MSc Neuroimaging for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience

Student Handbook

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
      School of Health Sciences, Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience

2023-2024

Programme Director:  Dr Cheryl Capek

email: cheryl.capek@manchester.ac.uk

Administration Email : shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

Website: MSc Neuroimaging for Clinical & Cognitive Neuroscience (2024 entry) | The University of Manchester

 

Welcome from the Director of Postgraduate Taught Education

I am delighted to welcome you to the School of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. We are extremely pleased you have chosen the University of Manchester to commence or continue your postgraduate study journey; whether you are progressing straight from your undergraduate studies, seeking to develop your knowledge/skills in your chosen career or, are bravely, taking a completely different direction in life.

In the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and humanity, we will place you at the centre of a transformational learning process to support you to achieve your individual goals and aspirations. Our challenge to you is to embrace all of the opportunities available to you; be bold, think differently and realise your potential. We want your postgraduate journey with us to be intellectually stretching, rewarding and fun.

We are aware that most of you will need to juggle a number of competing priorities during your postgraduate taught studies. Some of you will already be in full time employment, while others will need to secure part time employment to fund your studies. We know that many of you will have family and caring responsibilities that will have to be prioritised before your own learning. We hope the information detailed in this programme handbook will help you in managing these competing commitments. Whether you are joining us on campus, or studying at a distance, you are an integral part of our School and University, and we are here to support you.

We are extremely proud of our postgraduate student community and alumni who are making a difference, both locally and globally. We look forward to working with you, confident that you too will play a role in transforming the lives of people who use health and social care services, whether during your studies or upon graduation.

I wish you every success in your postgraduate studies here at the University of Manchester.

Mr Andrew Mawdsley
Director of Post Graduate Taught Education
School of Health Sciences

 

Where to find further information

In addition to this handbook you are required to familiarise yourself with the information contained within the A-Z of Student Services and IT Services handbook.  New students are given access to a copy of the appropriate handbooks at the beginning of their programme of study; alternatively the information is available on our website.

We will be happy to provide this handbook in large print if required.

Student Services Centre

Burlington Street

Tel: +44(0)161 275 5000

ssc@manchester.ac.uk

The Student Services Centre can offer all sorts of help and advice about tuition fee assessments or payments, Council Tax, examinations, graduation ceremonies and all sorts of documents.

The A-Z of Student Services

The Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations that are applicable to all students across the University are referred to in the University A-Z of Services and detailed in full within the University Calendar.

A-Z of Student Services

Essential advice, information and guidance for students at The University of Manchester; packed with up-to-the-minute information.

The University website contains a comprehensive and definitive listing of University policies and procedures relevant to both students and members of staff. It covers the full-range of our activities and is continually updated to ensure that you have immediate access to the latest versions of documents as soon as they are approved. It is also equipped with a search engine that enables you to find relevant documents using key words or phrases.

Click Here to visit the website

Overview of the Structure of the School of Health Sciences

https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/bmh/about-fbmh/our-structure/schools-and-divisions/shs/

Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience

https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/bmh/about-fbmh/our-structure/schools-and-divisions/shs/hcdh/

Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience Aims

The overarching aim is to offer students a broad and balanced thorough education in Human Communication, Speech/Language Therapy, Deaf Education or Audiology within an institutional culture of high-quality research and scholarship.  Specific aims are to:

• Deliver a range of specialist degrees, informed by current research, which equip students for careers within speech/language therapy, audiology, deaf education, teaching, and related areas, or which enhance their existing careers and the service they provide.
• Maintain and develop high standards of teaching, research and scholarship in an environment which encourages the exchange of knowledge and ideas across professions.
• Develop in partnership with students their subject-specific knowledge and understanding, cognitive skills, practical, clinical and professional skills, and transferable skills, accessed from an integrated curriculum.
• Develop a variety of teaching methods and assessment strategies to meet programme objectives, student and/or employer needs.
• Provide students with effective induction information, academic and pastoral support, in order to enhance their academic and personal development and to encourage the acquisition of qualifications, knowledge, skills and understanding appropriate to their abilities.
• Provide appropriate laboratory, clinical, library, and other facilities to ensure a high-quality learning environment.
• Promote a commitment to professional development, independent study and lifelong learning.
• Develop collaborative working practice in teaching, clinical work, and research with other academic colleagues, and with external services.
• Seek professional accreditation of programmes where appropriate and maintain on-going review of all programmes.
• Develop academic links that improve support services and professional expertise overseas.

Post Graduate Learning Outcomes

For Students Studying Programmes Offered by Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience

On successful completion of their programmes postgraduate students will:

• have gained advanced knowledge and understanding about a particular subject area and its research base.
• be able to identify sources, search and evaluate the research literature in their area of study.
• have developed the advanced academic knowledge, understanding, skills and professional expertise necessary for employment in their field.
• have experienced and developed an understanding of multidisciplinary working across professional boundaries.
• have further developed their critical and evaluative skills suitable to support independent and continuing study in their field.

Details of the aims and learning outcomes associated with specific course units can be found in the course unit outlines section.

Key Contact Details

If you have any queries or concerns at any time during your period of study at The University of Manchester, there is a range of people you can approach. The SHS Student Support Hub will be your first point of call for general issues. Alternatively, you may wish to contact the Programme Director for specific aspects to do with the course or your Academic Advisor for career development issues.

Responsibility for overall management of the Programme lies with the Programme Director who has assembled a Programme Committee, which meets regularly, to advise on content, structure, management, student supervision, and regulatory matters such as Programme improvement and refinement. The Committee also includes the student representative who is democratically elected by you to attend these meetings.

MSc NCCN:

Programme Director

• Dr Cheryl Capek: cheryl.capek@manchester.ac.uk

Deputy Programme Director

•  Dr Dan Cox: daniel.cox@manchester.ac.uk

SHS:

Head of Teaching, Learning and Student Experience

• Chris Bamford:  chris.bamford@manchester.ac.uk

School PGT Director

• Andrew Mawdsley: andrew.mawdsley@manchester.ac.uk

Student Representative
• To be appointed democratically

General information about the Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience staff listings and research interests are contained in this handbook, but more information can be obtained from the following web sites:

• • The Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health home page:

https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/

• • The University of Manchester home page:

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/

School of Health Sciences Teaching, Learning and Student Experience Staff :

In order for staff to respond as quickly as possible to your request, and to ensure that your request reaches the correct member of staff, we have set-up dedicated email addresses that serve a different function.  If your query relates to any of the below, please email the relevant email address.

Email Address	Supports queries about:
shs.assessment@manchester.ac.uk	Examination queries Assessment queries Assessment submissions Resit/reassessment queries
shs.attendance@manchester.ac.uk	Attendance monitoring
shs.dc@manchester.ac.uk	Disability support
shs.mitcircs@manchester.ac.uk	Mitigating circumstances
shs.placements@manchester.ac.uk	All placement queries
shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk	Registration advice and guidance Course unit selection and enrolment Timetable queries Programme content
shs.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk	Wellbeing student support, appointments and signposting
shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk	Student Support Hub – general queries and advice not covered by the above teams

As these inboxes are associated with staff supporting multiple programmes, please could you ensure that you always include the following details in your email, which will help us to ensure that your message is dealt with promptly:

Full Name

Student ID Number

Year of Study

Programme

Your contact details

You will be supplied with a student e-mail address.   All official communications will be directed to your student e-mail address and it is your responsibility to ensure that you can access and read mail from this source. Please note that text messages and social media posts are not regarded as official communication channels, and all written requests (including submission of forms) should be made via email. All administrative queries should be directed to the Student Support Hub, shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

If you prefer to use a local account then you must arrange to have your university email forward to your local address: for details on how to do this please contact Garry Byrne on 0161 275 2561.

Please do not use personal email addresses to contact staff – always use your University account.

Please ensure that you update any changes to your personal information on the MyManchester portal straight away and please also submit a note of the change to shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

Email Standards and Etiquette

When e-mailing staff you should always use your University of Manchester e-mail account. Many staff support multiple course units, and even across different degrees, so it is important to check that you have included all relevant information, such as your year of study or the course unit your email relates to (e.g. do not assume they will know which ‘essay’ you are talking about).

For any assignment submission queries (e.g. late or no submissions) remember to always email shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk, this protects the anonymous marking system and ensures your work does not unintentionally become deanonymized by the marker.

Please bear in mind that your e-mails to staff may need a different style and tone to those you would address to a friend. While some members of staff are comfortable communicating in an informal style, you should not assume that this will be the case for all staff. The following tips are intended to ensure your e-mails are positively received:

• Use a formal tone when you initially contact a member of staff, if they respond informally you can assume that your future e-mails to them can match this tone.
• Pay attention to the spelling of the recipient’s name and their title (e.g. Prof, Dr, Mr, Miss / Ms; Mrs). These details are easy to check via the University website.
• Open with a polite address, i.e. ‘Dear John’ , ‘Dear Dr Smith’, etc. and avoid overly familiar openers, e.g. ‘Hey there’, ‘Hiya’, etc.
• Similarly, don’t sign off in an overly familiar way, e.g. ‘Laters!, Jonno’, ‘Jonno xx’, etc.
• Be polite and respectful in your communications.
• Don’t send e-mails that sound curt, abusive, or demanding, or make unnecessarily personal remarks.
• Be patient and allow around three working days for a response (any urgent matters may well require a phone call); vacation periods may require more time.
• When someone has responded to answer your question, address your concerns or provide guidance, it’s a good idea to send a quick mail to say thank-you.

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health PGT Graduate School Online Training Resource

The Faculty has developed a skills training resource to support you through your postgraduate taught programme. This online material should supplement the assessed learning material and activities undertaken in your taught programme.

Accessing the online skills resource

You can access Blackboard through the My Manchester portal (http://my.manchester.ac.uk). The skills training resource is available in an academic community space available to all registered PGT students in the Faculty through Blackboard.

If you cannot see these units in your Blackboard please contact shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk

Content

Full details of all these resources can be found in the introduction to each unit. These resources have been designed to give you formative feedback on your progress through them. If you experience any problems and would like to talk to someone please contact your Programme Director. If you have questions about referencing and how it applies to your own work, please contact your Programme Director or dissertation supervisor/module lead.

Academic Writing	This is an excellent resource that supports you to write your assignments and dissertation. It is split into units that focus on key areas that previous students have found difficult and aims to enhance your academic writing style.
Research Methods*	This course is spilt into 3 units that cover introductions to study design, statistics and dissertation skills. It has a number of online quizzes where you can test your knowledge.
Statistics*	The course provides a valuable foundation for understanding and interpreting biostatistics. It aims to provide you with the fundamentals of quantitative analysis.
Presentation Skills	This short interactive unit is designed to help you to enhance your presentation skills. Regardless of whether you are presenting in public, preparing for conferences, an oral examination or more informal settings this unit will give you the tops tips to improve your delivery.
Qualitative Research Methods*	This unit has been designed to give you an introduction to Qualitative Research.
SPSS*	This is an introduction to statistics, using SPSS, a popular and comprehensive data analysis software package containing a multitude of features designed to facilitate the execution of a wide range of statistical analyses.
Intellectual Property Awareness Resource	This Intellectual Property (IP) awareness resource has been created in order to improve your understanding of IP. Topics include: Types of intellectual property • Copyright and IP clearance • University policy on IP • IP commercialisation • IP in research or consultancy • IP issues to be aware when dealing with academic materials

* NOTE: the material in this online resource is for reference and formative learning purposes only. In some of your taught programme you may be required to undertake assessed course units for Research Methods, Qualitative Research or Statistics. If your programme involves taught units then you should refer to the Blackboard material relating to that course unit. Please email shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk if you are unsure which material relates to your assessed work. You will still be able to refer to the online skills resource in later years.

Introductory courses

MANDATORY Non Credit Bearing Introductory Courses SHSS60001

All students are automatically enrolled onto an introductory unit that provides information on health and safety, academic malpractice and academic literacy. Completion instructions for each of these sections are clearly defined within the course. Completion of the academic malpractice and health and safety sections is mandatory for all students. All assessments must be completed as soon as possible after the programme begins, with the academic malpractice assessment completed before the first piece of coursework is submitted. Completion of these assessments is monitored by the School. All students are also strongly advised to complete the academic literacy section

Academic Malpractice

As further support, the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Graduate School has developed a unit entitled Understanding Academic Malpractice . This unit should be completed by all postgraduate taught students and will allow you to test your understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and academic malpractice.The Academic Malpractice unit must be completed by  12 noon 1st October before your first assignment is submitted. You must achieve 100% in this unit to pass.

Health & Safety

As part of the University’s responsibility to help keep you safe and well during your studies, you will need to complete a short online health and safety course.This short course provides you with basic information about how health and safety is managed on campus and also includes some simple tests to assess your learning outcomes. It will take you approximately one hour to complete.There are 4 modules within the Health and Safety unit with a short test for each. You must achieve at least 70% in each module to pass the unit. This must be completed by 12 noon 1st October.

Academic Literacy

The Academic Literacy pre-assessment has been designed to assess your level of competency in academic writing. This assessment is compulsory for all students in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and consists of one short test (30 minutes) which must be completed by 12 noon 1st October.

Section A: Programme Information

Rationale and General Description

The programme is designed for students from a variety of scientific backgrounds (graduate and postgraduate) who wish to use functional neuroimaging in academic or clinical research, medicine, pharmaceutical evaluation/diagnostics or who are interested in careers relating directly to fMRI/EEG methods such as MR physics and computer software design. Students will acquire the necessary methodological and theoretical skills to equip them for high-level functional imaging research using fMRI, PET and EEG. The programme is strongly lab-based and offers extensive practical experience grounded within cognitive and clinical theory. The course is taught by a team of cognitive, clinical and imaging neuroscientists who have established expertise in all the aspects of the programme. The teaching programme combines lecture and small group formats with an extensive series of lab-based sessions designed to ensure a balanced combination of hands-on experience and theoretical debate and understanding.

The programme is full-time and delivered in 3 semesters over a 1 year period.

During the first two semesters of the course, students attend a number of course units covering a wide range of theoretical and methodological areas. This taught element of the course includes lectures, labs and small group activity and discussion. After completion of the course unit assessments, including examinations, in June, students work on their research project exclusively, and submit a research project report by September, 2024. A broad selection of research areas is offered and students choose, and develop, their project work in consultation with their supervisor and advisor.

Programme Aims

Students will become members of a neuroimaging community that leads research and development in this area. The aims of the programme are to provide students with a solid set of skills and a thorough theoretical understanding relevant to cognitive brain imaging. The course aims to prepare students for higher research degrees or employment in the clinical or industrial sectors. The course will produce students who:

1. have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of current methods used in cognitive brain imaging (including structural and functional MRI, PET and EEG/ERP) and their relative strengths and limitations.
2. are skilled in processing and analysing MRI, fMRI, PET and EEG/ERP data and who understand how to interpret brain activation data and are able to give appropriate consideration to the specific limitations faced in the interpretation of cognitive brain imaging data.
3. have an appropriately specialised theoretical background to allow them to develop their skills in cognitive brain imaging, including a working background in cognitive science, cognitive theory as well as in neuroanatomy and issues affecting spatial localisation.
4. have focused skills in experimental design relevant to cognitive brain imaging. Particular emphasis is placed on providing knowledge-based skills that will ensure careful task analysis and an in-depth understanding of the interactive nature of key features of brain neurophysiology with the physics of the data acquisition method and the experimental paradigm in hand.
5. have a range of transferrable skills including presentation and communication skills (both oral and written); scientific writing; report writing; analytical skills and to provide students with the opportunity to develop specific time-management, target setting and self-monitoring work skills.
6. To have a solid grasp of a selection of advanced imaging techniques and to understand some of the mathematical, statistical and neurophysiological factors underlying these advanced methods
7. Apply an understanding of the research process, methodological, analytical techniques to conduct, analyse and report an original piece of research.

Research Project

The research project involves a student working closely with their supervisor to develop and implement a piece of research drawing particularly on image analysis skills.

Please note: For those students progressing to a 3-year PhD following completion of this MSc, the data collected and/or analysed for this research cannot be used as part of the PhD. However, it is perfectly proper to use the MSc research as a pilot study for the PhD.

Supervisory Arrangements

All Graduate Research Students are allocated a Supervisor. Supervision is governed by the University Manual of Academic Procedures, which outlines in more detail the responsibilities of the Supervisor and the Student. Briefly, the responsibilities of the Supervisor include: giving guidance about the nature of research and the standard expected; the planning of the research programme; and pointing the Student towards relevant literature and other sources of information.

The relationship between the Student and his/her Supervisor is of central importance. Both the Student and the Supervisor have a responsibility to ensure that the dissertation is completed within the prescribed period of the programme. Supervisors and students should establish at their initial meeting clear and explicit expectations of each other in order to minimise the risks and problems of misunderstanding, personality clashes, inadequate supervision and unsatisfactory work. Timetables for Progress Monitoring meetings must be closely observed. It should be noted that in some instances students may be jointly supervised by staff, and be assigned a principal and second supervisor.

During induction, you will be asked to identify areas of interest or research ideas. The Dissertation Unit Lead will then allocate a supervisor with expertise in your chosen areas. Whilst it is not always possible to allocate students to the supervisor of choice, every attempt will be made to match students to a research area of their choice.

Supervisor Availability

It is the responsibility of the student to liaise with their research project supervisor to arrange supervision meetings, and to agree on deadlines around reading drafts. We recommend discussing availability and other practical aspects of meeting (when, where, how supervision will take place) in the first supervisory meeting, and booking in supervision meeting dates in advance.

Supervisors sometimes become unavailable unexpectedly, for example due to illness. Where a supervisor is unavailable and you have an urgent issue that needs resolution, you can contact your academic advisor for further advice or support. If they are also unavailable you can also contact the programme directors, or the leads (Drs Cheryl Capek and Dan Cox) for further advice or support.

Academic Advisor

All students will be allocated an Academic Advisor from the outset of their studies.  Support from the Academic Advisor is a pastoral role and in addition to support provided by the student’s dissertation supervisor.

The Academic Advisor will be a member of the programme team. Other individuals who are available to help support students and answer queries include: the Unit Leads and the Dissertation supervisors. In addition the SHS Student Support Hub will provide advice and guidance to students and staff in the school.

You can come to the Student Support Hub located in the Ground Floor of the Jean MacFarlane Building, Monday – Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Alternatively, or outside of office hours, you can email shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

Part-time students would also be assigned an academic advisor (who will be a member of the programme team), the same as for full time students. The same academic advisor would typically stay with the part time student for their two years on the programme.

The Advisor will assist in the monitoring a student’s progress and will act as a point of contact to discuss academic and other matters.

Chatham House Rule

We recognise that students may have lived experience and/or work experience of issues that are covered in the MSc. Students may choose to share their experiences in classes although they should not feel compelled to if they do not want to. We ask students to follow the Chatham House Rule
“When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.”
This is to encourage inclusive and open dialogue but protect the identity of those who are speaking.

Introduction to postgraduate degree regulations

Full degree regulations can be found via the link below:

http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate-degree-regulations/

The following guidance should be read in conjunction with the regulations policy document.

Please be aware that this programme has some higher requirements to the University degree regulations and details of these are outlined below.

Postgraduate Taught degrees at the University of Manchester are based on the National Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ). This framework requires students to achieve credit at Masters level in order to get an award. For a standard postgraduate taught Masters programme this will normally mean passing 180 credits. A standard Postgraduate Diploma will normally have 120 credits and a Postgraduate Certificate 60 credits. The way in which you study these credits will be defined later in the programme handbook and the programme specification.

The University sets standards relating to your performance on every unit but also on your progression through the programme. Your programme and course unit specifications will set out the requirements for passing the credit on individual units.

What happens if I fail some units or my dissertation?

First of all don’t panic, but the first thing to do is sit down with your Academic Adviser or Programme Director who will take you through your options. The regulations allow you further attempts of up to half the taught credits, for a standard Masters programme as defined by your programme specification, so you can still get back on track.

This is known as ‘referred assessment’ and these reassessments will normally take place in the same academic year as the original assessment. The Examination Board will then make decisions on your progress and advise you accordingly of the decisions and next steps. Referred assessment at Masters level will be capped at 40% and this is the mark that will be shown on a transcript of results as a 40R (the capped mark is applied to the unit level mark, not just the failed element). It is this mark that will be used to calculate your final degree classification.

If you pass most of your units and only ‘just’ fail some of them, there may be a possibility of the Examination Board compensating this failed credit. This means if your mark was between 40-49% at Masters level the examination board is able to compensate up to a maximum of 30 credits. Your transcript of results will show the actual mark achieved (e.g. 47C – the C signifies ‘compensation’).

If you are on a Postgraduate Diploma or certificate programme, then the overall pass mark will normally be 40%. The same logic for managing reassessment will be applied on these programmes but the mark will be capped at 30R and compensation can be applied for marks between 30-39%. You can be referred in up to half the taught credits on a Postgraduate Diploma or certificate programme and compensated in up to 30 credits on a Postgraduate Diploma programme and 15 credits on a the Postgraduate Certificate programme.

Some programmes, particularly those which are externally accredited or linked to professional practice may set a higher pass rate than stated in the regulations. These programme exemptions will be clearly detailed in your handbook.

Students must pass 120 credits of taught units in order to progress onto the dissertation unit. This includes compensated and referred pass marks.

What happens if I fail my resits?

Upon taking the referred assessment, if you fail again the Examination Board will make a decision with regards to your progress. The possible options available may, in exceptional circumstances, include repeating the unit or being awarded an exit award once you’ve exhausted all the opportunities to retrieve failed assessment.

Referrals may also be compensated; so if you manage to achieve a mark at referral of between 40-49% at Masters level, this may be compensated providing you haven’t already used your quota compensatable credit. Compensated referrals will be capped at 40 and this is the mark (40R) that will show on your transcript of results and be used to calculate your final degree classification.

Again if you are on a Postgraduate Diploma or certificate programme then the pass mark and compensation mark range will be adjusted according to the lower pass rate.

What happens is I fail my dissertation?

If you fail your dissertation at the first attempt, as long as it was awarded a mark of 30 or above (up to the pass mark for your programme), you will be given the opportunity to resubmit a revised version of the dissertation. You will normally be given up to six months in which to make the requested revisions or undertaken additional work. You will be provided with feedback from your examiners and guidance on the revisions required to bring the work to the appropriate standard for the Masters award. If your dissertation at first attempt received a mark of less than 30, you will not be permitted to resubmit it and the Examination Board will make a decision on the outcome, which is likely to be the award of an Exit Award from the programme.

How is my degree calculated?

To be considered for a Masters Degree you must have achieved 180 credits at the appropriate level. Don’t worry if you have had a referral or compensation as these still count towards your credit total for a Pass or Merit. If, however, you have undertaken any referred assessment or been compensated, you will not be eligible for a Distinction.

Classifications for Merit or Distinctions will be calculated on the basis of an average mark, based on the weighted programme as a whole. If you are completing a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate programme, then these degrees are only awarded as a Pass (with no Merit or Distinction awards).

When and how are decisions made about my results and my progress?

There are normally three available assessment opportunities: January, May/June and August/September within each academic year. It is expected that all your attempts at referral assessment will take place in the same academic year in which the assessment was first taken. After each assessment period there is an ‘Examination Board’.

Members of the Examination Board normally include the Programme Directors, Programme administrator and unit leads, and the Board is overseen by an External Examiner from another university. It is the job of the Examination Board to review all the students’ results anonymously and make decisions on the award of credit and who can resit exams / assessment or gain compensation. It is also the role of the Examination Board to decide who cannot continue and will leave the University with an exit award. Some students will narrowly miss the threshold for a degree classification and so we look at their pattern of marks (Mark Distribution) and may look at their examined work (Classification Review).

What do I do if I disagree with the Examination Board’s decision?

The University has clear and fair procedures which set out the course of action should you wish to appeal against an Examination Board decision or make a complaint. There are a number of grounds on which an appeal may be made; however an appeal which questions the academic or professional judgement of those charged with assessing your academic performance or professional competence will not be permitted. The relevant regulations and forms can be found at: Academic Appeals procedure

http://www.tlso.manchester.ac.uk/appeals-complaints/academicappealsprocedure/

In the first instance, we would urge you to contact your Academic Advisor who will be able to talk you through the decision-making process.

Marking criteria

Full details of modes of assessment for each Course Unit are provided in the Syllabus Booklet. A copy of the standard marking criteria can be found in Appendix 1.

Section B: Course Units

PCHN62101: Neuroimaging Techniques

Credit Rating: 15

Unit Coordinator: Dr Daniel Cox

Course Unit Overview

This unit will describe the methodological bases of a number of neuroimaging modalities (including MRI, fMRI, PET and EEG/ERP) by exploring the technological features of each modality, the relevant neurophysiology of the brain, and the interaction between the two. In doing this, the specific ways in which each modality generates information about the brain will be described with a focus on the differences between the types of information they can produce and what they can tell us about brain structure and function. The unit will also explore the relative strengths and weaknesses of each modality and ways in which they might be used in a convergent fashion to enhance data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation.

Aims

To provide students with a solid grounding in functional and structural neuroimaging methodology. The unit focuses on the technological methods of a number of neuroimaging techniques including MRI, fMRI, PET and EEG/ERP, highlighting their relative strengths and limitations.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will:

• Have an in-depth knowledge of the technological bases of each neuroimaging technique
• Have a detailed understanding the kinds of information about each technique provides about the brain
• Have a general understanding of the ways in which these different techniques can be used to explore brain function
• Have a good working knowledge of the relative advantages and disadvantages of each technique, based on their strengths and limitations
• Be able to evaluate the appropriateness of using a particular neuroimaging technique to answer a specific question about brain function

Assessment Methods

• Examination worth 100%

PCHN62141: Functional Neuroanatomy

Credit Rating: 15

Unit Coordinator: Dr Daniel Cox

Course Unit Overview

This unit will provide students with a neuroanatomical overview complemented by focused investigations of some key brain areas. Spatial localisation will be discussed at a gyral level, a cytoarchitechtonic level (Brodmann’s areas), and a voxel level. The advantages and disadvantages of region of interest and voxel-based analyses will be contrasted. The course will explore the factors that influence the level and accuracy of spatial localisation and resolution, including MR related artefact issues. In addition, students will be introduced to a selection of software that is used to aid localisation.

Aims

This unit aims to provide students with a solid grounding in general neuroanatomy with a particular focus on factors relating to the localisation of regional brain activity and spatial resolution in functional and structural MRI research.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course unit, students will:

• Have a strong neuroanatomical knowledge
• Have a clear understanding of the different levels of spatial localisation
• Be able to compare across different levels of spatial localisation with relative ease
• Have a broad knowledge and understanding of the factors that influence spatial localisation in both functional and structural MRI
• Be able to identify and differentiate brain regions quickly and accurately
• Be able to discuss how to optimise spatial localisation
• Be able to use software to explore, identify and illustrate spatial localisation

Assessment Methods

• Examination worth 100% of the overall mark

PCHN62121: Image Analysis

Credit Rating: 15

Unit Coordinator: Dr Martyn McFarquhar

Course Unit Overview

This unit will explore the image analyses aspects of a number of neuroimaging techniques covering both theoretical and practical perspectives. Students will gain valuable hands-on experience with a number of analysis packages with the aim of consolidating and building upon their knowledge of image analysis theory. In turn, gaining a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the various stages of analysing neuroimaging and electrophysiological data will provide a firm foundation upon which any future image analysis package can be learnt, with relative ease. The unit will also  explore the relative strengths and weaknesses of selecting various imaging parameters and the resulting inferences that can be drawn.

Aims

The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of functional and structural neuroimaging and electrophysiological methodologies. The unit focuses on the image analyses spects of a number of techniques including MRI, fMRI, PET and EEG/ERP. In addition to gaining knowledge of image analysis theory, students will learn how to conduct various aspects of image analysis through hands-on experience with analyses packages.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Have comprehensive understanding of each stage of image analysis,
• Have a well-developed knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of each analysis parameter,
• Draw appropriate inferences based on the image analysis employed,
• Evaluate the appropriateness of using a particular neuroimaging analysis method,
• Consider the various strengths and weaknesses of different analyses techniques,
• Gain experience of and expertise with all the stages of preprocessing neuroimaging data,
• Perform both participant- and group-level statistics on neuroimaging data,
• Analyse neuroimaging data for various designs, such as blocked, event-related and mixed designs.

Assessment Methods

• Examination worth 50% of the overall mark
• Laboratory report worth 50% of the overall mark
• E-learning diary (formative)

PCHN62131: Experimental Design and Optimisation

Credit Rating: 15

Unit Coordinator: Dr Martyn Mcfarquhar

Course Unit Overview

This unit will explore the complex interaction between experimental design variables, the characteristics of the hemodynamic response function and cortical neuronal activity and the demands of MR and EEG/ERP data acquisition procedures, and their respective environments. The course will explore both blocked and event-related designs and will highlight the potential advantages of mixed designs. There will be a strong focus on contrasting different types of experimental design and the relative strengths and weaknesses they bring to an experiment. Confounding factors, control and power issues and the fundamentals of how to set up a good research hypothesis will be explored. The major theoretical component of the course will be complemented by the acquisition of practical experimental paradigm development skills and quantitative statistical analysis skills.

Aims

This module aims to provide students with a solid working knowledge and detailed understanding of the key factors involved in the design and optimisation of functional imaging experiments (fMRI and EEG/ERP) and how these impact on data analysis and interpretation. The course also aims to provide the skills required to be able to design an effective and valid fMRI and EEG/ERP experiment.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the course unit, students will be able to:
• Have a solid understanding of how to set up a good research hypothesis in cognitive brain imaging
• Have a detailed understanding of the key issues involved in fMRI and PET experimental design
• Have a detailed understanding of the key issues involved in EEG/ERP experimental design
• Have a good working knowledge of the relative advantages and disadvantages of blocked, event and mixed designs
• Have a good working knowledge of various categorical, factorial and parametric designs and issues relating to their interpretation
• Design and set up an fMRI and EEG/ERP experiment
• Critically evaluate cognitive brain imaging data in terms of the experimental design
• Use a computerised stimulus presentation procedure

Assessment Methods

• Coursework worth 60% of the overall mark
• Research Paper Review worth 40% of the overall mark

PCHN62112: Cognitive Psychology for Clinical Neuroscience

Credit Rating: 15

Unit Coordinator: Dr Daniel Cox

Course Unit Aims

Provide students with a broad grounding in current theories and methods in cognitive psychology. The course will explore detailed examples of behavioural research drawing from areas such as language, memory, attention, perception and action and will highlight their relevance to neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Course Unit Learning Outcomes

Having attended the course, students will:

• Have a broad knowledge of cognitive psychology
• Have a broad understanding of the methods used to explore cognitive models
• Have an understanding of how cognitive psychology feeds into, and interact with, neurology and psychiatry.
• Be able to critically explore and evaluate cognitive models and their application to clinical disorders
• Be able to explore potential developments to current research

Course Unit Content

This unit will explore theoretical developments in a wide selection of areas of cognition. It will highlight the role of behavioural experiments in establishing and testing models of cognition. The course will also focus on the contribution made by cognitive psychology to the understanding of clinical disorders in neurology and psychiatry. The differences and interaction between cognitive and clinical approaches will be emphasized with examples drawn from several areas of cognition.

Assessment

• Examination 65% of the overall mark
• Review 35% of the overall mark

PCHN62162: Cognitive and Social Neuroscience

Credit Rating: 15

Unit Coordinator: Dr Donna Lloyd

Course Unit Overview

The unit will describe a series of studies using functional neuroimaging techniques to explore questions in cognitive and social neuroscience. Examples of areas covered include, language, memory, attention, face recognition, cross-modal processing, sleep, emotion and social cognition. The course will explore and evaluate ways in which different acquisition and analysis techniques have been used to investigate contrasting questions, showing how in some cases they have provided convergent data. The course will evaluate the validity of analytic approaches incorporating personality measures. The unit will also draw on human lesion work to illustrate how functional neuroimaging hypotheses have evolved and how data from functional neuroimaging informs human lesion models.

Aims

Provide students with a broad background to fMRI and EEG/ERP applications in cognitive and social neuroscience. Through examples, the course will illustrate a variety of ways in which these techniques can be used to explore the neural bases of cognition, emotion, social cognition and behaviour.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course unit, students will:

• Have a detailed understanding of how fMRI and EEG have been used to explore cognitive and social neuroscience
• Understand how questions asked with functional neuroimaging can address issues raised by lesion studies
• Be able to develop a theoretically relevant hypothesis and examine it using functional imaging
• Be competent at evaluating research exploring cognitive and social theories using functional imaging

Assessment Methods

• Essay accounts worth 80% of the overall mark
• Experiment proposal worth 20% of the overall mark

PCHN62152: Advanced Image Analysis

Credit Rating: 15

Unit Coordinator: Dr Jason Taylor

Course Unit Overview

The course will provide theoretical and practical background to a number of key advanced methods in image analysis including connectivity, diffusion tensor imaging, and EEG/ERP source localisation. This will be complemented by a series of lectures focusing on theoretical issues underlying the methodology such as Bayesian inference and probabilistic modelling, connectivity, coherence analysis, synchronisation and phase analysis, pattern-based methods for fMRI (e.g., MVPA, RSA), and advanced PET methods (e.g., FDG modelling). Lectures will be linked to practical sessions providing introductory hands-on training in a number of advanced image analysis methods. The course builds on the Image Analysis module by exploring advances in techniques and proposed solutions to specific problems and challenges.

Aims

To provide students with an introduction to, and a working knowledge of, a selection of advanced imaging techniques, focusing on both acquisition and analysis methodology. In addition, the course will provide some advanced mathematical, statistical, and neurophysiological background to these methods.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit students will:

• Have a solid grasp of a selection of advanced imaging techniques and how they can be used to contribute to research,
• Understand some of the mathematical, statistical, and neurophysiological factors underlying these advanced methods,
• Understand the neurophysiological issues that need to be addressed by the advanced techniques,
• Be able to evaluate the use of advanced image analysis techniques to answer specific questions about brain function,
• Be able to select the most appropriate technique to address the question in hand,
• Be able to discuss some of the mathematical and statistical models and assumptions that underlie the methods,
• Have some specialised analysis skills.

Assessment Methods

Two lab reports each worth 50% of the overall mark

PCHN62172: Clinical and Behavioural Neuroscience

Credit Rating: 15

Unit Coordinator: Dr Cheryl Capek

Course Unit Overview

The unit will describe a series of studies using functional neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, PET and EEG) to explore questions in clinical and behavioural neuroscience. Current research will be explored with the aim of providing an accurate view of the current ability of these techniques to address clinically significant issues and the future potential of the techniques with respect to clinical research questions. Methodological factors particular to dealing with clinical populations and/or those displaying behavioural deficits will be addressed. The course will provide students with the background needed to be able to develop and design an appropriate experiment that will ask appropriate clinical questions while having a solid understanding of the current limitations of these techniques within the clinical arena.

Aims

Provide students with a broad background into the ways in which fMRI, PET and EEG/ERP have been used to address clinical and behavioural questions in neuroscience through examples concerning disorders such as dementia, depression, stroke and pain. The course aims to provide a current and future perspective on the clinical and behavioural applications of neuroimaging techniques.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course unit, students will:

• Have a detailed understanding of how fMRI, PET and EEG/ERP have been used to explore clinical and behavioural neuroscience
• Understand how questions asked with functional neuroimaging can address clinically and behaviourally relevant issues
• Understand the limitations and methodological requirements of the functional neuroimaging of clinical populations
• Be able to evaluate published research
• Be able to critically evaluate the potential of different techniques to address specific clinical questions

Assessment Methods

Essay 80%

Presentation 20%

PCHN62180: Research Project

Credit Rating: 60

Unit Coordinator: Drs Daniel Cox and Cheryl Capek

Course Unit Overview

Under supervision, students will use their newly acquired brain imaging skills to carry out an investigation into a specific research question that can be addressed using brain imaging data. Students will be required to produce a research report which will include a theoretical background, aims, description of methods, data analysis and results and a detailed discussion of the data and their theoretical and/or methodological interpretation. In addition, students will produce a poster presentation of their research and will be required to present this for assessment.

Aims

Provide students with the experience of exploring brain imaging data within the context of an original piece of research. Students will develop abilities to critically evaluate published research, to develop research questions and hypotheses, to explore data in novel ways, to carefully interpret brain activation data within a theoretical and/or methodological context and to develop research-writing and presentation skills.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course unit students will:

• Have an in-depth understanding of the literature specific to the area of investigation
• Understand how to identify an appropriate research question
• Identify and employ the appropriate research methods and analysis techniques necessary to answer their research question
• Understand how to interpret their data
• Understand the limitations to their data interpretation
• Understand the requirements of scientific writing
• Understand the requirements of data presentation
• Understand the ethical issues and processes involved in research
• Be able to critically evaluate literature relevant to the topic
• Be able to generate timely and theoretically and/or methodologically grounded research questions
• Show appropriate use of image analysis techniques

 

Assessment Methods

A 10,000-word (maximum) research report based on a piece of independent research incorporating a substantial component of image analysis. This is worth 90% of the overall unit mark.

A poster presentation (in September) is worth 10% of the overall unit mark.

External Examiner

External Examiners are individuals from another institution or organisation who monitor the assessment processes of the University to ensure fairness and academic standards. They ensure that assessment and examination procedures have been fairly and properly implemented and that decisions have been made after appropriate deliberation. They also ensure that standards of awards and levels of student performance are at least comparable with those in equivalent higher education institutions.

External Examiners’ reports relating to this programme will be shared with student representatives at the Programme committee, where details of any actions carried out by the programme team in response to the External Examiners’ comments will be discussed. Students should contact their student representatives if they require any further information about External Examiners’ reports or the process for considering them.

The External Examiner for this programme is Dr Zara Bergstrom.

Please note that it is for information only and it is inappropriate for students to make direct contact with External Examiners under any circumstances, in particular with regards to a student’s individual performance in assessments. Other appropriate mechanisms are available for students, including the University’s appeals or complaints procedures and the UMSU Advice Centre. In cases where a student does contact an External Examiner directly, External Examiners have been requested not to respond to direct queries. Instead, External Examiners should report the matter to their School contact who will then contact the student to remind them of the other methods available for students. If students have any queries concerning this, they should contact the Student Support Hub in the first instance.

External Examiners’ reports

External Examiners’ reports relating to this programme will be shared with student representatives and details of any actions carried out by the programme team/School in response to the External Examiners’ comments will be discussed. Students should contact their student representatives if they require any further information about External Examiners’ reports or the process for considering them.

Section C: Progress and Assessment

Deadlines for Assessed Work

All assessed work must be handed in at the prescribed time. A complete list of these deadlines is circulated to all students at the beginning of the session.

WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU TRANSFER THESE DATES TO YOUR DIARIES AS SOON AS THEY ARE PUBLISHED.

If you have any issues or unforeseen circumstances that result in you being unable to attend an exam or submit your work on time, then you must let the course Unit Leader and/or your Academic Advisor know, and email shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk as soon as possible.

Depending on the issue, we would then be able to advise how to support you. Please see the sections below, which advise further on:

• Late submissions/non-attendance of exams (without mitigation)
• Mitigating Circumstances
• Extensions
• Interruptions and Withdrawals

Assignment Word Count (Including Dissertation)

In accordance with the University Policy on Marking:

Each written assignment has a word limit which you must state at the top of your first page. It is acceptable, without penalty, for you to submit an assignment within a range that is plus 10% of this limit. If you present an assignment with a word count exceeding the specified limit+10%, the assignment will be marked but 1% will be deducted from this mark for every 100 words over the limit given.

For an original word limit that is 1000 words and an assignment that is marked out of 100. If a submission is made that is 1101 words then it exceeded the 10% leeway, and is more than 100 words over the original limit and should receive a 1 mark deduction.

In accordance with accepted academic practice, when submitting any written assignment for summative assessment, the notion of a word count includes the following without exception:

• All titles or headings that form part of the actual text. This does not include the fly page or reference list
• All words that form the actual essay
• All words forming the titles for figures, tables and boxes, are included but this does not include boxes or tables or figures themselves
• All in-text (that is bracketed) references
• All directly quoted material

Certain assessments may require different penalties for word limits to be applied. For example, if part of the requirement for the assessment is conciseness of presentation of facts and arguments. In such cases it may be that no 10% leeway is allowed and penalties applied may be stricter than described above. In such cases the rules for word count limits and the penalties to be applied will be clearly stated in the assessment brief and in the submission details for that assessment.

The MSc Neuroimaging for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience programme uses page limits for some written assignments. Where a page limit exists, this will be stated in the assignment brief.

Submitting your work

All assignments must be submitted electronically. The published deadlines for assessments all relate to the electronic submission which is completed via Blackboard, using the Turnitin system in the majority of cases. You must submit by the deadline advertised in your timetable/assessment handbook.

• Submitting an electronic copy of the work
• Log onto Blackboard via My Manchester
• Click on the relevant course unit
• Go to assessment folder
• Upload your assignment via the Turnitin process

Turnitin

The University uses electronic systems for the purposes of detecting plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice and for marking. Such systems include Turnitin, the plagiarism detection service used by the University. The School also reserves the right to submit work handed in by you for formative or summative assessment to Turnitin and/or other electronic systems used by the University. Please note that when work is submitted to the relevant electronic systems, it may be copied and then stored in a database to allow appropriate checks to be made.

• Guidance on how to submit assignments

Please note that you can only upload one document so you cannot save your references/appendices as a separate document.

Dissertation information for students

For information on layout and presentation of dissertations see the Guidance for the Presentation of Taught Masters Dissertations.

1. You need to stick to the format for dissertations outlined in the Faculty guidelines. If something isn’t specified in the guidelines (for example, if you want to number sections), try to follow a fairly standard format, for example APA format or the format adopted in University PhD theses.

2. We do not insist on APA format, but you should consult your supervisor. Whatever format you choose, you should be consistent throughout your dissertation.

3. The word limit is 10,000

The dissertation module follows the University’s Policy on Marking  and the Assignment Word Count Guideline which you will find above but you cannot exceed the 10,000 word limit.

While the maximum is 10,000, in practice, 8,000 words is likely to be appropriate for most  projects. It’s best to talk to your supervisor if your word count is going to be lower to ensure you are covering all the relevant info. Students should be aware that the dissertation forms a substantial piece of work, and as such, the literature review should be thorough and will generally include more information than you might find in a journal article on the same topic. However, we recognise that different types of project have different requirements in terms of the amount of information needed in Methods sections and Results sections, and some may lend themselves to longer Discussions of results than others. You should therefore seek guidance from your supervisors who are experts in your field of research. As your supervisor will also be one of the two markers for your dissertation, they are the best people to consult.

The reason we have strict word limits is to encourage students to write concisely. It should be entirely possible to write your dissertations in 10,000 words. We use the length of a journal article in the field as a gauge here. Consider placing some text (where appropriate) in Appendices.

4. There are no guidelines for the number of words allocated to each section of the dissertation as projects differ widely. However, bear in mind that your Introduction and Discussion are usually related. So if you discuss a wide range of background literature to motivate your study, the reader will expect to see reference to this literature in your Discussion. It would be unusual to introduce a large body of research in your discussion that had not previously been mentioned in your Introduction, or analyses that were not in your Results.

5. You can use footnotes but these will be included in your word count.

6. Your dissertation will be marked by your supervisor and one other person. They will then agree a mark. A selection of dissertations will be sent to our external examiners. Their role is to check that marking is consistent, and to advise us if they think any marks are inappropriate. They always see borderline dissertations (those on the borderline between degree classifications), fails, distinctions, and any where two markers disagree substantially on the mark to be awarded (this rarely happens in practice), plus a handful of others.

7. You do not need to include all of your data in the Appendices, although it might be helpful to include sample data, especially if you have an elaborate coding scheme. It is generally good practice to include (a sample of) your materials, for example if you have designed questionnaires, used a series of sentences or visual stimuli for your task and so on. You do not need to include all your ethics application, but you may wish to include advertisements for participants if you think it is relevant to your project, for example if the advert is likely to have attracted a particular kind of participant that may have influenced your results in some way.

8. While not required, it is advisable to use reference managing software (e.g., Endnote, Mendeley, Zotero) for your references.

9. Finally, the best person to consult for guidance is your supervisor. But if anyone has any other questions, please feel free to email the Project lead (who are also the Programme Directors) and they will do their best to advise.

Marking

Always check with your supervisor what they are looking for when marking the work. Supervisors will be provided with the guidelines below (subject to change – up to date guidance will be provided during the course of the year):

15%	Context / Background / Introduction
15%	Literature Review / Case for the Study
20%	Design of Study or Methods
20%	Results
20%	Discussion
10%	Presentation and Referencing

Guidance for Presentation of Taught Masters Dissertations

The University of Manchester guidance on presentation of taught Masters Dissertations is available at: Guidance for the presentation of Taught Masters dissertations  

The guidance explains the required presentation of the dissertation, and failure to follow the instructions in the guidance may result in the dissertation being rejected by the examiners.

There is more information on taught masters dissertation requirements on Blackboard:  https://my.manchester.ac.uk

Late Submission(including non-attendance of exams)

If you have a valid reason for the late submission of a piece of work, and this is documented, and the length of the delay is appropriate to the circumstances, then the provisional mark awarded will stand. If you do not have mitigation, or the Programme Director(s) (for one-week extensions)/ Mitigating Circumstances panel (for longer extensions) feel that you do not have sufficient reason for late submission, the provisional mark will be reduced in line with the penalties below.

Work submitted after the deadline without prior approval will be subject to a late penalty in accordance with the University Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes. The penalty applied is 10% of available marks deducted per 24 hours, until the assignment is submitted or no marks remain.

The mark awarded for the piece of work will be reduced by:

10% of the available marks deducted if up to 24 hours late (1 day)

20% of the available marks deducted if up to 48 hours late (2 days)

30% of the available marks deducted if up to 72 hours late (3 days)

40% of the available marks deducted if up to 96 hours late (4 days)

50% of the available marks deducted if up to 120 hours late (5 days)

60% of the available marks deducted if up to 144 hours late (6 days)

70% of the available marks deducted if up to 168 hours late (7 days)

80% of the available marks deducted if up to 192 hours late (8 days)

90% of the available marks deducted if up to 216 hours late (9 days)

A zero mark will be awarded if the piece of work is more than 9 days late.

The sliding scale does not apply to referred assessment, where late submission will automatically receive a mark of zero.

For further information, see: Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes.

Similarly, if you are unable to attend an exam then you must submit a Mitigating Circumstances application and supporting evidence to shs.mitcircs@manchester.ac.uk to explain your non-attendance. This will then be considered at the appropriate Mitigating Circumstances Panel and following Exam Board. Unauthorised absence from examinations will result in a mark of zero being recorded for that examination.

Academic Malpractice

The University does not permit plagiarism or other forms of academic malpractice under any circumstances, and individuals found to have committed such an incident can expect a harsh penalty, which in some cases results in exclusion from the University. To ensure that you are fully informed about University expectations and understand your responsibilities with regard to academic malpractice please ensure you have read the guidance provided by the University to students on this topic.

Academic malpractice is any activity – intentional or otherwise – that is likely to undermine the integrity essential to scholarship and research. It includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of results, and anything else that could result in unearned or undeserved credit for those committing it. Academic malpractice can result from a deliberate act of cheating or may be committed unintentionally. Whether intended or not, all incidents of academic malpractice will be treated seriously by the University.

The procedures and penalties for dealing with academic malpractice are covered by the same regulations as apply to the Conduct and Discipline of Students (Regulation XVII): http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=6530

If you have any doubts or further questions please contact your Academic Advisor or Programme Director(s).

As further support, the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Graduate School has developed a unit entitled Understanding Academic Malpractice. This unit should be completed by all postgraduate taught students and will allow you to test your understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and academic malpractice. The unit should be completed as soon as possible after you begin your programme, but must be completed before you submit your first piece of academic writing for assessment. See: Introductory courses Mandatory Non Credit Bearing Introductory Courses SHSS60001

University guidance on plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice can be found here: http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/guidance-to-students-on-plagiarism-and- other-forms-of-academic-malpractice/

Other Information on academic malpractice and how to avoid it can be found at

www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/academic

The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We urge students to be cautious when using a chatbot or AI tool within their learning. Chatbots and AI tools can be useful, but there are a number of risks associated with using them. Please ensure that you are aware of what is permissible use of AI for each assignment. You can utilise AI to generate ideas, key themes, and plan your assessment but not to write your assessment. Do not use AI to generate text, or partial text for use in your assessment unless the assignment brief explicitly states that this is permitted, otherwise use will be deemed academic malpractice. This is academic malpractice because the words and ideas generated are not your own and not an accurate reflection of your learning. Further to this, the words and ideas generated by the chatbot or AI tool may make use of other, human authors' ideas without referencing them, which is plagiarism. Where a chatbot or other form of AI has been used, make sure you acknowledge that use. Information on how to cite can be found here:

https://manchester-uk.libanswers.com/teaching-and-learning/faq/264824

Some units, for example those on AI and technology, permit the use of AI. However, they require you to sign a code of conduct which must be adhered to. Make sure you understand and follow these codes. If you are unclear on what is permissible, speak to the unit lead.

 

Feedback for Assessments

The purpose of feedback is to provide constructive comments so that you can improve the standard of your work. Thus, in addition to marks you will receive written feedback on most of your assessed coursework. Marks awarded for your assessments (i.e. everything which contributes to your final degree classification) are subject to ratification by the examination board and the external examiner at the awarding examination meeting. Consequently all marks given before the final examiners’ meeting has taken place must be regarded as provisional. Shortly after the examinations meetings we will publish results and a breakdown of your marks. These will remain provisional until after the final examination board has met. The marking process involves several steps to ensure appropriate academic consideration and quality assurance processes have been adhered to. Students will be notified by email once the work has been marked and grades are available. We will endeavour to mark work and give feedback to students 15 working days after the hand-in date. However, occasionally there may be delays as a result of staff illness or other unforeseeable factors. In these circumstances, you will be kept informed of this.

• The University Policy on Feedback to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students

Following graduation you may obtain a detailed official written account of all your examination results (called a transcript) from the Student Services Centre on payment of a small fee. This carries the University stamp and is recognised for such purposes as admission to a further course of study at another institution, membership of professional bodies, exemption from sections of professional examinations etc.

When you have graduated you may obtain a detailed official account of all your examination results (called a transcript) via the link below:

http://www.graduation.manchester.ac.uk/after-youve-graduated/copies-of-degree-certificates-and-transcripts/

How To Find Your Marks

Once work has been marked and moderated you will receive an email from the programme administrator to tell you that the marks have been released. Work submitted via Blackboard will usually show a mark along with feedback on the Blackboard system. You can also access marks by logging into your My Manchester account and going to My Services/Self Service and Student Centre. You can choose ‘Assignments’ from the drop down box and choose the relevant unit. Your Final mark for the unit does not appear until the unit is fully completed and marks have been through an exam board.

Examinations

Examinations may be scheduled at any point during the academic year. The Assessments Team will provide you with details on when examinations will be scheduled. Please be aware that you may be tested on any topic from within a unit. Do not presume that because a piece of coursework has covered one area of a unit that it will not also appear in the exam. More details will be provided by the individual unit leads. Past papers for some units (where appropriate) are available online:

• Past Exams

Do not assume that exams will take the same format as previous years. Academic staff should not indicate what will/ will not feature in an exam as this may not be accurate. Staff may have submitted questions that may not, necessarily, appear on the final exam paper. You should presume that anything can appear on the exam paper unless informed officially by the Assessments Team or Programme Directors. Students are expected to attend all scheduled examinations. If for any unforeseen circumstances you experience any issues in attending, you must report this to the Programme Administration Team/Programme Director who may recommend that you submit a Mitigating Circumstances application.

Teaching

Our teaching is delivered using a combination of in-person and online lecture-seminars, workshops and problem-based learning exercises in small groups, allowing for individual support and feedback.You will receive substantial research training through learning by designing, running and analysing studies in close coordination with supervisors.

You are encouraged to participate in research seminars, meetings and workshops within our active and vibrant research community. If needed, you also have the opportunity to supplement your training with research and career management skills courses provided by the University’s Careers Service, a teaching assistant/demonstrators course, and language courses provided by the University’s Language Centre.

Recording Lectures

Please do not assume you can record lectures with a voice recorder or other device. If you wish to record a lecture or other teaching session, ensure you obtain the prior permission of the lecturer. You may not share any recordings with any other person (including by electronic media) without first being given specific permission by the lecturer.

Attendance

Your programme uses a new online student attendance system, ‘My Attendance’.

From September you will have to ‘check in’ at the start of each timetabled activity to confirm your attendance – you can do this via My Manchester on a mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop. There is also a simple dashboard showing your attendance record, so you can see how you’re doing.

This short video shows how to check in and view your attendance record. Check-in will close after each activity has ended, so don’t forget! We’ve asked your lecturers to remind you to check in, but you may also want to write yourself a note or set reminders until you get used to checking in.

If you do forget to check in, or you have a planned absence, or there is an error in your attendance record, you should contact -.shs.attendance@manchester.ac.uk.

This new system does not change any attendance requirements for your programme or course units. My Attendance is much more effective than older systems like paper registers. Recording attendance consistently will help us see when you might need support and save resource to better support you elsewhere.

You can find out more about My Attendance here.

If you know you are going to miss a session in advance, please contact the Unit Lead at least 24 hours BEFORE the session.

Students are required to attend ALL lectures, supervisions, seminars and lab classes held in connection with the programme on which they are studying.

Attendance monitoring will take place during ALL sessions. It is your responsibility to make sure you have signed the register.

Students who miss more than three of these sessions will receive informal warning letters from staff in the Schools’ Student Administration Office.

Absences supported by medical or other appropriate information will not normally be counted towards the assessment of unsatisfactory attendance.

Postgraduates in the School of Health Sciences are also expected to sit ALL examinations and coursework tests for their degree programme and to submit ALL coursework assignments by the deadline specified. Any absences should be supported by Special Circumstances Form and supporting evidence (see Handbook).

In the case of persistent unsatisfactory work and attendance the following action will be applied:

After 3 recorded absences (within the same module*), a formal warning letter will be sent stating the actions required to take in order to improve their attendance. Letter will state that unless the student complies with the actions specified, and any further absence is recorded (for the same module) a decision may be taken to refuse the student permission to take examinations or assessments, with the consequence that the student may be excluded from the programme. If any further absence (for the same module) is recorded following the formal warning letter. Students will be required to attend a compulsory interview by a senior member of Academic staff or a senior member of the Student Administration staff.

Final warning letter stating unless the student takes action agreed in the Interview, the student will be notified of a withdrawal date and consequently withdrawn from the University.**

Students who are absent from a continuous period of 30 days or miss an entire end-of-semester set of examinations without good reason will be assumed to have withdrawn. Students will be notified of a withdrawal date and will be withdrawn from the University.***

Students who achieve a weighted average of 45% or less in their first semester examinations will be required to attend a compulsory interview with a senior member of Academic staff.

*For Double modules (30 Credits) taking place within one semester, trigger points are doubled i.e. Formal letter sent after 6 absences, student called in for interview following a further 2 absences.

**Students with approved previous experience, or AP(E)L may have agreed absence have prior approval from programme directors to be absent from specific lectures. These absences will not be counted towards the assessment of unsatisfactory attendance.

***Students studying under a Tier 4 visa permission should note that once a withdrawal has been completed on the University’s Student System, students will be reported to the UKBA and and will be required to leave the UK within 60 days of their withdrawal date.

Further information about work and attendance of students is given in Regulation XX – Work and Attendance of Students, which is available from the following website:

Regulation XX Monitoring Attendance and Wellbeing of Students.

Conduct and Discipline of Students (Regulations XVII):

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=6530

On-line attendance

Student engagement with Blackboard will be monitored weekly. Students who have not engaged to a satisfactory level within a module will be classed as absent.

You should consider accessing e-learning material, engaging in discussion boards, completing on-line tasks and participating in teleconferences in much the same way as if you were attending a lecture or participating in a tutorial. For your blended learning units, you will be expected to access and complete each topic in the timeframe suggested, and hence engage in discussions and tasks as part of the class.

Monitoring Attendance and Wellbeing of Students

The Programme Directors and teaching staff will monitor the work and attendance of students on the programme. This is for your benefit and helps to ensure you are coping with the work. Regular or a pattern of non-attendance and/or engagement will result in you being contacted by the School to meet with your Programme Director. Following this, further action will be taken if there isn’t a significant improvement in attendance.

For further information see:

Regulation XX Monitoring Attendance and Wellbeing of Students

The University offers a range of advice and support to students experiencing problems with attendance. Further information can be found in the Student Support page. You can also speak to your Programme Director and/or Academic Advisor.

International Student Census

The University operates attendance monitoring census points within the academic year in order to confirm the attendance of students holding a Tier 4 Student Visa. This is to ensure the University meets the UKVI statutory requirements as a sponsor of Tier 4 students and its responsibilities in accordance with its Highly Trusted Sponsor status.

If you are a Tier 4 visa holder, you must attend these census points, in addition to complying with your programme’s attendance requirements. You will receive an e-mail from shs.attendance@manchester.ac.uk to confirm when and where you should go to have your attendance confirmed. You must check your University e-mail account regularly. Failure to check your e-mail account is not a valid reason to be absent from a census point.

What if a Tier 4 student cannot attend a census point?

If you cannot attend in person due to a valid reason which includes: illness; study placement; field studies; on year abroad; research work; or any other reason connected to your programme of study, you must email shs.attendance@manchester.ac.uk to inform us of your absence and your inability to attend in person. In the case of illness, you must provide a copy of a medical certificate. If you are in this position you should report in person to the School as soon as possible after you return to campus.

Students who are recorded as interrupting their studies are not expected to attend during their period of interruption.

What happens if a student does not attend a census point?

The School must be able to confirm your presence to the UKVI by the end of each census point in the academic year. If you do not attend a census point when required by your School and you do not provide a valid explanation for your absence you will be deemed to be “not in attendance”.

Those students identified as “not in attendance” will be reported to the UKVI and the University will cease to sponsor the student’s Tier 4 visa. The Tier 4 visa will then be curtailed and the student must leave the UK within 60 days.

Further information

For more information on Tier 4 visas: https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa

If you have any concerns about the attendance monitoring census points, or your Tier 4 visa status, please contact visa@manchester.ac.uk

Monitoring Progress and Dissertation Supervision

Monitoring Dissertation Progress
In order to monitor their progress, students will have regular, scheduled meetings with their dissertation supervisor. Progress forms should be completed at these meetings (see appendix 1).

Progress meetings will take place as follows:

• Meeting 1: Full-time and Year 1 Part time students in December 2023
  The purpose of this meeting is to discuss initial ideas for your dissertation work once students have been allocated a supervisor.
• Meeting 2: Full-time and Year 2 Part time students in February 2024
  The purpose is for students to discuss their progress on the dissertation with their supervisor, and to ensure timely progress in dissertation work.
• Meeting 3: Full-time and Year 2 Part time students by June 2024
  The purpose of this meeting is to monitor the student’s progress in dissertation work, and to plan a timetable for the completion of the dissertation.
• For Part-time students review meeting dates are expected by 18th December 2023, 30th June 2024, 25th March 2024 .

In order to provide opportunity for reflection, students will be required to complete a Progress Form at each meeting with their supervisor which must be signed by both parties following the meeting. This form should be used as the basis for discussion in the meetings.
After each meeting, the forms should be submitted via Blackboard (Unit PSYC60010) by the dates specified above, to ensure that School records are complete and up-to date. It is your responsibility to ensure forms are completed and submitted on time.

Academic Advisors
You will be allocated an academic advisor who you will be expected to meet with (either in person or online) at least three times per year

• Meeting 1: Full-time and Year 1 Part time students in December 2023
  The purpose of this meeting is to discuss any questions you have about the programme.
• Meeting 2: Full-time and Year 2 Part time students in February 2024. This meeting occurs after students have received the results for semester 1 taught courses. The purpose is for students to discuss their progress on taught courses with their advisor.
• Meeting 3: Full-time and Year 2 Part time students by June 2024.

The purpose of this meeting is to monitor the student’s progress and to discuss any issues to do with the programme.

In addition, students may request meetings with the Programme Directors at any point throughout their studies if there are additional matters they wish to discuss.

Election of a Student Representative

Early in Semester 1, students will be asked to select one or two individuals to represent their interests to the MSc Programme Committee. The student representatives will be offered some training and attend one staff/student liaison committee per semester alongside all MSc committee meetings throughout the year. These meetings will be held on the days that student representatives are timetabled to be in the University and are usually conducted via Zoom or Teams. The student representatives will also organise group feedback sessions at the end of each semester for all students to feedback about their experience of the programme. We would also hope that student representatives would be available to speak to the External Examiner in advance of the Exam Boards to share the year group’s views about the modules and programme.

We realise that the pressures and difficulties that part time students face can differ to those for full time students. Therefore a student representative is selected specifically for the part time student, as well as for the full time students. This individual will have a role liaising between the part time student cohort and the programme team and will be able to share any concerns or queries the cohort may have about the programme.

Please note: this role is what you make it. In previous years, MSc reps have also organised social occasions and a weekly journal club.

Roles and Responsibilities of Unit Leads

1. Developing and updating the unit specification in consultation with lecturers and Programme Directors, ensuring a coherent selection of teaching material and assessments to fit with the overall aim of the programme and its specifications;
2. Liaising with Programme Administrators and the lecturers on their unit to ensure that the information on their unit in the programme handbook is accurate;
3. Liaising with Programme Administrators and lecturers to organise examining, marking and student feedback;
4. Developing and monitoring the Blackboard E-Learning site for their unit, in liaison with lecturers for the sessions in their unit.
5. Liaising with students concerning queries relating to teaching and assessments for the unit that are not specific to an individual teaching session
6. Attending programme meetings and the programme Exam Board in order to liaise with Programme Directors and student representatives
7. Considering and acting upon student, staff and external examiner feedback, in order to modify the structure, content and processes within their unit, in discussion with the programme team.

Roles and Responsibilities of Supervisors

1. Giving guidance about the nature of research and the standard expected, the planning of the research programme, literature and sources, and about requisite techniques (including arranging for instruction where necessary);
2. Maintaining contact through regular meetings (the frequency of meetings being appropriate to the research being undertaken and agreed in advance);
3. Being accessible to the student at other appropriate times for advice and responding to difficulties raised by the student;
4. Giving detailed advice on the necessary completion dates of successive stages of the work so that the thesis may be submitted within the agreed timescale;
5. Requesting written work or reports as appropriate and returning written material with constructive criticism and in reasonable time;
6. Ensuring that the student is made aware when progress is not satisfactory and facilitating improvement with advice and guidance;
7. Establishing at an early stage the supervisor’s responsibilities in relation to the student’s written work, including the nature of the guidance and comments to be offered as the work proceeds and on the draft of the thesis before it is submitted. It must be made clear to the student that research for a higher degree is undertaken within the general principle that a thesis must be the student’s own work;
8. Making students aware of other researchers and research work in the department and graduate school;
9. Encouraging the student to publish the research where appropriate;
10. Providing pastoral support and advising students, where appropriate, of university support services;
11. Bringing to the attention of the students the health and safety regulations and academic rules, regulations and codes of practice of the university. More detailed guidance on health and safety is available in the university’s health and safety policy notice UMHSP 33, available from health and safety services, which interprets and applies the cvcp note of guidance n/93/111, “Health and Safety Responsibilities of Supervisors Towards Graduate and Undergraduate Students”. Guidance on specific situations is available from the staff in Health and Safety Services.

Responsibilities of the Student

1. Pursuing the programme with a positive commitment, taking full advantage of the resources and facilities offered by the academic environment and, in particular, contact with the Supervisor, other staff and research students;
2. Discussing with the Supervisor the type of guidance and comment believed to be most helpful, and agreeing a schedule of meetings;
3. Ensuring that he/she is aware of the health and safety regulations and academic rules and regulations and codes of practice of the University;
4. Successfully completing any training programme arranged within the prescribed time period;
5. Taking the initiative in raising problems or difficulties, however elementary they may seem, bearing in mind that prompt discussion and resolution of problems can prevent difficulties and disagreements at a later stage;
6. Maintaining the progress of the work in accordance with the stages agreed with the Supervisor, including in particular the presentation of written material as required, in sufficient time to allow for comments and discussion before proceeding to the next stage.
7. Checking the completeness and accuracy of the text of the thesis submitted; failure to check the thesis carefully may result in the thesis being failed or cause a delay in the award of a degree.

Please note that the student is responsible for any incidental costs of the course, e.g. travel, printing, internet charges etc.

Feedback from/to students

The University has a Policy on Feedback to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students in relation to the timely provision of feedback for academic progression.

Students will also have the opportunity to feedback their thoughts on the programme via a series of anonymous evaluation forms. Student feedback questionnaires will be made available via the Module Leads at the end of each module. The information will then be collated to assess the performance level of the programme. It is expected that every student will complete these forms. These feedback questionnaires are produced by the programme and allow students to comment on specific aspects of the organisation and delivery of the taught modules. The information obtained is collated and discussed during the next Programme Committee meeting. The quality of teaching on the programme is monitored in part by student feedback. Thus, it is very important that you make your views, good and bad, known.

At the end of each semester, you will be asked to complete an anonymous University generated online evaluation form. This is known as a Unit Survey and will address more general issues with the information obtained being used to inform the teaching strategy of the Faculty/University. You will also receive a Postgraduate Taught Unit Survey form at the end of the semester. Again, all students are expected to complete these surveys.

SECTION D: Key Contacts and Resources within the School

These programmes are in the Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience, which is part of the School of Health Sciences, which resides in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. Information about the Faculty can be found at https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/

Administrative and Academic Staff

Student Support Hub

The Student Support Hub provides advice and guidance to students and staff in the school. Student Support offer assistance which complements and underpins the support provided by academic departments and can work with you to explore what options are available to you within the School and the wider University.

Student Support can talk through issues such as interrupting your studies and progression, financial issues, the submission of details of mitigating circumstances, work and attendance problems and any personal concerns that are affecting your ability to study and engage fully with your course. It is important to point out that Student Support is not a counselling service; it is a practical problem solving service.

You can come to the Student Support Hub located on the ground floor of the Jean MacFarlane Building, Monday– Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Alternatively, or outside of office hours, you can email shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

Head of Division:

Professor Anna Theakston

tel: 0161 275 2600

Email: anna.theakston@manchester.ac.uk

The Division address is:	Contact details:
Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience The University of Manchester Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL	Switchboard: 0161 275 2000

Academic Staff

Programme Director

Dr Cheryl Capek: cheryl.capek@manchester.ac.uk

Deputy Programme Director

Dr Dan Cox: daniel.cox@manchester.ac.uk

Student Centre

The online student support system, MyManchester enables students to register online and have access their personal and academic details.

This means that you will be able to use the system to check and update your address and contact details, view your supervisor and advisor details and check the course units you are enrolled on. To access MyManchester, you will use the same log-in you were provided with at registration and log in to the system from the following page:

www.manchester.ac.uk/selfservice

You should use MyManchester to check we have the correct details for you and that you are on the correct programme. You should also ensure that as soon as your contact details change that you update them on the system as well as informing the SHS Student Support Hub shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

Course unit selection

One option in the student centre is the ability to select course units, please note that this facility is not open to you. You will self-enroll for the optional Semester 2 course units in December. If you have any questions regarding this please email  shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk.

Key Contacts

As an MSc Student, the key members of staff who will guide you through your degree are your Supervisor, your Advisor and the Programme Directors. The roles of the Supervisor and Advisor are outlined below.

If you have any queries or concerns at any time during your period of study, there is a range of people you can approach:

• Your Student Representatives
• Student Support Hub
• Your Supervisor
• Your Advisor
• The Programme Director 
• The Head of Division 

Any time you need to make contact with the Programme Administration always contact shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

If you wish to raise a confidential matter at Faculty level, you should make your enquiry for the attention of the Head of Academic Administration.

Progress Committee

The MSc Programme Committee, and ultimately the School Postgraduate Committee, considers issues of poor student progress, student dissatisfaction with academic supervision and other mitigating circumstances that may be influencing progress.

Failure to submit progress forms or assessments on time will result in investigation.

Email and contact details

You will be supplied with a student e-mail address. All official communications will be directed using your student e-mail address and it is your responsibility to ensure that you can access and read mail from this source.

If you if you prefer to use a local account then you must arrange to have your university email forward to your local address, for details on how to do this please contact Garry Byrne on 0161 275 2561.

Please ensure that you update any changes to your personal information on the MyManchester portal straight away and please also submit a note of the change to shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

Computing Facilities

We ask that all users abide by the following Code of Practice

1. The software provided for your use on the computers in the Division of Psychology and Mental Health are commercial products which we use under license. It is illegal to make copies of these programs to take away and use on other machines. The University regards unauthorised copying (and other illegal activities such as hacking) as a serious breach of its regulations, and any student who copies programs or tries to gain unauthorised access to a computer will automatically be reported to the Registrar. In some cases it is possible for students to obtain legitimate copies of programs either free or at very low cost; please ask any member of the Computer Users Committee, or enquire at the Computing Centre shop.
2. Keeping the computer facilities working properly is a complex and expensive job and it is very important that only authorised programs are installed. Students are not allowed to install their own programs on the computers under any circumstances. If you know of programs which might be generally useful, please let a member of the Computer Users Committee know. The playing of games, even when run off USB memory sticks or downloaded is forbidden.
3. Viruses are destructive programs which are generally transmitted between machines by infected emails and websites, and also by USB memory sticks as they are transferred between machines. Once a machine is infected it can cause serious problems for users, including the destruction of data files. It is usually very difficult to know if a memory device carries a virus and although our computers have some protection this is never 100% effective. To minimise problems with viruses, take these sensible precautions:

1. 1. Don’t borrow other people’s memory sticks/CDs, buy your own new ones.
   2. As far as possible use USB memory sticks/CDs only on the University machines, or your own computer. Avoid passing your USB memory stick/CD from one strange computer to another!
   3. Use the virus scanning program on the system regularly to ensure that your USB memory stick/CD hasn’t picked up something nasty.
   4. Back up all of your work. We would recommend using your space on the University’s P drive.

Indiscriminate printing causes a very great waste of paper, so please try to follow these suggestions:

1. Before you send a file to be printed, check how busy the printers are. Don’t print a file if you can’t wait until it is finished. Save the file to disk, and come back when you have more time.
2. When you are writing essays, don’t print out more draft copies than is necessary.
3. When using the word processors, use the page view facility to check that everything looks right before you print.
4. If you realise that you have sent a large job to the printer, but you don’t want it, or cannot wait until it is printed, please delete the job from the print queue.
5. Instructions on how to do this are displayed on the noticeboard. DO NOT walk away leaving matters to take their course.

• There is always a demand for computers, especially around the times of deadlines for assessed work. It is not acceptable to log in, leave your belongings around a computer and leave a machine to do other things. Users who do this will be logged of by a member of staff if they are absent for more than five minutes and there are people waiting.
• When you finish your work please clear up any rubbish and put it in the bins.

Computer keyboards react very badly to having things spilt on them, or getting crumbs between the keys, so we ask that you don’t eat anything while working at a computer, and please keep drinks at a safe distance.

Working with your own computer

Some students may have their own computers. If you have such facilities then you should check that your system is compatible with the University system. This will help avoid problems when you try to transfer documents from your machine to ours. Details can be found at: http://itservices.manchester.ac.uk/help/

If you are thinking of buying a computer and would like advice please contact Garry Byrne (garry.byrne@manchester.ac.uk).

Blackboard Support

Blackboard (an on-line learning and information environment) is available to students.

• Students should access Blackboard via MyManchester
• Queries (technical related) should be directed to: elearning@manchester.ac.uk
• Queries (course content related) should be directed to: shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk

A short introduction to Blackboard for new students is available via a short (just over 7 minutes) video recording. The recording is hosted in two places: the VLS and on YouTube:

https://stream.manchester.ac.uk/Play.aspx?VideoId=30453 https://youtu.be/47pA877MKJg

Student will also be introduced to Blackboard in the two-day Induction programme.

All course-related materials will be placed on Blackboard so it is essential that you familiarise yourself with the system as soon as possible. Blackboard also offers Discussion forums which you may find a useful resource to share information about assignments and other course-related queries.

Technical support

Technicians are readily available to provide assistance with IT and Audio-Visual support. Details of further IT support can be found at: http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/help/

Login to the Support Centre online to log a request, book an appointment for an IT visit, or search the Knowledge Base.

• Telephone: +44 (0)161 306 5544 (or extension 65544). Telephone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• In person: Walk-up help and support is available at the Joule Library, Main Library or Alan Gilbert Learning Commons:

Use Support Centre online for support with eLearning, from where you may make a request, report a fault, or search the Knowledge Base. The email address is: elearning@manchester.ac.uk

Library facilities

The John Rylands University Library of Manchester (often just referred to as ‘The Rylands’) is one of the most important resources available to you. It may look a daunting place but online resources are available to help you come to grips with using the library. It is vital that you learn to use the library as quickly as possible, and in particular that you start reading journals. These are the periodicals in which original research is first published and thus they form an archive of knowledge which is continually being added to. Naturally there are a lot of books there too; some can be borrowed for a week, others are in a short loan collection for overnight borrowing only. There is plenty of room to work in the library, and you can often read and make notes from material without having to borrow it. Psychology periodicals cannot be taken out of the library.

The library also subscribes to a wide range of electronic journals. This means that you will be able to access many of the papers that you will be expected to read from the MSc from any computer in the library – or from a home networked computer.

Books from the John Rylands Library are usually ordered at the beginning of the academic year and budgets are tight. Lecturers usually ensure that key texts for courses are available in the library. However should you find that a particularly important book is not available you should write a note, giving full bibliographic details, to the Programme Director. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that we will be able to buy it straight away but we can always try.

The John Rylands Library has arranged reciprocal reading (but not borrowing) rights with many other University libraries. If you would find it convenient to use another library (in vacations, for example) then it’s worthwhile checking with the information desk at the library entrance.

Additional Support Services

Counselling Service

The counselling service is available for all students. It is free and consists of a team of professional counsellors. The service provides confidential counselling for anyone who wants help with personal problems affecting their work or well-being.

The service is open 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday all year round except public holidays. www.counsellingservice.manchester.ac.uk

The service also provides access to a variety of self-help tools and workshops designed to build skills in aspects such as managing stress, managing finances and relaxation. All students are encouraged to engage with the resources available.

Occupational Health

Occupational Health Service (The University of Manchester) is a specialised area of medicine concerned with the way in which an individual’s health can affect his or her ability to do a job and to study and conversely how the work environment can affect an individual’s health. Their aim is to promote the physical, mental and social well-being of students and to reduce the incidence of ill-health arising from exposure to work place hazards.

University Careers Service

As a postgraduate the demands on your time can seem overwhelming. The University careers service can make your life easier by offering a range of services designed to help you. Advice and support for Postgraduates include:

• Help with CVs and applications, practice interviews and psychometric tests
• Drop in quick query advice service
• Personal Career consultations targeted to your needs
• A range of postgraduate employability training opportunities
• 24-hour access to up to date information, advice, vacancies and details of forthcoming events, including a specifically designed section for postgraduates available through our website: www.manchester.ac.uk/careers
• Information on Job opportunities and vacancies through our fortnightly vacancy paper bulletins
• Register on-line to receive vacancy e-mails tailored to your requirements www.manchester.ac.uk/careers
• The careers resources centres hold an extensive collection of reference and takeaway information

Where to find us: the careers service has three offices on campus and you are welcome to use whichever office is convenient.

Central – a large centre offering a full range of services (open 9-5 Monday-Friday, Crawford

House, Booth Street East Tel: 275 2829)

Metro – located on campus north and offers full guidance facilities (open 9-5 Monday-Friday,

C Floor Renold Building, Sackville Street Tel: 306 4330)

Express – ideal for quick queries and help with applications (open 9-5 Monday-Friday (term

time only), Staffed Daily 12-2 Ground Floor, Students Union, Oxford Rd)

http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/

Ethics Procedures

The same ethical issues apply to undergraduate and postgraduate students and staff. All studies and projects must conform to British Psychological Society (BPS) guidelines. Ethical approval (typically from the University Ethics Committee [UREC] or an NHS Research Ethics Committee) must approve all studies prior to their commencement. There is a standard application procedure for attaining ethical clearance. You must work with your supervisor prior to submission. Details can be accessed via your supervisor.

Those of you wishing to work with NHS clients, HM Prison service, or other vulnerable groups will have to apply for external ethical clearance via NHS trusts and NOMS. Further guidance can be found at the Faculty Research Office. Even for straightforward projects, this type of clearance can take up to three months to secure. For this reason we discourage dissertation projects that require NHS ethical approval (but projects where approval is already in place may be acceptable). If you wish to work on such a project it is essential that you plan for these kinds of delays and that you work closely with your supervisor in the early stages of project planning. You should always plan contingency studies should ethical clearance become particularly problematic. Those of you wishing to work on clinically relevant topics in non-clinical samples (e.g. anxiety or depression traits in student populations) should also consider how you might provide information about support groups in an unobtrusive way, should they be needed by your participants.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have followed the correct ethical procedures, and that you have done this in good time. Note that some ethics committees may take months to approve a study. It is also your responsibility to make sure that your supervisor fully supports any ethics application – no ethics application can be submitted until your supervisor has signed it off.

Health and Safety

Online health and safety course

We want to make sure that you stay safe during your studies. This is why we ask you to take a short online health and safety course. You must complete this course by the end of October of your First Year; it should take around one hour. If you have any queries or problems completing it, contact the Student Support Hub (shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk). The course will be available on Blackboard, your online learning environment, which can be accessed via www.portal.manchester.ac.uk

Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility. Members of staff, students, contractors, and visitors have a legal and moral obligation to assist the University to provide a healthy and safe working environment.

The University and the School have Health and Safety Policies in place and you can access these on the intranet.

University of Manchester Health and Safety Policy

http://www.healthandsafety.manchester.ac.uk/policy/

University information and guidelines on staying safe in relation to Covid-19 can be found here:

https://www.manchester.ac.uk/coronavirus/

Fire

If you discover a fire, raise the alarm by activating the fire alarm push buttons and leave the building as soon as possible. The alarm (a continuous electronic siren) will sound throughout the building. If you hear the alarm, leave the building by the nearest exit (signs will indicate the nearest emergency exit) and assemble outside at the sign-posted assembly point. Fire doors must not be wedged open. Corridors, stairs and access/escape routes should never be obstructed.

Accidents/Incidents

All accidents/incidents/near misses must be reported by means of an accident form. In case of minor accidents seek help from the School office, where first-aid boxes may be found. In more serious cases help may be summoned by phoning University Security on 0161 306 9966 or internal phone 69966, or the Emergency Services on (ext) 999 or (int) 9999. In an emergency you should ALWAYS telephone the appropriate emergency service Fire/Police/Ambulance by dialing (ext) 999 or (int) 9999.

The University has 24 hour security in place and in an emergency security can be contacted from any internal phone by dialing 69966 or 0161 306 9966. Further information can be found on Student Support | Taking care of your wellbeing | Help in a crisis | The University of Manchester

Health

You should register with a local GP. You can find useful information on Student Support | Taking care of your wellbeing | Support Services | Accessing Healthcare | The University of Manchester If you are under medication or treatment that may affect your work or attendance you must inform the Student Support Hub (shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk) who will take details in confidence.

SECTION E: University Regulations and Policies

Sharing Information

The University may share appropriate information relating to your health and/or conduct with external organisations such as your professional employer(s) (for example, relevant NHS Trust Professional and Statutory Regulatory Bodies (PSRB), placement and training providers and/or regulator.

This may occur where concerns in relation to your health and/or conduct arise and the University considers it necessary for them to be disclosed to one or more of the above organisations.

The University’s Privacy Notice for Registered Students (which is accessible via this link: www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/data-collection-notice/) includes further information about how the University may use and process your personal data, including the legal basis and conditions which may be relevant to such processing (see section 6 of the Privacy Notice).

The University will only disclose special category data (such as data relating to your health) to a third party organisation where one of the additional conditions are satisfied (see section 9 of the Privacy Notice), including where processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.

Religious Events

We recognise that there may be occasions when students are unable to attend The University or clinical placement due to the observance of religious events. You are required at the beginning of the academic year to notify the Programme Director in writing of any date/s on which you intend to be absent from the University due to the observance of religious events falling within the academic year. These dates will be noted and kept on your file. You must notify The University of any absences due to religious events in the same way as for any other absences.

https://staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/tlso/policy-guidance/assessment/practice-of-assessment/religious-observance/

The Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health has produced guidance for healthcare students on fasting and caring: Fasting and Caring – Looking after yourself and your patients during Ramadan: guidance for health care students.

Academic Appeals

Students have a right of appeal against a final decision of an Examination Board, or a progress committee, or a graduate committee or equivalent body which affects their academic status or progress in the University.

Students thinking of appealing should first discuss the matter informally with an appropriate member of staff, in order to better understand the reason for the result or decision.

Should you wish to proceed to a formal appeal, this must be submitted within the timeframe outlined in the Academic Appeals Procedure to the Faculty Appeals and Complaints Team, Room 3.21, Simon Building, University of Manchester, M13 9PL

(Email: FBMHappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk)

The full Academic Appeals Procedure (Regulation XIX) and associated documents, including the form on which formal appeals should be submitted, can be found at: www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/academic

• Academic Appeals (Regulation XIX)

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=1872

• University Guide: Academic Appeals, Complaints and Misconduct

http://www.tlso.manchester.ac.uk/appeals-complaints/

• Basic Guide to Academic Appeals

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=23874

Student Complaints

The University’s Student Complaints Procedure (Regulation XVIII) and associated documents, including a Complaints Form, can be found at www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/academic

The University has separate procedures to address complaints of bullying, harassment, discrimination and/or victimisation – see htts://www.reportandsupport.manchester.ac.uk/

Students thinking of submitting a formal complaint should in most instances attempt informal resolution first (see the procedure).). Formal complaints should be submitted on the relevant form to Faculty Appeals and Complaints Team, Room 3.21, Simon Building, University of Manchester, M13 9PL (e-mail: FBMHappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk).

• Student Complaints (Regulation XVIII)

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=1893

• Basic Guide to Student Complaints

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=23875

Conduct and Discipline of Students

General University information on the Conduct and Discipline of Students can be found at

www.tlso.manchester.ac.uk/appeals-complaints/conductanddisciplineofstudents/

Faculty policies for students on Communication and Dress Code, Social Networking and Drugs & Alcohol can be found at:

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=29038 (Communication and Dress Code)

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=29039 (Drugs & Alcohol)

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=29040 (Social Networking)

• Conduct and Discipline of Students (Regulations XVII)

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=6530

Social Media – A Guide to Conduct

What precautions should be taken when social networking?

The same ethics, morals and penalties apply to online social networking as to any other activity. This is particularly true for healthcare students and professionals, who are expected by the University of Manchester, their professional bodies, and by the public generally, to meet the same standards of behaviour both in and out of their professional settings. Students from Schools in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health should therefore conduct themselves appropriately online, and take reasonable precautions to ensure that the information they upload cannot be used in a way that could place them, or others, at a disadvantage, either personally or professionally, now or at any time in the future.

The following pointers may be helpful:

• Do everything that you can to limit access to your posts to those for whom they are intended. Change security settings if possible to restrict unwanted access.
• Consider the language and terminology that you use when you are online and make sure that it is appropriate.
• Avoid posting personal information such as phone numbers or personal addresses, of you or anybody else, since these may fall into the hands of criminals.
• Use your common sense. If you feel that a post, a picture, or a video that you are about to upload might have repercussions for you later, or might not be in good taste (e.g. it relates to sexual activity or inappropriate behaviour, or it expresses inappropriate views), then simply do not post it. Once it is online it is there for good.
• Make sure you are thinking clearly before you go online. If, for any reason such as the effects of medication, stress or inebriation, your judgement might temporarily be impaired, you may be tempted to post something that you otherwise would not.
• Do not post material that might be considered offensive and/or derogatory, that could cause somebody else to feel bullied, harassed, or that could harm somebody’s reputation. If you have a grievance about an individual related to your programme, follow it up through the recognised channels in the School, Faculty and/or the wider University.
• Avoid posting confidential information about patients, clients and service users that could violate professional codes of conduct.
• It is imperative that if you post anything about somebody else, including any images of them, it is done with their knowledge and consent. It might seem inoffensive to post images of friends, relatives, staff or other colleagues, but it might easily cause offence that you had not intended or could not have foreseen.
• Try to make sure that the people to whom you give access to your information use it sensibly, and also that they themselves do not upload potentially incriminating material about you, which can be just as damaging.
• Avoid joining any groups that could be seen as discriminatory or judgemental in nature.

Are there any related policies and guidance in the University?

The University’s Conduct and Discipline of Students (Regulation XVII) document states that a student may be liable to disciplinary action in respect of conduct which, amongst others: “involves violent, indecent, disorderly, threatening or offensive behaviour or language (whether expressed orally or in writing, including electronically) whilst on University premises or engaged in any University activity” and “involves distributing or publishing a poster, notice, sign or any publication which is offensive, intimidating, threatening, indecent or illegal, including the broadcasting and electronic distribution of such material”.

Regulation XVII also states that:

“the conduct covered (above) shall constitute misconduct if it took place on University property or premises, or elsewhere if the student was involved in a University activity, was representing the University, was present at that place by virtue of his or her status as a student of the University or if the conduct raises questions about the fitness of the student on a programme leading directly to a professional qualification or calling to be admitted to and practise that profession or calling.”

The University of Manchester’s Dignity at Work and Study Policies and Procedures give information about the nature and consequences of acts of misconduct while social networking, such as discrimination, bullying and harassment1, and the penalties that they may incur.

These policies should be read in conjunction with this guidance. The University’s Dignity at Work Procedure for Students states:

“Any cases of harassment, discrimination and bullying will be taken very seriously by the University and, where necessary the appropriate procedure will be used to investigate complaints. Similar arrangements will be used in dealing with complaints made by members of staff or by visitors to the University.”

“Cases of proven harassment, discrimination or bullying may be treated as a disciplinary offence where it is not possible to reach a compromise or resolution. Some cases of harassment, discrimination or bullying if proven could result in dismissal for staff members or expulsion for students.”

In addition, the University’s Crucial Guide states that:

“The University expects its members to treat one another with respect. There are established procedures to use if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the University’s facilities and services, and you are encouraged to use these procedures to bring such matters to the University’s attention. Inappropriate or defamatory comments about either the University or its members in any media (print, broadcast, electronic) contravene the University’s regulations and offenders may be liable to disciplinary action.”

 What do the Professional Bodies say?

Professional body codes and guidance also explore the potential consequences of social networking activity:

The BPS recommend the following:

You should:

• Remember that social networking sites are public and permanent. Once you have posted something online, it remains traceable even if you later delete it.
• Keep your professional and personal life as separate as possible. This may be best achieved by having separate accounts, for example Facebook could be used for personal use and LinkedIn or Twitter used for professional purposes.
• If ‘friends’ requests are received from clients and service users, decline the request via more formal means of communication.
• Be minded that whether you identify yourself as a psychologist or not on your profile, you should act responsibly at all times and uphold the reputation of the profession.w.bps.org.uk
• Protect your privacy. Consider the kinds of information that you want to be available about yourself and to whom. Ensure that you regularly check your privacy settings.
• Be aware that social networking sites may update their services and privacy settings can be reset to a default that deletes your personalised settings.
• Remember that images posted online by family (for example, your children) or friends, may be accessible as they may not set privacy settings as tightly as you do.
• Be minded that social networking sites can make it easier to engage (intentionally or unintentionally) in professional misconduct.
• Report the misconduct of other members on such social networking sites to any relevant parties (such as the employer, the Health Professional Council and the Society).

You should not:

• Establish inappropriate relationships with clients and service users online.
• Discuss work-related issues online in any non-secure medium.
• Publish pictures of clients or service users online, where they are classified as clinical records.
• Use social networking sites for whistle-blowing or raising concerns.
• Post defamatory comments about individuals or institutions. Defamation law can apply to any comments posted on the web, irrespective of whether they are made in a personal or professional capacity

The HCPC (Health Care Professions Council) recommend the following:

• Think before you post. Assume that what you post could be shared and read by anyone.
• Think about who can see what you share and manage your privacy settings accordingly. Remember that privacy settings cannot guarantee that something you post will not be publicly visible.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries if you communicate with colleagues, service users or carers.
• Do not post information which could identify a service user unless you have their permission.
• Do not post inappropriate or offensive material. Use your professional judgement in deciding whether to post or share something.
• If you are employed, follow your employer’s social media policy.
• When in doubt, get advice. Appropriate sources might include experienced colleagues, trade unions and professional bodies. You can also contact us if you are unsure about our standards. If you think something could be inappropriate or offensive, do not post it.
• Keep on posting! We know that many registrants find using social media beneficial and do so without any issues. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t keep on using it with confidence.

Fitness to Practise

Postgraduate students at The University of Manchester who are qualified health or social care professionals (e.g. doctor, dentist, nurse, social worker) registered by a healthcare or social care regulatory body (e.g. General Medical Council, General Dental Council, Nursing & Midwifery Council, Social Care Council) are expected to behave at all times in a way that is consistent with the recommendations or code of practice of the relevant professional regulatory body.  

Postgraduate students need to be aware that in the event of misconduct, dishonesty, unprofessional behaviour, or other behaviour or illness (e.g. mental health illness) that raises the possibility that the student’s fitness to practise may be impaired; the University has a duty to protect the public and to inform the relevant professional regulatory body. This means, for example, that where a student has been found to be dishonest (e.g. plagiarism, collusion, falsification of research data or other forms of cheating) the matter may be reported by the University to the relevant professional regulatory body.  

Students who are dishonest not only risk failing to be awarded the intended degree, but also place at risk their whole professional career.  

 Information on Fitness to Practise related matters can be found at:

www.tlso.manchester.ac.uk/appeals-complaints/fitnesstopractise

Other links to current regulations, codes of practice and policies

Crucial Guide for Postgraduate Students

http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/

Presentation of Dissertations Policy

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=2863

Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/tlso/map/teachinglearningassessment/assessment/se ctionb-thepracticeofassessment/policyonsubmissionofworkforsummativeassessment/

Mitigating Circumstances

• Policy on Mitigating Circumstances

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=4271

Mitigating Circumstances: Guidance for Students

http://www.tlso.manchester.ac.uk/map/teachinglearningassessment/assessment/sect ionc-reachingdecisionsfromassessment/mitigatingcircumstancesguidanceforstudents/

• Basic Guide to Mitigating Circumstances

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=23886

All queires relating to mitigating circumstances should be referred to the programme administrator or programme director.

Policy on Feedback to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=6518

Student Charter

http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/enhancing-my-experience/charter/

Postgraduate Degree Regulations

http://www.tlso.manchester.ac.uk/degree-regulations/postgraduatedegreeregulations/

Work and attendance policy

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=1895

Policy on Feedback to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=6518

Equality and Diversity Policy

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=8361

Other information

Security

Campus Support and Security (The University of Manchester)

Student Support Issues

Student Support Hub

shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

Disability Support Office

Disability Advisory and Support Service and University of Manchester Assessment Centre (The University of Manchester)

Counselling Service

http://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/personalsupport/counselling/

Careers Service

http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/

Careers Blog for International Students @ Manchester

Recently launched, a Careers Blog dedicated to keeping international students at The University of Manchester informed with regular news and upcoming events. http://manchesterinternationalcareers.wordpress.com/

Occupational Health Services for Students

http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/occupational-health/

International Advice Team

http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ssc/internationalteam/

A Personal Safety Guide for International Students http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/medialibrary/study/safety-international-student- guide.pdf

Crucial Guide for PG Students

http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/

Students Union

http://manchesterstudentsunion.com/ email: advice.su@manchester.ac.uk

A full list of student services can be found at A-Z of Student Services

It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the academic policies, procedures and guidelines governing the University of Manchester’s postgraduate taught programmes.

University Proofreading Statement

If a student chooses to approach another person to proofread their written work or seeks to use the services of a proofreading service or agency, they must take account of the following principles:

1. It is the responsibility of students to ensure that all work submitted is their own, and that it represents their own abilities and understanding. Any proofreading of work that is undertaken by a third party must not compromise the student’s own authorship of the work;
2. Proofreading undertaken by a third party must not take the form of editing of text, such as the adding or rewriting of phrases or passages within a piece of student’s work;
3. Proofreading undertaken by a third party must not change the content or meaning of the work in any way’.

Intellectual Property Policy

Introduction

The University of Manchester regards the creation of intellectual property and know-how (IP) as one of its major objectives; complementary to the core objectives of knowledge creation, scholarship and learning. The central features of its IP Policy are:

• Clear incentives for the creation of IP
• Effective and efficient University services which can evaluate and protect IP, and then decide on the most appropriate arrangements for its transfer into use
• Arrangements for sharing any commercial returns from commercialisation of IP which provides for generous rewards to its originators.
• The University’s Intellectual Property Policy deals with IP created by its and its subsidiaries’ employees and students as well as the interface with others who may fund or collaborate with the University. This document is a summary of the main points in the University’s IP Policy. It is not a substitute for reading the relevant parts of the IP Policy itself.

Ownership

Many people may be involved with the work that leads up to the creation of IP and the work that subsequently reduces it to practice. However many of those involved will not own any of the IP created as at law they have not been involved at the actual point of creation.

The University asserts its rights to IP created by employees in the course of his or her employment. If other IP is created by an employee or any IP is created by a student outside the course of his/her University studies with more than incidental use of University resources the employee or student will be deemed to have agreed to transfer such IP to the University.

IP created in the course of or pursuant to a sponsored research or other agreement with an outside body will initially belong to the University and then be determined according to the terms of such agreement. Students will be expected to transfer such IP to the University initially. Students will grant to the University a continuing license to use other IP created by a student in the course of his/her studies with the University, for administrative, promotional, educational and teaching purposes of the University.

The University generally waives its rights to the copyright in scholarly materials (but not teaching materials), allowing employees to commercialise the materials to their own benefit. The University does not waive its rights where any use of material might bring the University into disrepute. If there is any doubt about this the matter should be discussed with the creator’s Head of School.

Where the University has waived its rights it will have a continuing license to use such IP for its administrative, promotional, educational and teaching purposes and to sub-license. It is the responsibility of an individual employee to make any publisher, or any other party interested in the potential commercialisation of such material, aware of this license.

IP Protection & Commercialisation

The University owns and uses The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited (UMIP) as a management company to advise on and facilitate the protection and commercialisation of IP (other than teaching materials). Where UMIP considers there is potential for profitable commercialisation, it will try to arrange the protection of IP generated by employees and students by patenting or other means, generally at its own expense.

UMIP will have the “first rights” to commercialise IP owned by the University. If UMIP does not do so in a timely manner or decides it does not wish to do so then the originator(s) (whether employees or students) may ask for such IP to be transferred to them and will be free to pursue alternative routes. If an originator of IP believes that their best commercialisation route involves partners other than UMIP, they may make a case to that effect to the University.

Employees and students must keep secret any confidential information to which he or she has access as an employee or student of the University.

Revenue Sharing

There is no general obligation on an employer to reward employees for IP which is generated in the course of their employment. The only exception is where an invention is of ‘outstanding benefit’ to the employer. However, the University’s IP policy is designed to create strong incentives for the creation and development of IP. Hence the sharing of rewards is strongly biased in favour of employees and students.

The University will not retain more than 15% of the value of IP created by University employees and (where their IP belongs to the University) students, in cases when the

University or UMIP has no involvement in the commercialisation of such IP or their only

involvement is in reviewing the IP, undertaking legal due diligence on it and advising the originator on the next steps to be taken. This 15% value may be represented by shares in a spin-out company or in royalties from a licence.

If a special fee is paid for the creation of any teaching materials then this will be instead of any share of commercialisation revenue or if the originator has been employed specifically to create the IP then they will not be entitled to any share of commercialisation revenue.

The Inland Revenue treats any sharing of income by the University with employees, students and others with an honorary association with the University as if it were a bonus on salary. Income tax and national insurance contributions will generally be deducted from an individual’s share by the University before payment is made or an indemnity for such taxes will be required by the University.

Further Information

The Policy is a living document and may be subject to change by the University. Major changes will be communicated to the departments, employees and students affected by the changes. All queries arising from this document should be addressed to the Registrar and Secretary. For general advice a publication called “Intellectual Property & Confidentiality: An Academic’s Guide” is available from UMIP.

Appendix 1 : Marking Criteria

Marking criteria for Assessments

Marks	MARKING CRITERIA
90%	EXCELLENT Exceptional work, nearly or wholly faultless for that expected at Master’s level.
80-89%	EXCELLENT Work of excellent quality throughout.
70 -79%	EXCELLENT Work of very high to excellent quality showing originality, high accuracy, thorough understanding, critical appraisal, and very good presentation.  Shows a wide and thorough understanding of the material studied and the relevant literature, and the ability to apply the theory and methods learned to solve unfamiliar problems.
60-69%	GOOD PASS Work of good to high quality showing evidence of understanding of a broad range of topics, good accuracy, good structure and presentation, and relevant conclusions.  Shows a good knowledge of the material studied and the relevant literature and some ability to tackle unfamiliar problems.
50-59%	PASS Work shows a clear grasp of relevant facts and issues and reveals an attempt to create a coherent whole. It comprises reasonably clear and attainable objectives, adequate reading and some originality.
40-49%	FAIL Work shows a satisfactory understanding of the important programme material and basic knowledge of the relevant literature but with little or no originality and limited accuracy.  Shows adequate presentation skills with clear but limited objectives and does not always reach a conclusion.
30-39%	FAIL Work shows some understanding of the main elements of the programme material and some knowledge of the relevant literature. Shows a limited level of accuracy with little analysis of data or attempt to discuss its significance.
20- 29%	FAIL Little relevant material presented.  Unclear or unsubstantiated arguments with very poor accuracy and understanding.
0 – 19%	CLEAR FAIL Work of very poor quality containing little or no relevant information.

The minimum pass mark for each course unit for Diploma & MSc is 50%