Introduction

Welcome to the University of Manchester and the School of Biological Sciences

We hope that you have an interesting and exciting year. Please take the time to read through the Handbook. The information it provides is of great importance to you and we hope that it will be a useful resource throughout the academic year. It contains key details about your degree programme, as well as information such as staff contact details, links to degree regulations and work and attendance requirements.

It will be assumed that you have read and understood the contents of this Handbook. Please talk to your Academic Advisor or Student Support Hub if anything is not clear to you.

My Manchester 

My Manchester brings all your online university services together in one place. From My Manchester you can access the student self-service system, which allows you to view your timetable, select course units and access your grades for assessed work. My Manchester also allows you to access University services including Blackboard and your University library account.

You can login to My Manchester at: http://my.manchester.ac.uk

You can view your personalised timetable on Publish: Publish (manchester.ac.uk)

All the information in this handbook was accurate at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year.

Our future

At The University of Manchester, one of our core goals under Teaching and Learning is as follows: “As an institution built on world-class research, we want to share knowledge to challenge and transform our students, giving learners of all ages and backgrounds the chance to contribute to positive change, improving their lives and those of others.

We will inspire learners with challenging ideas, knowledge and wisdom, and help them develop the capabilities needed for a stellar career. Our teachers will be supported to deliver the highest levels of student satisfaction, embracing digital opportunities and placing personalisation at the heart of what we do.”

Compulsory Introductory Course

All students are automatically enrolled onto an introductory unit (BIOL62000) 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 and no later than 31 October 2024. Completion of these assessments is monitored by the School.

All students are also strongly advised to complete the academic literacy 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. Your Programme Administration Team 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. If you wish to raise a confidential matter at School level, you should approach the Head of Teaching, Learning and Student Experience– contact details below.

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.

Programme Administration Team

Your first point of call should be directed as follows:

• Student Hub
• sbs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

• Student Support
• sbs.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk

• Assessments
• sbs.assessment@manchester.ac.uk

• Programmes & Curriculum
• sbs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk

Student Representative
• To be appointed democratically

Director of Education (UG and PGT)
• Professor Nicky High
• nicky.high@manchester.ac.uk

Head of Teaching, Learning and Student Experience
• Kerry Mycock
• kerry.mycock@manchester.ac.uk

Teaching and Learning Manager
• Kelly Salimian
• kelly.salimian@manchester.ac.uk

Student Service, Support & Development Manager
• Sam Green
• sam.green-1@machester.ac.uk

Programme Director
• Professor Daniela Delneri
• d.delneri@manchester.ac.uk

Co-Programme Director
• Dr Jordi Bella
• jordi.bella@manchester.ac.uk

Your contact details

You will be supplied with a student e-mail address. The University will direct communications to you by using your student e-mail address and it is your responsibility to ensure that you can access and read mail from this source.  You should check your university email regularly and in turn should send all emails to the University using your student email address.

 

Blackboard

Blackboard is an electronic system that complements and builds upon traditional learning methods used at The University of Manchester. All course-related materials will be placed on Blackboard.   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.

Blackboard is available to students.

• Students should access Blackboard via My Manchester
• Queries (technical related) should be directed to: fbmhcontact@manchester.ac.uk
• Queries (course content related) should be directed to: sbs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

                                                                                                                                              

School/University Facilities

Computers and printers:

On campus, access to computers, printers, email and the internet is available at several computer clusters within the School including the Multiuser laboratories on the ground floor of the Stopford Building. Additionally, there is a Postgraduate Hub on the 3^rd Floor of the Stopford Building.

• PC access on campus
• Printing services

Food/Drink on Campus

There are a variety of places to eat and drink on campus. An up-to-date list can be found below.

• Further places to eat on campus

International students

The International Society is a busy centre for international students based in the Greater Manchester area. It is located on Oxford Road (see campus map).

The society offers students the opportunity to engage with social events, visit places of interest as well as language support and cultural events.

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) 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.

Programme Information

Programme Aims and Objectives

• Prepare high calibre students with a background in numerate sciences or life sciences for continuing interdisciplinary research in academia or industry by providing them with research skills and advanced knowledge together with a comprehensive set of professional and transferable skills that will be vital for their future professional development in academia or industry.
• Instill the advantages of a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach to addressing key scientific questions, and to encourage them to take a “holistic” approach to their future careers in research or business.
• Enable students to make an informed decision about their personal suitability and motivation for careers related to research or business development.
• Provide an individual with the knowledge and skills necessary: to identify and qualify an entrepreneurial opportunity; to build and identify the resources needed to implement an opportunity; to plan how an opportunity will be successfully implemented.
• Train students to communicate effectively and to be able to exploit the commercial value of scientific discoveries by demonstrating a proven commitment to research, coupled with the entrepreneurial skills and a broad base of multidisciplinary research skills and experience.
• Develop the individual as a reflective, active, independent and self-directed learner equipped with the necessary skills and motivation to continue to learn and develop beyond this programme fully able to take advantage of opportunities presented to them whether in their professional or their personal life.
• Foster in individuals an appreciation and awareness of the potential value be it personal, social, environmental or economic, in identifying, creating, developing and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities.

Teaching and Learning

The course starts in September and runs for 12 months. You will require 180 credits to complete it. Of those, 90 credits are from taught course units and 90 credits are from the research project. During the first 6 months, you will receive approximately 30 hours of assigned teaching per 15-credit course unit, a total of about 150 hours. Assigned teaching takes the form of lectures, tutorials, student presentations, problem-based learning sessions, e-based learning and assigned reading. The remainder of your time amounting to a working week of 40 hours will be spent on self-study, preparing course work, carrying out project work, meeting with your academic supervisors, team members and Personal Advisor and revising for your examinations. This programme is designed to encourage students to accept increasing responsibility for their own learning, with help and support from teaching staff, unit coordinators and personal tutors.

Course Units

The course has three main components:

Core Entrepreneurial Skills (taught units)

• BIOL60760 Commercialisation in the Life Sciences, 45 credits, mandatory
• BIOL60781 Intellectual Property in the Life Sciences, 15 credits, optional

Core Scientific Skills (taught units)

• BIOL60771 Advanced Biotechnology I: expression systems for biopharmaceutical and industrial proteins, 15 credits, mandatory
• BIOL64351 Advanced Biotechnology II: Synthetic Biology, 15 credits, mandatory
• BIOL67672 Disease Modelling and Genome Engineering, 15 credits, optional

Research Project

• BIOL60770 Research Skills (lab-based research project), 90 credits, mandatory

Taught units BIOL60760, BIOL60771 and BIOL64351 and the research project BIOL60770 are mandatory for all students. You will need to choose a fourth taught unit between two options, BIOL60781 and BIO67672.

All course unit specifications were reviewed March 2024.

BIOL60760 Commercialisation in the Life Sciences

Credits: 45

Overview

Biotechnologies can help solve many challenges. Some concern the healthcare arena whether at the front-line in terms of diagnosis and treatment, or earlier in the process, in terms of developing drugs, diagnostics and medical devices. Others are concerned with improving the agriculture/food industries, producing alternative energy sources, or simply with developing new technologies to improve research in the lab.

This is a project-based unit with an emphasis on understanding the influence of market forces in determining what to develop and how to develop it in the fast moving Biotechnology industry. Through a combination of workshop-based activities, enquiry-based learning (EBL) and independent research, teams of students will develop a business plan and presentation for a realistic product/service utilising research/knowledge outputs from the Life Sciences discipline.

Initially students will be put into teams and tasked to carry out two literature reviews, one focussing on the science and their given Biotechnology theme (e.g. stem cells or miRNA) and the other on the business literature in order to identify possible commercial opportunities. Their collective aims will be to identify in that field what advantages and benefits their research outputs could provide them with as well as commercially valuable problems in which those outputs might provide the required solutions.

Working as individuals, each student will then explore a specific avenue to address one of those needs (e.g. using embryonic stem cells, or miRNA to diagnose breast cancer), and to then identify a business context in which to exploit that area of research.

This is followed by a feasibility study looking at both the business case and the technical feasibility study in order to better establish the commercial potential of this idea. The key points of their business case will be communicated in a poster presented to a panel of staff including enterprise professionals.

Following the poster presentation and based on team derived selection criteria, the team will select the business proposal with the strongest potential for successful commercialisation and present that back to a panel. This proposal will form the basis of the team-based project work in Semester 2.

The objective of the team-based project work in Semester 2 will be to develop a business analysis report, a written business plan and a business pitch. The business analysis report will provide essential background data and the strategic analysis behind the decisions made for the development of the business plan, which will in turn outline the opportunity and the resources needed to implement it. The presentation will be in the form of a pitch for investment, partnership, licensing or similar.

Throughout the year the project work will be supported by classes and workshops to develop the business knowledge and understanding, and to learn the soft skills and use of tools required for the project. Students will also have weekly meeting with their SBS supervisor, opportunities for feedback with both SBS and MEC supervisor, and regular points for reflection to support personal and team development.

Aims

The programme unit aims to allow students to:

• Examine the processes involved in recognising the potential of university-based research in the Life Sciences to solve commercially valuable problems in the marketplace.
• Gain a deeper understanding of one research area of the Life Sciences.
• Gain awareness of the current industrial landscape in the area of the project worldwide.
• Develop the competencies needed to recognise, develop and exploit a business opportunity.
• Use a framework to map out and develop a strategic plan to implement and transfer to market an innovative product/service.
• Research, produce and present a business case for exploiting a scientific idea within a commercial setting at several stages and in different forms: feasibility study, concept presentation, strategic business analysis, business plan and business pitch.
• Develop a broad range of transferable skills required to effectively carry out, as a team working online or F2F, a real life project with many deliverables using a Problem Based Learning approach (e.g. team working, project management, digital literacy, research, analysis, creative problem solving, critical thinking and review, decision making, negotiation, networking, communication [oral and written]).
• Reflect on the processes of team working, managing a project and other skills development to support self-development and team development.
• Articulate and evidence skills development to support employability.

Unit Coordinators: Martin Henery & Maggy Fostier

BIOL60781 Intellectual Property in the Life Sciences

Credits: 15

Overview

• Recognising Intellectual Property in the Life Sciences
• Methods for protecting Intellectual Property in the Life Sciences
• Legal Agreements
• Progression of a patent
• IP licensing
• The use of CASE studies involving specific patents filed by inventors in FLS
• Self-directed study involving research, directed reading and written work

Aims

The unit aims to:

• Provide students with an understanding of the importance of protecting intellectual property in the life sciences
• Explain the different types of protection available
• Understand the rationale behind the processes involved in protecting information
• Empower students with the skills required to recognise opportunities to protect intellectual property
• Allow students to search intellectual property databases for prior art
• Provide an insight into the process of intellectual property licensing, in relation to the joint development of biotechnology products

Unit Coordinator: Anil Day

BIOL60771 Advanced Biotechnology I: expression systems for biopharmaceutical and industrial proteins

Credits: 15

Overview

• The importance and applications of biopharmaceutical and industrial
• Bacterial expression systems.
• Fungal expression
• Baculovirus-based expression in insect
• Animal expression systems.
• Plant and algal expression
• Vectors for inducible and constitutive
• Compartmentalisation of products in organelles.
• Post-translational processing including folding, secretion and covalent
• Regulatory issues and equivalence.
• Purification and good manufacturing
• Confirmation of protein size and structure using physical
• Case studies including important steps for commercialisation.

Aims

To provide an in-depth understanding of biological production systems for biopharmaceutical and industrial proteins.

Learning Outcomes

• To understand the importance of biopharmaceutical and industrial proteins
• To understand the different types of biological expression systems used to produce biopharmaceutical and industrial proteins
• To critically evaluate and compare biological expression systems using, in part, case studies including important biopharmaceutical proteins and vaccine antigens
• To understand the importance of regulatory aspects in recombinant protein production of commercial products
• To be able to understand and analyse original results in the primary literature

Unit Coordinator: Anil Day

BIOL64351 Advanced Biotechnology II: Synthetic Biology

Credits: 15

Overview

• Central dogma of molecular biology
• Concepts of Synthetic Biology (SynBio) and Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) cycle
• Key methods of industrial biotechnology (e.g., microbial molecular biology; DNA synthesis methods; State-of-art gene and genome assembly; directed enzyme evolution; modern DNA sequencing methods; metabolomics and transcriptome profiling; metabolic modelling; chassis engineering; and/ or molecular profile analysis)
• Modern applications of SynBio (e.g., biofuels, high-value chemicals, materials; iGEM and Biobricks – the cutting-edge of SynBio)
• Social responsibility and ethical considerations for emerging technologies, sustainability, business prospects and considerations

Aims

This unit aims for students understand the basics of synthetic biology/engineering biology for biotechnology and its real-world applications and societal context driving the bioeconomy of the future.

Learning outcomes

• Describe – the DBTL cycle of synthetic biology and its social and economic context
• Explain – the methods and concepts relevant at each step of the DBTL cycle
• Apply – the DBTL concepts to new and existing applications and problem cases
• Evaluation of primary scientific literature in Synthetic biology/Engineering biology
• Consideration of the wider societal implications of research in emerging technologies
• Find, evaluate, synthesise and use information from a variety of sources
• Express ideas effectively and communicate information appropriately and accurately in writing

Unit Coordinator: Eriko Takano

BIOL67672 Disease Modelling and Genome Engineering

Credits: 15

Overview

This unit will provide essential and contemporary knowledge on the importance of using model systems to investigate the functional genomics of inherited human diseases. The unit will also review genomic engineering technologies and provide a workshop for the design of CRISPR-Cas9 reagents.

Students will be provided with a number of example engineered models to study human disease and will be able to understand the merits and drawbacks of many of the cell and animal models available to researchers. The ethics of using animal models and the potential of genomic engineering to alter human genomes will also be discussed.

The unit is led and delivered by academics with a wealth of experience in using a wide range of models to study human genetic disease.

Aims

• Provide an understanding of why animal and cellular models are necessary for studying the functional genomics of human disease.
• Provide an understanding of the different model systems available for studying human disease.
• Provide an understanding of how to manipulate gene expression in a variety of model systems.
• Provide an understanding of the genome engineering techniques available, how to design associated reagents, and how to use them.
• Provide an understanding of the ethical considerations associated with animal models and genome engineering.
• Be able to use literature and online resources to access information on disease modelling and genomic engineering.
• Be able to apply knowledge of model systems and genome engineering to critically analyse published data and to design experiments.

Unit Coordinator: Samina Naseeb

BIOL60770 Research Skills (lab-based research project)

Overview

Students will choose a topic and research project from a list provided. The project should be relevant to a student’s interests and/or long term career goals. Once a project is chosen and in discussion with the supervisor who will have supplied the basic idea and structure of a proposed project the student will research the area to get an up-to-date understanding of the research area chosen. The student should understand the analytical and practical approaches used in the area and write a literature review. Students will then carry out the research, collect data and analyse the results. The student will give a presentation on the area to colleagues and staff and then write a report in the format of a full research article suitable for an appropriate scientific journal. An example of the requirements for a research journal follows below. The choice of scientific journal should be discussed with the supervisor of the research project and the course director.

This module will be assessed on the basis of the literature review, presentation, the student performance in the laboratory and the final research report. The emphasis will be on the student’s accuracy in obtaining and analysing results, understanding of principles and scientific process, and clarity of expression. Students will be encouraged to discuss and learn from each other, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students working in the research team.

Aims

• To provide students with the experience and training in carrying out a research project
• To be able to review the scientific literature
• To enable students to present their ideas clearly and succinctly
• To gain experience in writing clear and concise reports
• To identify potential applications of a research project

Unit Coordinator: Jordi Bella

Research Projects

Research Projects provide a more solid basis for learning through problem-solving as well as providing important hands-on experience which will enable you to make considered judgements about the suitability of specific techniques for your proposed research. Direct student-staff interaction is also an important feature of learning and development throughout your project work.
The supervised research projects are conducted in the laboratories of the Faculties of Biology Medicine and Health, and Science and Engineering, or in external laboratories. We expect you to read scientific literature and apply problem-solving skills in your research project work.

Choosing your research project

Students will choose three research project topics in order of preference from a list. The projects will be allocated by the Programme Director. Once projects are allocated you will be attached to a laboratory, with a named and approved supervisor and allowed to work there for up to six months including the time spent writing your thesis. All projects will require that you work on your research project full-time on days when you are not working on taught units and be fully trained in the relevant techniques needed to complete the work.

Supervisor

All students at dissertation level are allocated a Supervisor. 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 their 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; inadequate supervision and unsatisfactory work.

Progress monitoring meetings must be closely documented. It should be noted that in some instances students may be jointly supervised by staff, and be assigned a principal and second supervisor.

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 Supervisor
• Programme Directors
• The Programme Administration Team
• The Director of Education

Reading Lists

Specific references will be provided in the individual units and students should familiarise themselves with these reading lists. The following textbooks provide background information.

• Enterprise for Life Scientists: Developing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Biosciences (2007). David Adams and John Scion Publishing Ltd. 250 pages. ISBN 9781904842361.
• Building Biotechnology: Biotechnology Business, Regulations, Patents, Law, Policy and Science (2014). Yali 4^th edition. Logos Press. 388 pages. ISBN 9781934899281. Also 3^rd edition (2008), ISBN 9780973467666.
• Developing New Business Ideas: A step-by-step guide to creating new business ideas worth backing (2005). Mary Bragg and Andrew Financial Times Series. 1^st edition. Financial Times / Prentice Hall. 288 pages. ISBN 9780273663256.
• Molecular Biotechnology: Principles and Applications of Recombinant DNA (2022). Bernard Glick and Cheryl L. Patten. 6^th edition. ASM Press. 896 pages. ISBN 9781683673644. Also 3^rd edition (2003), ISBN 9781555812690.

Recording Lectures

Please do not assume you can record lectures with a voice recorder or similar 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.

• Policy on the Recording of Lectures and other Teaching and Learning Activities

Programme Management

The programme is managed and operated in accordance with the policies, principles, regulations and procedures of The University of Manchester.

The Programme Directors, have day-to-day responsibility for the management of the programmes and are assisted by the Programme Administration Team.

Programme Committee

The PGT Programme meeting meets 3 times a year. The committee’s functions and responsibilities are to maintain the standards of teaching, to evaluate and revise the programme in the light of feedback, to monitor student progression and to provide a forum for discussion between the University and the students.

The meeting reviews the annual monitoring report and acts on recommendations arising from the annual monitoring process.

The membership of the meeting includes: the Programme Directors; the Programme Administration Team; Teaching Staff and Student Representatives.

The PGT Programme meeting reports to the PGT Programme Committee.

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.

The External Examiner for this programme is Professor Jim Dunwell at the University of Reading.

Please note that 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 assessment and progression team at sbs.assessment@manchester.ac.uk in the first instance.

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
External Examiners’ reports relating to this programme will be shared with student representatives at the Staff Student Liaison Committee and/or Programme Committee where 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.

Progress and Assessment

Deadlines for Assessed Work

All assessed work must be handed in at the prescribed time. Dates will be published in advance of the deadline. We recommend that you transfer these dates to your diaries as soon as they are published.

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 20 marks (out of 100) will be deducted for every page that exceeds the limit given. The marker will determine whether or not the work has exceeded the page limit.

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.

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 through the Turnitin submission link

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.

The Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes sets out the main arrangements for students submitting assessment on taught programmes. It includes information about Disability Advisory and Support Servies (DASS) automatic extensions, late submission and plagiarism detection.

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

Once you have uploaded your work, you can then re-upload it as many times as you like up until the deadline if you make further changes (you cannot re-upload after the deadline has passed). Please not that if you re-upload your work, this will overwrite your original submission and we cannot guarantee that it will be possible to retrieve it.

If you have an extension (including DASS) and need to re-upload your work after the standard deadline has passed, you may be unable to do this; if you are in this situation, please send a pdf copy of the work you want to upload to sbs.assessment@manchester.ac.uk and we will re-upload it for you.

On occasions, Turnitin can tun slowly, therefore ensure you allow yourself plenty of time to upload your work to avoid receiving a late penalty (more information below).

Guidance for Presentation of Taught Master's Dissertations

The University of Manchester guidance on presentation of taught Master's Dissertations is available at:

Guidance for the presentation of Taught Master's dissertations

The guidance explains the required presentation of the dissertation, and failure to follow the instructions in the guidance may result in the dissertation mark being subject to a penalty.

You can view the full guidance on taught master's dissertation presentation requirements here: https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=2863

Extensions to Assignment Deadlines

On rare occasions students may need to request an extension to a coursework deadline due to circumstances beyond their control. If you need to request an extension to your assignment submission deadline then you must submit an extension request form which must be accompanied by supporting evidence (medical letters, certificates or other appropriate evidence). The supporting evidence must justify the length of the requested extension.

The extension request form is available here: https://www.qualtrics.manchester.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_8oFoNIOqIKQetbE

The form should be submitted as soon as possible, no later than 48 hours before the coursework deadline.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your request has been received.

You will be notified of the outcome of your request via email as soon as possible. Please note that an extension to a deadline is classed as mitigation. Mitigation can only be applied once to a piece of work. i.e. you cannot have a deadline extension and also apply for mitigation for poor performance due to the same circumstances.

Late Submission Penalty (Including Dissertation)

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 total available marks deducted per day/24 hours (from the time of the original or extended deadline), until the assignment is submitted or no marks remain.

Penalties for late submission relate to 24 hours/calendar days, so include weekends and weekdays, as well as bank holidays and University closure days.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

100% of the available marks deducted if up to 240 hours (10 days) late

If the assessment is submitted within 10 days of the deadline the assessment should be marked and feedback to the student provided. If this mark before the penalty is applied reaches the appropriate pass mark but the applied penalty results in a fail of the assessment, the student will not be required to resit the assessment as the original mark can be taken as the resit mark, and the capped mark (e.g. 40R will be awarded immediately). Further information and examples can be found in the Policy and associated Guidance documents.

For work submitted more than 10 days late, it is regarded as a non-submission and will not be marked. In this case a mark of zero will be awarded and normal resit regulations will apply.*

*If a student has exhausted all their resit credit allowance, the standard regulations (as contained within the Degree Regulations) will apply, in terms of students being required to repeat the level, be issued with an exit award, etc., as appropriate.
For students in the final year (level 6) of a UG programme, as reassessment is not permitted in the final year other than for PSRB requirements, if a student’s original mark was a pass before the application of a late penalty, arrangements for dealing with the reduced mark would be carried out via the standard regulations for special compensation in final year.

The sliding scale should only be applied to first-sit submissions. For all referred (resit) assessment, any late submission will automatically receive a mark of zero.

For further information:

Guidance on Late Submission

Policy on the Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes

Academic Malpractice

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.

Academic Malpractice is a serious offence - it is treated as seriously as cheating in exams. As a student, you are expected to cooperate in the learning process throughout your programme of study by completing assignments of various kinds that are the product of your own study or research. Coursework, dissertations and essays submitted for assessment must be your own work, unless an assignment is a joint group projects as clearly instructed by the Unit Coordinator. Please, be aware that there are regular cases where students, knowingly or unknowingly, commit plagiarism or some other form of academic malpractice during their assignments, which is regarded a serious offence and will be penalised affecting the mark of your submission, and you may even fail the unit (with or without loss of credits).

It is your own responsibility to ensure that you understand what constitutes academic malpractice; COMMITTING ACADEMIC MALPRACTICE UNINTENTIONALLY IS NO DEFENCE! 

As further support for students, the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health has developed an Introductory Course. This unit must be completed by all postgraduate taught students and will allow you to test your understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and academic malpractice. You can access the resource via Blackboard. Log in to My Manchester and click on the Blackboard tab. The online resource will be listed under the My Communities heading. The module should be completed as soon as possible after you begin your programmes, but must be completed before you submit your first piece of academic work for assessment. Some further guidance can be found below:

• Academic malpractice includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of results and anything else intended by those committing it to achieve credit that they do not properly deserve. This also includes submitting work which you have previously submitted for credit - this is self-plagiarism.
• You should be aware that all teaching materials and examination papers are subject to copyright by the University. If these are shared externally, then you will be subject to academic malpractice procedures, and possible legal action.
• All students are required to confirm that they have read and agree to the University's declaration on Academic Malpractice as part of the online registration process.
• A number of measures are taken to detect academic malpractice:
• As part of the formative and/or summative assessment process, you may be asked to submit electronic versions of your work to TurnitinUK and/or other electronic systems for the purposes of detecting plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice, and for marking. If you are asked to do this, you must do so within the required timescales.
• The School reserves the right to submit your work to TurnitinUK and/or other electronic systems, even if you have originally not been asked to do so.
• Please note that when work is submitted to the relevant electronic systems, it is copied and then stored in a database to allow appropriate checks to be made and to detect self-plagiarism.
• If you are suspected of having committed academic malpractice, penalisation will be applied, which may involve a disciplinary hearing.

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

A video message explaining the university feedback policy is available in the community space on Blackboard. It is recommended that you watch this message for information and suggestions on how to best utilise the feedback you are given throughout your course.

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. If you need an official transcript, contact the SSC on 0161 275 5000.

Unofficial transcripts can be provided by the Assessment and Progression Team upon request.

How To Find Your Marks

Once work has been marked and moderated you will receive an email from the Assessment Team 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 in the system 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 Assessment and Progression 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:

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 Assessment and Progression Team or Programme Directors.

Students are expected to attend all scheduled examinations. If for any unforeseen circumstances you experience any issues in attending, you will need to submit an application for Mitigating Circumstances. If you require more information about this, you will need to contact sbs.mitcircs@manchester.ac.uk.

Student Representation and Feedback

Election of Student Representative

At the beginning of the year you will be asked to elect a student representative. The student representative will be invited to attend the Programme Committees for parts of the meeting that do not involve discussion of individual students and the assessments. The student representative should make students’ views known to the programme management. In addition, they should report any relevant information back to the students.

 

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.

University Regulations

Postgraduate Degree Regulations

A video explaining the degree regulations can be found in the community space on Blackboard.

In order to progress to the dissertation/research project you must have satisfactorily achieved the relevant pass mark in taught course units, including by use of resit and/or compensation as outlined in the degree regulations, in order to continue to this element of the programme.

Ethics Procedures

The nature of your programme and/or project work may require ethical approval.

• Policy on Ethical Approval of research on human subjects in taught assessment

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have followed the correct ethical procedures, and that you have done this in good time.

Speak to your Supervisor or Programme Director at the earliest opportunity to ascertain whether ethical approval is required.

Attendance monitoring

The University has introduced a new attendance monitoring system called SEAtS, which goes live on Monday 16th September. You can find more details about SEATS here - School of Biological Sciences Student Information - Home (sharepoint.com)

You will receive more information about the attendance system and how your attendance on the programme will be monitored during the first few weeks of the academic year.

Student Support and Guidance

Academic Appeals, Complaints, Conduct and Discipline

Academic Appeals

Academic Appeals are a way of asking the University to review a recent decision taken by an Examination Board or equivalent body, which affects a student’s progression or status (e.g. where a student is excluded from the University, or transferred to a programme for a lower qualification). However, appeals cannot be made simply on the basis of disagreeing with a mark, or as a challenge to academic judgement. They must instead be based on one of the grounds for appeal detailed in Regulation XIX Academic Appeals.

The university academic appeals procedure is available here. Please read this carefully if you are considering submitting an appeal.

The purpose of this regulation is to safeguard the interests of students and may only be used when there are adequate grounds for doing so which are outlined in the regulation. It may not be used simply because you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your assessment or other decision concerning your academic progress.

An appeal which questions the academic or professional judgement of those charged with the responsibility for assessing a student’s academic performance of professional competence shall not be permitted. This means that you may not challenge marks or grades awarded unless you believe that they may have been affected by factors under i-iv below.

The accepted grounds for appeal are as follows:

(i)       Circumstances affecting your performance of which, for a credible and compelling reason, the Examination Board or equivalent body may not have been aware when the decision was taken, and which may have had a material effect on the decision. Note: if students wish to appeal on such grounds, they must give credible and compelling reasons with supporting documentation explaining why this information was not made available prior to the decision being made.

(ii)         An administrative error or procedural irregularity in the assessment process or in putting into effect the regulations for the programme of study such as to cause significant doubt as to whether the decision might have been different if the error or irregularity had not occurred.

(iii)        Evidence of prejudice or bias or lack of proper assessment on the part of one or more of the examiners.

(iv)        The supervision or training in respect of research for a dissertation or thesis or equivalent work was unsatisfactory to the point that your performance was seriously affected.

Appeals based upon provisional decisions of the School cannot be considered. This means that you will not be able to submit an appeal until after examination boards have taken place and the results have been released. All recommendations for mitigating circumstances must be approved by the Board of Examiners. Please note that a progression board constitutes a meeting of the board of examiners, so if you wish to submit an appeal in relation to a semester 1 course unit, this should be submitted within 20 days of the date you receive notification that your semester 1 results are available.

If you wish to pursue an appeal, your first step would be to submit a Stage 1 appeal, which will be sent directly to the school for consideration. You will then receive an outcome from the school, and can then proceed to Stage 2 if your Stage 1 appeal is unsuccessful. A Stage 2 appeal would instead be reviewed by the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Appeals, Complaints and Discipline team.

Please submit your Stage 1 appeal through this online form. The form will tell you what information you need to provide. You cannot submit a Stage 2 appeal until the school has already considered a Stage 1 appeal.

Please Note:

• Your Stage 1 appeal must be submitted within 20 working days of the date you were informed of the decision you wish to appeal against, e.g. when your results are released. Any appeal received outside of this timeframe will be automatically rejected.
• Evidence (e.g. medical evidence) must be provided to support the appeal. Any appeal that does not provide evidence will not be considered.
• We will not consider any appeals which challenge academic judgment or are in relation to generally being unhappy with a mark that you have been awarded.
• If you appealing on the grounds of mitigating circumstances, your appeal must evidence why you did not submit an application for mitigating circumstances to the school prior to the examination board.

Should an informal appeal be rejected, you will then have the right to submit a stage 2 appeal to the Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health Appeals, Complaints and Discipline Team within 10 working days of the date you are notified of the outcome of your informal appeal. This route cannot be pursued until an informal appeal has been considered first. Any Stage 1 appeal outcome you receive will contain information regarding how to do this

Please note you can only appeal on your own behalf. If you want a representative (e.g. a parent) to appeal for you, you must send a letter (or email) with your appeal explaining that you have given them permission to act on your behalf. Students can contact the Students’ Union Advice Centre for assistance in drafting an appeal.

For further information on submitting an appeal, please contact sbs.appealsandconduct@manchester.ac.uk. Please note that appeals submitted directly by email to this address will NOT be considered; all appeals must be submitted through the online form.

Student Complaints

The University’s Student Complaints Procedure (Regulation XVIII) and associated documents, including a complaints form, can be found at Regulations | Academic-related regulations | Regulation XVIII: Student Complaints Procedure | The University of Manchester

The University has separate procedures to address complaints of bullying, harassment, discrimination and/or victimisation - see https://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 electronically by e-mail: FBMHappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk.

Conduct and Discipline of Students

General University information on the conduct and discipline of students can be found at https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/adviceandresponse/refer/disciplinary-referral/

Faculty guidance for students on Social Media and Harm Reduction can be found at:

• https://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/non-academic/guidance-on-social-media-for-students/ (Social Media)
• https://www.studentsupport.manchester.ac.uk/taking-care/imworriedabout/health/physical/harm-reduction/ (Harm Reduction)

Information on Academic Malpractice and how to avoid it can be found at http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/guidance-to-students-on-plagiarism-and- other-forms-of-academic-malpractice/

In accordance with the Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes, ‘All typed summative assessment, including dissertations, should be submitted online and subjected to plagiarism detection software, where appropriate’.

The University Library has produced online resources to help students in avoiding plagiarism and academic malpractice at: https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/using-the-library/students/training-and-skills-support/my- learning-essentials/online-resources/

An Introduction to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism is provided by the Student Guidance Service at: An Introduction to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism (Student Guidance Service)

The Student Support website provides guidance on Good Study Skills at: https://www.studentsupport.manchester.ac.uk/study-support/goodstudyskills/

The Student Support website also provides guidance on avoiding academic malpractice: https://www.studentsupport.manchester.ac.uk/study-support/academic-support/assessments-and-exams/avoiding-academic-malpractice/ 

Students thinking of submitting a formal complaint should, in most instances, attempt informal resolution first. Students can submit complaints to the Head of Teaching, Learning & Student Experience, Kerry Mycock (kerry.mycock@manchester.ac.uk), for the School to respond to.

Mitigating Circumstances: Requesting Extensions and/or Mitigation for Adverse Events Impacting on Your Studies

During your studies, you may experience unforeseeable and unpreventable significant events which negatively affect your ability to submit work and assessments or perform to your usual standard in an assessment of any type. The University’s Policy on Mitigating Circumstances outlines the processes in place to reduce the negative effects of these situations on academic outcomes.

There are two ways that these circumstances can be considered; Extensions for coursework submissions and Mitigation for coursework/assessments and exams.

Extensions to Coursework/Assessment Submissions

If, because of illness or other mitigating factors, you wish to seek an extension to a deadline for submitting written coursework for a course unit or a tutorial assignment, you must submit an Assessed Coursework Extension Request form.

The application for extension must be made BY 10:00am TWO DAYS BEFORE THE DAY OF THE DEADLINE.  For example, if the deadline is at 4pm on Thursday, the extension request must be submitted before 10am on the Tuesday of that week.  If the deadline is on a Monday, the extension request MUST be submitted by 10am on the Thursday before the deadline.

If a student is eligible for a DASS Automatic Extension, they should apply, at the latest, TWO DAYS BEFORE THE DASS DEADLINE.

We will not consider late applications.  If a student misses the deadline to apply for an extension, we recommend they apply for mitigating circumstances (see below).

Students will normally be granted a maximum of 5 additional working days (in addition to any DASS automatic extension that a student may be entitled to).

If a student requires 10 working days they must submit supporting evidence alongside their extension request form. If a student requires an extension longer than 10 working days they need to submit mitigating circumstances (see below).

Applications for extensions must be submitted online using the link communicated to students each semester.  Students will be sent regular email communications which will include information on how to apply – including a link to the online form.- Applications not completed via the provided online link, will not be accepted.

Extension requests will only apply to assessed written work, for example, coursework essays, and do not apply to the following:

• Group/teamwork
• Presentations
• Formative coursework
• Assessments limited by logistical constraints e.g., assessments to be completed whilst on a field trip; short recurring deadlines - where assessments are to be submitted weekly for a particular unit; continuous ongoing course work - portfolios; or where feedback needs to be provided to students before the extension end date
• Practical/skills-based work
• Take home timed written examinations.

Students are not required to provide supporting evidence for extension requests (unless the request is for 10 working days).  The application will be assessed based on whether a student has fully demonstrated the impact of the incident/issue on their ability to submit the written piece of work within the original deadline.

Reasons for requesting and granting an extension may include (but not limited to):

• Technology/IT issues – broken laptop etc.
• Physical health challenges – Covid, sickness, injury etc.
• Mental health challenges – anxiety etc.
• Disability (whether the student is registered with DASS or not)
• Domestic/family crisis - bereavement, illness, relationship breakdown, caring responsibilities, maternity/paternity/adoption leave
• Personal crisis – accommodation issues, theft, assault, financial difficulties
• Jury Service.

Extension requests that fall within the following categories would not normally be granted:

• Planned/anticipated events - moving house, holidays etc. (anything that could be reasonably expected)
• Assessments that are scheduled close together – unless impacting on health/wellbeing
• Misreading assessment timetable
• Inadequate planning or time management
• Act of religious observance
• Consequences of paid employment (except in exceptional circumstances, i.e. if related to family/financial crises).

You can find out more information on what constitutes grounds for an extension and mitigating circumstances in the University policy.

You must not assume that an extension has been approved until you receive written (e.g. email) confirmation. You should receive this confirmation prior to the original deadline.

Mitigating Circumstances

Sometimes circumstances or events beyond your control may adversely affect your ability to perform in an examination or assessment to your full potential. The University defines mitigating circumstances as ‘unforeseeable or unpreventable circumstances that could have, or did have, a significant adverse effect on the academic performance of a student’.  

Possible mitigating circumstances include:

• significant illness or injury; or worsening of an ongoing illness or disability, including mental health conditions (please see the DASS website for examples of disabilities);
• personal issues such as the death or critical/significant illness of a close family member/dependent; significant family or personal crises or major financial problems leading to acute stress;
• some IT-related issues such as a network or hardware fault at the point of submission; and
• absence from the University for public service, for example, jury service.

Events that will NOT normally be regarded as grounds for mitigation include (but are not limited to):

Personal issues: 

• holidays, moving house and events that were planned or could reasonably have been expected.
• loss or theft of a computer or printer that prevents submission of work on time.  Students should back up work regularly and not leave completion so late that they cannot find another computer or printer.
• the act of religious observance.
• consequences of paid employment (except in some special cases for part-time students)

Time management or organization/administrative issues:

• assessments that are scheduled close together.
• misreading the timetable or misunderstanding the requirements for assessments.
• inadequate planning and time management.
• students who commence their studies later than the expected start date who have missed a portion of teaching/learning.

Issues during exams:

• exam stress or panic attacks not diagnosed as illness or supported by medical evidence.
• disruption in an examination room during the course of an assessment which has not been brought to the attention of, or recorded by, the invigilators (including instances such as fire alarms or other noise disruption).

You should include any evidence that supports your request, such as:

• Extracts from your medical notes (you can request these from your GP practice)
• Copy of prescription or photo of name label on prescribed medication
• Photo of labelled positive COVID-19 test result
• Appointment cards from medical unit or hospital admissions letter
• Confirmation text of medical appointment
• Communications from a school or care facility confirming that they are closed or the person you care for is unable to attend
• An obituary or letter from a family member, in the case of bereavement
• Police, security or insurance report
• Press or media report
• Internal confirmation of existing engagement with our counselling / Advice and Response service

If you are registered with DASS, and you are submitting mitigating circumstances due to your DASS registered condition, you do not have to provide evidence with your application.

Please note some third-party providers can take several weeks to provide you with supporting evidence, so it is important to organise this as soon as possible.  If your evidence will not be available until after the deadline, you must ensure your application is submitted on time and notify sbs.mitcircs@manchester.ac.uk when they can expect to receive the evidence.

If due to an emergency you have attended a hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, you must obtain written confirmation of attendance either from the hospital or subsequently from your GP confirming your attendance and stating the nature of the emergency.

If the information is of a highly confidential nature, you may submit your evidence in a sealed envelope to the SBS Student Hub, marked for the attention of the Chair of the Mitigating Circumstances Committee.

Coursework and other assessment deadlines for submitting your mitigating circumstances application and supporting evidence

Coursework and other assessments completed during the Semester:

Applications must be submitted within 5 working days of the assessment deadline.  For example, an application for an assessment with a deadline of 4pm on Thursday must be submitted by no later than 4pm on Thursday of the following week.

Requests for mitigation submitted after the deadline dates cannot be considered. Students would need to go through the appeals process and provide a credible and compelling explanation as to why the circumstances were not known or could not have been shown beforehand.

Applications for mitigating circumstances must be submitted online using the link communicated to students each semester.  Students will be sent regular email communications which will include information on how to apply – including a link to the online form. Applications not completed via the provided online link, will not be accepted.

Please be aware, mitigation will NOT result in the changing of any marks, unless penalties for late submission are waived after an assignment has already been marked.

Absence from examinations due to ill health 

You should make every effort to participate in all examinations. It will not be possible to make special arrangements to take the exams in an alternative location, unless this has been arranged through the Disability Advisory Support Service.

If you are so ill you are unable to take an exam, you must contact the SBS Hub – email sbs.hub@manchester.ac.uk or telephone 0161 275 1387 as soon as possible, and certainly no later than the day and start time of your examination. You should complete a Mitigating Circumstances application which must be accompanied by appropriate evidence.

Illness not resulting in absence from examinations 

You may be unwell but able to proceed with an examination but feel that your performance will have been impaired. If you wish this to be taken into account, you must follow the same procedures as stated in the earlier Section Absence from Examinations due to Ill Health by applying for mitigation. Note that typical levels of exam stress  that are not diagnosed as a long-term condition, would not normally be considered a mitigating circumstance. If you anticipate or experience high levels of stress related to your exams, or studies in general, we strongly recommend you contact the Student Support and Wellbeing team (sbs.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk), who will be able to support you.

Interruptions/Withdrawals

Interruptions

It is the expectation of the University that postgraduate taught students pursue their studies on a continuous basis for the stipulated duration of their programme. However, it is recognised that students may encounter personal difficulties or situations which may seriously disrupt or delay their studies. In some cases, an interruption or extension to your programme of study may be the most sensible option.

Students who wish to interrupt the programme or extend to write up the dissertation should initially discuss their plans and reasons with the Programme Director.

Students must also provide documentary evidence when appropriate, for example, doctor’s letter, sick note etc.

An application must be submitted to the Programme Director in the first instance. The form will then be submitted for consideration to the School Interruptions Panel who will make the final decision.

The forms required for formal application are available from the Student Support Team, please email sbs.hub@manchester.ac.uk if you wish to request an interruption form.

Withdrawals

Students who are considering withdrawing from the programme should discuss this either with the Programme Director and, if in their dissertation year, with their research supervisor, and make the application by formal letter.

Any student wishing to withdraw from their programme of study will need to complete a withdrawal form. Please email sbs.hub@manchester.ac.uk if you wish to request a withdrawal form.The Student Support and Wellbeing team can provide further advice on how withdrawing may impact fees, accommodation and a student visa.

Occupational Health

The University of Manchester Occupational Health Service  is a confidential, specialised clinical service that looks after the health of staff and students at the University. The service can assess and advise on fitness for work, training and study, and help ensure that health issues of staff and students are effectively managed.

Students can access Occupational Health if they feel their health is having a direct impact on their fitness to study their programme. Students can either self-refer to the service, which would not be disclosed to the School, or a student can be referred to the Service by a member of the Student Support and Wellbeing team.

You can find more information about the service here - Occupational Health Service.

Counselling and Mental Health Service

The University’s Counselling and Mental Health service is available for any student that needs specialized support with their mental health.. The service is free for all students and consists of trained mental health practitioners and counsellors. Any student struggling with their mental health can arrange a 1-1 appointment with a counsellor who will advise what support is needed.

The service is open 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday all year round except public holidays. You can contact the Counselling and Mental Health Service by email - counselling.service@manchester.ac.uk – or telephone - 0161 275 2864

You can find more information about the service here - Counselling Service

Advice and Response (A&R)

The Advice and Response Service provide holistic, trauma-informed support to students who have experienced any form of gender-based violence, harassment or hate. The team is made up of specialist caseworkers who provide confidential, practical, and emotional support to students.

If you need to access this service, you can complete a Report and Support form and an Advisor will get in touch with you.

You can find more information about A&R here.

If you need to speak to someone about this service please contact the Student Support and Wellbeing Service (sbs.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk.

Fitness to Practice

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 practice 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.

Further information on Fitness to Practice related matters can be found online:

Fitness to practice

Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS)

The University of Manchester welcomes students with a disability or specific learning difficulties. The University has a dedicated  Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS) that supports any students with a long-term condition or disability. When a student registers with DASS, they will meet a Disability Advisor on a 1-1 basis where they will assess what support the student needs for their teaching, learning and assessments. DASS will create a student support plan and send this to the Student Support and Wellbeing team in the School, who will liaise with academic staff to ensure the student’s support is put in place.,  You can find out more information about DASS, the University’s commitment to supporting students with a disability and the policies and procedures around disability support here.

DASS is located on the 2nd Floor of University Place  (see Campus Map)

Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk

Phone 0161 275 7512; Text 07899 658 790 (only for d/Deaf students);  Website: http://www.dso.manchester.ac.uk/

DASS are open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday

You can also email the School’s DASS Coordinator at sbs.dc@manchester.ac.uk for any advice relating to DASS requirements.

Please be aware that if you were an undergraduate student at the University of Manchester you will need to register with DASS again as a postgraduate student.

Students Union Advice Centre

The Students Union has a free, independent and confidential Advice Service, which consists of trained Advisors that can support students with financial, housing, or academic concerns.

You can arrange to meet an SU Advisor by using this contact form.

Manchester Students' Union

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

The University of Manchester Careers Service

Monitoring attendance and wellbeing of students

In order to monitor their progress, students will have regular, scheduled meetings with their academic advisor. Progress forms should be completed at these meetings. These meetings are in addition to the research project supervisory meetings between the student and supervisor, of which there should be a minimum of 10 per academic year.

Students are required to attend ALL lectures.

Attendance monitoring will take place during ALL sessions. It is your responsibility to make sure you have signed the register. Postgraduates 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 queries about attendance should be sent to sbs.attendance@manchester.ac.uk.

Attendance is monitored in conjunction with Regulation XX: Monitoring Attendance and Wellbeing of Students.

Absences supported by medical or other appropriate information will not normally be counted towards the assessment of unsatisfactory attendance. Any absences must be supported by a Mitigating Circumstances Form and supporting evidence.

A-Z of Student Services

The A-Z of Services can be found on the My Manchester website or here.

Here you can find more information on a wide range of topics such as library services, disability support and careers advice.

IT Services Support Centre online

Details of what IT support is available and how to access it can be found on the FBMH eLearning Support page.

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 Main Library or Alan Gilbert Learning Commons:

Use Support Centre online for support with eLearning, from where you may make a request, or search the Knowledge Base.

For IT and eLearning support visit: https://elearning.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/student/technical-support/

Blackboard

Blackboard, the University's 'virtual learning environment', will be used for online teaching.

What is Blackboard?

Blackboard is a web-based system that complements and builds upon traditional learning methods used at The University of Manchester. By using Blackboard you can

• view course materials and learning resources,
• communicate with lectures and other students,
• collaborate in groups,
• get feedback,
• submit assignments,
• monitor your own progress at a time and place of your own convenience.

Training in the use of software

The Faculty eLearning team has produced an online induction package to help you understand our online services, software, and facilities. You can access this at https://elearning.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/student/study-support/online-induction/.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI tools have the potential to enhance learning, and can support inclusivity and accessibility when used appropriately. It is important that you understand the potential risks and benefits of these tools if you plan to use them during your studies.

You may use AI tools like any other resource to help you generate ideas, key themes, and plan your assessment, and you may also cite or quote content generated by AI systems. However, passing off work generated by AI as your own is plagiarism, and will be treated as seriously as plagiarism of another person.

Some Course Units or assignments may vary this position. In these cases you will be given detailed instructions on what is and isn’t allowed, and may be asked to sign a code of conduct. If you are unclear about what is permissible, contact the course unit lead.

For more detail on the University’s position on the use of AI in teaching and learning, see Artificial Intelligence (AI) Teaching Guidance.

For advice on how to acknowledge and cite content generated by AI see https://manchester-uk.libanswers.com/teaching-and-learning/faq/264824

Access to digital resources

The University has committed to ensuring all students have equitable access to hardware, software, connectivity and study spaces as well as opportunities to develop their digital skills.  You can find out more about how to  access  laptop loans from the library, book a quiet space to work or  access software and computers on campus here .

To help develop your digital skills and prepare you for your degree and beyond, you should use the JISC discovery tool to identify your digital skills gaps. The tool produces a report for you and recommends the resources to  ensure you are fully equipped for your academic and professional future.

We recommend that you complete the Current students (Higher Education) question set every year if you are in Year 2 and beyond to keep your digital skills up to date.

Religious Observance

The University supports a wide range of religions and will make every effort to support students in observing their religious beliefs.

For centrally timetabled examinations, key dates are to be noted in terms of formally notifying the University on dates in which undertaking assessment will be affected by religious observance. Please contact the Student Support Team with details of any assessments and teaching that may be affected.

Centrally timetabled exams and religious observance

Religious Observance and Looking after yourself and your patients during Ramadan

Policy on Religious Observance:

• University Policy
• 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.

Library Facilities

Library facilities are available across campus including the Stopford Building.

Photocopying is available in The University of Manchester Library. It is important that you abide by the regulations concerning the copying of copyright material.

The Alan Gilbert Learning Commons is a state of the art study and learning centre in the heart of the Oxford Road campus boasting an onsite café, an impressive atrium providing a social meeting space with wifi access and flexible study spaces and environments throughout the building. The Learning Commons is open to students and staff of the University and is open 24/7 during term time.

Additional support for your studies is available through My Learning Essentials.

Royal Literary Fellows (Writing Support)

The Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health has two ‘Writing Fellows’: Sophie Duffy and Ian Pople,  who are funded by The Royal Literary Fund.

The Writing Fellows provide students with free and confidential one-to-one advice on effective writing, including writing essays, lab reports, literature reviews or other coursework. Students can sign up for a one-to-one tutorial (up to 50 minutes) to help you:

• plan your study time
• focus your reading for essay, dissertation or thesis writing
• express your ideas more clearly
• answer grammar and punctuation questions
• discover reading to improve your writing and editing skills
• increase your writing skills with the aim of improving your grades
• improve any academic writing – essays, reports, dissertations, etc.

Students can make an appointment during term-time with one of the Fellows by emailing them directly. Their availability and contact details are listed below:

Writing Fellow	Contact Details
Sophie Duffy	sophie.duffy@rlfeducation.org.uk
Ian Pople	Ian.pople@rlfeducation.org.uk

Online Skills 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 the Programmes and Curriculum Team.

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.

Research Methods*	This course is spilt into 2 units that cover introductions to study design and dissertation skills. It has a number of online quizzes where you can test your knowledge.
Introduction to 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. The course also includes a unit on influencing effectively, alongside the presentation and poster information.
Qualitative Research Methods*	This unit has been designed to give you an introduction to Qualitative Research.

*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 contact the Programme Administration Team 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.

 

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:

• 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;
• 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;
• proofreading undertaken by a third party must not change the content or meaning of the work in any way