will not be eligible for the Graduation Benchmark

• • The Graduation Benchmark is an assurance that your grade will not be negatively affected due to the changes to assessment for Term 3 19/20
• • Your average degree outcome up until the end of Term 2 will be calculated, as well as your overall degree outcome for all assessments, including the Term 3 assessments that will replace your exams. Your final grade will be which of these two calculations is higher. Put simply this means that your grade now will not go lower than your average up until 13^th March 2020
• • The University has released information on how these grades will be calculated
• • All these calculations will be done during Exam Boards in July 2020 so you will not know your Graduation Benchmark grade until then
• • You still need to have passed enough modules to achieve the required amount of credits for your degree, which is detailed here
• • If you are found guilty of cheating or plagiarism in your Term 3 assessments, you will not be eligible for the Graduation Benchmark

The University have introduced a series of measures that offer PGT students reassurance for their assessments and grades for Term 3 of 19/20 whilst also acknowledging PGTs inherent difference in their modes of study. If you are studying an integrated Master’s course you will be covered by the undergraduate safety net package of support.

The PGT COVID-19 Impact Mitigation Policy consists of:

• • The final classification for Masters Degree’s will be calculated off the best 120 credits achieved this year, rather than the weighted average of all 180 credits. The final classification for Postgraduate Diplomas will be calculated off the best 90 credits achieved this year, rather than the weighted average of all 120 credits. You will only be eligible for this if you pass all your modules, including core modules
• • If you are a part time student, therefore not due to graduate for the next year or two, your final classification will still be calculated as above
• • If you do fail any modules, you will now be eligible for one opportunity to re-sit assessment for all failed module. There will also now be no minimum mark you need to reach on failed modules
• • If you are struggling to get the right resources to complete your dissertation or research project, you should contact your supervisor to discuss this as soon as possible. Your department should provide you with a cover letter for you to be able to explain why your dissertation was impacted. This cover letter will be taken into consideration when dissertations are marked.
• • An automatic two-week extension for any assignments that were started as of late March, and due to be submitted before the end of July
• • There is also more support offered through the updated mitigating circumstances policy, which you can read about below

We understand that for PGR students there are different concerns around COVID-19 that differ from those of Undergraduate and Master’s students.

• • UKRI has announced that they will be offering six month funded extensions to PhD students whose work has been impacted by COVID-19. This will be available for any student who is due to complete their course before 31^st March 2021. We will be continuing our work lobbying the University to offer similar extensions to the University of Warwick funded PhD students.
• • The Doctoral College has a PGR hardship fund that PGR students are eligible to apply for because of exceptional circumstances arising from the coronavirus. You can apply through the Doctoral College website.

• • The new self-certification policy allows students a 5 working day extension without the need for evidence. Students are eligible to use the self-certification policy twice before the end of the academic year. The request must be put in before the submission deadline, but no earlier than 5 days before the submission deadline.
• • Understandably at this time it is not easy for students to be able to get evidence to back up the many reasons why they may need to apply for mitigating circumstances. Due to this the university has relaxed the evidence requirements for both coronavirus and non-coronavirus related mitigations. You will need to provide an explanation of why you are not able to provide evidence for this. There is more guidance on this here.
• • If you are unable to complete your assessment this year due to significant difficulties, you may be eligible to defer your assessments to September 2020. This can include things such as limited access to technology, or having caring responsibilities.
• • See more info in the Student FAQs about Mitigating Circumstances here.

• • If you are granted extensions as Reasonable Adjustments, these extensions are in addition to the 2-week extension that’s been granted to all students in recognition of the disruption experienced due to Covid-19.
• • When starting your assessment through the new Alternative Exams Portal (AEP), you’ll automatically be asked to tick a box to declare whether you have an agreed entitlement to reasonable adjustments. Your department will take this into account when your work is marked.
• • You’ll take your additional time and breaks in the AEP and within the 2-hour additional time period already provided for late submissions.
• • You’re only entitled to take your already agreed amount of additional time. Your department will know that you’re entitled to this additional time so they will reconcile this when marking your assessment. Your extra time won’t be considered a late submission.
• • If your work is submitted outside of the agreed additional time (plus the original assessment length + 45-minute download/upload time), your assessment will be considered a late submission.
• • If you take a break, do not close (and upload) your assessment to return to it later. Simply save your work on your device and restart it when you’re ready.
• • You must still complete and upload your assessment before the end of the 24-hour window, so be sure to plan carefully. After 24 hours the assessment portal will close. If you’re unsure about timings, write a plan and check it with a friend or your Personal Tutor.
• • You can (but do not need to) add a few lines at the start of your assessment setting out what your reasonable adjustment entitlement consists of if you believe this would aid the marker(s).
• • Find further guidance on reasonable adjustments here and assessment durations here