#TeamUofG Student Newsletter

 

 

Dear Students, 

I am writing to you with some important information about the forthcoming December assessment diet.

Exams will be held online. Advice, information and technical support before and during your online assessments  Glasgow Anywhere contains guidance on online exams (see the link to Blended Learning and Assessment Moodle under the Learning & Teaching Information for Students); this includes practice Moodle assessment site to experience the assessment download and upload process ahead of the exam diet. The page gives access to a variety of styles of assessment and submission.  If you have questions about the contents of your paper, or you require technical assistance, you will be able to contact our virtual invigilation team at the UofG Helpdesk. Technical support will be available 24 hours per day during the diet. To ensure timely responses and that all students receive the same information, you will be asked not to contact academic staff directly but instead use the Helpdesk.   

There are also two important regulatory matters relating to the forthcoming online assessment diet which I wish to remind you of:

1. Special reminder about academic misconduct 

Please bear in mind that the normal rules of academic conduct apply for online exams. In some cases you will be expected to sit your online exam without referring to internet sources, books, notes or any other material that would not normally be allowed in examinations. In other cases, the examinations will be taken under ‘Open Book’* conditions. This will be made clear on the front page of your exam paper and you must carefully read the instructions sent to you for each examination, bearing in mind that not all examinations will have identical instructions, and some may allow access to specific materials. 

*Please note: this is not the same as Open Exam 24 hour exams as noted on the Exam timetables.

Please remember that your answers must be all your own work and therefore you must not consult with other students about the examination, and you must not share your work with anyone else.

Do not be tempted to copy material from other sources. Following submission, examination answers can be submitted to specialist software for similarity checking or students could be asked to take part in a viva examination. Any suspicion of copying, plagiarism or collaboration will be reported to the Senate Office under the Code of Student Conduct, as will any other allegation of behaviour that contravenes the instructions for your examination. If you are reported for suspected misconduct, you will be asked to attend1 an interview with the Senate Assessors for Student Conduct. 

Please, do not put your degree at risk. The penalties applied under the Code of Student Conduct can have the effect of lowering your GPA, or causing you to fail a course which, in turn, could prevent you from achieving your award.

Information about the Code of Student Conduct can be found online.  

The University’s Plagiarism Statement can be found online. 

2. What happens if illness or other adverse circumstances affect any of your exams

If you have been ill or had other adverse circumstances which you believe may have affected your assessment – either your ability to take your assessment or submit it by the deadline, or your level of performance – this can be considered through our regulations on “Good Cause”.

If you want us to make allowance for such circumstances you MUST report your circumstances to the University through MyCampus, by submitting what is referred to as a Good Cause claim. This can be in relation to:

• A missed exam
• A piece of coursework that you were unable to submit
• Any assessment in which you feel your performance has been significantly impaired
• A piece of coursework for which you wish to request an extension to the submission deadline of more than five working days.

The Good Cause process is explained in the Key FAQs for Students.

Details on how to make a Good Cause claim are available online.

Please remember that in your Good Cause claim you must explain clearly:

• The illness or other adverse circumstances: you should include reference to the timing of the assessment and the duration of the relevant circumstances. 
• How your ability to complete the specific assessment(s) was affected. For example, it is not sufficient to say in your Good Cause claim that you were unable to take an exam because you were self-isolating. You would be expected to explain how the requirement to self-isolate had prevented you from completing the assessment.

Your claim should be supported by evidence. The FAQs include information about this. See in particular the following questions:

• 'What evidence do I need to provide if I make a Good Cause claim?'  
• 'What if I am unwell but can't see my Doctor?'

If you have difficulties obtaining supporting evidence, you must explain this in your claim and provide the best evidence that you can. 

I hope this information is helpful, and I wish you all the very best in your forthcoming examinations.

 

Professor Jill Morrison Clerk of Senate and Vice Principal 

November 2020

 

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The Senate Assessors for Student Conduct have produced guidance to help students more clearly understand how to avoid problems in their examinations. These should be noted carefully.

First published: 3 December 2020