Undergraduate Student Guide 2012-2013 - Selwyn College ...

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In Engineering, in order to proceed to the MEng, a student must, in accordance with Faculty regulations, obtain at least a 2.2 in either their second or third year. In Selwyn, any student who obtains a Third at the end of their third year will have to obtain the permission of the College Council before being allowed to remain in residence for the MEng rather than take the BA degree. The pass standard in the MEng is roughly the equivalent of a 2.2. In Mathematics, the standard for proceeding to Part III (MMath) is high, i.e. a good First. You should consult your DoS for the most up-to-date information. In all cases, the final decision rests with the College Council. 3.3.6 Safety Nets Every year, one or two undergraduates will have had their preparation for their examinations hindered by illness or other difficulties (e.g. bereavement) or will take their examinations under similar handicap. The University does not allow candidates in such circumstances to have additional marks awarded to them to change their level of performance, but the University does take a sympathetic view of candidates who are so affected by illness or other good cause that they are unable to pass their examination. In such circumstances, a case can be made by a Tutor on behalf of the candidate to the Applications Committee of the University Council. This body determines whether the student should be given an Allowance to proceed to the next part of the Tripos, or, in the case of final-year students, to graduate with honours. A full medical report, which remains confidential to the Applications Committee, is normally required as part of that exercise. It is of the utmost importance that any undergraduate who feels that his or her work is being adversely affected by illness, family circumstance etc, should communicate with his or her Tutor at the earliest opportunity, and, if at all possible, before the start of the examinations. 3.3.7 Examinations in College In the interests of fairness to all candidates, the rules governing the taking of exams in College are very strict. In exceptional circumstances, the University may allow a candidate to sit his or her papers in College, with, where appropriate, an allowance of extra time. Such permission, which must be sought in advance by the candidate’s Tutor, can only be granted when students are suffering from a serious disability or illness that makes it impossible for them to get to the examination room and/or write their answers in the normal way. In all other cases, the University expects candidates to take their papers as normal, even if they feel they are suffering from factors which they consider could detract from their performance. When a specific learning difficulty has been formally diagnosed, an allowance of extra time is granted only in severe cases; in less serious cases, examiners, provided the University has been given due warning following an application by the candidate’s Tutor, are asked to disregard errors of spelling and other minor mistakes of a purely linguistic nature. The University now provides a central exam room for use by candidates who are granted an extra allowance of time but who otherwise are in good health. (The only exception to this is when such a candidate has two exams on the same day. This may require one or both papers to be sat in College.) Any undergraduate who believes that he or she has good reason to need to take their exams in College must discuss this with his or her Tutor by the end of the Michaelmas Term. Supporting medical evidence will be required. It should be noted, however, that the support of a doctor or other professional consultant for an allowance of extra time, while it will always be given serious consideration by the College and by the University’s Applications Committee, will not automatically lead to such an allowance being granted. If permission is granted to take papers in College, it will apply solely to the year in question. On-going medical conditions must be re-assessed for this purpose each year. No consideration will be given later than the end of January to cases based on pre-existing medical conditions. After that date, applications will be made to the University only in cases of unforeseen illness or injury, and, it is emphasized, when the illness or injury is of such severity as to make it out of the question for the candidate to sit his or her papers under normal conditions. S Selwyn College Undergraduate Student Guide 2013-14 23
Any candidate who believes, whether in advance or subsequently, that their performance in the normal examination room will be, or has been, seriously affected is advised to bring this to the attention of his/her Tutor at the earliest possible opportunity. In acute cases (but only in those that can be considered such), it is possible for the University to take these factors into account, especially when otherwise the candidate would be declared to have failed. 3.4 UNSATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS: THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE Academic progress is monitored by each student’s Director of Studies. If the Director of Studies feels that a student is giving insufficient attention to their work or is failing to achieve the level expected, he or she will certainly raise this with the student, probably at a start or end of term meeting. If the situation is not improved by this informal approach, then the Director of Studies may initiate more formal proceedings. The first stage is for the student, along with his or her Tutor, to meet with their Director of Studies and the Senior Tutor. At this meeting the reasons for the unsatisfactory performance are explored in detail, with everyone having a chance to express their views and make comments. The aim in this meeting is very much to identify problems and possible solutions. The Senior Tutor follows up the meeting with a letter to the student summarising the discussion and the agreed action. If the Director of Studies feels that subsequent to this meeting there is still no improvement and that the situation has become serious, the student may be referred to the Academic Committee. This committee is composed of the Master, the Senior Tutor, the student’s Director of Studies and one other Tutor or senior member of the College Council. Although the formality of the occasion is designed to reflect the College’s view of the severity of the situation, the purpose of such a hearing is not punitive. Instead, the Committee attempts to establish the causes of the student’s unsatisfactory progress and to come up with ways in which the situation might be retrieved in time for the exams. The Committee may set specific actions which the student is required to take, or specify academic tests or hurdles which need to be passed. These will be communicated in writing to the student. If a student’s progress continues to be unsatisfactory, or if the conditions set by the Academic Committee have not been met, the Committee may be reconvened in order to consider the case once more. As a result of its deliberations, the Committee may set further hurdles and tests. If the Committee feels that the student has been wilfully neglecting their studies, however, they may recommend to the College Council that the student be required to leave without completing the year (see Appendix 2). The College Council will then meet to consider the recommendation of the Academic Committee, and at this meeting the student will have the right to make further representations. The final decision as to the student’s future rests with the College Council. It may be that there are personal circumstances or emotional difficulties which are preventing a student from working to their full potential. Where such circumstances have been identified they will be taken into account in any of the above procedures. In such cases the emphasis will be on supporting the student to enable them to work effectively, and it may be decided these formal procedures are not appropriate. One possible outcome of the Academic Committee’s deliberations may be for them to recommend that the student seek permission from the University to go out of residence for a period (in University parlance to be given ‘exceptional permission to go out of residence’, previously known as ‘to degrade’) in order to resolve particular difficulties or so as to be able to have a fresh start. In such cases, the Committee may well set conditions which have to be met before a student can return into residence. Until these conditions are met, the student may not return into residence. 3.5 PLAGIARISM Along with all other universities, the University of Cambridge and its Colleges take very seriously indeed the matter of plagiarism, especially when the work in question is submitted for assessment as 24 Selwyn College Undergraduate Student Guide 2013-14
Page 1 and 2: Selwyn College CAMBRIDGE UNDERGRADU
Page 3 and 4: 4.4 Other forms of help 4.5 Persona
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Page 7 and 8: 1.2 MAP OF THE COLLEGE 1.3 CONTACT
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Page 11 and 12: Mathematics Dr Jack Button, College
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Page 19 and 20: It is your DoS who will discuss wit
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