Aim 1 – How different parts of the College deal with student progress

It was apparent that there was a wide range of different practices in relation to student progress used across the College. For example in the School of Medicine undergraduate programmes, progress committee meetings are convened, students normally attend them and are given an opportunity to discuss mitigating circumstances in their failure to meet the progress requirements. Meetings are held in both Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences but students are not invited to attend. Some parts of the college do not currently hold separate progress meetings and decisions about progress are made at Exam Boards.

Aim 2 – Good practice

Initiatives considered to demonstrate good practice were discussed. For example, colleagues in the School of Life Sciences have developed a system that enables them to identify students who are in danger of not meeting requirements to progress. They hold mini-progress meetings with these students to advise them of the danger and to provide additional support to help them avoid it.

Aim 3 – Consider drawing up a College policy on progress

Although some variation in practice is desirable in such a large college with so many diverse programmes of study, it was agreed by those present that it would be desirable to have a College Code of Practice. This would give guidance to Course Leaders and provide the minimum arrangements that are required to make decisions about progress in the College.

The agreed principles were:

• Students should receive clear information about progress requirements and the consequences of failing to meet the requirements
• Student who are on a course towards failing to meet progress requirements should be identified, if possible at a stage when they could still avoid this. 
• A meeting to discuss student progress should be convened separately from Exam Boards.
• If the meetings do not include students, attempts should be made to ascertain evidence about any mitigating circumstances from the student or course team, particularly if the decision of the progress meeting might be to exclude the student from further study.
• If students are invited to be present at progress meetings, they should be fully briefed about what to expect including the need to provide medical evidence, if claiming mitigating medical circumstances or good cause.
• A full note of progress meetings including information about all evidence presented and considered, decisions taken and reasons for the decisions should be made
• When a decision to exclude a student from further study is taken, the student should be given information about submitting an appeal against the decision, including advice to seek help from the Student Representative Council.

Aim 4 – Communication between College Appeals Committee and Progress Committees

It was agreed that College Appeal Committees would forward a copy of the Appeal Decision letter to the chair of the relevant Progress Committee and, where appropriate, a copy of the formal note of the Appeal Hearing.