REQUIREMENTS FOR PART 2 OF ALL PROGRAMME HANDBOOKS

FRONT PAGE:

Required:

  • Title “PROGRAMME HANDBOOK PART 2”
  • Subtitle: “[PROGRAMME TITLE + ACADEMIC YEAR]”
  • Space for Student Name
  • Name of School
  • Middlesex University Logo
  • Partner Institution Logo

INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAMME HANDBOOK

Purpose:

To introduce students to the information supplied within Parts 1 and 2 of the handbook, the format(s) it is available in, and other sources of information that should be referred to before/alongside the handbook.

Required:

  • Information on the purpose of the handbook (including information on Part 1)
  • Information on available formats
  • Information on university regulations

N.B. Example text is given at the end of this guidance note.

CONTENTS

Required:

  • Table of contents to list everything from this point forward.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR

Required:

  • The Academic Calendar for the forthcoming Academic Year. Key dates – such as exam periods, Boards of Study – should be included. Academic Calendars can be found at:
  • Details of how students should get a revised calendar for subsequent years

Uploaded 27/5/16

PROGRAMME REGULATIONS

Required:

  • Link to University Regulations online:
  • Information on any programme-specific regulations
  • Contact details for staff for any further queries on regulations.
  • Information about certificates/diploma supplements

ASSESSMENT

Required:

  • Information on Assessment, including:
  • Information on submission and receipt of assessment. Reference should be made to the UniHelp desk in the Sheppard Library as the place for all hard copy assessment submissions (with the exception of large items – details for which must be included in the relevant Module Handbook).
  • An assessment schedule, including both formative and summative assessment and related deadlines.
  • Information about exams – if the programme contains this type of assessment, including an examination timetable and advice on preparing and revising, available on UniHub – unihub.mdx.ac.uk/study/exams.
  • If the programme contains exams, reference should be made to access of past exam papers – these can be accessed via the MyStudy area of UniHub:
  • If relevant, information about where students can find past examples of other forms of assessment.
  • Contact details for a member of staff whom students can contact if they are concerned about exams.
  • Information on marking, second marking and moderation of assessment, bearing in mind the requirements set out in the academic regulations.
  • Information on the return of coursework, stressing that students are expected to keep a secure copy of all their coursework. Any deadlines/timelines for return of coursework should be stated.
  • Information on the External Examiners for the programme (name, role and institution), as well as a link to the Programme Moodle page where External Examiner reports and responses should be kept. It should be explicitly stated that students should not make direct contact with External Examiners. A link to further information on the role of External Examiners can be provided:
  • Information on results; that at the end of each academic year module grades are considered and confirmed by an Assessment Board. Following the board, individual results and progression status can be viewed in the My Study area on myUniHub: If any results are provisional they will be labelled as such. Further information on results and assessment can be found in the Your Study area of UniHub, or by seeking advice from the Student Achievement Officer.
  • Information on Academic Misconduct. Students should be made aware of what constitutes Academic Misconduct throughout their studies. Reference should be made to Section F of the university regulations which explain academic misconduct in full: Students should be aware that academic misconduct covers examinations also and that she should ensure they have read the examination regulations to know what is expected of them. Exam regulations can be included here if the programme has a substantial proportion of examinations:
  • Information on Appeals. All students are able to appeal against the decisions of assessment board and outcomes of academic misconduct cases. They should be directed to the regulations for appeals which are set out in Section G of the university regulations: Further information on appeals can be found on UniHub:
  • Information on making a complaint. Students should be directed both to the complaints information on UniHub:

ATTENDANCE

Required:

  • A description of the attendance expectations of students for your particular school/department/programme. Reference should be made to the PSRB if relevant. If there are no specific requirements, this section can be used to write more generally about attendance and its relationship with learning, achievement, professionalism and employability etc.
  • Reference to the university attendance policy (Section C2 of the university regulations) and associated requirements of students.

Optional:

  • Information about late arrivals policy
  • Information about the X Grade if it applies to specific modules within the programme.

HEALTH & SAFETY

Optional:

  • Any important health and safety requirements that students need to be aware of and details of whom to contact if they have any particular questions, especially regarding specific medical conditions.

WELLBEING SERVICES

Required:

Please use the following text which has been supplied by Wellbeing Services

Disability and Dyslexia Support

The Middlesex University Disability Service supports students with a wide range of disabilities and medical conditions, including:

  • Specific learning difficulties (i.e. dyslexia)
  • Visual impairment
  • Mobility issues
  • Ongoing illness
  • Mental Health conditions
  • Hearing impairment
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders

Our team of Disability Advisers give advice and guidance and arrange support and Reasonable Accommodations for Middlesex students with disabilities. To arrange an appointment with a Disability Adviser please contact the service on 0208 411 2502 or email us at .

Counselling and Mental Health

The Counselling & Mental Health team provide mental wellbeing support and a confidential counselling and psychological therapy service to help you manage any challenges that arise while you study with us.

To make an appointment to see a psychological therapist, please book an appointment using this link on our UniHub Counselling & Mental Health pages :

We have some same-day ‘mini’ appointments of 25 minutes each available Monday to Friday. To book an appointment, go to the Counselling & Mental Health UniHub page and follow this link:

For general enquiries, the team can be contacted at:

For opening times, please visit the UniHub website, and our service will be listed under your support services.

EMPLOYABILITY

Required:

Please use the following text which has been supplied by the Employability Service:

Middlesex University is committed to supporting you to develop your employability skills; we do this by designing your programme – [insert programme name here] - so that you have the opportunity to develop a key set of employability skills including teaming working, self management, business and customer awareness, communication, problem solving and the application of literacy, numeracy and information technology. Please continue this paragraph by explaining in a more detail and giving examples how students gain core employability skills from the programme. One way of doing this could be to identify skills by module. This does not have to be exhaustive.

We also offer extra-curricular opportunities including:

  • a wide range of support delivered through our Employability Service including help to: plan a route into employment, to gain the skills and experience necessary to be successful in the workplace and to help you secure your dream job
  • a range of services through our Enterprise Development Hub to help you research, develop and start a business while gaining valuable employability and enterprise skills
  • numerous opportunities for you to work for Middlesex while you study; this provides valuable work experience but also a worthwhile income to help you meet the costs of studying. A range of employment options are available including: full year placement and other work opportunities; participation in our Student Ambassador Scheme and opportunities to become a Student Learning Assistant or Student Helper
  • one of the most comprehensive exchange programmes in the UK; you can go on exchange on most degree programmes as the University has over 100 different exchange partners to choose from, both within the European Union and throughout the rest of the world

The range of support offered through our Employability Service includes:

  • Our newly refurbished Employability Centre which provides an engaging and supportive environment in which you can access face-to-face, one-to-one support from an Employability Adviser with a working knowledge of your programme/School
  • MDX Employability Support – providing employability and enterprise support through telephone, email and webcam technologies. Support is available to help you with all aspects of sourcing, accessing and securing a job including writing a compelling CV, completing a job application form, writing a covering letter, preparing for an interview and managing an on-line presence
  • MDX Work Experience – provides support to help you to source, access and secure a period of work experience or a placement, internship or volunteering opportunity
  • MDXJobs.com – is our vacancy database of full and part-time work opportunities including placements, internships and graduate jobs. Many of these opportunities are available only for Middlesex students so whilst you may compete with other Middlesex students, you will not compete with the wider market place
  • MDX Graduate Support – is a dedicated recruitment service for final year students
  • MDX Postgraduate Support – is a dedicated service for our postgraduate community
  • MDX International Employability – this is tailored support to help you if you are an international student wanting to source, access and secure a job in your home country
  • MDX Employability Events – a range of on-campus events for students attended by employers, trade associations and professional bodies; our aim is to ensure that you have real opportunities to engage with employers so that you come away with meaningful and tangible outputs from the events
  • MDX Employability Webinars and Resources – this is a range of online employability and enterprise webinars, videos and resources for you to access at a time of your choosing
  • MDX Employability Self Assessment – this is an online tool to enable you to identify and address employability skills gaps. The online tool is also useful in the context of enabling the Employability Service to identify common employability skills gaps and to implement provision accordingly

e:

t: 0208 411 4923

HOW YOU CAN HELP ENHANCE YOUR PROGRAMME

Required:

  • An explanation of the importance of student feedback and how it inputs into the programme. Any changes to the programme made directly as a result of student feedback should be referenced, as well as You Said We Did ( and the student feedback pages on UniHub (
  • Information on Boards of Study. This should include the purpose of a Board of Study, meeting dates (if known – if not a link to where they will be published) and the role of student representatives within them. Guidance on Boards of Study can be drawn from here:
  • Information on assuring the quality of your programme can be found here:
  • Information on Student Surveys; their use and importance. Text can be drawn from these pages on the NSS, UKES, PTES (
  • Information on module feedback, including when and how this takes place.
  • Information on how students can feed back to staff outside formal feedback mechanisms; particularly in regard to minor academic/pastoral issues and early resolution of complaints.

N.B. Each page bar the front page should have

‘[PROGRAMME TITLE] [+YEAR]’

as a header and page numbers in the footer.

EXAMPLE TEXT FOR ‘PURPOSE OF THE HANDBOOK’

Your Programme Handbook

The purpose of this Handbook is to introduce you to your programme of study and to direct you to other general information about studying at Middlesex University. The material in this document is as accurate as possible at the date of production; however, you will be informed of any major changes in a timely manner.

Your comments on any improvements to this handbook are welcome. Please put them in writing (an email will suffice) with the name of the Programme Handbook to [name and contact details].

Information in alternative formats

This handbook can be found online at: insert link

If you have a disability which makes navigating the website difficult and you would like to receive information in an alternative format, please contact [name and contact details].

We can supply sections from this publication as:

  • a Word document with enlarged type — sent by email or supplied on a CD or memory stick
  • printed copy with enlarged type
  • printed copy on non-white paper
  • as Braille

Other formats may be possible. We will do our best to respond promptly. To help us, please be as specific as you can about the information you require and include details of your disability.

The Student University Guide

Before reading this Programme Handbook you should read the Student University Guide; this guide contains information on more general university services and facilities, such as UniHub, UniHelp and the Library. It is important that you familiarise yourself with this information in order to get the most from your handbook.

Part 1 of your Programme Handbook

Part 1 of this guide contains detailed information about your Programme, its structure, contents and assessment. You should read this in detail and refer to it throughout your studies.