Pearson Academic Appeals Procedures

University Centre Colchester Regulations for Students on Pearson (HNC and HND) Programmes
Academic Appeals Procedures

Details:

Owner- UCC Academic Services

CE Sponsor- N/A

Date created this year- 2nd July 2024. Version: 5.0. Approved by: Head of UCC Academic Services. Date approved: 2nd July 2024. To be reviewed: September 2027.

Version Control
Version Number- 5.0
Changes from previous 12 months policy: Minor updates to job titles.
Changes to policy in year

Equality Impact Assessment Tool

Name of Policy: UCC Regs for Pearson Programmes – Academic Appeals Procedures
1. Does the policy/guidance affect one group less or more favorably than another on the basis of:
Race or ethnicity – No
Disability- No
Gender- No
Religion or belief- No
Sexual orientation- No
Age- No
Marriage and Civil Partnership- No
Maternity and Pregnancy- No
Gender Reassignment- No
2. Is there any evidence that some groups are affected differently? No
3. If you have identified potential discrimination, are any exceptions valid, legal and/or justifiable? N/A
4. Is the impact of the policy/guidance likely to be negative? No
5. If so, can the impact be avoided? N/A
6. What alternatives are there to achieving the policy/guidance without the impact? N/A
7. Can we reduce the impact by taking different action? N/A

Procedures for dealing with an appeal by an undergraduate student who is enrolled on a programme leading to an HNC or HND award against substantive decisions of an Examination Board.

1 Ground for a Making an Academic Appeal

1.1 A student who wishes to appeal against the decision of a Board of Examiners must do so within 10 working days of their publication by submitting an Academic Appeal Form, stating fully and precisely the grounds for appeal.
1.2 The appeal form is available from the University Centre Colchester (UCC) Academic Services office (HE103), on Moodle under UCC Academic Services and is printed below with guidance notes.
1.3 If a student can show that circumstances beyond their control prevented this time limit being adhered to and that injustice would result from adhering to it, Principal and Chief Executive may extend the time limit in which an appeal may be lodged, normally up to the period of twenty working days from the date on which the notification of the decision was sent.
1.4 The main legitimate grounds for appeal are the following:
i. Extenuating circumstances of which the Board of Examiners was unaware and of which the student could not reasonably have been expected to inform the Board of Examiners in advance, of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt as to whether the result might have been different had they not occurred.
ii. Procedural irregularities in the conduct of the Board of Examiners (including alleged administrative error) of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt as to whether the result might have been different had they not occurred.
1.5 Other grounds will be considered on their merits. For example, if a student has been offered reassessment across the summer and is asking permission to repeat the year.
1.6 The following are not considered legitimate grounds on which to appeal, and any appeals based exclusively on one or more of these grounds will be rejected automatically:
i. Disagreement with a mark or grade and/or appeals against the academic judgment of internal or external examiners. Coursework and examinations cannot be remarked, except in cases of procedural irregularities;
ii. Any provisional mark or informal assessment of the student’s work by a member of staff that is not the final mark approved by the Board of Examiners;
iii. The retrospective reporting of extenuating circumstances which a student might reasonably have been expected to disclose to the Board of Examiners before their meeting;
iv. Appeals against the judgment of the Board of Examiners in assessing the significance of extenuating circumstances, and whether and to what extent they affected academic performance;
v. Marginal failure to attain a higher classification;
vi. Appeals where the grounds of complaint concern the inadequacy of teaching or other arrangements during the period of study; such complaints must be raised, in writing, before the examination board meets.
1.7 The form must be returned to the UCC Academic Services either on email address uccacademicservices@colchester.ac.uk or in person to room HE103. An acknowledgement receipt of the appeal will be sent within five working days.

2 Processing of an Academic Appeal

2.1 Upon receipt of an Academic Appeal form, UCC Academic Services will review the appeal, determining if it has been submitted on-time and that it meets the valid grounds for appeal (section 1.4).
2.2 All appeals will be considered by the Principal and Chief Executive. If the appeal is found to be late and/or invalid the UCC Academic Services Officer will inform the student in writing.
2.3 Where there appears to be legitimate grounds for appeal, the Principal and Chief Executive, will consider the appeal together with any supporting documentation. This may include consulting such persons as he/she thinks fit, including the student who has lodged the appeal, in arriving at a decision as to whether or not the appeal is well- founded. Where a significant investigation is required the Principal and Chief Executive may appoint an investigating officer to examine the case and report back their findings to the Principal and Chief Executive.
2.4 The investigation will be conducted as quickly as possible but, particularly during the summer vacation, there may be unavoidable delays. The Principal and Chief Executive will write to the student within six weeks of receipt about the progress of the appeal and will let the student know when he or she can expect to receive a decision. In the case of the appeal being upheld the Principal and Chief Executive will advise the student of the outcome as quickly as possible.

3 The Appeals Officer dismisses the appeal

3.1 If the Appeals Officer decides that there are not sufficient obvious grounds the Principal and Chief Executive will inform the student in writing, stating the reasons for the decision. The communication of this decision shall, in such cases, constitute the formal dismissal of the appeal and will be accompanied by a completion of procedures letter.
3.2 A student who wishes to appeal against the outcome of these procedures should write direct to Pearson Vocational Quality Standards team (vocationalqualitystandards@pearson.com) within 14 calendar days of being notified of the outcome.

4 The Appeal is upheld

4.1 If the Principal and Chief Executive decides there are sufficient grounds for putting the case to the Board of Examiners, they will instruct the Senior UCC Academic Services Officer, or their nominee, to reconvene the Board of Examiners to reconsider the case. The Senior Academic Services Officer will put before the Board the student’s submission, the Principal and Chief Executive’s comments and any material relevant to the original assessment. The Senior UCC Academic Services Officer will formally ask the Board to review its decision.
4.2 In causing a Board of Examiners to reconvene, the Senior UCC Operations Officer may, at his or her discretion, consult by telephone or in writing any internal or external examiner who is unable to attend the reconvened meeting of the Board.
4.4 If, following review of its decision, the Board of Examiners is satisfied that there is no reason to amend its original decision the Senior UCC Operations Officer will so inform the Principal and Chief Executive, giving the Board’s reasons for reaffirming its original decision and its comments, if any, on the grounds for appeal stated by the student.
4.5 If, following review of its decision, the Board of Examiners concludes that its original decision was wholly or partly incorrect to the extent that it decides on a new outcome; the Senior UCC Academic Services Officer will so inform the Principal and Chief Executive and advise them of the amended mark or classification.
4.6 The decision of the Board of Examiners following review will be communicated in writing to the student by the Principal and Chief Executive. The communication of the decision shall in all cases constitute the formal conclusion of action taken in accordance with these procedures.

5 Office of the Intendent Adjudicator (OIA)

5.1 The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) provides an independent scheme for the review of student complaints or appeals. When University Centre Colchester’s internal procedures for dealing with complaints and appeals have been exhausted, University Centre Colchester will issue a Completion of Procedures letter. Students wishing to avail themselves of the opportunity of an independent review by the OIA must submit their application to the OIA within twelve months of the issue of the Completion of Procedures letter. Full details of the scheme are available on request and will be enclosed with the Completion of Procedures.

APPEAL FORM FOR STUDENTS STUDYING FOR PEARSON HNC/D AWARDS AT UNIVERSITY CENTRE COLCHESTER. Please find in attached document.