DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2015/2016

Glossary of Terms

This glossary defines the terms used within the Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study, as well as more widely across the University.

Each term is recorded alphabetically; selecing a letter below will take you direct to the appropriate section. Each term has its own URL which is identified by clicking on the term name.

http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/academic-services/staff/assessment/assessment-regulations

 For postgraduate research students, the role of the Assistant Supervisor is intended to be considerably more limited than that of the Principal Supervisor in terms of responsibility, but in some cases the Assistant Supervisor may have day to day involvement in the student’s supervision. Assistant Supervisors may be appointed to provide (where relevant) complementary expertise, such as specialised knowledge of a particular technique.

Cheating is an example of academic misconduct. It is any attempt to obtain or to give assistance in an examination or an assessment without due acknowledgement. This includes submitting work which is not one's own.

For postgraduate research students, the Principal and Co-Supervisor have equal roles and responsibilities, but the Principal Supervisor tends to deal with the administrative aspects of supervision. The supervisory arrangement of “Principal plus Co-Supervisor” is normally chosen when the student’s proposal involves interdisciplinary research.

http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-administration/exams/regulations/common-marking-scheme

Compulsory courses are those which a student must take as part of their degree programme, as specified in the Degree Programme Table in the Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study www.drps.ed.ac.uk/

The Course Organiser’s remit varies according to local School organisation, but in outline the Course Organiser is responsible for:

• general course management;
• assessment-related activities;
• advising and supporting students on course-related matters;
• monitoring and reviewing courses

External Examiners are appointed from outside the University to help ensure that degrees awarded by the University are comparable in standard to those of other equivalent departments in appropriate universities, although their content may differ. They also ensure that the assessment system is operated equitably and fairly in respect of the treatment and classification of students.

The roles, powers and responsibilities of External Examiners are set out in the University’s Code of Practice for External Examiners of Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Programmes.

Internal examiners are teaching and honorary staff of the University who teach Scottish Credit and qualification Framework level 7 to 12 courses which are awarded for credit and are listed in the Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study www.drps.ed.ac.uk/

Falsification is an attempt to present fictitious or distorted data, evidence, references, citations, or experimental results, and/or to knowingly make use of such material.

Feedback is information that is provided to students which can enable them to review what they know, understand and can do in their studies, and to identify areas for improvement.

www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/academic-services/staff/assessment/feedback

Feedforward can provide students with information they can use to make improvements to future assessments.  Examples include:

• the opportunity to get comments on a draft or outline, and so to take account of these in the final version;
• the option of a practice test (e.g. getting feedback on how well students answered multiple-choice questions); or
• what has sometimes been called 'pre-emptive' feedback - a pre-exam revision seminar, or a workshop focusing on past exam papers.

Impersonation is the assumption of the identity of another person with intent to deceive or gain unfair advantage.

Induction week is the week before the start of teaching in Semester 1 of the academic year. A variety of events to orient and welcome new students are available. The orientation helps new students to organise their classes, acclimatise to student life, and introduce themselves to other students.

A supervisor for a postgraduate research student, where two supervisors bear equal responsibility for the student, with one of the two nominally the lead.

Adjustments that are made to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of learning and teaching for all students.

Further information is available on the Institute for Academic Development website at: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academic-development/learning-teaching/inclusive/mainstreaming

http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-administration/exams/regulations/common-marking-scheme

In order to matriculate a student must satisfactorily complete all the admissions requirements for entry to the University, register with the University and have attendance confirmed by the University.

All students must matriculate at the beginning of their studies, and then matriculate at the beginning of each new academic session thereafter. Matriculation carries with it the agreement to abide by University rules.

http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-administration/matric

This is the maximum period within which the student must have completed his/her programme of study, and have met the requirements for the award.

For doctoral and MPhil research students this is the end date of the submission period allowed, within which the research thesis must be submitted to the college for examination. A doctoral or MPhil research student is deemed to be working between “thesis submission” and notification by the college of his/her eligibility to graduate, as preparation for oral examination and post-examination corrections will be required.

This is the maximum period within which the student must have completed his/her programme of study, and have met the requirements for the award. The maximum period includes any extensions, interruptions of study and for some research degrees, the submission period

Misconduct is where a student has not behaved appropriately. The Code of Student Conduct lists examples of student misconduct:

http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/academic-services/staff/discipline/code-discipline

An oral assessment is a judgement made based on the student’s verbal contribution. It can include a variety of activities:

• students making presentations which are part of the assessment of a course;
• student participation in tutorials;
• specific skills which are assessed orally, e.g. in languages;
• a viva voce examination.

The Principal Supervisor is the person primarily responsible for giving the research student help and advice to obtain good training in research, choosing a topic of appropriate scope and significance, organising the research, composing a thesis that meets the University’s expectations, and submitting it in the appropriate timescale. It is important to note, however, that the student has direct responsibility for the production of their thesis and its final quality. The Principal Supervisor may be supported by one or more Assistant Supervisors.

Programme Directors for taught postgraduate programmes provide individual students on their programme with academic and pastoral support. Some undergraduate programmes also have Programme Directors.

The Programme Director's remit may include elements of the Course Organiser role e.g.:

• general course management;
• assessment related activities;
• advising and supporting students on course-related matters.

Reasonable adjustments inform staff of what support is recommended for disabled students in lectures and in exams, e.g. permission to record lectures, extra time in exams etc. The reasonable adjustments recommended for an individual student are recorded in the student’s Learning Profile.

Reasonable adjustments are recommended by the Student Disability Service, following discussion with a disabled student, and are intended to ensure that disabled students have full access to their course of study. A list of recommended reasonable adjustments, called a Learning Profile, is sent by the Student Disability Service to:

• the student
• the Co-ordinator of Adjustments in the relevant School
• the student's Personal Tutor
• to Student Administration (if there is an exam-related adjustment)
• to the Library (if assistance is required)

Reasonable adjustments may include alteration of a physical feature (eg providing ramped access to a building) or provision of an auxiliary aid or service (eg extra time for an exam or providing a loop system or microphone is a teaching space).

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF www.scqf.org.uk/) defines Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as the process for recognising learning that has its source in experience and/or previous formal, non-formal and informal learning contexts. This includes knowledge and skills gained within School, College and University and outside formal learning situations such as through life and work experiences.

All applications for RPL at the University must be supported by evidence that the applicant’s prior learning:

• is closely similar in content to the course(s) from which exemption is sought;
• is at the same SCQF academic level as the course(s) from which exemption is sought;
• is sufficiently recent that the student’s knowledge remains active and up to date. The time elapsed since completing the prior learning should not exceed five years;
• has been undertaken at other universities or institutions of comparable standing.

Special circumstances are circumstances which are beyond a student’s control and for which there is sufficient documentary evidence to show that these circumstances may have adversely affected a student’s performance in an assessment.

http://www.docs.sasg.ed.ac.uk/AcademicServices/Policies/Special_Circumstances.pdf

The Student Support Officer is an administrative staff member in the Student Support Team in Schools or services who provide a point of contact for students in order to provide information in response to routine queries: maintain appropriate records and make sure that these are made available to staff who need updates: and provide administrative support.

Home Office: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/