ARC Guide to Internal Resolution Procedure

Contents

What this Guide is about

Why appeal?

Grounds for an appeal

What can’t I appeal against?

When can I appeal?

Before appeal

How to appeal

Where to submit your 1st stage of an appeal- Internal Resolution (IR) request

The appeal process

Possible Outcomes

Useful Links

What advice and help can I expect to receive from the Advice & Representation Centre?

What this Guide is about

This Guide is about first steps of challenging academic decisions. This first step is called Internal Resolution. If you have already had an outcome to your Internal Resolution request and wish to appeal this decision further, please read our Guide to 2nd Phase of Academic Appeals, which can be found in the University Procedures section of our website.

The process of academic appeals is governed by Senate Regulation 12

University’s own academic appeal guidance can be found here

Why appeal?

There may be a number of reasons why you may wish to appeal, below are a few examples of decisions made by the Board of Examiners, relating to your academic future, which you can appeal (this list is not exhaustive):

  • A decision on whether or not to award you credits for a module
  • A decision on whether or not you may proceed to the next level of your course
  • A decision to require you to withdraw from your course
  • A decision to award you a particular degree, diploma or certificate

Grounds for an appeal

There are three grounds on which you can challenge a decision of the Board of Examiners. You can appeal on 1 or more of the basis below and these are:

  1. Mitigating circumstances:

A mitigating circumstance is a serious or significant event, and its consequences, which have significantly impaired your academic performance.

University’s own Mitigating Circumstances Guidance for Students can be found here

Normally you should submit Mitigating Circumstances within 7 days of the deadline affected bythe Mitigating Circumstances; this may involve more than 1 module.

If you didn’t submit your MCs before your appeal it is crucial to explain clearlyand provide evidence why not.

If you have submitted mitigating circumstances already and these were rejected, you will need to provide new information and evidence and then explain why you were not able to disclose these details earlier.

Please note: you do not have to have missed an assessment deadline to submit Mitigating Circumstances. You may have met the deadline but believe your performance was affected. Equally, you do not have to have failed the assessment- you can still appeal the grade on grounds of mitigating circumstances even if you have passed the assessment.

If you are appealing on this ground please see the ARC Guide on explaining your mitigating circumstances in the University Procedures section of our website

  1. Procedural irregularities:

Procedural irregularities are where the correct procedures in conducting examinations or assessing coursework were not followed and this has affected the result.

Procedural irregularities can involve any assessment and/or process but the Procedural irregularity must have a material effect on the outcome.

For example:if students were told that they could take a text book into the exam but on arrival are informed that they cannot, they would be disadvantaged by the misdirected preparation and revision.

As with any appeal, you will need to provide evidence of the procedural irregularity you think has occurred. In order to know if something has gone wrong, you need to know the process. For example:

If you believe your work has not been marked properly, you need to know the process of marking in order to know that an error has occurred. Just believing your work was not marked properly is not a valid reason to appeal.

Senate Regulation 4 sets out the marking process in detail but this will not help unless you know what actually has happened with your work: Was the work moderated or 2nd marked? Did your work get sent to an External Examiner?

  1. Evidence of prejudice, bias or inadequate assessment:
  1. Evidence of prejudice, bias:

Where one or more Examiners or members of staff conducting a progress review demonstrate prejudice or bias against you.

As with any appeal, you will need to provide evidence of thebias or prejudice you think has occurred. As allegations of bias and prejudice may severely affect someone’s professional career, your evidence must be strong and unequivocal.

  1. Inadequate assessment:

Wherethere is evidence of inadequate assessment on the part of one or more of the Examiners or members of staff conducting a progress review.

Do not get confused between anInadequate Assessment and Procedural Irregularity, although they can interlink they are different grounds for appeal. Inadequate Assessment tends to relate to failure to adhere to marking practices whereas Procedural Irregularity relates to error in process.

You will need to provide evidence to show inadequate assessment has occurred. For example:

If youbelieve your work has not been marked properly and the feedback relating to your work does not make sense or is not applicable to your work, asking for verbal feedback is a good way to seek answers and possibly address your concerns.

It would also help to look through the module outline to ensure you have met all of the learning outcomes and objectives for the assessment in question. These actions will help you make a better appeal if you take that route or help you better understand your assessment and decide against appealing.

You are always welcome to discuss you appeal grounds with an ARC adviser.

What can’t I appeal against?

  • You cannot appeal because the result you have achieved is worse than you would have wished for, or worse than you feel you deserve.
  • You cannot appeal because you disagree with academic judgment; a decision made by an examiner within their professional capacity and where no specified appeal grounds apply.
  • You cannot use these appeal procedures to appeal a decision made by Residences (Halls), they have their own procedures
  • You cannot use these appeal procedures to appeal an academic or non-academic disciplinary penalty. Please the Disciplinaries section of our website

When can I appeal?

Students are able to Appeal confirmed results, awards and various other formal outcomes.Confirmed normally means issued by Board of Examiners.

You cannot appeal whilst a grade, mark or decision is provisional. A grade, mark or decision will be confirmed at a formal Board of Examiners meeting or by an Examiner in your Progress Review.

You have 10 working days from the notification of your results/relevant decision to submit a request for internal resolution to your College or Institute. Therefore it is important that you are sure about the date the results were notified or published as this will form the start of the appeal deadline.

Before appeal

It is always worth trying to resolve an issue before it goes to a formal appeal. It is in your best interests to resolve any issues at an early stage so you can focus on your studies.

If possible, you should discuss the issue with an Academic within your department;a Personal Tutor, Module Leader, or Programme Leader. Some issues, particularly if you are appealing on the basis of procedural irregularity or prejudice and bias, can be resolved before the appeal stage. It is often beneficial to seek informal resolution regardless of the outcome. For example:

If you have a query over feedback and believe this affects the integrity of the mark given, your first course of action (time permitting) should be to seek further verbal feedback on the assessment in question. This could assist you in the following way:

1 – After further feedback you are satisfied that the mark matches the work and your queries about the feedback are answered.

OR

2 – Following further feedback you are more concerned about the integrity of the mark; the feedback does not fit the outcome and the explanations provided are not adequate.

With either outcome you will be in a better position to choose an appropriate ground for your appeal. If you do decide to pursue an appeal, you can at least show you have tried to understand and seek clarity on the queries you have.

It is also worth considering alternative options that may better suit your query and/or issue. It may be that a complaint is more appropriate. Speak to the ARC if you’re unsure.

How to appeal

You can appeal within10 working days from ‘Notification of results’; meaning the publication of results through the internet or dispatch of notification of results by post. You can always ask in your department’s office to confirm when the results were officially released.

You must submit your Internal Resolution request through your College’sspecific Internal Resolution Form. This will be available from your departmental office and in most cases on Blackboard Learn.

The Internal Resolution Form is self-explanatory and only asks for information needed to fully understand your case and determine an appropriate and informed decision.

The form will ask:

  • What decision you are appealing
  • Your reason for appealing (this has to be one of the permitted grounds for appeal)
  • What you have done (if anything) to resolve the matter, have you raised this with anyone? And if so when and what was the advice provided at that time?
  • What you are hoping to achieve by submitting an appeal.
  • Module Code, Module Name, Deadline Date and the element of assessment in question (essay, portfolio etc).
  • If an assessment is involved then you need to explain and evidence the impact on the deadline date.

Where to submit your 1st stage of an appeal-Internal Resolution (IR) request

Once you have completed the form you will then be able to submit it to the specific email address:

College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences:

College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences:

College of Health and Life Sciences:

The appeal process

Internal Resolution is Stage 1 of a 2 stage appeal process. Stage 1 is completed and considered by your College or Institute.

Your College is likely to offer you a meeting to discuss your reasons for submitting Internal Resolution. This will allow your College a further opportunity to ask any questions that may be relevant for them to make an informed decision on your Internal Resolution Submission.

YourCollege or Instituteshould aim to respond to your request for Internal Resolution within 10 working days of receiving your request.

If the outcome is to reject your appeal, you will then be issued with a ‘Conclusion of Internal Resolution’. This conclusion should confirm the reason why your appeal was rejected and confirm the next steps available to you.

Ifthe outcome is to accept your appeal but you are not happy with the outcome agreed for you,then you also have the option of pursuing a phase 2 appeal. In this situation however, it may be more useful for you to informally negotiate with the Schoolfor a more desirable outcome.

Possible Outcomes

If you have failed a module in its entirety (not passed anything for that module), it is very likely that you will have to be reassessed. Find below a non-exhaustive list of possible outcomes:

  • Allow you another attempt at the assessment for full marks (no cap is applied).
  • Allow you another attempt at the assessment for a capped mark.

For a passed but capped assessment, the removal of a cap could be applied if you have passed other elements/blocks of the module and your Collegeis satisfied that you have showed an in-depth understanding of the module (and met the necessary learning outcomes). Your College could decide you do not need to be reassessed and could allocate you the same grade for the assessment in question.

You could be allowed a further opportunity to do a Work Placement/ Practice Placement.

These are just some examples of possible outcomes. Please do remember that you do have to be assessed somehow and that the College cannot allow you to progress to the next Level without satisfactory assessment.

Useful Links

  • Brunel University Senate Regulations:
  • Brunel University Appeals and Complaints guidance:
  • Mitigating Circumstances Guidance and Late Penalties Policy:

What advice and help can I expect to receive from the Advice & Representation Centre?

We are able to assist with the following:

  • Helping you to decide if appealing is the best course of action for you;
  • Explaining how the process works;
  • Helping you to define your appeal grounds
  • Helping you think of evidence to provide
  • Advising you on how to structure your appeal form; and
  • Advising you on next steps if necessary

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