Teaching and learning lexicon

F

Fabrication or falsification of data or results by individual students or groups of students is the presentation or inclusion in a piece of work of figures or data which have been made up or altered and which have no basis in verifiable sources; this may or may not involve other instances of academic malpractice. Read about Academic Malpractice Procedure

Faculty - The University of Manchester is divided into three faculties (Science and Engineering; Humanities; Biology, Medicine and Health). Faculties consist of academic units based on a particular discipline, or on a grouping of disciplines employing similar methodologies known as Schools. The Faculty of Humanities encompasses academic areas as diverse as Arts, Education, Law, Social Sciences and Business & Management and is the largest Faculty in the University.

The Faculty Committee was established in 2020 as an opportunity for the academic, professional services, and students to engage with Faculty leadership, especially in respect of key strategic, policy and resourcing issues. The group is chaired by the Vice-President and Dean of Humanities.

The Faculty Leadership Team (FLT) consists of The Dean, The Director of Faculty Operations, Vice Deans for Research, Teaching & Learning and Social Responsibility, Heads of Schools and Faculty Heads of Function. The remit of the Faculty Leadership Team (FLT) is to ensure that the Faculty has strategies, policies and structures to meet the overall objectives of the University; to develop approve and lead implementation and monitoring of the Faculty’s strategic and operational plans and associated budgets, and to oversee and monitor the development of Academic and Professional Services (PS) activities of the Faculty.

Faculty Malpractice Panels hear cases of academic malpractice which are subsequent offences committed by students in levels 1 & 2 and CPD; first offences committed by students at level 3; subsequent offences by PGT students on the taught element of their programme; and offences in a PGT dissertation. Trained academic members of staff Chair the Panels which are supported by a PS member of staff from the Faculty’s Teaching and Learning Office.

Fail is the term used when a student does not meet the Intended learning outcomes of a course unit or programme of study and is therefore not awarded the credit or an award of the University.

Fast Track Application Scheme identifies undergraduate students, in their penultimate year of study, who are on line for a 2.1 classification and offers them a conditional place on a Masters level programme, without the need for the student to go through the full application process.

Feedback is written or verbal information given on progress which can take many forms.

Feedback Policy sets out the principles under which feedback should be planned and delivered and relates to both formative and summative work.  It applies to undergraduate and postgraduate taught provision. Read the Policy on Feedback to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students.

Feedforward is the term used relating to feedback where the focus is on the positive and what the student can do to improve their understanding in relation to the assignment completed and their future studies.

Field Trip is an excursion which is related to the students’ field of study to enable and develop greater understanding for the student.

Field Work is practical work conducted at an external site, which can be supervised or unsupervised.

First marker - The first marker to complete marks and feedback on your assessment.  

Flexible Learning (FL) is a programme of work to create the right conditions and support structures to explore new ways of teaching and learning across The University of Manchester. Flexible Learning will explore how flexibility over pace, place, time, mode and qualification can support learners’ individual choices. See the Flexible Learning website.

Flying Faculty is the process by which the delivery of provision is usually solely by University of Manchester staff at a partner institution either in the UK or overseas. ‘Flying faculty’ arrangements often require a level of support or services/facilities to be provided for students, by the partner institution, especially when University staff are not present at the delivery location.

Formative Assessment is assessment that does not contribute to the final mark of a unit. Formative assessment focuses on measuring progress to date and feedback on formative assessments should enable the recipient to develop and improve before completing summative assessments.

Formative Feedback is that which enables the recipient to develop and improve with the unit and/ or programme of study.

Framework is the title of a document which sets out the relevant requirements of a set system or process.

Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) is a document, produced by the Quality Assurance Agency, which sets out the requirements for qualifications.  

Fraudulent Applications are applications to study on a programme which provide false information (including misrepresentation e.g. through plagiarism).

Full-time equivalent (FTE) is used for the calculation of student numbers. The calculation of the FTE relates to the student’s mode of attendance i.e. full-time, part-time, distance learning. The FTE of a full-time student is always 1. If a student is not studying full-time the FTE is a calculation of the student as a fraction of a full-time student, based on a weighted average of their programme. A part-time student is normally counted as 0.5 FTE.