Reference Number: CORP 02-A04

Review of Results and Appeals Procedure

Reference Number: CORP_02-a04

Review of Results and Appeals Procedure

Revision History

Version / Last revised / Next review date / Policy Owner / Notes
CORP_02
CORP_02-a01
CORP_02-a02
CORP_02-a03 / 2 July 2013 / 31 March 2014 / Matthew Baldwin
CORP_02-a04 / 1 September 2013 / 31 March 2014 / Matthew Baldwin / Updated with new QAD terminology

Review of Results and Appeals Procedure

Overview

There are a number of reasons why students may wish to enquire about the results they received for a particular module. NCC Education’s Review of Results (RoR) procedure allows students to request a review of the marking of their work for a particular module and assessment cycle.

These requests must be made within one month of the publication of results.

If, after receiving the results of the review, the student is still dissatisfied with NCC Education’s procedures or their application, an appeal may be lodged. An appeal can only be lodged once an initial review has taken place.A request for an appeal must be made within 14 days of notification of the outcomes of an initial Review of Results.

Requests for Review of Results and appeals must be submitted in writing, using the appropriate forms (included at the end of this document as Appendices A and B) and accompanied by the appropriate fee (a separate document containing fees and charges can be found on Campus), within the time limits outlined above. If the review or appeal is successful, the fee will be returned.

The two stages can be summarised as follows:

Stage 1

Review of Results

Stage 2

Appeal

In exceptional cases, an Accredited Partner Centre may wish to request a review of the moderation of their marks for the entire cohort of a particular module and assessment cycle without each student requesting individual Reviews of Results. In this event, the Accredited Partner Centre can submit an Enquiry about Cohort Moderation (ECM). Should an Accredited Partner Centre be dissatisfied with the outcome of an Enquiry about Cohort Moderation, they may then wish to request a stage 1 Review of Results for any number of students in the cohort.

Enquiries about Cohort Moderationmust be made within one month of the publication of results.

Purpose of Reviews and Appeals

The purpose of the Review and Appeals processes is to provide an opportunity for students or Accredited Partner Centres to ensure that NCC Education’s processes and procedures have been followed correctly, and to confirm that any grade awarded is fully justified. Please note that where a review reveals that the original grade awarded is higher than justified by the work, the grade will be lowered.

Stage 1 - Review of Results

This is a review of the original marking of an assessment component to ensure that NCC Education’s procedures have been followed and applied correctly. This includes:

Checking that all parts of the script have been marked;
Checking that all marks have been added correctly;
Checking that all marks have been properly recorded;
Checking that the agreed marking scheme has been applied correctly;
Reviewing the application of any scaling or other adjustments;
Reviewing the appropriateness of and evidence for any decisions made regarding malpractice and maladministration.
Reviewing the application of any pre or post-assessmentspecial consideration, where applicable.

Students must request a Review of Results through their Accredited Partner Centre within one month of the publication of the results in question. NCC Education aims to notify students of the outcome of a review withinone monthof the date of receipt of a completed Review of Results request form, together with the associated fee. Where the review does not lead to a change in the student’s result, the fee will be retained. If the result improves, the fee will be refunded in full to the student.

Please note that the processing of a Review of Results will not commence until full payment has been received.

This procedure should be used by students and Accredited Partner Centres undertaking any NCC Education programme other than those programmes with university collaboration. In these cases, the procedure specified by the university partner should be followed (information can be found in theappropriate student handbook). Student enquiries should normally be made through the Accredited Partner Centre.

Procedure

Before submitting a request for a Review of Results, studentsare strongly advised to discuss this matter with their tutor, supervisor, programme director or other appropriate person at the Accredited Partner Centre. Any student studying on an online programme with NCC Education should discuss this matter with the relevant Course Director.
If a student wishes to request a Review of Results, they should complete the Review of Results request form (Appendix A).The student should submit the form along with the appropriate fee to their Accredited Partner Centre, who will in turn submit the form to their Customer Services Executive at NCC Education on behalf of the student.Students should not submit their form directly to NCC Education.
The Customer Services Executive will send acknowledgement of the request by email to the Accredited Partner Centre, normally within 48 hours of receipt.
An invoice will then be raised by NCC Education’s Finance department, upon which the Accredited Partner Centre should pay the student’s fee in full.
The request for a Review of Results will then be passed to the Appeals Officer, who will proceed to complete a review of the student’s results upon NCC Education receiving the appropriate fee.
The outcome of the review will be communicated to the Accredited Partner Centre via the Customer Services Executive, along with a letter from the Appeals Officerconfirming the decision. The student’s Accredited Partner Centre will then communicate thisdecision to the student.
Should the enquiry result in the student’s grade changing to a pass or higher, the enquiry fee will be refunded.

Where the result of an enquiry calls into question the accuracy of other results, NCC Education will take appropriate action to protect the integrity of assessment (for example by investigating the marks of other members of the same cohort and implementing any necessary procedures and changes to marks and grades).

Stage 2 – Appeal of outcome of review

Should a student be dissatisfied with the outcome of a Review of Results, they may wish to appeal the decision. Appeals may only be submitted once a Review of Results has taken place, and must be submitted within 14 days of notification of the outcome of the original review.

NCC Education aims to resolve appeals within 6 weeks of the date of receipt of a completed Appeals request form, together with the associated fee.Where an appeal is successful, the fee will be refunded in full to the student. Where an appeal is unsuccessful, the fee will be retained.

Procedure

Before submitting a request for an appeal, studentsare strongly advised to discuss this matter with their tutor, supervisor, programme director or other appropriate person at the Accredited Partner Centre, to establish the grounds for the appeal.
If a student wishes to request anappeal of the outcome of a Review of Results, they should complete the Appeals request form (Appendix B).The student should submit the form along with the appropriate fee to their Accredited Partner Centre, who will in turn submit the form to their Customer Services Executive at NCC Education on behalf of the student. Students should notsubmit their form directly to NCC Education.
The Customer Services Executive will send acknowledgement of the request by email to the Accredited Partner Centre, normally within 48 hours of receipt.
An invoice will then be raised by NCC Education’s Finance department, upon which the Accredited Partner Centre should pay the student’s fee in full.
The Appeals request form will be passed onto the Appeals Officer, who will initiate the appropriate proceedings upon NCC Education receiving the appropriate fee.
An Appeals Panel will be convened, consisting of at least one independent member who is not and hasnever been employed by NCC Education in any capacity, nor has any connection to the company, nor a personal interest in the decision being appealed.
The case will be considered by the Appeals Panel. The Appeals Panel’s review will only concern NCC Education’s practices and their application, and will not concern matters of academic judgement. The Appeals Panel may instruct NCC Education to reconsider the case and may offer recommendations.
The outcome of the appeal will be communicated to the Accredited Partner Centre via the Customer Services Executive, along with a letter from the Appeals Officer confirming the decision. The student’s Accredited Partner Centre will then communicate this decision to the student.

Successful Reviews and Appeals

The appropriate fees will be reimbursed to the student if NCC Education has received the money into its bank account. Where a cheque has been received and not banked, NCC Education will return the cheque via the Accredited Partner Centre.

Unsuccessful Reviews and Appeals

NCC Education will retain the fee in order to cover the cost of the Review of Results or appeals process.

Enquiry about Cohort Moderation

Should an Centrehave reason to believe there was an administrative error in NCC Education’s procedures for the moderation and/or release of its results, they may requesta review by a second moderator of the work of the first moderator. This enquiry is entirely separate from the stage 1 review and stage 2 appeal outlined above.

The review will examine whether the required assessment criteria have been fairly, reliably and consistently applied. Please note that an enquiry cannot be made if the Accredited Partner Centre’s marks have not been subject to adjustment by the first moderator, nor can it be used for individual students.

Enquiries about Cohort Moderationmust be made within one month of the publication of results.

Any centre wishing to make an Enquiry about Cohort Moderation should complete the form found in Appendix C.

Appendix A:

Review of Results request form

Appendix A:

Review of Results request form

Students wishing to request a Review of Results should complete this form and submit it to their Accredited Partner Centre.

This form should be used by students registered on any NCC Education programme other than those programmes with university collaboration. In these cases, the procedure specified by the university partner should be followed (information can be found in the appropriate Accredited Partner CentreHandbook).

You should submit the completed form to your centre within one month of the release of the results for the relevant module. Any supporting evidence must be submitted with this form together with the appropriate fee. If your request is submitted later than the time limit specified, your request may be turned down.

Note that where a review finds that the original grade awarded is higher than justified, the correct lower grade will be recorded and the request for review may not be withdrawn.

The completed form should be emailed by the Accredited Partner Centre to their NCC Education Customer Service Executive.

Please provide details of your request in the space provided below (continue on additional sheets if necessary). Attach any evidence in support of the request.

Signature of student: / Date:
Signature of contact person at the Accredited Partner Centre: / Date:

Appendix B:

Appeals request form

Appendix B:

Appeals request form

Students wishing to appeal the decision of a Review of Results should complete this form and submit it to their Accredited Partner Centre.

An appeal can only be lodged once an initial Review of Results has taken place.

An appeal must be made within 14 days of official notification of the outcome of a Review of Results by NCC Education to the Accredited Partner Centre. Any supporting evidence must be submitted with this form together with the appropriate fee. If an appeal is submitted later than the time limits specified, your request may be turned down.

The completed form should be emailed by the Accredited Partner Centre to their NCC Education Customer Service Executive.

Please provide the following information per module relevant to the enquiry being made.
Accredited Partner Centre name:
Contact person at Accredited Partner Centre:
Address of Accredited Partner Centre (including contact email address):
Full name of student:
Unique Candidate Number:
Programme title:
Module title:
Date initial request for Review of Results submitted to NCC Education:
Y/N / Please tick this box to indicate that the student has read and accepted the NCC Education Review of Results and Appeals Process for Academic Assessment and understands that their appeal relates to NCC Education’s procedures and their application and not matters of academic judgement.

Please provide details of the grounds for appeal in the space provided below (continue on additional sheets if necessary). Attach any evidence in support of the appeal.

Signature of student: / Date:
Signature of contact person at the Accredited Partner Centre: / Date:

Appendix C:

Enquiries about Cohort Moderation form

Accredited Partner Centres wishing to request anEnquiry about Cohort Moderation should complete this form and submit it to their Accredited Partner Centre.

You should submit the completed form to your centre within one month of the release of the results for the relevant module.

The completed form should be emailed to your NCC Education Customer Service Executive.

Please provide details of the grounds for enquiry in the space provided on the next page (continue on additional sheets if necessary). Attach any evidence in support of the enquiry.

Signature of contact person at the Accredited Partner Centre: / Date: