ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Academic integrity is a set of values that we must apply to our academic work. It helps us learn how to use other people’s ideas when creating our own work.

We consider that breaches of academic integrity, which we call “academic misconduct”, fall into two broad categories: plagiarism and other types of misconduct.

Plagiarism is the practice of presenting somebody else’s work and/or ideas as your own work without full acknowledgment.
Academic misconduct is any act of direct cheating, including the purchase or commissioning of assessments that are prepared by others.

Breaches of academic integrity are serious offences and may lead to a disciplinary procedure, which is our formal way of dealing with unacceptable or improper behaviour. The LEarning Skills Team are here to support you and help you develop the skills needed to avoid plagiarism.

ACADEMIC WRITING

Academic writing is clear, concise, focused, structured and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader’s understanding. It has a formal tone and style, which you will begin to develop through your studies. Your academic writing should not be complex and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary.

Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and methods of communication that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree. You will receive marking criteria for each assignment which will detail the expectations of your academic writing application and style to use as a guide.

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY
An activity you undertake that is assigned an individual mark and comprises or contributes to an overall module mark, for example examinations, coursework, practicals and set exercises or other types of formally marked activities undertaken as part of a course.

ASSESSMENT WEIGHTING
Sometimes, your assessments will have different percentage weightings. Therefore assessments that are awarded the same mark will contribute differently to your overall module mark. For example, you might have two assessments in a module, with one worth 30% of the overall module mark and the other worth 70%.

AWARD
Your achievement at the end of your course or studies. This could include a Certificate, Diploma, Degree or Master’s.

AWARD CLASSIFICATION
The grade that you will receive when you complete your course. The best classification is a First - for work that is exceptionally good, and has a grade of over 70%. The next classification is a 2.1 (two-one). This is the top half of a second class degree, and applies to work that has a grade of 60-69%. The next classification is a 2.2 (two-two). This is the lower half of a second class degree. The final classification is a third-class degree, for work with a grade between 40-49%.

The classification is calculated using marks from your best 100 credits at Level 5 and your best 100 credits at Level 6. Level 5 accounts for 40% of your final mark and Level 6 accounts for 60% of your final mark.

For a Foundation Degree, a Certificate in Higher Education, a Diploma in Higher Education, or a Postgraduate Taught award you will receive either a Distinction, Merit or Pass if you pass. Other taught awards are not classified.

BLACKBOARD

This is the online space where your lecturers will post module and assessment information, as well as lecture, revision and other study materials. You may hear it described as the University’s Virtual Learning Environment or VLE.

BOARDS OF EXAMINERS
Formally convened bodies, comprising members of the University and one or more External Examiners that approve marks and decide on your course progression and achievements. There are two types of Boards of Examiners: Module Boards of Examiners, and Progression and Award Boards of Examiners.

CALENDAR DAYS
When our policies and procedures refer to 'calendar days', this includes weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays excluding Bank Holidays.

COMPENSATION
If you do not achieve a module pass mark but you meet specific criteria, a Board of Examiners may confirm a Compensated Pass for a module, which allows you to pass a level of study and progress or achieve an award. Some courses and awards have approved Special Regulations that do not permit Compensation due to professional and/or employer requirements.

CONTRACT CHEATING
Contract cheating occurs when someone else writes all, or part, of your assessed work for you and you submit it as your own. Money does not need to change hands, and it includes work written by family and friends, as well as purchased services (such as from essay mills). Contract cheating is a very serious form of academic misconduct and can result in expulsion from the university.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
A statement of specific skills and knowledge that you will be able to demonstrate when you have successfully completed a course.

CORE MODULE
Core modules are modules students must take as part of an award.

CREDITS
A numerical value agreed across the Higher Education sector that indicates the amount of learning undertaken. Credits can also guide the number of hours of expected study, for example, 10 credits relate to a notional 100 hours of learning time. A module typically consists of 20 credits, 40 credits or occasionally 10 credits. Postgraduate Taught courses may also include modules of 60 credits.

CRITICAL THINKING
Questioning sources, information and the social world is one of the most important skills to acquire on your university journey, and will be an important skill to demonstrate when applying for employment. Critical thinking involves understanding what sources are telling you, and how they support or undermine the story or argument you are making within a piece of work. Critical thinking is not pointing out what is wrong with something, nor a disconnected set of observations about something. To be critical is to be able to appreciate strengths as well as weaknesses, and to see how a source fits into the bigger story.

Preparing to study