Code of Practice for Teaching and Learning

Introduction

This Code of Practice outlines the procedures agreed between staff and students to inform, sustain and enhance the teaching and learning process within the Department. It embodies the undertakings made by the Department to support the learning process and the expectations that students should have of the efforts needed by them to complete their studies successfully.

Structure of Degrees

All students will receive at the beginning of their programme a written statement of the degree structure operated by the Department indicating the flexibility for transfer between degree programmes and the mechanisms and deadlines for doing so.

Degree Programme

Each degree programme will have a written statement of:

• the aims and objectives of the programme
• the course, laboratory and project components,
• the prerequisites necessary,
• the methods of assessment and the consequences of failure,
• the optional elements and the deadlines for choice,
• the schedule of lectures and classes,
• the schedule of examinations and structure of written papers.

Modules

At the start of each module all enrolled students will be provided with a written statement of:

• the lecturers involved and their individual responsibilities to the module,
• the rationale for, and intended learning outcomes of, the module;
• the context of the module within the programme,
• the modules that are relevant prerequisites and the important elements of these,
• an outline of the contents of the module,
• a bibliography with preliminary reading if appropriate,
• the method(s) of assessment,
• deadlines for the submission of work,
• the weighting of the module in the degree programme.

Laboratory Classes

Students will receive a written statement of:

• the person in charge, the demonstrators and the technical support available,
• the attendance required of the student and the rate of completion of work expected,
• explanatory information for each experiment with text references as appropriate and an indication of whether an experiment is intended to allow individual initiative,
• guidance on how to maintain a record of results and how to present these in a suitable report format,
• the method of assessment and deadlines,
• the weighting of the laboratory work within the degree programme.

All students will be given an indication of their progress in laboratory classes at the start of Term T2 with recommendations for any necessary improvement.

Projects and Dissertations

Each student will receive:

• details of supervisor(s) and arrangements for meetings,
• a written outline of the project,
• a statement of the responsibilities of student and supervisor,
• details of any interim targets,
• guidance on the format for the project reports dissertations with deadlines for their submission,
• a description of the structure of the oral examination,
• the criteria used in assessing performance and their relative weighting in the project and dissertation assessment,
• the weighting of these within the degree programme.

Tutorials

These are described in the document Tutorials

Moderation

Where students complete individual assignments assessed by differing staff members the Department will operate structures to moderate these assessments equitably.

Results of Assessments and Formative Feedback

In accordance with University Guidelines the Department arranges for students to receive transcripts of marks for summative assessments via their University Portal. Coursework with a formative element should normally be marked and returned within two teaching weeks. Students who have not had work returned after three teaching weeks should report the matter to the Senior Administrator for investigation. Each module descriptor has a 'Formative Mechanisms' section describing how students will obtain feedback about their progress within the module.

Module Evaluation

The Department uses the University's web-based Accelerate system to issue and analyse confidential questionnaires covering each module for completion by students. The analysed results are shared with the Student Staff Liaison Committee and considered and evaluated as part of the Department's Annual Monitoring procedures. Questionnaires designed to provide rapid feedback for individual lecturers may be during modules.

Students are encouraged to take this exercise seriously by participating, giving considered answers to the structured questions and making constructive responses in the free-format sections.

Student/Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC)

This is described in the document Student Representation.

Pastoral Care

This is described in the document Advice and Assistance.

Student Guidelines

The guidelines below are provided for all students' information. They should be strictly adhered to, as some are University regulations. Students, however, should have no hesitation in approaching any member of the Physics or Radiography staff for help and advice should they run into difficulties at any time during their degree programme.

Students should:

• carefully read the Department Handbook published on the WWW,
• check the prerequisites for modules and revise their understanding of them,
• complete assigned work on time and to an appropriate standard,
• recognize that success is unlikely to be achieved without a minimum of 40 hours study per week,
• participate constructively in any evaluation of the effectiveness of the teaching programme.

They should also expect to:

• regularly and punctually attend all lectures, tutorials, laboratory and problems sessions, informing staff of absences (in advance where possible);
• support their studies with appropriate self-directed work, including background reading and serious attempts at set problems prior to the classes when they are to be discussed.