Regulation XXIII

Validated Undergraduate Awards (Higher Education in UK Further Education Colleges)

(Version effective from 15 November 2017)

1. These regulations provide a framework for undergraduate programmes provided by UK Further Education Colleges on a validated basis, leading to Loughborough University awards of Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), Foundation Degree (FdA or FdSc) and Degree of Bachelor (BA or BSc).

2. Students register:

  1. as students of the college
  2. for a specific programme
  3. for appropriate modules as specified by the Programme Regulations.

3. For each programme, the Programme Regulations will specify:

  1. the awards available
  2. any specific requirements for admission to the programme
  3. the division of the programme into Parts A and B, and where appropriate Part C, corresponding respectively to Levels 4, 5 and 6 of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ)
  4. a listing of the constituent modules of each Part of the programme
  5. the requirements for progression from one Part to the next and for eligibility for awards
  6. any other information which may be required in accordance with paragraphs 16, 20 and 22 below.

4. At the start of the academic year, the college will provide Loughborough University with a list of students registered for each Part of each programme with details of the students’ modular options.

5. This is a credit accumulation scheme, in which modules are weighted according to the credit awarded for their successful completion.  In each Part of a programme, students register for modules with a total weight of 120.

6. The aims, intended learning outcomes, content, and methods of learning, teaching and assessment of each module are described in a Module Specification.

7. The Module Specification identifies a named Internal Examiner responsible for the module.  On completion of the assessment of a module, the Internal Examiner is responsible for compiling a Module Mark List showing a percentage mark for each student registered for the module, and showing separate percentage marks for formal written examination and coursework elements where relevant.  Credit for the module is awarded to each student who obtains a Module Mark of at least 40%.  This list must be signed by the Internal Examiner and, in the case of Part B and Part C modules, by the External Examiner.

8. External Examiners will be approved and appointed by Loughborough University.

9. A student who fails to complete any or all of the assessment requirements of a module or whose performance in the assessment is significantly impaired by medical or other personal circumstances must declare this in writing to the relevant Curriculum Manager or other named person of the college, using the appropriate form, and attaching appropriate supporting evidence.  On receipt of a mitigating circumstances claim, it shall be the duty of the designated member of staff to ensure it is brought to the notice of the relevant Mitigating Circumstances Panel, which shall reach a decision on the claim in accordance with paragraph 14 of Regulation XVII.

10. Decisions about the progression of students from one Part of a programme to the next and about the award of qualifications are the responsibility of a Programme Board.  The Programme Board will meet as appropriate, and will receive for each eligible student the Module Marks to be taken into consideration in determining progression or awards. The Programme Board will also review at the end of the academic year the results of any part-time students who are not under consideration for progression or for an award, in order to confirm the Module Marks and the award of associated credit in any completed modules.

11. The membership of a Programme Board includes:

  1. named Chair and Deputy Chair
  2. the internal and external examiners for all modules to be taken into consideration
  3. one external examiner (who may also be an external examiner for modules) nominated as external programme assessor.
  4. the Associate Dean (Education and Student Experience) of the Loughborough University School to which the programme is assigned
  5. one other representative of Loughborough University, nominated by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience).

12. The quorum a meeting of a Programme Board is:

  1. the Chair or Deputy Chair
  2. two internal examiners
  3. the external programme assessor
  4. the Associate Dean (Education and Student Experience) of the School or the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience)’s nominated representative.

13. The Chair or Deputy Chair of a Programme Board may appoint a viva-voce panel to interview any student to be considered by the Board.  This panel must consist of at least three members of the Board, including the Chair or Deputy Chair and an external examiner.  The viva-voce panel will report to the Programme Board.

14. The Programme Board will agree a pass list for each Part of the programme.  Its decisions will be based on:

  1. the Module Marks, awarded as specified in paragraph 7
  2. the decisions taken by any Mitigating Circumstances Panel under paragraph 9 hereof
  3. the report of any viva-voce panel constituted under paragraph 13 hereof.

15. Students shall be deemed to have passed a Part of a programme if they have:

accumulated a minimum of 100 credits from the Part

and

fulfilled any additional requirements (as detailed in paragraph 16 below) for their specific programme

and

achieved a module mark of at least 30% in all modules in the Part.

16. Programme Regulations may specify any or all of the following as additional requirements for passing a Part in accordance with paragraph 15 above:

16.1 A minimum mark in one or more specified modules.

16.2 A minimum mark in unspecified modules up to a specified total modular weight.

17. Students shall be eligible to progress to the next Part of a programme when a Programme Board has determined that they have met the requirements to pass the previous Part.

18. Students shall be eligible for an award when they have met the following requirements:

18.1 Degree of Bachelor - Pass Part C

18.2 Foundation Degree - Pass Part B

18.3 Diploma of Higher Education - Pass Part B

18.4 Certificate of Higher Education - Pass Part A

19. Students shall normally be eligible for the award of only one University qualification from any particular programme of study.

20. Where the Degree of Bachelor is to be awarded, a Programme Mark will be determined for the purposes of classifying the degree, as specified in the Programme Regulations, either by combining the average percentage marks for Parts B and C in a specified ratio, or by taking the average percentage mark for Part C alone. The Programme Board will determine the Honours classification of each BA or BSc Degree awarded according to the following scheme:

Programme Mark

Degree Class 
  70%+  First Class
  60%+  Second Class Upper Division
  50%+  Second Class Lower Division
  40%+  Third Class
 Less than 40%  Pass

21. Where a Foundation Degree is to be awarded, the Programme Board will determine the degree classification according to the following scheme, taking the average percentage mark for Part B alone as the Programme Mark:

Programme markDegree Class
 70%+  Distinction
 60%+  Merit
 40%+  Pass

22. Where a Diploma of Higher Education is to be awarded, Programme Regulations may permit the award of a DipHE with Distinction on the basis of a Part B Mark of at least 70%.

23. At the discretion of the Programme Board, any or all of the relevant Programme Mark thresholds in paragraphs 20, 21 and 22 above may be lowered by not more than 3%. In such a case, the revised threshold(s) shall be applicable to all students under consideration by that Programme Board.

24. The Programme Board may, on the basis of a report of a viva-voce panel constituted under paragraph 13, exercise discretion to place a student in a classification other than that determined by any of the schemes set out in paragraphs 20, 21 and 22 above.

25. Re-assessment rights shall be granted as follows:

Full Time students

25.1 Students registered on a full-time programme who have failed to pass the Part will be eligible for reassessment on one occasion only in order to meet the requirements of the Programme Regulations.

25.1.1 The following criteria will be applied to the student's profile of marks to determine which modules are eligible for reassessment.

25.1.1.1 Module assessments may be repeated in any module in which the student has failed to gain credit.

25.1.1.2 Module assessments may be repeated in any module in which the student has gained credit but has failed to meet module mark requirements set out in the Programme Regulations.

25.1.2 It shall be at the student’s discretion whether or not take second attempt module assessments in excess of the minimum requirements to pass a Part. The providing partner organisation will publish a deadline by which students should register for second attempt module assessments. Students will not normally be permitted to make changes to second attempt module assessment registrations after the published deadline.

25.1.3 No further reassessment rights will become available (except where a Programme Board permits students to repeat any or all parts of the module assessment on a second attempt basis on the recommendation of a viva voce panel under paragraph 13 above, or where a Mitigating Circumstances Panel permits a student to repeat a module assessment in accordance with paragraph 14.2 of Regulation XVII).

Part Time Students

25.2 Students registered on a part-time programme who have failed to gain credit in a module at the first attempt are eligible for reassessment in that module.

Any Module Assessment taken under the provisions of paragraphs 25.1 and 25.2 shall hereinafter be referred to as a second attempt module assessment.

26. Students who have registered for second attempt module assessments in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 25 above may repeat any or all of the modules with attendance, subject to the payment of tuition fees, if the module is available and if they first obtain permission from their college. In such a case, students will be required to produce new work in every assessment contributing to the module, notwithstanding any decisions made by a Programme Board in accordance with paragraph 27 below.

27. The Programme Board shall receive recommendations from the relevant Internal Examiner(s) for each student and shall, for each module, determine which of the student's present marks may without further assessment be carried forward in the re-assessment process should the student choose to repeat the module without attendance. Notwithstanding this decision, students may opt to undergo any component of the module's assessment.

28. Any student permitted to repeat any or all parts of a Module Assessment on a first attempt basis, following the decision of a Mitigating Circumstances Panel under paragraph 9 above, or the recommendation of a viva voce panel under paragraph 13 above, may also be permitted, although not obliged, to repeat concurrently other Module Assessments on a second attempt basis. Where a student exercises this option, further second attempt Module Assessments may become available, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 25 above, once the final Module Marks for all first attempt Module Assessments are known.

29. Reassessment should normally take place no later than during the academic year immediately following that in which the failure occurred.

30. The college shall determine and publish the dates of a Special Assessment Period each year falling between the end of Semester Two and the beginning of the next academic year. For part-time programmes where one Part of the programme comes to an end and the next Part starts part-way through the academic year, a Special Assessment Period may be provided in the interval between the two Parts concerned.

31. Except when the provisions of paragraph 31.1 apply, re-assessment may take place, at the option of the student, either in the Special Assessment Period or during the next academic year. Full-time students who have the option must decide whether to take their re-assessments entirely in or entirely after the Special Assessment Period.

31.1 Full-time students who have achieved less than 60 credits at the first attempt shall not have the option to take reassessment in the Special Assessment Period.

32. Failure to attend, or submit work for, a module reassessment for which a student has registered will result in a mark of zero being recorded for the assessment component concerned.

33. In the case of a student who undergoes re-assessment in accordance with paragraph 25, the percentage marks obtained from the re-assessments will supersede those received for earlier assessments for the purpose of determining Module Marks. However, in the case of modules taken by students on Parts B and C of their programme, Module Marks awarded following re-assessment will be capped at 40% for the purpose of calculating the Programme Mark and determining the degree classification in accordance with paragraphs 20 or 21, or the award of distinction in accordance with paragraph 22; exceptionally,

33.1 where a Module Mark higher than 40% is required by Programme Regulations, the Module Mark awarded following re-assessment will be capped at the mark required by Programme Regulations.

34. A Programme Board shall normally terminate the studies of a student who, following a second attempt Module Assessment, has failed to meet the requirements to pass the Part, as outlined in paragraphs 15 and 16 above. The only exceptions to this rule shall be where the student is permitted to take repeat second attempt assessments by a Mitigating Circumstances Panel under paragraph 9 above or on the recommendation of a viva voce panel under paragraph 13 above.

35. Where a student’s studies are terminated in accordance with paragraph 34, the following scheme shall be applied to determine whether the student is eligible for the award of a lesser qualification.

35.1 Where a student registered for a Foundation Degree or a Diploma of Higher Education has previously passed Part A, they shall be eligible for the award of Certificate of Higher Education

35.2 Where a student registered for a Bachelor’s Degree has previously passed Part B, they shall be eligible for the award of Diploma of Higher Education. This shall not apply where the Bachelor’s Degree programme has been approved as a progression route for students who already hold an award at level 5 of the FHEQ and requires only one year’s study.

36. Where a student is eligible for a lesser award in accordance with paragraph 35 hereof, the Programme Board shall make the appropriate provisional award. The award will be subject to the approval of the External Programme Assessor, who shall be provided with all relevant marks and other information, and to the college confirming to the University that the student does not intend to transfer to a different programme.

37. Once a lesser qualification has been confirmed, the student concerned shall not thereafter be permitted to transfer any Module Marks or Part passes to a new programme.

38. The college will provide Loughborough University with reports on the proceedings of all Programme Boards.

39. The Programme Specification, Programme Regulations and Module Specifications will be subject to update and renewal and approval by the University on an annual basis.  Copies will be deposited with the University at the start of the academic year.