Audiology Short Courses – Continuing Professional Development
University of Manchester
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
School of Health Sciences
PROGRAMME HANDBOOK
2024/25
INTRODUCTION TO THE SCHOOL
Academic Structure
Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience
We are a multi-disciplinary team studying the perceptual, cognitive, social and neural bases of human behaviour, development and health across the lifespan.
We make basic research discoveries and translate these discoveries into real-world applications that improve the quality of life for individuals of all ages and from all parts of society.
Our Division has a leading national and international reputation in the education and training of psychologists, cognitive neuroscientists, neuroimagers, audiologists and healthcare scientists, speech and language therapists, and Teachers of the Deaf.
School of Health Sciences Student Handbook
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The student handbook has been developed as a resource for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students completing degree programmes within the School of Health Sciences (SHS).
This resource should be used as the first point of reference for questions concerning your programme, support and advice, or academic policies and procedures.
The University of Manchester is a large and complex organisation, and we want to ensure that you know how to access the information, support, and guidance you need to succeed in your studies. It is therefore designed to guide you through many aspects of your time as a student and provides useful links to information available through the University’s website, as well as summarising the facilities and support services that are available across the University and how you can access them. It also outlines what you should expect of the School and what they can expect from you, and clarifies the policies and procedures relevant to your area of study.
Manchester Centre for Audiology & Deafness:
The Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness (ManCAD) is a world leader in research underpinning improved services in healthcare and education for those with a hearing loss or who are deaf. The Hearing Health theme within the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre provides a clear pathway from research discoveries to benefit for people with hearing loss.
ManCAD has the most extensive portfolio of audiology and deaf education training programmes in the UK. Our teaching portfolio covers undergraduate, pre-registration and post-registration postgraduate taught programmes. We also run continuing professional development courses and post-registration Doctor of Clinical Science (Audiology) programmes:
BSc in Healthcare Science (Audiology)
MSc in Clinical Science (Neurosensory Sciences) MSc Audiology with General, Advanced and Paediatric Pathways
Post Graduate Diploma in Deaf Education
MSc in Deaf Education
D Clin Sci in Audiological Science
PhD in Audiology
(Paediatric Pathway)
Introduction to Continuing Professional Development Short Courses in Audiology
Welcome to the University of Manchester and to the Continuing Professional Development Short Courses in Audiology. We hope you find your chosen modules stimulating and interesting and that they allow you to reflect on and develop your professional practice. You should already be familiar with the terms ‘independent learner’ and ‘enquiry-based learning’ whereby you are expected to be the driving force behind your own learning experience. You will note from the unit specifications that direct contact time with staff makes up a very small component of the learning hours therefore it must be supplemented with your own independent study if you are to complete each module successfully.
Each credit of the 15 credit MSc modules represents ten hours of student work and effort, so one module will equate to 150 hours of study.
What you achieve while you are a student here will depend upon how much you make of the excellent facilities available to you—the library, the IT clusters, on-line resources and helpful staff.
Finally, please note that by accepting a place on a module, you have entered into a contract with the
University and are utilising Department of Health funding (if funded through the CPD Service Level Agreement). You are expected to adopt a professional attitude to your studies, and attend all lectures and timetabled activities where appropriate. The SHA will be requesting data regarding enrolments and attrition so it is important that they continue to identify these M-Level modules as a priority for Audiology professionals wishing to develop their knowledge and skills base.
Student Charter: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/enhancing-my-experience/charter/
The Programme Handbook
This programme handbook is absolutely central to your studies. It provides you with key information about the CPD modules content, what the learning outcomes (‘objectives’) are and how we assess whether you have achieved them, what is expected of you as a student and what you can expect from staff. It directs you to other useful sources of information. It is, in part, a record that you keep of exactly what you studied in the programme. It is important for you to have an accurate record of exactly what you studied: apart from your transcript of marks, future employers, particularly in other countries, may like more detail on the module content.
MSc in Audiology
Your CPD modules make up part of the MSc in Audiology programme so you will attend lectures with other students studying for a MSc in Audiology and in some cases BSc year 2 Audiology students. Lectures may require group work and you are encouraged to mix with the other students and share your experiences and knowledge. Upon successful completion of a CPD module you will be accredited
with 15 credits at Masters level. You will not be able to complete all the MSc modules and get accredited with an MSc in Audiology but for those considering this as a future option, please be advised that you are eligible to apply for accredited prior learning (APL) for up to 60 credits.
All students will be required to complete the award within the maximum period specified within the University regulations. Such students may only use stand alone units to count towards a final award if the completion date from first registration on any unit means that the award can be completed within the maximum period allowable within the University regulations – normally five years for MSc/three years for PgDip/two years for PgCert.
Student Support and Development
An induction with all CPD students will be arranged, to explain in more detail the expectations and the responsibility for learning that students will have to take. You will also have the opportunity to get your student ID card, meet staff members and locate the post graduate office and common lecture rooms. You will be assigned an Academic Advisor, under the Personal Tutoring system of the University and they will make e-mail contact early within the first few weeks of study.
Personal development planning is supported by meetings with the Academic Advisors and all academic staff post ‘office hours’ during which students may call for discussion about any matter pertaining to the curriculum content without an appointment. For meetings outside these hours you are recommended to e-mail the academic involved to ensure they are available.
You will note that each of the CPD modules focus on the theoretical aspects of your chosen subject. The practical skills that may relate to the theoretical knowledge are delivered in a separate module. These will not be accessible for individuals completing the CPD modules, as it is envisaged that you will be able to develop your practical skills through work-based training or through the HCCC modules of the BAA Higher Training Scheme. If you are particularly interested in observing the practical components of your particular subject please approach your module tutor to discuss if you could observe/assist or participate in any of the practical skills laboratories.
Key People
Members of the PDT team and ManCAD staff who contribute to the teaching and/or dissertation supervision are:
| Name | Office | Phone | |
| Dr Richard Baker | B2.14 | 275 3388 | richard.baker@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Siobhan Brennan | B1.2A | 275 8677 | siobhan.brennan@manchester.ac.uk |
| Debbie Cane | B2.13 | 275 8679 | debbie.cane@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Samuel Couth | B1.9 | 275 6924 | samuel.couth@manchester.ac.uk |
| Alice Crutchley | A4.11 | 275 3253 | alice.crutchley@manchester.ac.uk |
| Bridget Goodier | B2.16 | 275 3434 | bridget.goodier@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Antje Heinrich | B2.13 | 275 8679 | antje.heinrich@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Reza Hoseinabadi | B2.7 | 306 1757 | Reza.hoseinabadi@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Karolina Kluk-de Kort | B2.15 | 275 3371 | karolina.kluk-de-kort@manchester.ac.uk |
| Verity Langlands | B2.16 | 275 8679 | verity.langlands@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Rebecca Millman | B2.8 | 275 3387 | rebecca.millman@manchester.ac.uk |
| Prof Kevin Munro | A3.11 | 275 3360 | kevin.munro@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Garreth Prendergast | A3.16 | 275 8586 | garreth.prendergast@manchester.ac.uk |
| Prof Chris Plack | B1.23 | 275 3373 | chris.plack@manchester.ac.uk |
| Gabrielle Saunders | 275 3386 | gabrielle.saunders@manchester.ac.uk | |
| Dr Michael Stone | A3.16 | 275 8583 | michael.stone@manchester.ac.uk |
| Lucy Pennington | A4.11 | 2753253 | lucy.pennington@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Kai Uus | B2.1 | 275 8282 | kai.uus@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Anisa Visram | A3.09 | 306 1758 | anisa.visram@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Tim Wilding | B2.10 | 275 8286 | timothy.wilding@manchester.ac.uk |
SECTION A : Programme Structure
Support for CPD Students
The support available for CPD Audiology students from tutors is detailed below. Most tutors and support staff are happy to answer queries by email, but if you wish to see a tutor, you should make an appointment at a mutually convenient time. All tutors display their ‘office hours’ (during which you can see a tutor without a prior appointment) on their office door.
You should notify the Programme Director, your Academic Advisor and the Student Support Hub shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk of any change to your personal details.
Your university email address will be used as the main method of correspondence, so it is important that you check this regularly.
Audiology Short Courses Programme Director: Dr Kai Uus, B2.1 Ellen Wilkinson Building, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, the University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL
Phone: +44 (0) 161 275 8282
E-mail: Kai.Uus@manchester.ac.uk
The Programme Director has an administrative responsibility for the CPD programme, with an overview of organisational issues. If students have any comments or complaints, then they should email them to Kai Uus.
Assessment and Regulations
Postgraduate Taught Degree Regulations for Students
Pass Mark and Credits
The pass mark for all examinations, the dissertation and assessed coursework (assignments) is 50%. Compensation between units is not permitted. The pass mark of 50% applies to all students.
To qualify for the award of the MSc degree, students must complete all the programme requirements with a total of 180 credits.
To qualify for the award of the PG Diploma, students must complete all the programme requirements with a total of 120 credits.
Re-assessment
The maximum allowable cumulative failure of course units at the first attempt is 60 credits of the taught component of the programme. A student whose failures at the first attempt exceed 60 credits will be deemed to have failed the programme and (further) referrals will not be allowed.
After the relevant Exam Board students will be notified via email of any resits they are required to take, along with details of the new submission date and the format of the resit.
For those Units having a formal written examination, the resit paper will normally take the form of having to complete questions based on the original examination (or new questions) on a seen basis, with consequent appropriate raised expectations with regard to detail in the answers.
Students requiring advice on a particular Unit they have failed may seek help from the Unit Tutor.
PLEASE NOTE: Candidates are normally permitted no more than one resit for each examination / assessment and MUST ACHIEVE the PASS MARK of 50% for EACH INDIVIDUAL ELEMENT THAT IS RETAKEN.
Successfully re-sat units will be recorded with a mark of 40R, unless your original mark was between 40-49 in which case you will keep your original mark with a suffix of R.
Please see the PGT Regulations document for further detail regarding reassessment. http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=29208
Any MSc/PG Dip student not successfully completing resit attempts will be deemed to have failed the programme and will be awarded an exit award, if applicable – please see the PGT Regulations document for information regarding Exit Awards requirements.
All examinations and assessed coursework must be successfully completed before a dissertation may be presented for examination.
External Examiners
The MSc/PG Diploma in Audiology has two External Examiners who moderate the examining of units and dissertations. Normally, External Examiners attend the Exam Board meeting at the end of
Semester 2 each year, and will wish to meet students (usually as a group) during their visit. If the External Examiner cannot attend the Exam Board then a skype meeting will be set up with students.
External Examiner Details
The External Examiners for this programme are Dr Joanna Lemanska & Paul Radomskij.
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 their Programme Office (or equivalent).
Attendance
If you are studying for a degree full-time, you should be devoting around 35 hours per week to your studies throughout the year (approx. 17 hours per week for part-time students). If you don’t put in the hours, you will not make the most of your time here, and may have to leave before gaining a degree, or get a lower class degree than you are capable of. You will also notice from your syllabus booklets that there are no lectures in the week 6 of the first semester. This is because this is a ‘reading week’ and no lectures take place. You should use this week to catch up on reading around your taught courses, work on coursework assignments, and for Master’s students to do some reading for your dissertation.
Dissertation presentations: those students undertaking a dissertation will present an outline of their proposal at a meeting for all dissertation students, and some staff, in semester 2 (see timetable).
Attendance at the two block clinic placements is part of PCHN60060 (Professional Practice). Students should be prepared to travel to their assigned clinic on a daily basis during those weeks. Note that this may incur travel and/or accommodation costs.
Wellbeing of Students
The support available for MSc/PG Diploma Audiology students from tutors is detailed below. Most tutors and support staff are happy to answer queries by email, but if you wish to see a tutor, you should make an appointment at a mutually convenient time. All tutors display their ‘office hours’ (during which you can see a tutor without a prior appointment) on their office door.
You should notify the Programme Director, your Academic advisor and the SHS Hub.
The MSc/PG Diploma Programme Director: Dr Reza Hoseinabadi, Ellen Wilkinson Building, School of Health, Faculty of Biological, Medical & Health Sciences, the University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL
The Programme Director has an administrative responsibility for the MSc and PG Diploma, with an overview of organisational issues. If students have any comments or complaints then they should email them to Reza.
Academic Advisor: Dr Kai Uus, B2.1 Ellen Wilkinson Building, School of Health, Faculty of Biological, Medical & Health Sciences, the University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL Phone: +44 (0) 161 275 8282 E-mail: kai.uus@manchester.ac.uk
Academic Advisor
For support in your academic progress (e.g. if you fall behind with your work, miss parts of the course due to illness or bereavement, need advice regarding resits, need extensions to deadlines or have other relevant personal issues), then your Academic Advisor is the appropriate person to approach.
The Academic Advisor should be informed of any circumstances (e.g. illness, bereavement, disability or other) affecting attendance or performance on the programme. The Academic Advisor will arrange group meetings with students. The first of these meetings is the induction meeting which takes place during the registration week
For queries regarding individual lectures, practicals and clinics, the student should first of all seek help from the tutor/lecturer delivering the lecture, practical or clinic. The Tutor for that Unit (i.e. module) is responsible for the overall content, structure, organisation, compilation of the Unit reading list, and setting of examinations for that particular Unit; s/he will be willing to receive comments on or questions about these organisational issues. The Unit Tutor may also be contacted if a student fails a particular Unit. Feedback about each Unit is sought from all students through standard feedback questionnaires.
The teaching timetables for the MSc/Dip are supervised by Dr Kai Uus to whom timetable enquiries should be addressed.
Examination matters are managed by the shs.assessment@manchester.ac.uk, to whom examination enquiries should be addressed.
Facilities for students
HCD Laboratory
The HCD Laboratory is located on the 4th floor of A Block (A4.12), and students may request access to equipment and calibration facilities, from the Laboratory staff. There are several laboratory working rooms, where students carry out practical workshops and practical examinations. There are also rooms set up with equipment for developing practical skills on the Ground Floor of B Block (see below); students are strongly encouraged to make use of them early in the course (they may become fully booked later).
Laboratory staff are Alice Crutchley (Experimental Officer) .
BG.20: Audiometric booths
4 x stand-alone audiometers
1 x GSi Tympstar tympanometer
A4.7: 4 x Aurical hearing aid fitting stations.
BG.16: Vestibular Test equipment
A4.11: Speech tests (parrot, FAAF etc)
A check list is available for each room listing the equipment and consumables.
A key aspect of clinical professionalism is taking responsibility for leaving rooms and equipment clean and tidy, ready for the next user. This includes reporting faulty equipment and re-stocking used materials (or reporting the need for replenishment to the appropriate person).
At the University of Manchester we expect the highest standards from all audiology students, undergraduate and postgraduate, in this respect. We do not expect any materials or equipment to go missing from these rooms, and we will take a very severe view of any such losses.
BG 20 has four audiometry booths, associated equipment, and a cupboard to keep material such as earplugs and insert earphone tips. A4.7has four computer stations with hearing aid test boxes.
The Cubicles on the 4th Floor have Aurical Systems equipped for hearing aid measurements, REMs and audiometry.
Materials Online
Online support for the MSc/PG Diploma Audiology programme is provided via Blackboard. This allows
registered students access to materials and handouts for all units by simply using an internet connection from any location (on or off campus) and using standard browsing software to access the World Wide Web.
SECTION B : University Regulations and Policies
Communication and Dress Code for Audiology Students
It has been shown that non-verbal communication is at least as important as verbal communication, so how a student or healthcare professional appears to patients, relatives or colleagues means as much
as what he or she says. As healthcare profession students in professional and Clinical Skills Development Labs, you must:
Dress in a manner that adds to, and does not detract from, effective communication. How he/she appears as a student professional is something all students and graduates must consider and respond to. In general, male and female students must be clean and smartly dressed. Thus the following are not permitted as they are deemed to be incompatible with effective, sensitive communication: Wearing a tee-shirt with slogans
Visible body art
Large amounts of body and face jewellery
Revealing clothing that may be considered unacceptable by patients or peers
Covering most of the face. This is true not only in clinical settings but also throughout the educational elements of the programme which are built around group work with other students and tutors.
Students must be able to participate fully in communication and other skills training, discussion and assessment. As well as adhering to the dress code above, it means being able to interact fully with patients, standardised patients, teachers and examiners of any cultural or ethnic background or either gender.
Whilst individual cultural practice is respected, it is a requirement of working with the deaf and hard of hearing, that there is access to lip-reading and facial expressions. It is therefore very important that during Clinical Skills Development Labs and whilst on clinical placement, that your face be visible at these times. During some practical sessions other students may need to practice audiological procedures on you which will involve uncovering your ears.
Dress Code Whilst On Clinical Placement
In addition to the above code, individual health care organisations will have their own dress policies and these must be adhered to whilst on placement or gaining clinical experience. When accessing a healthcare organisation for a placement or clinical experience, the organisation’s policy should be discussed with your Placement Coordinator prior to commencement of the placement to ensure you know what is expected of you. Failure to comply with an organisation’s dress policy may prevent you from accessing the learning resource.
Additional Costs
Besides your course fees there are a few additional costs which you may encounter during the course. These are as follows (approximate value provided):
British Academy of Audiology annual conference (100 places free, accommodation and travel is additional; After the 100 free places have been allocated a reduced student fee of £95 has been agreed)
Lockers: Lockers for post-graduate Audiology students are provided on floor 4 of A block. There is a £5 refundable deposit payable for the key.
Printing and photocopying costs.
Participation in Professional Organisations
All students are encouraged to join both the British Society of Audiology and the British Academy of Audiology. Student rates apply for those not in employment. Application forms are available from the Personal Tutors or in the Reading Room; membership of BSA includes subscription (at no extra cost) to the International Journal of Audiology.