Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes
Updates to the Policy were approved by Senate in April 2019, and are to be implemented from September 2019.
For a full PDF version of the Policy, please see below:
CONTENTS
Introduction
- Scope
- Main Principles
- The Policy
- Extending deadlines/Disability Advisory Services (DASS) automatic extensions
- Penalty for late submission
- Penalty for going over length
- Plagiarism detection
1. Introduction
1.1 The purpose of this Policy is to provide transparency in relation to the submission of summative assessment and the way the details are articulated to students. It also sets out the responsibilities of Schools regarding penalties for work that is submitted late or exceeds the prescribed length.
2. Scope
2.1 This Policy refers to all undergraduate and postgraduate coursework submitted for summative assessment on taught programmes. Summative assessment is defined, for the purposes of this policy, as that which contributes to the final unit mark.
2.2 The Policy does not apply to purely formative assessment. The Policy also does not apply to assessment that students must attend to complete, such as practical tests, written examinations or work which is marked in the presence of students as part of a continuous assessment model.
3. Main Principles
3.1 The purpose of this Policy is to ensure that the arrangements and procedures for the submission of work for summative assessment are equitable and transparent.
4. The Policy
4.1 Schools must publish School level procedures for submission of work for summative assessment, and Faculties will be responsible for ensuring that these are appropriate across the Faculty and in accordance with this policy.
4.2 Schools must publish deadlines for the submission of all coursework at the beginning of each semester. Students are responsible for managing their time in order to meet published deadlines; multiple deadlines close together are not grounds for mitigation.
Extending deadlines/Disability Advisory and Support Services (DASS) automatic extensions
4.3 Deadlines may be extended in accordance with the Policy on Mitigating Circumstances.
4.4 Arrangements for automatic extensions for students registered with the Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS) must be adhered to (please see ‘Guidance for Automatic Extensions for Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS) students’).
Penalty for late submission
4.5 There is a standard penalty for all work that is submitted late. This must be used by Schools in relation to large pieces of work (e.g. dissertations/projects)[1]. It is also the default penalty for all other pieces of work, unless alternative arrangements are agreed by the relevant Faculty. Schools are required to make a case to their Faculty for any exceptions to the standard penalty and, if agreed, any variation must be made clear on each piece of assessment. Faculties should review any variations annually.
4.6 Details about the standard penalties (or any Faculty agreed variations) should be publicised to students at the start of each semester.
4.7 The standard penalty relates to first attempts only. Students who submit referral assignments after the deadline will be automatically subject to a mark of zero. There are no further resit opportunities for referred assignments that are submitted late, unless there is approved mitigation.
4.8 Schools must implement the standard penalty of a sliding scale to penalise late submission; work submitted after the deadline will be marked but the mark awarded will reduce progressively for each day, or part thereof, by which the work is late.
4.9 The mark awarded will reduce by 10% of the maximum amount available per 24 hours (e.g. if the work is marked out of 100, this means a deduction of 10 marks per 24 hours late. If the work is marked out of 20, the deduction would be 2 marks each 24 hours late.) The penalty applies as soon as an assignment is late; a 10% deduction would be issued if an assignment is submitted immediately after the deadline, and the work would continue to attract further penalties for each subsequent 24 hours the work was late, until the assignment is submitted or no marks remain.
4.10 In exceptional circumstances and for sound pedagogic reasons, a Unit Lead may decide not to accept late submission of assessed summative work. These circumstances must be approved by the Faculty and be detailed within Unit Specifications. The rationale and consequences must also be clearly articulated in assignment briefs.
4.11 Further information and guidance about the application of late submission penalties can be found in the Guidance on Late Submission.
Penalty for going over length
4.12 Schools must have appropriate procedures in place for dealing with work exceeding the required length and must publicise it to students at the start of each semester.
4.13 Penalties for going over length should meet the overarching principles of this policy, being equitable and transparent.
Plagiarism detection
4.14 Where appropriate, summative assessed written work, including dissertations and projects, should be submitted online and subjected to plagiarism detection software.
4.15 Schools must ensure students are aware that plagiarism detection software is used and must be directed to information, advice and guidance on academic writing, avoiding plagiarism and the penalties arising from academic misconduct.
4.16 Staff and students can find information on academic malpractice and plagiarism, including procedures for handling cases of suspected plagiarism, on the TLD website at:
http://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/tlso/policy-guidance/assessment/process-of-assessment/academic-malpractice/
[1] Large pieces of work, for this purpose, are defined as being single pieces of assessed work carrying a credit weighting of 30 credits or more.
v2.1 February 2019, for implementation from September 2019
*Please note: accompanying Guidance on late submission is available at: