All students are expected to attend 100% of classes unless a legitimate reason is provided. Reasons which are deemed sufficient to miss class include: illness, religious obligations, bereavement etc.
You should inform the course organiser, an administrator or the secretary before the class and provide a sufficient explanation. You may be asked to submit a medical certificate (or other equivalent document) for sustained absence (generally 5 days, or a series of shorter absences).
We are aware that many students have to find employment to finance their studies. Unfortunately, employment commitments will not be regarded as a sufficient excuse for absence. If you have to work, you will be expected to harmonise your work commitments with your academic timetable.
Repeated unsatisfactory attendance will result in an informal warning being issued. This can be issued by any senior member of staff, including the Director, Vice Director, Secretary or Administrators. Further unsatisfactory attendance will result in a formal warning being issued in writing. A third offence will result in deregistration from the relevant course. No refunds will be offered in lieu of outstanding lectures.
We strive to provide support for any student experiencing genuine problems but this is impossible if we are not informed of them. If for any reason you wish to not discuss personal matters with your teacher, it is important that you inform one of the Administrators or the Course Organiser of your circumstances in order for them to provide a generalised explanation on your behalf. It is imperative that we are informed of any genuine problems before any steps are taken to deregister you from your course, as in most circumstances it will be impossible to reinstate you.
Students must have permission from the Course Organiser to be absent from classes for anything other than medical or urgent personal reasons, and must provide a valid reason for absence for such permission to be given.
This also applies to any students who are part of the online (distance learning) courses.
In order to pass the examinations and complete the coursework assignments, it is essential that private study is conducted outside of classes. This will include reading the additional material provided at the end of lectures, along with independent study on the relevant topics. It is important that due consideration is given to the need for private study and its importance when approaching any course. Private study can also include researching in the library, making notes and preparing for assignments.
Lectures provide an overview of the various topics within the course. Students are not necessarily required to contribute, but rather to listen and make notes where necessary. Students are encouraged to ask questions, and may be asked questions at the end of lectures. The majority of lecturers will use presentation aids such as a PowerPoint slide show. The slides of these will be available to students, although in some instances they will have to be slightly altered due to sensitive nature or confidentiality of some cases.
The information given in the lecture should be used as a basis for further reading and also as an aim to consolidate and build on what you have learned. You may also find it helpful to discuss the lecture with other students and compare notes.
The course outline which you received at the start of your course will give you information about the topics for each week. There is usually no preparatory reading unless otherwise stated.
Due to the nature of the field of Forensic Medical Sciences, it is inevitable that some lectures will be postponed at a very short notice. Although we will try our best to provide another lecture at that time, there may be instances where students will be asked to attend the lecture are a later date. You will be given notice of any rescheduled lectures.
This is one of the most important aspects of your study. The simplest way to take notes is to jot down the key points made during the lecture, rather than writing down everything that was said, and to research these key points after the lecture. It is more important to listen carefully to the lecture than frantically make notes and miss sections. You are advised to print the lecture slides before the lecture, allowing you to make notes on the slides themselves. This reduces the chance of you missing sections. You should aim to go through your notes as soon as possible after classes and expand on any brief points you may have made.
Coursework deadlines are clearly noted on all assignments and on the relevant communication you will receive. If you assignment is to be marked, submitting your coursework late would run the risk of achieving a maximum mark of 50% (the minimum pass mark). The deadlines are to be treated as absolute, and it is the responsibility of the student to ensure they are fully aware of what the deadline is for each piece of work. If there are any personal or medical issues which may prevent you from being able to complete your work within the allotted time you must fill out an Extenuating Circumstances form (which is available on the Academy website) at least 48 hours before the deadline. You may also be asked to provide proof of any circumstances that are used. It is important to note that if your extenuating circumstances claim is rejected, and you have not submitted the work, you will be given notice of a new deadline (usually one week after rejection of claim) to submit the relevant piece of work. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the piece being graded as a non-submission and a mark of zero awarded.
It Is down to the student to inform the course organiser or the Academy secretary of any disabilities (including dyslexia). Reasonable adjustments will be made, according to your disability, in order to accommodate you. These adjustments may include providing you with recordings of lectures, providing lecture material in large print etc. You are advised to inform the Academy of your disability as soon as possible, preferably before the start of teaching, as it will sometimes be impossible to make the relevant allowances last minute, or retrospectively.
The Academy’s qualified first aider is Mr Dalvir Soor, who can be found at either the Academy office or the Charterhouse Square office.
First aid assistance can be obtained by dialling: 07846064406
You should make yourself aware of the emergency procedures for all areas of study, noting the emergency exits, assembly points and fire equipment. In case of a fire, you should immediately leave the building by the nearest fire exit. You should not stop to gather your belonging and should not attempt to use any of the lifts. In an emergency, if you cannot contact: 07846064406, call 999 and continue to follow normal procedure.
Plagiarism is a serious offence and any student suspected of plagiarism will be subject to a full and thorough investigation. If a student is found guilty of plagiarism, the penalties can include failure of the relevant assignment, suspension or permanent withdrawal and deregistration from their course. It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand plagiarism and how to avoid it.
In order to avoid plagiarism you should aim to:
If there is any doubt regarding issues of plagiarism, always ask your lecturer or course organiser BEFORE submitting the work as ignorance will not be acceptable as a valid excuse.
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and can lead to serious penalties. Marks of zero will be given if plagiarism is detected in examinations or coursework. Cases of proven plagiarism can also result in the relevant qualification being terminated.
Plagiarism makes it impossible for your lecturers to assess your progress and the degree of understanding you have reached in your studies. If undetected, it results in injustice to all the
students who behave honestly and submit their own work for assessment. For these reasons your lecturers take great care to detect plagiarism (you should note that the Academy has access to sophisticated software packages which assist in this process) and to make sure that it is penalised. If you are unsure about any points around the issue of plagiarism, please ask any member of the teaching staff, to explain. Consult one of your lecturers if you are ever in doubt as to whether you are properly acknowledging a source in your written work. You can find the Academy’s full policy regarding Plagiarism and Collusion on the Academy website under the category: “Policies and procedures”
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