University Covid-19 Response: No Detriment Policy for Degrees, Study notes of Medicine

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No Detriment

The University of Hull’s No Detriment approach is designed to mitigate the detrimental effects you might experience while continuing and completing your studies during the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. This approach applies to all students from Foundation level to PGT. There are three elements to the approach:

1. Online teaching, assessment and learning - To allow you to be able to continue your studies. To

achieve this, on 16 March 2020, the University moved all of its Trimester 2 teaching and assessment activities to online platforms.

2. Extensions and mitigating circumstances - To give you the time and flexibility to complete your assessments. To achieve this, we issued a 14 calendar day extension to all assessment deadlines after 16 March 2020. Where you need further time to complete your assessments, you will automatically be granted ‘mitigating circumstances’ which means that you will be contacted and given another opportunity to be assessed at a later date without a late submission penalty. You do not need to apply for mitigating circumstances and you will not need to provide us with any evidence for this. Your faculty will be in touch to confirm how this will work for you.

3. Progression and Degree classifications - To ensure that any drop in grade performance in the Covid- 19 affected period will not have a detrimental effect on your degree classification (that is, a first class, a 2:1 etc) or awards, or your ability to progress to next year, so long as the requisite modules and credits are successfully completed. This will be achieved by reviewing marks and grades at the Module Boards of Examiners (for modules) and by looking at how we calculate your degree classification at Programme Boards of Examiners (this year for finalists and in future years for those of you who are not finalists this year). For those of you on professionally accredited programmes, such as medicine, nursing, teaching or social work, we are following specific advice from your regulatory bodies. Each professional body is developing its own response to Covid-19. Programme teams will continue to update you on any profession-specific guidance and developments that relate to your course. If you are unsure of anything or have concerns about assessments period given the current situation, please contact your Academic Support Tutor, then your Module Leader, Programme Leader or Faculty Office. Contact information is on your Canvas module pages. Remember you can also contact us through MyHull Portal and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Boards of Examiners

The University has two types of Boards of Examiners, with separate responsibilities. Module Boards are responsible for agreeing module marks and Programme Boards are responsible for decisions on progression between years/levels and deciding degree classifications. All of the University’s Module and Programme Boards are conducted anonymously. To pass the year or be awarded your degree you must have passed the normal requirements of modules and credits for your course. This includes specific requirements if you are studying a professionally accredited programme such as medicine, nursing, teaching or social work. If you are an undergraduate finalist this year, we will calculate your degree classification as we normally would, using the marks from all of your modules in Level 5, Level 6 and, for Integrated Masters students, Level 7. We will then re-calculate your degree classification excluding the marks from this year’s Trimester 2 and where appropriate Trimester 3 modules. If the two degree classifications are different, we will award you the higher classification. Please note that your dissertation module is a University module and is covered by this policy. If you are a postgraduate taught student due to submit your dissertation (or equivalent) this year, we will use your overall average mark to calculate any award of merit or distinction in the normal way. We will then re-calculate your average mark excluding the marks from this year’s Trimester 2 modules. If the averages are different, we will take the higher average and award pass, merit or distinction based on the higher average. For Trimester 3, your module teams will discuss with you measures to mitigate any impact on your work. If you are on a placement or studying abroad this year, your placement co-ordinator will contact you to determine the extent of the disruption to your studies. If you are due to graduate next year, or in a subsequent year, we will still apply the No Detriment Policy to the Trimester affected by Covid-19 when calculating your degree classification.

Module Boards

Module Boards will review the marks for modules impacted by Covid-19 by comparing them with the same or equivalent modules from previous years, and with modules in Trimester 1 of this year. Where there is any clear downturn in performance for the period after 16 March 2020, the Module Board will be able to raise, but will not lower, the marks for everyone on the module. This is known as scaling and is common practice within education. Only the final, agreed, mark will appear on your transcript. The examples below are to demonstrate how this works in practical terms. Module Board Example 1: A Trimester 2 module is assessed by an essay and, this year, 30% of students appear to have failed that essay compared with only 5% last year. The Module Board will raise the marks for everyone to bring them in line. Module Board Example 2: A Trimester 2 module is assessed by two elements, a literature review with a deadline before 16 March and a project due after 16 March, and the overall performance on the project shows a clear downturn from the literature review and/or from the equivalent module last year. The Module Board will raise the marks for the project for everyone. The action taken by the Module Board will apply to everyone on the module.

Programme Boards

Once all of the module marks have been reviewed and finalised by the Module Boards, the Programme Boards will make decisions about progression and degree classification. For continuing undergraduate students, if your average mark is 40 or above and you have passed all your modules, you will progress to next year. If you have not passed all of your modules you will be eligible for reassessment, and therefore may still be able to progress to next year.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For Undergraduate finalists

If you are a finalist (undergraduate or Integrated Masters) the Programme Board will look at your marks and at the averages of the marks in all of the years that contribute to your degree classification. If your marks show a decline in performance in modules affected by Covid-19, the Programme Board will exclude your Trimester 2 marks for the purpose of determining a classification. You still have to pass those modules to be awarded your degree. Programme Board Example 1: As a finalist this year, on an undergraduate programme, if you have passed all modules and this year’s average Trimester 2 marks are at least as good as they were in Trimester 1, the Programme Board will calculate your degree classification in the normal way. Programme Board Example 2: As a finalist this year, on an undergraduate programme, if you have passed all modules, but this year’s average Trimester 2 marks are lower than they were in Trimester 1, the Programme Board will: · calculate your degree classification in the normal way AND · calculate your degree classification by excluding this year’s Trimester 2 marks. If the classifications are different, the Programme Board will always award the higher classification.

For Postgraduate taught students (due to submit their dissertation this year)

If you are a postgraduate taught student the Programme Board will look at your marks, and if they show a decline in performance in modules affected by Covid-19, the Programme Board will exclude your Trimester 2 marks for the purpose of determining a classification. You still have to pass those modules to be awarded your degree. Programme Board Example 1: As a postgraduate taught student, if you have passed all modules and this year’s Trimester 2 marks are at least as good as the average of all your other marks, the Programme Board will calculate your programme average in the normal way. Programme Board Example 2: As a postgraduate taught student, if you have passed all modules and this year’s Trimester 2 marks are lower than the average of all your other marks the Programme Board of Examiners will: · calculate your average mark in the normal way AND · calculate your average mark by excluding this year’s Trimester 2 marks. If the averages are different, the Programme Board will always use the higher average to award the classification****.

Continuing Undergraduate students at levels 3 and 4

This approach applies to all students from Foundation level to PGT. To pass the year you must have passed the normal requirements of modules and credits for your course. This includes specific requirements if you are studying a professionally accredited programme such as medicine, nursing, teaching or social work. As a continuing undergraduate student in your foundation year or first year, the No Detriment Policy will apply this year and the Programme Board will make progression decisions based on the marks reviewed and finalised by the Module Boards.

Continuing Undergraduate students at levels 5 and 6 including those on

placement year or year abroad

This year: To pass the year you must have passed the normal requirements of modules and credits for your course. This includes specific requirements if you are studying a professionally accredited programme such as medicine, nursing, teaching or social work. As a continuing undergraduate student, the No Detriment Policy will apply this year and the Programme Board will make progression decisions based on the marks reviewed and finalised by the Module Boards. In your final year: In your final year the Programme Board will look at your marks and at the averages of the marks in all of the years that contribute to your degree classification. If your marks show a decline in performance in modules affected by Covid-19, the Programme Board will exclude those marks for the purpose of determining a classification. You still have to pass those modules to be awarded your degree. Programme Board Example 1 : As a continuing undergraduate student in your second year (or third year of a four-year degree, for example), the No Detriment Policy will continue to apply to you when you graduate and the Programme Board will · calculate your degree classification in the normal way AND · calculate your degree classification by excluding this year’s Trimester 2 marks. If the classifications are different, the Programme Board will always award the higher classification. Programme Board Example 2 : As an undergraduate student on a placement year or study abroad, whether you are still on your placement or have returned home, the University will support you through regular contact. When you are due to graduate, the No Detriment Policy will continue to apply to you and the Programme Board will: ● calculate your degree classification in the normal way ● calculate your degree classification excluding some or all of your placement/study abroad year. If the classifications are different, the Programme Board will always award the higher classification.