LLB LAW M100 STUDENT HANDBOOK ACADEMIC YEAR 2018/19 - The UEA Portal
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2 CONTENTS CLICK TO SKIP TO SECTION FINDING INFORMATION FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND UEA LAW SCHOOL ACADEMIC TEAM SCHOOL CONTACTS OTHER IMPORTANT CONTACTS ACADEMIC YEAR DATES 2018/19 ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE THE M100 LLB DEGREE PROGRAMME PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION HOW WILL YOU LEARN? ASSESSMENT STUDENT SUPPORT EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION IF THINGS GO WRONG UEA LAW CLINIC LEGAL COMPETITIONS EMPLOYABILITY AND CAREERS UEA AWARD EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE Please note that whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the information in this Handbook is accurate, it must be read as subject to change over the coming year. The Handbook is intended as a guide only. Full reference should be made to the University’s web pages for the full rules and regulations and updated information. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
3 FINDING INFORMATION Finding the information you need quickly is important to help you make the most of your degree programme and your time at UEA. This section of the handbook provides some pointers to finding your way around the information- pool at the University. You do not need to commit the contents of this Student Handbook to memory, but you do need to know what it contains so that you can refer to the handbook when you need to. The UEA Portal Campus computer workstations are set up so that the home page of the web-browser defaults to the UEA Portal. The portal is a gateway to University information Here are some of the things you will find on the portal: • University news and systems announcements • Blackboard • Evision (Your timetable) • Your email account • Your student record and assessment record • Module enrolment & Course Profile information • The name of your Adviser • Student Support Service • Library • Student Hubs • MyCareerCentral • IT Services • and more... Blackboard You can access Blackboard (Learn) via the UEA Portal. There is one site for each module you are enrolled on, which will contain important module information and materials, such as seminar question sheets. In addition, under ‘My Organisations’ you can find the Learning and Teaching Service Blackboard site. Here you will find general information about the Arts Hub including announcements, handbooks and regulations. Standard request forms can also be located here. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
4 FINDING INFORMATION (CONTINUED) Law Student Information (Blackboard Site) The ‘Law Student Information’ Blackboard site is designed to provide a central resource for important school specific information including: • Course Announcements • Programme Handbooks & School Policies • Induction - Preparatory Materials • Careers & Employability Overview • Staff, Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) Information • School Contact Details You can access the site via ‘My Organisations’ on the Blackboard homepage. Law School Website The School has its own website. Visit us at: www.uea.ac.uk/law The website includes information on: • Undergraduate Degrees • Scholarships and Funding • Academic Staff and their research interests • Support Staff contact details • Research carried out and published by members of the school • Careers and Employability • UEA Law Clinic • News and Events • Further study at Postgraduate Taught or Research level Social Media UEA Central Handbook Keep up to date with Law School research news, student The Central Student Handbook is accessible via the events and successes via our social media channels. Student Portal. Connect with the Law School on: Contents include: /LawUEA • Key University Publications • Degree Regulations @uealaw • Information for Students on Taught Programmes • Student Support and Advice @uealaw LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
5 FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND UEA Acronyms Read the useful guide to UEA acronyms. Schools UEA is divided into Schools of study within a Faculty structure. Each school is known by a 3-letter acronym e.g. BIO - School of Biological Sciences; MED – Norwich Medical School; LAW - School of Law Floors Once you have found your way to the correct building, you need to understand how the different floors are numbered. Most buildings on UEA main campus are accessed via the pedestrian ‘walkway’. The floor on which you enter from the walkway is floor 0 One (two) floor(s) below the walkway level is floor 01 (02) One (two) floor(s) above the walkway level is floor 1 (2) Rooms All rooms are located by information in the order: Building (3 letter acronym) floor, number Example - for a lecture in SCI 0.31, directions are as follows: • Head along the walkway towards the entrance for the Schools of Mathematics and Computing Sciences • Enter the main foyer, you are on floor 0 • The entrance to lecture theatre SCI 0.31 is straight ahead of you. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
6 LAW SCHOOL ACADEMIC TEAM Each School has a Head of School who is responsible for the academic and strategic management of the School. The School’s Senior Adviser is responsible for the management of Student Advising System and the Director of Learning and Teaching is responsible for the academic quality of courses within the School. The School also has a School Manager with administrative responsibility. Who’s Who in the UEA Law School Head of School Andreas Stephan Deputy Head of School Polly Morgan PA to the Head of School Kaye Mackay Director of Learning and Teaching Claudina Richards Senior Adviser & Disability Officer Gareth Spark Chair of Board of Examiners Joe Purshouse (Autumn) Sebastian Peyer (Spring) Director of Employability and Internships Ellen Sweet-Escott & Tim Vickers Director of UEA Law Clinic Gareth Thomas Deputy Director of UEA Law Clinic Rob Heywood Plagiarism Officer Avidan Kent LLB Law Course Director Sabine Jacques LLB Law / ELS Course Director Claudina Richards LLB Law / American Course Director Gillian Daly School Manager Esther Palin (Mon-Wed), Annabel Allison (Thurs-Fri) How you can contact teaching staff Leave a message at Reception: This is based in Earlham Hall and the Receptionist will be happy to pass on any messages received. Staff offices: Staff offices are located in Earlham Hall. Staff will have office hours which they will communicate to their advisees and other students who wish to meet with them. It is best to book a time in advance by sending an email to the member of faculty you would like to speak to. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
7 SCHOOL CONTACTS Members of Faculty Full details of the teaching and research interests of members of Faculty can be found on the School’s Website. To call from outside UEA, dial 01603 59 and then the extension number. Name Job Title Ext No. Room No. Email Ali, Nada Dr Lecturer 1586 EH 0.16C n.ali@uea.ac.uk Amodu, Tola Dr Lecturer 1846 EH 2.03 tola.amodu@uea.ac.uk Banakas, Stathis Dr Reader 2518 EH 0.15 e.banakas@uea.ac.uk Barnes, Lucy Dr Senior Lecturer 3121 EH 2.08 lucy.barnes@uea.ac.uk Bernal, Paul Dr Senior Lecturer 1588 EH 1.03 p.bernal@uea.ac.uk Daly, Gillian Ms Senior Lecturer 2525 EH 2.13 g.daly@uea.ac.uk Deutscher, Elias Mr Lecturer 7623 EH 1.02 e.deutscher@uea.ac.uk Edwards, Ian Dr Senior Lecturer 2653 EH 2.09 i.edwards@uea.ac.uk Ellis, Eloise Dr Senior Lecturer 7618 EH 1.09 eloise.ellis@uea.ac.uk Farah, Youseph Dr Senior Lecturer 1847 EH 0.16A Y.Farah@uea.ac.uk Garner, Kristina Ms Lecturer 3509 EH 1.14 k.garner@uea.ac.uk Gazzini, Tarcisio Professor 2521 EH 1.04 t.gazzini@uea.ac.uk Gibbs, David Dr Lecturer 3755 EH 1.10 david.gibbs@uea.ac.uk Hamilton, Michael Dr Senior Lecturer 7621 EH 0.16B michael.hamilton@uea.ac.uk Harker, Michael Professor 2406 EH 2.06 m.harker@uea.ac.uk Heywood, Rob Professor 2262 EH 1.11 r.heywood@uea.ac.uk Hviid, Morten Professor 3457 TBC m.hviid@uea.ac.uk Ives, Deborah Ms Senior Lecturer 3050 EH 1.08 d.ives@uea.ac.uk Jacques, Sabine Dr Senior Lecturer 3255 EH 1.08 sabine.jacques@uea.ac.uk Kent, Avidan Dr Senior Lecturer 2932 EH 2.11 avidan.kent@uea.ac.uk Longman, Jacqui Ms Senior Lecturer 3049 EH 2.02 jacqueline.longman@uea.ac.uk Mcconnachie, Kirsten Dr Senior Lecturer 1632 EH 0.16B k.mcconnachie@uea.ac.uk Mc Cullagh, Karen Dr Lecturer 7617 EH 2.05 k.mcculagh@uea.ac.uk Mead, David Professor 7620 EH 2.07 d.mead@uea.ac.uk Mitchell, Gemma Dr Lecturer 2519 EH 2.11 g.mitchell@uea.ac.uk Mollica, Viviana Dr Lecturer 3261 EH 2.03 v.mollica@uea.ac.uk Morgan, Polly Ms Senior Lecturer 7622 EH 1.10 polly.morgan@uea.ac.uk Peyer, Sebastian Dr Senior Lecturer 1851 EH 0.08A s.peyer@uea.ac.uk Purshouse, Joe Dr Lecturer 1446 EH 1.08 j.purshouse@uea.ac.uk Reichstein, Angelika Dr Lecturer 1587 EH 1.08 a.reichstein@uea.ac.uk Richards, Claudina Ms Professor 2523 EH 2.16 c.richards@uea.ac.uk Scharf, Nick Dr Lecturer 7619 EH 1.02 n.scharf@uea.ac.uk Seriki, Hakeem Dr Senior Lecturer 3508 EH 2.26 h.seriki@uea.ac.uk Skoutaris, Nikos Dr Senior Lecturer 3018 EH 2.03 n.skoutaris@uea.ac.uk Spark, Gareth Dr Senior Lecturer 1447 EH 0.16D g.spark@uea.ac.uk Stephan, Andreas Professor 2521 EH 0.10 a.stephan@uea.ac.uk Sweet-Escott, Ellen Ms Senior Lecturer 3506 EH 2.04 e.sweet-escott@uea.ac.uk Thomas, Gareth Professor 3195 EH 2.14 g.thomas@uea.ac.uk Vickers, Tim Mr Senior Lecturer 7616 EH 2.04 t.vickers@uea.ac.uk Watts, Selina Ms Lecturer 1558 EH 1.14 selina.watts@uea.ac.uk Wu, Keren Dr Lecturer 3017 EH 0.16C keren.wu@uea.ac.uk LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
8 SCHOOL CONTACTS (CONTINUED) Law School Administrative Staff Name Job Title Ext No. Room No. Email Thomas Kerin School Support Assistant 7563 EH 0.09 t.kerin@uea.ac.uk TBC School Administrator 3533 EH 0.09 TBC Kaye Mackay School Co-ordinator & HOS PA 2427 EH 0.09 kaye.mackay@uea.ac.uk Esther Palin School Manager (Mon-Wed) 3456 EH 0.08b law.sm@uea.ac.uk Annabel Allison School Manager (Thurs-Fri) 3456 EH 0.08b law.sm@uea.ac.uk UEA Law School Contact Details UEA Law School Earlham Hall University of East Anglia Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ Tel: (+44) (0)1603 597563 LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
9 SCHOOL CONTACTS (CONTINUED) Law Learning and Teaching Service (LTS) The Learning and Teaching Service will be an important point of contact during your time at the university. They will be able to help you with the following issues: Coursework submission return and deadline extension Welcome and induction programmes requests Examinations course tests and other assessments Allocation of Advisers/Advisees Registration Regulations and Codes of Practice Enrolment on modules Complaints and Appeals Disciplinary processes - including fitness for study/practice Student module and course records and misconduct procedures Notification of assessment marks, results and transcripts/ Attendance monitoring diploma supplements Initial queries regarding the administration of matters concerning scholarships, bursaries, grants, council tax Timetabling and room booking exemption and issues concerning students time at the university Law Learning and Teaching Service (LTS) Administration Team The ARTS Learning & Teaching Services Hub is open Monday to Friday from 0800–1800 hours. Contact the Law LTS Administration team via: • Email: hub.ug.law@uea.ac.uk • Tel: 01603 597580 Find more information about the service on their website: www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
10 OTHER IMPORTANT CONTACTS Student Support Service The Student Support Service offers support for students with disabilities, learning difficulties, mental health issues, financial concerns and can offer advice to those with complaints. Students can contact them on studentsupport@uea.ac.uk or extension 2761 Library All students will be given library training but over your time at UEA you may have questions about resources or requests for book purchases. Each school has a dedicated Academic Engagement Librarian. Our librarian knows all about the legal resources we have (both hard copy and online) and offers one to one appointments for students who need assistance. You can find contact information, along with guides for using some resources, by following the link ‘Subject Guide’ on your Blackboard homepage, and selecting ‘Law’. The library also runs a number of workshops which you can find on the library website. The library helpdesk can be contacted on 01603 592993 (extension 2993). Student’s Union Advice Centre The Union Advice Service provides an independent, free and confidential service open to all UEA students. Email: advicecentre@uea.ac.uk, Phone: 01603 593463, drop in sessions are also available. Finance Department In order to purchase certain items you may need to visit the Finance Department. • Cashiers (cashiers@uea.ac.uk) allow you to pay for small items. • Debtors (debtors@uea.ac.uk) will contact you for payment of your student fees amongst other items. CareerCentral CareerCentral is open 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Students can drop in and speak to an advisor about how to make the most of what’s on offer - including part-time jobs, paid internships, volunteering, enterprise and more. Tel: 01603 593452, email: career.central@uea.ac.uk LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
11 ACADEMIC YEAR DATES 2018/19 Standard Academic Year Timetable 2018-19 Standard Academic Year Autumn Semester 24 September 2018 to 14 December 2018 (Christmas break 15 December 2018 to 13 January 2019) Spring Semester 14 January 2019 to 29 March 2019 (Easter break 30 March 2019 to 28 April 2019) Spring Semester continues 29 April 2018 to 17 May 2019 Assessment period 20 May 2019 to 14 June 2019 Graduation 15 July 2019 to 19 July 2019 Academic Year Dates All dates are approximate and based on previous years so may be subject to change. You will be contacted with up to date information in due course. Date October 2018 Week 2 Deadline for amendment to Autumn Semester Enrolment (for 2nd and 3rd year students only) Week 5 Deadline for applications for individual arrangements (in respect of course tests for undergraduate modules) March 2019 Week 8 Publication of undergraduate examinations timetable Week 10 On-line module enrolment begins Week 10 On-line module enrolment closes August 2019 Reassessment period LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
12 ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE Attendance and Absence Attendance is compulsory at all timetabled sessions. If you find that you are unable to attend, you must inform the University. To make this process easier for you, an online absence reporting system is available on evision under the tab ‘Absence’. Please visit the Learning and Teaching Service website for full details. If you do not attend, then you will receive an informal warning. If there are further absences, you will receive a formal warning, ultimately culminating in a referral to a university disciplinary committee. Your personal Adviser (see below) will discuss with you the reasons behind your absence and offer advice and support if you are experiencing any difficulties. It is important therefore that you use the absence reporting system online. Fitness to Study If there are concerns about whether or not you are well enough to study, the school may start the Fitness to Study process. This involves meeting with the student to attempt to identify the underlying causes of the reported behaviour or appearance or lack of engagement that have made the school concerned. The meeting will usually be chaired by the Head of School and may involve the student’s adviser or the senior adviser, a mental health adviser or counsellor, the senior resident tutor, or the university’s disciplinary officer. This enables the school to have a holistic picture of the situation. The student may, if s/he wishes, be accompanied by a friend, colleague or representative. You can find full details of the procedure on the UEA Portal. Your Personal Adviser Each student is allocated to a member of academic staff who will be their Adviser; we aim for you to have the same person for the entire time that you are studying on a programme. You are required to meet with your Adviser a minimum of three times during the academic year. More information about the advisee system can be found in the University Student Handbook for Taught Programmes and in the student support section of this document. The Director of Learning & Teaching Claudina Richards is the Director of Teaching and Learning for the School. As such, she has overall responsibility for the undergraduate curriculum, teaching and assessment. In some of these matters, Claudina is assisted by other members of faculty with direct day-to-day responsibility for the undergraduate programmes, admissions, welfare and exams. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
13 THE M100 LLB DEGREE PROGRAMME Course Director: Sabine Jacques The M100 LLB is one of three law degree programmes that we offer in the Law School. Your degree programme provides the opportunity for development of skills and the acquisition of knowledge that will enable you to pursue a number of options after graduation, including further study, vocational training or graduate level employment. Successful completion of this programme results in the conferral of a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) recognised by the professional bodies (the Law Society and the Bar Council). A QLD means that on graduation students wishing to practice are able to start studying the one-year Legal Practice Course or the Bar Professional Training Course as the next stage before respectively entering a training contract to become a qualified solicitor or starting a pupillage to become a barrister. Students should note that while this is the current system, both the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board are considering revising the route to qualification. More information can be found on their respective websites, or by contacting Sabine Jacques. Course Profile All modules offered by the Law School are worth 20 credits and, with a couple of exceptions, are of single semester duration. Credit is a measure, expressed in terms of University Credit Modules (UCU), of the amount of work attached to each module. 20 credits equates to 200 hours of “work”, whether that is face to face contact in lectures and seminars, private study and revision or coursework preparation. You are assessed on all modules that bear credit. 1st Year English Legal Process Autumn Core module required by Professional Bodies Legal Method Skills and Research Autumn Core module required by the Professional Bodies Constitutional & Administrative Law Autumn Core module required by Professional Bodies Law in Practice Year Long Required by the Law School Criminal Law Spring Core module required by Professional Bodies Contract Law Spring Core module required by Professional Bodies 2nd Year EU Law Autumn Core module required by Professional Bodies Land Law Autumn Core module required by Professional Bodies Trusts Autumn Core module required by Professional Bodies Tort Spring Core module required by Professional Bodies Module Choices Spring Two options from a choice of approx. six 3rd Year Module Choices Autumn Three modules from a wide choice Module Choices Spring Three modules from a wide choice Students can replace one of the LAW options with a 20 credit module from another UEA school if desired. The School will provide a list of permitted out-of-school modules. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
14 PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION The Programme Specification sets out the aims and objectives of the course and gives details of the teaching and learning methods and assessment strategies. The underlying educational aims of the LLB degree are:- • to provide a liberal and coherent education which encompasses a broad base of legal knowledge, and develops a range of critical and analytical skills; • to offer a choice of teaching modules which allows students to construct an education appropriate to their varied interests and career intentions; • to encourage an awareness of the role and relevance of law in broader social, economic, and political contexts; • to engender an enthusiasm for research into legal and social issues; • to furnish an opportunity to acquire and develop some of the skills necessary for lifelong learning; • to allow students gradually to take responsibility for their own learning and personal development and to embed the notion of reflective learning; • to foster qualities such as self-reliance, independence (of thought), and initiative; and • to expose students to the concept of “employability” and to equip them with the tools so that they might develop their own career management skills. As well as allowing you to develop your knowledge and understanding of the principles of English law in a variety of areas, studying for the LLB will allow you to develop a host of other skills and abilities. Some will be very much focussed on law (how to “read” and analyse a case), while others will be more general (structuring and planning a coherent argument or giving a good presentation). Studying on the LLB is both developmental and incremental: in most cases the skills you will be learning throughout the first year are reinforced across the teaching in that year, but are built upon and refined in subsequent years alongside the introduction of new and different skills, abilities or approaches that in turn are reinforced and strengthened in those years. For example, in the first year we would expect students to be able to read a simple case and understand it (what it was about, what it decided), perhaps with some elements of comment. In the second year, students should be able to offer assessments of the merits of cases, perhaps by looking at their implications, and in the third year students should be engaging in much higher levels of analysis of judicial reasoning, perhaps by seeing whether a case or decision achieves a given policy objective. The Undergraduate Programme All undergraduates follow a degree course. This is a programme of study leading to a formal University qualification – in the Law School, an LLB – all identified by a course code. Each degree course is broken down into several modules. These are self-contained blocks of study/teaching, which in LAW extend over one semester (bar the first year module Law in Practice and final year Dissertation). You can view details of each module via the Portal including descriptions of what will be studied, assessment methods, the module organiser, and the timetable slot. At the end of each module, and possibly during it, you will be assessed, which is the process by which your academic work is marked and overall progress is monitored. Assessment methods for modules vary both within the University and within the Law School. The School operates a range of summative assessment types, including wholly by course- work (CW); wholly by examination (EX); as a project (PR); or by a combination of two or more of the following: course- work, examination, project. WW modules include an examination whereas CP modules include a project and course- work. In general, Autumn-semester modules are assessed by some form of CW or course test while Spring-semester modules are assessed by means of exam (unseen, pre-release or open book). Where an Autumn-only module does feature an exam, this will be held in May – along with all other exams (the University does not allow January exams). LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
15 PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION (CONTINUED) The pass mark for all undergraduate modules is 40%. Where a student fails a module he or she will usually be offered the opportunity to undertake a reassessment. Marks at reassessment are capped at 40%. It is possible to proceed through your degree or get an exit award if you have failed a limited number of modules, through the process known as compensation. If a student has achieved good marks in all of their modules except for one module, they may have achieved the requirements for a degree or progress to the next year without undertaking reassessment. A compensated module will be recorded on the students’ marks statements and transcripts with a grade of ‘compensated pass’ next to the achieved mark. Different regulations apply for finalists and continuing students. Further information can be found on the UEA Portal. Compensation will not be allowed in any module designated as core (those that must be passed to meet the learning outcomes of the course). A list of core modules can be found on page 13. Read the UEA regulations for awards. You should be aware of the rules on QLDs and Solicitors Regulation Authority Exemptions, in addition to the University’s own rules on grades and pass marks. The Solicitors Regulation Authority requires a pass of 40% in the foundation subjects for graduates to be exempt from further academic study before taking the Legal Practice Course, unless a concession can be obtained in respect of one core module failed only (there are detailed rules surrounding this). LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
16 HOW WILL YOU LEARN? Teaching in the UEA Law School is done by a mixture of formal lectures, usually twice a week together with, in most cases for most modules, fortnightly two-hour seminars. However, different modules do operate different systems; many final year options use fewer lectures and rely more heavily on student-based seminars. Lectures Lectures are compulsory. It has been found that there is a direct correlation between non-attendance at lectures and poor academic performance. In the lecture you will be expected to listen and take notes; the lecture handouts cannot and do not cover all the material that you are required to know. Please note that exam questions can relate to material taught in a lecture that does not necessarily appear in the printed notes. Seminars and Workshops Seminars and workshops are compulsory; they are designed to consolidate knowledge and enable application of the material delivered in lectures. They are, therefore, an aid to revision and hence passing your exams. They are designed to be participative and, in almost all cases, you will have been provided with a “seminar reading sheet” beforehand. This would normally include reading – e.g. from textbooks, cases, and/or in academic articles – and some questions, both to be prepared in advance. Seminars are your opportunity to ask questions and clarify anything you do not understand. In every seminar, you will receive feedback by which you can measure your own progress and understanding, even if it is informal and unwritten, whether from your seminar leader or from your student peers. You must attend the seminar group to which you are assigned on your timetable. Formative work and feedback In all modules, you should be offered the opportunity of completing formative work – that is work that does not “count” formally towards the assessed mark for that module. The form this takes will vary according to the choice of the module organiser but you should ensure that you undertake the task. Formative work is one important means by which you will obtain feedback on your progress (your understanding, your abilities) so as to allow you to work towards the summative assessment (which does “count”). This is sometimes referred to as “feed forward” as comments are intended to help you improve future work. You may not be given a mark or may be given a mark within a broad band (“decent 2:1 essay”) alongside comments, or the feedback may be given verbally. Both formative and summative coursework is returned to students. It is School policy for students to receive a “feed- back” sheet for summative coursework, with comments directed at the various criteria for that piece of assessed work. The UEA Learning Enhancement Team offers a range of ways to help you study more effectively and improve your work. The tutors provide expert guidance on: • study skills • academic writing, including use of English; and • any mathematical and statistical parts of your course. They offer free and confidential drop-in and tutorial appointments. They also run workshops and offer a wide range of study guide materials. They are available for all students registered on UEA courses. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
17 HOW WILL YOU LEARN? (CONTINUED) Students with specific learning difficulties The Student Support Service offers one-to-one help for students with specific learning difficulties, both for initial diagnosis and as ongoing support. If you need ‘reasonable adjustments’ for a disability (such as material on coloured paper), the Service will identify those and, if you consent, share that information with the School. To find out more: Telephone: 01603 592761 Email: studentsupport@uea.ac.uk Website: https://portal.uea.ac.uk/student-support-service LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
18 ASSESSMENT The UEA Law School uses a variety of summative assessment methods, thus allowing students to perform at their best and thereby to maximise their opportunities for progression and successful completion. In addition, every semester students should be offered various opportunities to submit formative coursework (see above). When undertaking any piece of assessment, you should be aware that you will be assessed by reference to the extent to which your answer meets the following criteria: 1. The attainment of learning outcomes and a high level of scholarship; 2. Understanding of the subject, identification of relevant issues and the application of substantive subject knowledge to the question asked; 3. Capacity to critically analyse and formulate logical and sustained arguments; 4. Ability to illustrate and justify arguments and conclusions by reference to appropriately chosen source material; 5. Clear and accurate expression. In the case of coursework, writing concisely to the word limit, with the use of ap- propriate and consistent referencing. 6. Clear and logical standard of presentation, demonstrating an ability to structure and organise work in a coherent way; A mark of 70 or above denotes a first-class answer; a mark below 40 is a fail. The following criteria are used to deter- mine the mark to be awarded in coursework or examinations. Any Mark To obtain a mark in this classification, a Additionally, in the case of coursework: candidate must: 80 or above • Demonstrate a very high standard of • Show evidence of an ability to extract, evaluate critical analysis and understanding of and assimilate relevant information from a range Exemplary relevant issues and concepts; of sources, including electronic sources; standard • Produce a very coherent synthesis of • Show exemplary judgement in assessment of ideas; evidence; • Display a very high standard of insight and • A very high standard of presentation and written intellectual vigour; English: clear, logical and with few errors. • Show a depth of understanding directly • Accurate use of an appropriate system of addressed to the question; referencing, to produce footnotes and a • Use a systematic approach, developing a bibliography of a very high standard. logical argument throughout; and • Make sophisticated use of examples to illustrate points and justify arguments. 70 – 79 • A high standard of critical analysis and • Show evidence of reading in the subject beyond understanding of relevant issues and textbooks and lecture notes (where relevant); Strong in concepts; • Show very good judgement in assessment of most areas • Produce a coherent synthesis of ideas; evidence; • Demonstrate critical thought; • A high standard of presentation and written • Use good examples to illustrate points and English: clear, logical and with few errors. justify arguments. • Accurate use of an appropriate system of • Display no significant weaknesses in referencing, to produce footnotes and a competence in the subject. bibliography of a high standard, though there may be a number of small errors. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
19 ASSESSMENT Any Mark To obtain a mark in this classification, a Additionally, in the case of coursework: candidate must: 60 – 69 • A good standard of critical analysis and • Display evidence of a well-selected range of understanding of relevant issues and sources having been consulted (where relevant); ‘Good’ in concepts; • Show careful assessment of evidence; most areas • Argue logically and organise answers well; • A good standard of presentation and written • Demonstrate some good examples of English: clear, mostly logical, and errors are critical thought; mostly very minor. • Provide examples to illustrate points and • Accurate use of an appropriate system of justify arguments; and referencing, to produce footnotes and a • Display no really significant weaknesses in bibliography of a good standard, but possibly competence in the subject. containing technical errors, some minor, some more serious 50 – 59 • Satisfactory standard of understanding • Display evidence of a range of sources having of relevant issues and concepts, but been consulted (where relevant); ‘Satisfactory’ balanced more towards a descriptive • Show some careful assessment of evidence; in most rather than a critical, analytical treatment. • A satisfactory standard of presentation and areas. • Some ability to argue and to written English: mostly clear, but with some organise answers logically, but some minor inaccuracies and errors. Satisfactory use inconsistencies, or unsubstantiated claims of an appropriate system of referencing, to or insufficient development of ideas. produce footnotes and a bibliography. Some • Express his/her answer in such a way that inconsistencies or instances of poor / limited meaning is generally understandable; and citation may be present. • Demonstrate knowledge of the material provided in the basic texts and lecture notes. 40 – 49 • Learning outcomes have been met to the minimum required level. Only adequate or partial understanding of relevant issues and concepts Satisfactory • Treatment of the topic is basic or superficial with no critical thought and/or limited attempt to in some areas assess evidence. but weak in • Student’s grasp of key concepts is weak. Arguments employed are not developed, or inaccurate, some others. or irrelevant, or poorly evidenced (or a combination of these). In relation to an examination, only a partial answer was provided. • Barely satisfactory standard of presentation and communication. In the case of coursework, citations present, but referencing poor. Many errors, some serious. 35 – 39 • Insufficient demonstration of learning outcomes to justify a pass grade. Failure to identify relevant concepts or to demonstrate an understanding of the relevant concepts which have been Barely identified, or candidate has misunderstood one or more of the questions. satisfactory • Submission contains some material of merit, but is only a partial attempt to address the question in a few areas or fails to answer the question in a robust manner, with few (and mostly unsuccessful) attempts and weak in to construct arguments. No real attempt to assess evidence. Examples are poorly chosen and most others. employed. Treatment is mostly descriptive. • Illogicality, significant repetition, irrelevant content or serious errors or inaccuracies; • In relation to an examination, only part of examination paper answered; • Unsatisfactory standard of presentation and communication. In the case of coursework, citations present, but referencing is very poor. Many serious errors. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
20 ASSESSMENT Any Mark To obtain a mark in this classification, a Additionally, in the case of coursework: candidate must: 20 – 34 • Standard of scholarship and understanding of the topic significantly below that required for a pass, with weaknesses in many areas. Weak in most • Little material of merit or relevance, revealing a lack of understanding of the key issues or areas. concepts. Failure to pursue any meaningful line of argument. Treatment is almost wholly descriptive. Little evidence of engagement in the topic. Sources rarely go beyond paraphrasing bits of lecture notes or easily accessible web sources. • Very poor standard of presentation and communication, lacking sufficient clarity. In the case of coursework, citations almost entirely absent. Many serious errors/inaccuracies. 10 – 19 • Weaknesses in all areas. • Little of relevance and only slight evidence of understanding key concepts; Very weak in • Complete lack of understanding of key issues or concepts. Fails to address all aspects of question most areas. asked. Almost complete absence of evidence. • Very poor standard of presentation and communication throughout. 0–9 • No evidence of learning anything from the module, although there may be elements of little merit derived from common knowledge; Very weak in • Answer presented in note form; and all areas • Answer mostly incomprehensible. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
21 STUDENT SUPPORT (WITHIN THE UEA LAW SCHOOL) The UEA Law School recognises that: • Students are a central part of the UEA Law School community who share many of the same concerns as staff; • The success of any community depends in large part upon mutual respect and good communication; • Close collaboration between staff and students at all levels is critical for the future success of the UEA Law School; and • An important element of the role of an academic is to provide assistance and guidance to students in order to help them realize their full potential. As a result, the UEA Law School is committed: • To ensuring that all students are offered every opportunity to realise their potential; • To the promotion of equal opportunities and sees no place for discrimination on any ground whatsoever; • To the creation and maintenance of caring relationships between all members of the School; • To fostering a tolerant and supportive atmosphere in which to engage in the study of law; and • To ensuring that there is genuine communication over the whole range of its activities. For undergraduate students, there are six ‘institutional’ mechanisms by which the UEA Law School strives to ensure that the above commitments are met: • The Advisee system • The Senior Adviser with responsibility for undergraduate welfare • The Staff/Student Liaison Committee • Undergraduate Representation on the School Board The Advisee System The aim of the Advisee System is to promote each student’s academic and personal success, and to monitor their academic progress, by making academic staff available to assist with developing their academic skills and to offer advice on career and other issues. The Advisee System should also be seen as an integral part of the institutional structure designed to foster good relations and a supportive atmosphere between faculty and students. Your adviser is, therefore, the person you should consult in the first instance about your academic matters – such as the modules offered by the UEA Law School – or about any personal matters. All undergraduate students registered in the UEA Law School are allocated an adviser. The faculty member appointed as adviser will remain your adviser as long as s/he is on the Law School staff during the time you are registered (unless that adviser is granted study leave for a semester in which case you may be allocated to another adviser). Where a faculty member leaves the UEA Law School permanently or temporarily, that faculty member’s advisees will be re- allocated to other faculty members. The adviser’s role is to assist each of you to reach your full potential as students through the development of a caring relationship between you and your adviser. Your adviser’s role should be seen as a supportive one wherein the adviser will make him or herself available to provide advice and/or guidance to you on matters both academic and pastoral. Your adviser also acts as a link with the professional counselling services in the University such as the Student Support Service Office. You should feel able to raise and discuss matters freely and in confidence with your adviser – health or illness, problems at home, financial worries – so that your adviser can advise or take action him or herself. You should also remember that no member of the UEA Law School is trained in counselling in any form so your adviser may refer you on to one of the specialist University-wide counselling services that are available. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
22 STUDENT SUPPORT (WITHIN THE UEA LAW SCHOOL) It is University policy to meet with your adviser at least three times during the academic year and you are expected to initiate another meeting. You are expected to attend these meetings. Your adviser should also set aside times in the week when s/he is available to meet you. This may be done by appointment or as a ‘drop-in’ session. Outside these times, faculty advisers should be available to see their advisees by appointment at mutually convenient times. You should note that members of Faculty, in addition to teaching responsibilities, engage in many other activities. This might well mean that your adviser is not available in the UEA Law School at all times and on all days even by appointment. Outside of semester time (such as vacations and the exam period), you should always make an appointment by e-mail to see your adviser. The first meeting will take place early in the autumn semester. For new students, this meeting, as well as being an opportunity for you and your adviser to get to know each other, is an opportunity for the adviser to explain the role of the Advisee System and for you and your adviser to discuss any other issues of concern to you. In the case of returning students, this meeting should include a discussion of examination performance, overall academic performance during the previous academic year, and your plans for the forthcoming academic year. At this meeting, your adviser should inform you of how you can contact them so as to arrange any ad hoc meetings. The second meeting will take place in the first half of the spring semester. This meeting should include a discussion of the advisee’s academic performance in seminars during the previous semester and his or her performance in formative and summative assessment. The discussion will also be based on your own reflections and assessment of the previous semester at UEA. The third meeting will take place towards the end of the spring semester. This meeting should include a discussion of your academic performance in seminars over the year and your likely performance in the forthcoming examinations. When you need to choose optional modules for the next academic year, your adviser should, at this meeting, discuss your optional module choices with you LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
23 STUDENT SUPPORT (CONTINUED) The Senior Adviser Each School has a Senior Adviser who has overall responsibility for matters related to undergraduate student welfare within your School. The Senior Adviser for the UEA Law School is Gareth Spark. The Senior Adviser is responsible for: • All matters relating to undergraduate student welfare within the UEA Law School and reports to the Director of Undergraduate Studies; • Ensuring that the institutional mechanisms for ensuring good staff-student relations are in place and are properly monitored; • Keeping under review the existing institutional mechanisms; • Setting the appropriate standards for pastoral care throughout the UEA Law School; • Organising the induction programme for first year students; • Organising and monitoring the operation of the Advisee Systems; • Overseeing the operation of the ‘Buddy’ system; • Familiarising him or herself with, and disseminating information within the UEA Law School, information about the counselling and other welfare systems provided by the University; • Liaising with the Student Support Service in relation to student welfare matters and representing the UEA Law School on matters concerning student welfare within and outside the University; • Reporting to the School Board and on student welfare matters; • Chairing the Staff/Student Liaison Committee; and • Writing academic references for those students whose adviser may have left the Law School and or unavailable. You should always approach your adviser in the first instance if you need or would like advice on any matter – academic or personal – but the Senior Adviser is available in an emergency. You should also approach the Senior Adviser or Deputy Senior Adviser if you feel that there are problems or difficulties in the relationship that you have with your personal adviser. The Staff/Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) The SSLC is the primary, formal mechanism for staff–student relations. The committee reports directly to the School Board, emphasizing the importance of its role in the School. The SSLC is the main forum for the discussion of issues of concern to students, and is the body through which the Head and School is able to consult students on matters of policy and on issues relating to teaching. Students’ views are important to the strategic development of the School and to the improvement of teaching offered. In the past year, Student Representatives have had an important role in the formulation of School policy on learning support materials and library provision. The committee is here to represent your views and for you to raise issues that concern you. Any Law student, or student taking a module in Law from another School, can feed business into the Committee via the Student or Module Representatives, or by contacting the Learning and Teaching Services. Routine business includes consideration of the Teaching Director’s report on the questionnaires that you will be asked to fill in at the end of each semester to comment upon the quality of teaching you have received. So, even if you do not sit on the Committee itself you can still have a role in feeding student views into the School, by responding to requests from Student Representatives for your views, and by completing the module evaluation questionnaires at the end of each semester. The membership of the Committee is as follows: The Head of School; the Senior Adviser; the Director of Learning and Teaching; Course Directors; SU student representatives (elected in October) - an undergraduate from each year and each course, a student from the GDL and at least one PG student from a research programme and one from each LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
24 STUDENT SUPPORT (CONTINUED) taught programme; UG and PGT Law Society presidents. The terms of reference of the SSLC are as follows: • Provide a clear channel of communication for students to raise issues for discussion with their Schools. • Offer an opportunity for students to give feedback, both positive and negative, regarding their learning experiences. • Discuss matters of relevance to students and staff in the School, including formal documents such as the outcomes from the National Student Survey, as well as, when appropriate, putting on record a summary of informal discussions which may have occurred via other forums (e.g. module discussion boards and email). • Enable External Examiners’ reports to be shared with students. • Foster the development of close and constructive student/staff relationships. • Allow (where possible) student contribution to future course developments. • Report and make recommendations to the School Board. SSLCs will take place twice per semester to ensure timely discussion and resolution of issues. Dates should be set in advance by the School, at least on a semester basis to ensure full attendance. Ideally dates should be considered in conjunction with those of the School Board, so that SSLCs meet before and feedback to the School Board in a timely manner. Student Representation on the School Board In addition to the important advisory function played by the SSLC, student representatives sit on the School Board. The School Board is the main decision making body of the School. All other School Committees make recommendations to the School Board. These include Research Committee, Library and IT Committee, and the Law Executive Committee. It comprises the Head of School (Chair), all members of the Law Faculty, an elected undergraduate representative from each year, an elected postgraduate representative from the taught programme and the research programme, and the undergraduate and postgraduate Law Society Presidents. The Board meets twice a year on a Wednesday afternoon. Extraordinary Meetings may be called in addition to this if the Head of School wishes to consult the School on business that cannot wait for an Ordinary Meeting. Occasionally the Board may wish to discuss confidential and reserved business (as defined by the University), at which point Student Members will be asked to withdraw. If any student feels they have business to be raised at a Board Meeting, they should contact either the appropriate Student Member or the Faculty Manager. The more appropriate route might be for the business to be discussed first at SSLC. Student evaluation of courses/modules At various times during your UEA career you will be invited to give feedback on your experience of your course and your modules through the completion of anonymous questionnaires. The information you provide is an important part of the University Quality Assurance process, enabling Academic Staff to take student views and experience into consideration when reviewing Modules and Courses as part of the annual Course and Module Update process. You are, therefore, strongly encouraged to complete all questionnaires to help the School to continually improve the level of provision for students. Staff do read and respond to the questionnaire replies and take action to amend courses where students have raised sensible points or come up with constructive ideas. Please note that comments in questionnaires which are sexist or racist are unacceptable, especially in a professional environment in which students may wish to enter a regulated profession that requires that they have ‘good character’. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
25 EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES Application Guidance Please note that this document should be read in conjunction with the extensive guidance which can be found on the Learning and Teaching Service (LTS) Portal. If you experience any circumstances which seriously affect your ability to study, you should immediately request a meeting with your adviser. Your adviser will discuss the matters with you and offer any support that s/he is able to offer, including, if appropriate, referral to student support staff across the University. If you feel that the issues you are experiencing are likely significantly to affect your ability to meet a summative course- work assessment deadline, sit an exam/course test, or to perform to the best of your abilities, you should consider completing an Extenuating Circumstances Report form, a copy of which can be obtained from the LTS Hub. The Extenuating Circumstances Report form allows you to apply for an extension to a summative coursework assess- ment deadline and/or for a delayed assessment or reassessment of an exam/course test. You must include on the form details of the module(s) and assessment(s) in relation to which you are seeking an extension and/or delayed assessment and supporting evidence. For more information please read the guidance on the UEA Portal PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION The University takes allegations of plagiarism or collusion seriously. Students who plagiarise or collude threaten the values and beliefs that underpin academic work and devalue the integrity of the University’s awards, whether or not such plagiarism or collusion is intentional. Where plagiarism and/or collusion has occurred, offenders may be punished, and the punishment may extend to failing their degree, temporary suspension or permanent expulsion from further study at the University. Suspected plagiarism and/or collusion, at any point of a student’s course, whether discovered before or after graduation, will be investigated and dealt with appropriately by the University. The UEA Law School has its own Plagiarism Officer: Dr Avidan Kent. Read the University Policy on Plagiarism and Collusion. What is Plagiarism? Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas without acknowledging those words or whose ideas they are, and in- stead passing them off as your own. To avoid plagiarism, students will need to ensure that where they take an idea from someone else (such as a book or article) they put a reference to that person’s work in a footnote and a bibliography. Where a student quotes someone, he or she should put those words in quote marks and state where they got those words from in a footnote and a bibliography. Plagiarism can take the following forms: • The reproduction, without acknowledgement, of work (including the work of fellow students), published or unpublished, either verbatim or in close paraphrase. In this context, the work of others includes material downloaded from computer files and the internet, discussions in seminars, ideas, text and diagrams from lecture handouts. • Poor academic practice which is unintentional. • The reproduction, without acknowledgement, of a student’s own previously submitted work. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
26 PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION (CONTINUED) Plagiarism can occur in ‘open-book’ examinations and/or coursework assessments, which may take a variety of forms, including, but not exclusively confined to, essays, reports, presentations, dissertations and projects. What is collusion? Collusion is a form of plagiarism, involving unauthorised co-operation between at least two people. Various forms of collaborative assessment undertaken in accordance with published requirements do not fall under the heading of collusion. Collusion can take the following forms: (a) The conspiring by two or more students to produce a piece of work together with the intention that at least one passes it off as his or her own work. (b) The submission by a student of the work of another student, in circumstances where the latter has willingly given the former the work and where it should be evident to the student giving the work that the other student would submit it as their own. In this case both students are guilty of collusion. (c) Unauthorised co-operation between a student and another person in the preparation and production of work which is presented as the student’s own. (d) The commissioning and submission of work as the student’s own, where the student has purchased or solicited another individual to produce, work on the student’s behalf. The following is NOT intended as a substitute for the formal university policy but is here to give you an idea of what we mean and of the sorts of issues you might face. You will also receive training on this. Do I need to footnote every single fact or opinion I put in my essay? No, you do not. You only need to cite things that are the product of someone else’s research or thinking. You do not need to cite commonly known facts, or commonly held opinion. Thus, for example, you do not need to cite any sources to say that Rylands v Fletcher is a landmark case in the law of strict liability. If, however, you are saying that the test of strict liability the case formulated has, in general, not been followed in subsequent cases, and you got that idea from something you read, you need to footnote it. I read an article (or book, or case) which I really liked and which makes a lot of sense. I want to use some of what the author said, but I don’t want to plagiarise! What should I do? It is quite easy. Take the ideas you like from the source, put them in your essay, and at each point where you put one of those ideas in, add a footnote to the source. I read an article which makes a lot of sense and says everything so well! I can’t say it any better! What should I do? Take the portion you want to use, put it in quotation marks, and add a footnote to the source. The footnote by itself is not enough if you are copying the exact words – the quotation marks are essential. But remember, it is never a good idea to use too many or very long quotations in your work. If you have a series of paragraphs or sentences that are direct quotes, it will normally affect your mark as we are testing how well you can think and write. This article covers everything I need for my essay. Is it OK to take a lot of things from one article? This is generally not a good idea. Relying too much on one source is usually a sign that you have not done your research well enough, and that you need to read more. If the lecturer feels that you have relied too heavily on one source, it is going to affect your mark. From the point of view of avoiding plagiarism, though, what you need to do is separately footnote every idea and quote you take from that article in your work, even if this means six, seven or more footnotes to the same article on the same page. One general footnote, or a reference in the bibliography, is normally not going to be enough in such cases. LLB (M100) Handbook www.uea.ac.uk/law
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