Programme handbook toolkit
Here you will find essential information that should be included within the programme handbooks.
Essential content for FBMH UG and PGT programme handbooks
Programme Specification
Programme handbooks should include a link to the programme specification.
Academic appeals, complaints, conduct and discipline, and fitness to practise
Academic appeals - suggested wording
- For the most up to date information regarding appeals, students should refer to the University’s general support pages, since the pages are updated to reflect changes in policy and guidelines.
- Students have a right of appeal against a final decision of an Examination Board, or a progress committee, or a graduate committee or equivalent body which affects their academic status or progress in the University.
- Students thinking of appealing should first discuss the matter informally with an appropriate member of staff, in order to better understand the reason for the result or decision and to determine whether the matter can be resolved informally by the School prior to making a formal appeal.
- Should you wish to proceed to a formal appeal, this must be submitted within the timeframe outlined in the Academic Appeals Procedure to the Faculty Appeals and Complaints Team electronically by email: FBMHappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk
- The Academic Appeals Procedure (Regulation XIX) and associated documents, including the form on which formal appeals should be submitted, can be found on the Academic-Related Regulations page.
Student complaints - suggested wording
- The University’s Student Complaints Procedure (Regulation XVIII) and associated documents, including a complaints form, can be found at on the Academic-Related Regulations page
- The University has separate procedures to address complaints of bullying, harassment, discrimination and/or victimisation. These can be found on the Report and Support page
- Students thinking of submitting a formal complaint should, in most instances, attempt informal resolution first (see the procedure). Formal complaints should be submitted on the relevant form to Faculty Appeals and Complaints Team electronically by e-mail: FBMHappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk
Conduct and discipline of students - suggested wording
- General University information on the conduct and discipline of students can be found on the Academic Appeals, Complaints, Conduct and Discipline page
- Faculty policies for students on Professionalism can be found in the Professionalism document
- The University Library has produced online resources to help students in avoiding plagiarism and academic malpractice. These can be found on this My Learning Essentials page
- Information on Academic Malpractice and how to avoid it can be found on this MyManchester page
- In accordance with the Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes, ‘All typed summative assessment, including dissertations, should be submitted online and subjected to plagiarism detection software, where appropriate’
Fitness to practise
Information on Fitness to Practise should be included in handbooks for programmes which require the student to undertake practical training in a quasi-professional role in relation to patients, clients or service-users; where the qualification provides a direct license to practise; and where the students on the programme are registered health or social care professionals undertaking further study to enhance their current profession or which will allow them to practise an additional duty.
For advice on content for programme handbooks relating to Fitness to Practise:
- Faculty Appeals and Complaints Team, Room 3.21, Simon Building, University of Manchester, M13 9PL (e-mail: FBMHappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk).
A-Z of Student Services
- The A-Z of Services can be found on the MyManchester website.
- Here you can find a information on a wide range of topics such as library services, disability support and careers advice.
Course unit outlines
External examiners
IT Services Support Centre and FBMH eLearning support
Mitigating circumstances
Monitoring attendance and wellbeing of students
Student representation
Special permissions
Essential FBMH PGT Programme Handbook contents checklist
PGT Faculty generic statements
PGT degree regulations
Presentation of Taught Masters Dissertations
Guidance for the presentation of Taught Dissertations for UG and PGT Provision can be found on this StaffNet page.
Late Submission Penalty (Including Dissertation)
Work submitted after the deadline without prior approval will be subject to a late penalty in accordance with the University Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes. The penalty applied is 10% of available marks deducted per day/24 hours (from the time of the original or extended deadline), until the assignment is submitted or no marks remain.
Penalties for late submission relate to 24 hours/calendar days, so include weekends and weekdays, as well as bank holidays and University closure days.
The mark awarded for the piece of work will be reduced by:
- 10% of the available marks deducted if up to 24 hours (1 day) late
- 20% of the available marks deducted if up to 48 hours (2 days) late
- 30% of the available marks deducted if up to 72 hours (3 days) late
- 40% of the available marks deducted if up to 96 hours (4 days) late
- 50% of the available marks deducted if up to 120 hours (5 days) late
- 60% of the available marks deducted if up to 144 hours (6 days) late
- 70% of the available marks deducted if up to 168 hours (7 days) late
- 80% of the available marks deducted if up to 192 hours (8 days) late
- 90% of the available marks deducted if up to 216 hours (9 days) late
- 100% of the available marks deducted if up to 240 hours (10 days) late
If the assessment is submitted within 10 days of the deadline the assessment should be marked and feedback to the student provided. If this mark before the penalty is applied reaches the appropriate pass mark but the applied penalty results in a fail of the assessment, the student should not be required to resit the assessment as the original mark can be taken as the resit mark. Further information and examples can be found in the Policy and associated Guidance documents.
For work submitted more than 10 days late, it is regarded as a non-submission and need not be marked. In this case a mark of zero will be awarded and normal resit regulations will apply.
The sliding scale should only be applied to first-sit submissions. For all referred (resit) assessment, any late submission will automatically receive a mark of zero.
For further information:
Policy on the Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes
Assignment Word Count (including the dissertation)
In accordance with the University Policy on Marking:
Each written assignment has a word limit which you must state at the top of your first page. It is acceptable, without penalty, for you to submit an assignment within a range that is plus 10% of this limit. If you present an assignment with a word count exceeding the specified limit+10%, the assignment will be marked but 1% will be deducted from this mark for every 100 words over the limit given.
For an original word limit that is 1000 words and an assignment that is marked out of 100. If a submission is made that is 1101 words then it exceeded the 10% leeway, and is more than 100 words over the original limit and should receive a 1 mark deduction.
In accordance with accepted academic practice, when submitting any written assignment for summative assessment, the notion of a word count includes the following without exception:
- All titles or headings that form part of the actual text. This does not include the fly page or reference list
- All words that form the actual essay
- All words forming the titles for figures, tables and boxes, are included but this does not include boxes or tables or figures themselves
- All in-text (that is bracketed) references
- All directly quoted material
Certain assessments may require different penalties for word limits to be applied. For example, if part of the requirement for the assessment is conciseness of presentation of facts and arguments. In such cases it may be that no 10% leeway is allowed and penalties applied may be stricter than described above. In such cases the rules for word count limits and the penalties to be applied will be clearly stated in the assessment brief and in the submission details for that assessment.
Introduction from the School PGT Director
Please include at the beginning of all programme handbooks.
Essential FBMH UG Programme Handbook contents checklist
UG Faculty Generic Statements
UG Regulations
Further guidance
Additional information and guidance around creating Programme Handbooks, including a general checklist, can be found on the Teaching and Learning Delivery section of StaffNet.