HANDBOOK FOR UNDERGRADUATE

STUDENTS IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
Llawlyfr i Fyfyrwyr Israddedig yn yr Adran Economeg

2012/13
Department of Economics in the College of Business, Economics and Law
Yr Adran Economeg yn y Coleg Busnes, Economeg ar Gyfraith

DISCLAIMER
The College has made all reasonable efforts to ensure that the
information contained within this publication is accurate and up-todate when published but can accept no responsibility for any errors
or omissions.
The College reserves the right to revise, alter or discontinue degree
programmes or modules and to amend regulations and procedures
at any time, but every effort will be made to notify interested
parties.
It should be noted that not every module listed in this handbook
may be available every year, and changes may be made to the
details of the modules.
You are advised to contact the College directly if you require further
information.

DATES OF TERMS
24 September 2012 14 December 2012
7 January 2013 22 March 2013
15 April 2013 14 June 2013

SEMESTER 1
1 October 2012 25 January 2013
SEMESTER 2
28 January 2013 14 June 2013

The 2012/2013 academic year begins on 24 September 2012

CONTENTS
MISSION STATEMENT/AIMS AND OBJECTIVES .............................................................. 3
Mission Statement of Swansea University ......................................................................................... 3
Mission Statement of the College of Business, Economics & Law .................................................... 3
Aims and Objectives of the Department of Economics ...................................................................... 3

DEGREE PROGRAMMES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS ................................ 4

MEMBERSHIP/STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT ....................................................... 6
Location of Department Offices .......................................................................................................... 6
Economics Department Staff .............................................................................................................. 6
Personal Tutors .................................................................................................................................. 7
Departmental Committee Structure and Membership ........................................................................ 8
Communications ................................................................................................................................. 9
Student Records ................................................................................................................................. 9
Data Protection ................................................................................................................................. 10
Terminology ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Teaching Methods ............................................................................................................................ 12
EXAMINATION AND ASSESSMENT MATTERS .............................................................. 16
Background ....................................................................................................................................... 16
Feedback and Assessment Policy .................................................................................................... 16
Schedule of Assessment .................................................................................................................. 18
Generic Marking Programme............................................................................................................ 20
Feedback .......................................................................................................................................... 21
Examinations .................................................................................................................................... 21
Cyflwyno Gwaith yn y Gymraeg........................................................................................................ 23
Submitting Work in Welsh................................................................................................................. 23
Instructions for Submission of Assessments .................................................................................... 24
End of Level Progression Issues ...................................................................................................... 25
Students on four year programmes .................................................................................................. 25
Unfair Practice and Plagiarism ......................................................................................................... 25
Referencing....................................................................................................................................... 28
In-Text Citations ................................................................................................................................ 29
The Reference List ........................................................................................................................... 31
Fitness to Practise Regulations ........................................................................................................ 33
Illness During the Examinations Period ............................................................................................ 35
Extenuating Circumstances and/or Special Requirements .............................................................. 35
Extenuating Circumstances - Submitting a Claim ............................................................................ 36
Appeals Procedure ........................................................................................................................... 40
Verification Procedures..................................................................................................................... 40
Anonymity/Double Marking ............................................................................................................... 41
Policy on Publishing of Student Marks ............................................................................................. 41

EMPLOYABILITY ............................................................................................................... 43
Gateway to Employment................................................................................................................... 43
Professional Development Planning ................................................................................................. 44
Career Prospects .............................................................................................................................. 46
Personal Qualities ............................................................................................................................. 46
Student Casual Jobs, Work Placements and Work Tasters ............................................................. 47
Taking a year out in industry............................................................................................................. 47

OBLIGATIONS OF STUDENTS ......................................................................................... 48

Enrolment.......................................................................................................................................... 48
Module Selection .............................................................................................................................. 49
Timetable clashes ............................................................................................................................. 50
Attendance Policy ............................................................................................................................. 51
Progress............................................................................................................................................ 53
Payment of Fees ............................................................................................................................... 53
Absence Due to Special Circumstances .......................................................................................... 53
Notification of Change of Address .................................................................................................... 54
General Conduct and Behaviour ...................................................................................................... 55

General Regulations/ Academic Regulations ................................................................................... 55

Complaints ........................................................................................................................................ 55

GENERAL INFORMATION................................................................................................. 56
Health and Safety Regulations ......................................................................................................... 56
Emergency Procedures .................................................................................................................... 56
OTHER UNIVERSITY SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS .......................................................... 57
Academic Registry ............................................................................................................................ 57
International Development Office ..................................................................................................... 58
Student Support Services ................................................................................................................. 58
English Language Training Services (ELTS).................................................................................... 62
Data Protection ................................................................................................................................. 62
USEFUL FORMS AND DIARY OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR .............................................. 63
Student Special Circumstances Form .............................................................................................. 64
Request for Coursework Deadline Extension ................................................................................... 67
Courework submission declaration form .......................................................................................... 71
Academic Diary ................................................................................................................................. 73

MISSION STATEMENT / AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

MISSION STATEMENT OF SWANSEA UNIVERSITY
Swansea University will provide an environment of research excellence, with
research being undertaken that is world-leading and internationally recognised and
that informs all other activities at the University.
Swansea University will deliver an outstanding student experience, with teaching of
the highest quality that produces graduates equipped for distinguished personal and
professional achievement.
The University Community will be a powerhouse for growth in the regional economy,
and will greatly enrich the community and cultural life of Wales. It will contribute to
the health, leisure and well-being of citizens in South West Wales and beyond.

MISSION STATEMENT OF THE COLLEGE

The mission of the College of Business, Economics and Law is to engender and
support research of world-leading and international quality, to provide an outstanding
undergraduate and postgraduate student experience, to raise the profile of Business,
Economics and Law within the Academy and beyond, and to act as one of the
drivers of the regional knowledge-economy. The College will also provide a
framework within which the research, teaching and third mission synergies of
Business, Economics and Law can be explored and exploited.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

The aims and objectives of the Department of Economics are:

to develop and maintain a reputation as a leading research Department, by

increasing its research ratings to reflect international and world-leading
excellence, and by securing appropriate external funding for research;
to recruit high quality students and produce well-educated graduates and
postgraduates with a sound knowledge of business or economic principles,
concepts, and skills, capable of achieving their career aspirations;
to maintain and grow a strong postgraduate research culture, through the
recruitment of well-qualified and motivated research students;
to achieve the highest external recognition and accreditation for its educational
programmes;
to develop and deliver an attractive portfolio of programmes to enhance
management and leadership capacity within Wales;
to recruit the highest quality academics and administrative staff in support of
these other aims and in order to deepen and broaden the research and
educational capacity of the Department.
3

DEGREE PROGRAMMES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

Your degree programme is designated by a title, e.g. BSc Economics. It is
essential that you know the exact title of your particular degree programme as it is
very important when referring to documentation that specifies the content of the
degree programme. The structure of the BA Economics programme for example is
different from the BSc Economics degree programme. Specifically, within each year
of your degree programme, you are required to take certain modules (courses) and
these will differ between degree programmes and the same module can have a
different status between degree programmes. For example a module may be core
for one programme but not for another programme. You are advised to know the
route code of your degree programme as well as its title. You can check which
programme you are registered for on your personal pages on the university intranet.
The Department of Economics offers the following degree programmes.

Route code

Degree Programme Title

Duration
3 Years
4 Years
3 Years
4 Years
3 Years
3 Years
3 Years
4 Years
4 Years

Economics

XECTS
XEBGAECO
XECIS
XECUS
XHIEAECO
SECOAFRE

BSc Economics
BSc Economics (with a year abroad)
BA Economics
BA Economics (with a year abroad)
BSc Financial Economics
BSc Business Economics
BA Business Economics
BSc Business Economics (with a year
abroad)
BA Business Economics (with a year
abroad)
BSc International Business Economics
BSc Business Management and Economics
BSc Financial Economics with Accounting
BA Business Economics with Accounting
BA Economics and Economic History
BA Economics and French

Home
Department
Economics
Economics
Economics
Economics
Economics
Economics
Economics
Economics

3 Years
3 Years
3 Years
3 Years
3 Years
3 Years

XECOAGEO
XECOAGEO
SECOAGRM

BA Economics and Geography

BSc Economics and Geography
BA Economics and German

3 Years
3 Years
4 Years

XECOAHIH
SECOAITA

BA Economics and History

BA Economics and Italian

3 Years
4 Years

XLAWAECO
XECOAMAT

LLB Law and Economics

BSc Economics and Mathematics

3 Years
3 Years

Economics
Economics
Economics
Economics
History
Modern
Languages
Geography
Geography
Modern
Languages
History
Modern
Languages
Law
Mathematics

XECRS
SECRS
XECOS
SECOS
XECFS
XECCS
XECBS
SECCS
SECBS

XECOAPOL
XECOAPSY
XECOASPO
SECOAHSS

BA Economics and Politics

BSc Economics and Psychology
BA Economics and Social Policy
BA Economics and Spanish

3 Years
3 Years
3 Years
4 Years

XECOACYM

BA Economics and Welsh

3 Years

TECOACYM

BA Economics and Welsh

4 Years

Economics
Psychology
Economics
Modern
Languages
Cymraeg/
Welsh
Cymraeg/
Welsh

MEMBERSHIP/STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT

LOCATION OF DEPARTMENT OFFICES
The postal addresses and location of the Economics Department offices as well as
telephone and fax numbers and the opening hours of the general enquiry desks are
shown below.

Richard Price Building

Swansea University
Singleton Park
SWANSEA
SA2 8PP
Telephone: 01792 295168 or 01792 295171
Fax:
01792 295872
General enquiries should be directed to the Secretary in
room F27 of the Richard Price Building during the
following office hours:
Monday-Friday 9am 12pm and 1 5pm
General documentation, such as copies of forms that you may need to complete, is
available from either location.

ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT STAFF

Head of Department:

Professor Steve Cook

Deputy Head of Department:

Dr Nigel OLeary

Academic Staff
Academic staff are professors, readers, senior lecturers, and lecturers. Up to date
information on members of staff and their research activities and publications, e-mail
addresses and telephone numbers, and office location, is available on the
departmental web pages at: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/sbe/economics
Individual members of staff have their own administrative responsibilities and these
are listed in the accompanying Module and Scheme Information for Programmes in
Economics.

PERSONAL TUTORS
You will have been assigned a Personal Tutor who will provide pastoral assistance
and guidance to you on issues that may affect your well-being, attendance and
progress through University. You should meet your tutor early in the academic year.
Typically you can also expect to be invited to attend a personal tutorial four times in
an academic year. Your tutor may arrange such meetings by email and you should
check your email regularly. Attendance at these is compulsory and your
attendance or absence is recorded. You can expect such meetings to be held with
your tutors other tutees but you can also arrange personal meetings with your tutor.
You are assured that this student-tutor relationship will remain confidential subject to
University guidelines and appropriate acts of parliament. Your Personal Tutor will
assist you as far as possible though they may direct you to more appropriate support
services if they feel you require them.
All students are required to sign-in with their personal tutor, at dates and times set
by your tutor during academic terms. Personal tutors will give information to their
personal tutees concerning the dates and times of such meetings.
The purpose of this is to allow the Department to ensure that you are present at the
University and continue to be engaged with your programme of study. It is also to
ensure that the Department is in compliance with University attendance policy, and,
in the case of international students, maintaining compliance with the attendance
reporting requirements of the Student visa system.
Personal tutors will retain a record of signing-in and the Department will collate this
information. Students who fail to sign-in at meetings with personal tutors risk being
reported for unsatisfactory progress. International students will in addition place their
UK student visa at risk, and could risk having their visa taken away resulting in
deportation. Any student who is unable to present at a meeting with the personal
tutor due to good cause (illness or other special circumstance) must make contact
with the personal tutor as soon as possible and arrange an alternate time for signingin.
Your relationship with your Personal Tutor should not be one way and you have
responsibilities, which must be met. Should you have or develop a medical or other
problem that has the potential to influence your academic progress you must advise
your Personal Tutor immediately to ensure that you receive appropriate support
during your time at Swansea. You are expected to attend all meetings as arranged
with your Personal Tutor and provide satisfactory explanations for any absence.
If you wish to change your tutor it is possible for you to do so. You should in the first
instance discuss this with the member of staff who is responsible for allocating
personal tutors.
It is a matter of courtesy to ask your tutor or other lecturer for their consent if you
want to name them as a referee in a job application. More practically it is possible
that your referee would wish to talk to you about the nature of the work for which you
are applying so that the reference can be more directed and relevant. Your referee
may also refer to your Curriculum Vitae as well as other LEAP documents held as
7

part of your personal records in the Department; indeed some lecturers may decline
to act as a referee for you if you have not completed your CV and other LEAP
documentation.
The Universitys Policy on Personal Tutoring can be found in the Academic Guide:
www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/assessmentandprogress/personaltutoring

DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP

The Department of Economics has established a number of committees to facilitate
its development and smooth running. The most relevant to undergraduate students
are described in the following paragraphs.
The Departmental Management Committee forms the principal executive body
within the Department. It comprises the Head and Deputy Head of the Department,
the Directors of Admissions, Research, and Learning and Teaching, along with those
members of the Department of Economics holding senior administrative positions
within the College.
The responsibilities of the Board of Studies for Economics include monitoring
student satisfaction and performance. It also oversees an Annual Module Review
and Programme Monitoring. It makes recommendations on degree programme
review; recommends new and restructured modules, new and restructured degree
programmes; benchmarks good practice in the management and enhancement of
teaching quality in the Department, and considers and recommends any other
matters relating to the administration and conduct of teaching programmes. It
reviews periodically examination and assessment processes, and considers the
Departments degree programme portfolio.
The Departmental Student/Staff Liaison Committees advise degree programme
co-ordinators and all members of academic staff on academic and academic-related
matters of student concern. Their membership is made up of the staff/student liaison
officer, other members of academic staff, and student representatives drawn from
levels 1, 2 and 3. The committees normally meet once a term.

COMMUNICATIONS

Important information is posted on the notice boards, and you should familiarise
yourself with the location of these in the Richard Price Building and in any
department in which you are taking modules. The Richard Price Building also has
electronic notice boards. You should consult all of these regularly. There are also
University notice boards in the foyer of Fulton House where provisional and final
examination timetables are posted as well as other University notices.
You are reminded that an increasing amount of official University information, from
your College, from the Administration and from Information Services and Systems
(ISS), is only sent by e-mail. Such official electronic communication from the
University will only be sent to your University Outlook e-mail account, given to all
students when they first enrol. Student e-mail addresses are based on the six digit
student ID numbers, for example 123456@swan.ac.uk`. No messages will be sent to
non-University e-mail addresses while you are a student of the University. You
should check your University Outlook account on a daily basis, to ensure that you do
not miss any important course, financial or ISS information. You may access e-mail
via the internet by opening the Internet Explorer browser and in the address window
typing the URL: http://email.swan.ac.uk
The Academic Registry produces and sends results letters to students. These letters
will be sent to your home address as captured on your personal profile. It is your
responsibility to ensure that this information is up to date. If you require your
results to be sent to an address other than your home address then you must submit
an envelope to the Academic Registry by 1 June 2013 detailing the necessary
address, your student number and your level of study.

STUDENT RECORDS
The information held on each student by the University is accessible via the
University Intranet. In order to ensure that the information record system is as
accurate as possible, students are encouraged to check these records on a regular
basis, and especially if module or programme transfer requests have been
submitted, or changes of address have been notified.
Each student is issued with an academic transcript at the end of their studies. Such
transcripts are produced directly from the student record system, and it is therefore
imperative that the Academic Registry is notified of any errors or changes in your
academic or personal circumstances.
In addition to the University central record system, the Department also maintains
hard copy record files on all students pursing degrees of the Department. These
files are used to track student progress, and the information contained therein is also
used in constructing responses to requests for references. All students will be asked
to complete a Departmental registration sheet confirming their home and term
9

addresses, to provide a telephone contact number for urgent communications, and

two current passport style photographs.
You are also encouraged to provide an up to date curriculum vitae to assist in
providing a reference for you when the need arises. In addition any information
provided by you under the LEAP initiative is kept as part of your record card, and this
too can assist in the production of your references when that time comes. All
student information held by the Department is treated in the strictest confidence.

DATA PROTECTION
The Universitys procedures comply with the principles of the Data Protection Act
1998. The responsibilities of students in relation to the provision of personal data
can be found on the Records Management web pages:
http://www.swan.ac.uk/university/administration/recordsmanagement
Students as data subjects have a right to request from the University a copy of their
own personal data. A standard form must be completed and a fee of 10 is charged
for each request.
The Universitys registration number with the Information Commissioner is
Z6102454.

TERMINOLOGY
Semesters, Terms and Teaching Blocks
The academic year is formally divided into two semesters, covering three traditional
terms and vacations. Each semester comprises of a teaching block followed by an
examination period. Modules taught entirely in Teaching Block 1 are examined in
January (where an examination is one of the means of assessment). Modules
taught entirely in Teaching Block 2 are examined in May/June Modules taught over
both Teaching Blocks 1 and 2 may be examined in January and May/June. Dates of
semesters and terms are given at the beginning of this document. A more detailed
diary of the academic year can be found at the end of this handbook.
Home School or Department
The home school or department is responsible for the delivery of a degree
programme, and is also responsible for confirming that the module profile chosen by
a student is academically acceptable. The home school authorises a students
module profile as an indication that the modules selected by a student meet with the
requirements of a particular degree programme. Similarly, the home department
authorises module and/or programme transfers, and suspension and withdrawal
from programmes.
10

Degree Programmes
A degree programme, or programme, is a collection of modules structured in such a
way as to form an academically acceptable and coherent whole. The title of the
degree programme reflects the combination of modules of which it is comprised.
Degree programmes are organised according to levels of study. In the degree
programmes provided by the Department of Economics, these levels each
correspond to a full years study. Satisfactory completion of each level is necessary
for progression to the next level, or for consideration for the award of a degree. It is
again emphasised that you need to know your exact degree programme title and its
route code; you should not guess it, or use a similar sounding name as this can lead
to confusion and error.
Levels and Credits
In a modular system, completion of a level implies the accumulation of credit points,
where credits are attached to modules. Students should ensure, at the time of
enrolment, that the modules for which they are registered carry a total weight of 120
credits. Students who pursue modules totalling less than 120 credit points in a level
of study will not be able to satisfy the rules governing progression to the next level of
study. Each student must, therefore, aim to attain 120 credit points at the end of
each level of study in order to qualify to proceed to the next level of study, and, in the
case of final-year students, to be eligible to be considered for the award of a degree.
Further details of the progression rules can in the current Academic Guide.
Modules
The module comprises the basic building block of a programme of study. A module
is a discrete educational component of a programme, which has the following
attributes (i) specific aims, (ii) a syllabus and a reading list, (iii) a teaching and
learning pattern, (iv) an assessment method and (v) learning outcomes.
In addition, each module
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

is assigned a unique reference, starting with EC- for Economics modules or EB

for Business modules
is assigned to a level of study which reflects the academic standard of a module
and its learning outcomes;
may have pre-requisites and/or co-requisites;
may/may not be compatible with each other.

Each module is allocated a credit weighting, and full-time students are expected to
pursue 120 credit points in the academic year. Students registered for a three-year
honours degree programme are expected to pursue modules attracting 360 credit
points in total; students pursuing four year programmes are expected to pursue 480
credit points in total.
Core, Compulsory and Optional Modules
Modules may be compulsory, core or optional on a particular degree programme.
A compulsory module is a module that you must pursue before you can proceed
to the next level of your degree programme. A core module is a module that you
must pursue and pass, with a mark of 40% or better, before you will be permitted to
11

proceed to the next level of your degree programme, or qualify for your award. Any
failures, which you incur in core modules, must be redeemed.
Fail and Tolerated Fail
The pass mark for all undergraduate modules is 40%. If you have an overall module
mark of less than 40% you have failed a module. An overall module mark of between
30% and 39% for a non-core module is referred to as tolerated fail and will show as
F (fail) on your student record/transcript. At each level of study, students will not be
prevented from progressing to the next level of study or from graduating if they have
incurred tolerated fails on non-core modules which sum to 40 or fewer credits.
Pre-requisites, Co-requisites and Incompatibles
A pre-requisite is a named module for which credit must have been obtained before
you will be allowed to enrol on another related and named module. A co-requisite is
a linked module, which must be taken with another related and named module in
order to satisfy your degree programme requirements. An incompatible module is a
named module A that cannot be taken along with module B, so that if you select
one module from a pair (or group), you are precluded from selecting the other
module (or other modules from the group).
Elective Modules
For some degree programmes the Department also has the discretion to allow
students to take elective modules. That is, modules other than those listed within
the programme, and typically provided by other Departments. You can only take
elective modules if your degree programme permits it and this will be stated on the
list of modules for your particular degree programme. For Economics degrees, the
department will generally approve elective modules where they are complementary
to the degree programme, provided that they involve no timetable clashes with the
core, compulsory and chosen optional modules of the programme. In the case of
some Business programmes it may be possible to take, for example, a language
module if it is at the appropriate level and content. Applications to take electives
should be made through the relevant degree programme co-ordinator at the time of
enrolment, that module having also been approved by the department(s) offering the
electives. The number of elective modules will normally be limited to 20 credits per
level. Elective modules cannot be substituted for the compulsory modules of any
programme.

TEACHING METHODS
Assessment Methods
The Department uses a variety of teaching methods. Formal instruction is largely
through the medium of lectures, but many lectures involve live use of a personal
computer, and some quantitative modules take place in computing laboratories so
that individual students are able to use the computer throughout the lecture.
Practical classes are supervised by staff and postgraduates who are wellexperienced in helping students to learn effectively.

12

The wide variety of modules offered by the Department has an associated wide
variety of different methods of assessment.
For details on each modules
assessment strategy, consult the web page for that module. Normally, each module
has a written examination taken after the module has finished (so a 10 credit point
module taken in the first semester will be examined in January) and coursework or
continuous assessment consisting of a number of assignments. Assignments may
be individual assignments, group assignments, presentations, and business reports.
Students thus have every opportunity to develop key-skills in the use of Information
Technology to gather, co-ordinate and present information, and also their confidence
in presentation. Typically continuous assessment might count for approximately 2030% of the total mark but the proportion can vary considerably between modules.

Methods of Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Assessment may be essentially designed to help guide your studies, mould your
learning strategies and direct your studies to enhance your performance. Such
assessment is said to be formative. Alternatively, assessment may be used
primarily for summing up and assessing your abilities either at a particular time
concerning a particular topic, module, or your whole degree programme. Such
assessment is called summative. Most pieces of course work that are assessed
contain elements of both formative and summative assessment.
In the Department, we endeavour to: provide adequate formative assessment as well as the necessary summative
assessment throughout all degree programmes;
foster an environment which encourages students who want to progress
academically to take initiatives (such as talking to lecturers) and be pro-active in
obtaining the maximum amount of feedback from the assessment schedules;
encourage staff to reflect on the assessment process and to consider new and
innovative approaches to assessment wherever feasible and sensible.;
ensure consistency and variety in assessment procedures across the individual
degree programmes.

13

Assessment and your Degree Programme

Your degree programme consists of a variety of inter-related modules which
collectively expose you to a variety of academic topics, together with key skills and
transferable skills. (At the general level, key skills include communication,
numeracy, IT proficiency, working with others, problem solving. and improving your
own learning and performance. In the context of specific modules, which of these
key skills is particularly relevant in that module will be referenced in the module
description. The term transferable skills has generally been subsumed into key
skills, but one might find it useful if the term related to those key skills that are
particularly important in dealing with people, and include the ability to effectively
communicate and collaborate with people.)
Assessment schedules and methods will vary from module to module in terms of the
number of pieces of course work, the scope of each piece of course work and the
way you are expected to carry out that work (e.g. individual or group work). The
marks allocated to each course work can vary quite considerably in terms of its
percentage contribution to the overall score on a module.
Assessment and Levels of your Degree Programme
Your degree programme is specified in terms of levels one (first year), two (second
year) and three (final year).
Each module will be designed to establish the basic knowledge and skills in that
subject area necessary for further study in that subject at a higher level.
Assessment will be largely concerned with establishing your fitness to continue such
study. As a consequence, there is a tendency for students to compartmentalize
modules and not appreciate that subject matter in one module may well have direct
application in another.
At level 1 of your degree, you will study a wide variety of different modules. At level
2, you will be encouraged to experience the interdependence between subject
material in different modules, and at level 3, you would be expected to exploit the
interactions between modules without prompting.
This is just one example of a progression between levels, but it is an important one.
More generally, you should expect to be required to demonstrate evidence of a
progression of general abilities on the topics listed in the following table.

14

Level
1

Level
2

Level
3

Problem
Solving
Apply one or
more
approaches to
problem solving
and evaluate
the results
Use a range of
established
techniques to
analyse and
propose
solutions to a
problem
Be able to
initiate and
carry out
projects

Communication
Communicate
results accurately
and reliably

Communicate
information
arguments and
analysis and
deploy key
techniques
effectively
Critically evaluate
arguments,
assumptions and
be able to
formulate
judgments on (or a
range of solutions
to) a problem

Learning and
Thinking
Establish your ability
to benefit from
training in your
subjects at an
undergraduate level.

Skills and training

for responsibility
Attain skills and
qualities necessary
for employment that
enable you to take
limited personal
responsibility
Appreciate the main Extend and develop
methods of enquiry
existing skills that
in your subject areas would allow you to
and be able to
assume further
evaluate critically
responsibility within
different approaches organizations that
to problem solving
might employ you
Use arguments and Enhance your
perform critical
personal and
analysis using ideas transferable skills to
and techniques,
enable you to take
some of which may
responsibility for
be at the forefront of decision making
the discipline.

Disclosure of Marks and Transcripts

You should be aware of the distinction between confirmed and unconfirmed marks.
Confirmed marks are those that have been agreed by the University Examination
Board and, where relevant, endorsed by the external examiners. All confirmed
marks and end-of-year decisions will be disclosed to students in writing by the
Academic Registry after the University Award or Progression Boards have met.
Unconfirmed marks include the marks of assessment undertaken during or at the
end of the first teaching block, and the marks of continuous assessment and other
coursework which have yet to be presented to the full Departmental Examination
Board. Whilst such unconfirmed marks may be released to students by their
personal tutors, you should be fully aware that such marks remain subject to formal
approval by a University Examination Board and are, therefore, provisional.
Details of modules offered by the Department
The Department has a diverse range of modules on offer and details of these are
provided online and in a separate supplement to this handbook which also offers
information on Economics degree programmes. You should refer to the section
relevant to your degree programme. Should you need additional information on
modules you should consult your personal tutor for further advice.

15

EXAMINATION AND ASSESSMENT MATTERS

BACKGROUND
The Universitys Assessment Regulations (Progression and Award) are well
established and can be accessed in the online Academic Guide at:
http://www.swan.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/undergraduateawardregulations/unde
rgraduateassessmentregulations
Make sure you read the Universitys current Academic Guide as it sets out the
regulations which you must abide by and it is very important that you know what they
are. Failure to keep to the rules can result in you being asked to leave the
University.

FEEDBACK AND ASSESSMENT POLICY

One of the objectives of the Universitys Learning, Teaching and Assessment
Strategy is to ensure that assessment is fair. To achieve this, the University has
produced an assessment policy, which can be found in the Teaching Quality Manual,
available on the Academic Registry website:
http://www.swan.ac.uk/registry/a-zguide/a/assessmentpolicy
The Student Charter commits the University to:

Provide students with helpful, clear and timely feedback on all

assessed work.

Assess students work in a way that is fair, valid and reliable in

accordance with the Feedback and Assessment Policy.

Provide students with a clear timetable for when assessments are to be

scheduled, submitted, marked and returned.

Provide students with opportunities for formative assessment.

Meet students specific examination and assessment requirements in

accordance with the Equality Act (2010).

Provide students with results and progression decisions.

Students must share responsibility by:
Submitting work by the prescribed date and time.
Making good use of feedback provided on assessed work to improve
academic performance.
Informing their College of any extenuating circumstances which might affect
assessment performance or ability to complete it in accordance with the
prescribed deadline.

16

Feedback and Assessment Departmental Policy

The Department of Economics aims to foster a consistent and high quality studentfocused approach to assessment and feedback. Specifically, we will:

ensure that students receive constructive and timely feedback on all

assessments;

establish and promote inclusive learning and assessment that is fair,

reliable and valid;

enable all students to reach their academic potential and to develop the
key skills required of modern graduates by providing diversity in
assessment and through improved feedback; and

enable staff to meet their commitment to students by providing effective

support and guidance.
Assessment methods
Different modules have different methods of assessment. Each module outline will
provide details on the modules assessment strategy. Your lecturer will explain the
assessment strategy for a module during the first lecture and further details will be
available on the Blackboard site for that module.
Normally, each module has a combination of coursework, submitted during the
teaching block, and an examination, taken during the assessment period after the
teaching block has finished.
Coursework may take the form of an individual or group assignment. As regards its
format, an assignment may be an essay, written report, presentation, discussion,
poster, simulation, video or podcast.
Assessments are intended to provide evidence of your academic ability in a
particular topic but are also designed to develop the key skills which employers
value.
These include team-work, problem solving, and communication and
presentation skills. Further detail on this is given in the Employability section below.
There are two types of assessment formative and summative. Assessment which
is designed to help guide your studies and improve your performance is formative.
Assessment which is used primarily for summing up and assessing your abilities in a
particular topic or module is summative. Most coursework contains elements of both
formative and summative assessment.
The Department of Economics will:
provide a variety of assessment methods within degree programmes, to
include both formative and summative assessment;
encourage students to feedback on their assessment experiences
require staff to review the outcome of assessments and to identify and
address problems encountered by any individual or groups of students;
encourage staff to reflect on the assessment process and to consider new
and innovative but inclusive approaches to assessment ;
ensure consistency and fairness in assessment methods across the degree
programmes
17

review the overall effectiveness of assessment forms, timing and feedback

across the programme, when undertaking annual monitoring.

At the start of each module, the lecturer concerned should supply you with details on
that module so that you will know what is expected of you. It is particularly important
to know whether there are any compulsory extras (e.g. practical/example/laboratory
classes), whether the assessment for that module involves compulsory assignments
with deadlines for submission and how the final mark for that module is derived.
Make sure you receive a copy of these details for all your modules, or if necessary,
look up the relevant information on the Department, University, or Blackboard
websites for that particular module.
Any submitted work that contributes to assessment should be your own and
submitted as per instructions on or before the due date. The matter of penalties for
late submission is referred to elsewhere in this handbook.
Some assessed work takes the form of an assignment to be done as a group, and
marked as such. When assignments are to be done individually, whilst we would not
wish to preclude legitimate discussion between students on how to do such
assessed work, it is vital that the submission is your work, produced and written by
you. It will consequently differ from a fellow students submission and even, for
example in mathematical assignments, where there is a correct answer, explaining
your arguments plus choice of notation are both ways in which your individuality will
be apparent in your work. This document includes a section which elaborates further
on the subject of Unfair Practice.

SCHEDULE OF ASSESSMENT
A schedule of assessment requirements will be available at the start of term for each
degree programme via the University intranet.
You are strongly advised to take note of the various methods, which the Department
of Economics has decided to adopt on assessing students and to raise any queries,
which you may have with your lecturers early in the session. You should also know
in advance whether an essay/ practical report would contribute to the overall mark
for the module. Please also note any deadlines set by the Department of
Economics or of any other department in which you are taking modules for the
submission of work and the consequences of failing to meet them. You are also
advised that you are required to complete all elements of a modules assessment
pattern.
Each modules assessment results in the award of a mark on a scale of 0 to 100%,
usually by combining a mixture of continuous assessment and examination marks.
A mark of 40% or more constitutes a pass and means that you will be awarded the
credit points associated with that module.
It is traditional to interpret the
performance on a module using the following;

First Class

70% and above

18

Upper Second Class

Lower Second Class
Third Class
Fail

60-69%
50-59%
40-49%
below 40%

The University is required to declare students to have successfully completed the

current level of study before progressing to the next level and to advise sponsors
such as Student Finance Wales, your Local Education Authority or other sponsor. If
you satisfy the examiners in all modules undertaken, thus attaining 120 credit points,
then progression is automatic. But you still may be able to progress if you fail one or
more modules. However, it is a dangerous policy to assume that you will complete
the year with failures in a small number of modules. Regulations that apply to your
study are presented in the current Academic Guide for Undergraduate Students.
In your second year of study, the marks on all modules contribute to your degree
classification. Consequently, if you enter the final year with tolerated failures, you
may then find it very difficult to do sufficiently well in your final year to obtain the
degree classification you desire.
You may find some modules more difficult than others. Seek help and advice on
such modules promptly by, for example, asking for an appointment with the
lecturer(s) concerned to discuss your problems.
A representation of generic marking guidelines relating to these scales is provided
on the following page.

19

20
Ideas
rarely
expressed
logically and coherently.
Limited use of appropriate
mathematical
/
di
i
ii
Ideas
rarely
expressed
logically and coherently.
Little
or
no
use
of
appropriate mathematical /
diagrammatic exposition.

Contains basic (core) Only answers some aspects

information required, with of question. No adaptation
some major and minor or application of concepts.
Some irrelevant material.
errors.

0-19
Fail (Not
tolerable)
[Very poor]

20-39
Fail (Potentially
tolerable)
[Poor]

40-49
Third
[Satisfactory]

Contains none or almost Wholly fails to answer

none
of
information question. No adaptation or
required and with many application of concepts.
Largely irrelevant material.
major and minor errors.

Ideas
expressed
incoherently. No linking of
ideas within text. Little or
no use of appropriate
mathematical
/
diagrammatic exposition.

Ideas not always expressed

logically and coherently.
Adequate
use
of
appropriate mathematical /
diagrammatic exposition.

Contains most information Partially answers question.

required, with no or very Limited adaptation and
few major errors and application of concepts.
some minor errors.
Some irrelevant material.

50-59
Lower second
[Good]

Contains only a limited Does not answer question.

adaptation
or
amount of information No
required, with numerous application of concepts.
Much irrelevant material.
major and minor errors.

Ideas generally expressed

logically and coherently.
Competent
use
of
appropriate mathematical /
diagrammatic exposition.

Contains all or almost all Answers

question
fully.
information required, with Some
adaptation
and
no major errors and only application of concepts.
a few minor errors.
Little or no irrelevant
material.

80-100
First
[Outstanding]

60-69
Upper second
[Very good]

Analysis

Ideas expressed logically

and coherently. Effective
use
of
appropriate
mathematical
/
diagrammatic exposition.

Contains all information Answers question fully and

Good
required, with no major completely.
errors and no or very few adaptation and application
minor errors.
of concepts. Little or no
irrelevant material.

Application

70-79
First
[Excellent]

Information and
knowledge
Ideas expressed logically
and coherently. Excellent
use
of
appropriate
mathematical
/
diagrammatic exposition.

Contains all information Answers question fully and

required, with no errors. completely.
Excellent
Evidence of study beyond adaptation and application
the module content.
of concepts. No irrelevant
material.

Mark (%)
Class
[Descriptor]

GENERIC MARKING PROGRAMME

Synthesis and context

No integration of ideas and

information. Demonstrates no
understanding of topic and its
context.

No integration of ideas and

information.
Demonstrates
little understanding of topic
and its context.

Minimal integration of ideas

and
information.
Demonstrates
limited
understanding of topic and its

Limited integration of ideas

and
information.
Demonstrates modest but
incomplete understanding of
topic and its context.

Competent integration of ideas

and
information.
Demonstrates
some
understanding of topic within a
wider context.

Effective integration of ideas

and
information.
Demonstrates
substantial
understanding of topic within a
wider context.

Excellent integration of ideas

and
information.
Demonstrates
outstanding
understanding of topic within a
wider context.

Shows no evidence
of independent
thinking or critical
awareness.

Shows no evidence
of independent
thinking or critical
awareness.

Shows very little or

no evidence of
independent thinking
and critical

Shows little evidence

of independent
thinking and critical
awareness.

Shows some
evidence of
independent thinking
and critical
awareness.

Shows evidence of
significant
independent thinking
and critical
awareness, and
originality
Shows evidence of
sound independent
thinking and critical
awareness.

Evaluation

FEEDBACK
The Universitys Feedback and Assessment Policy states that you should receive
constructive feedback on all forms of assessed work. Feedback will normally be
provided within three working weeks and the due date for feedback is included on
the Schedule of Assessment.
All written feedback will be available either
electronically or in word processed format.
The Department complies with the Universitys policy on feedback, and will provide
both generic feedback and individual feedback. For every module, generic feedback
will be provided in respect of all coursework and examinations. For each module, the
generic feedback document(s) will outline the expected content of a satisfactory
answer to each question. In addition, the feedback document(s) will describe the
performance of the cohort and will identify both those aspects of each question that
students answered competently and those aspects that were not so well addressed,
with areas for improvement clearly highlighted. Students are strongly advised to
make use of such documents in order to reflect on their own performance and
identify aspects of their work that could be improved.
Individual feedback can be provided in a variety of ways and lecturers will explain
and identify the opportunities for feedback in the module outline and in assignment
instructions. Students will normally be given the opportunity to review marked
coursework and examinations by drop-in sessions.

EXAMINATIONS
The conduct of University examinations is governed by strict rules, set by the
University, which include rules on absence from examinations, conduct during an
examination, unfair practice and plagiarism. These rules are outlined in detail in the
Examination Regulations and Procedures in the online Academic Guide:
www.swan.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/assessmentandprogress/examinationregulationsan
dprocedures

Students are advised to familiarize themselves with these regulations, in particular

the following:
All University examinations, including supplementary examinations, shall be sat in
Swansea. There shall be three official examination sessions, namely in January
(end of first semester), May/June (end of session) and August (supplementary
examinations). Some subjects, however, such as Medicine and Nursing, may
operate their examinations outside these official sessions.
Students must ensure that they are available for the entire duration of the
Universitys examination periods, including where appropriate the supplementary
examination period. It is the students responsibility to check the official examination
timetable and to note the dates, times and locations of their examinations.
21

It is a students responsibility to familiarize themselves with the regulations relating to

examinations and the location of the examination in good time before the exam takes
place.
Students are reminded of the following examination procedures:

Candidates must make sure that Colleges are made fully aware in writing of
any extenuating circumstances which might have affected their studies and
preparatory work leading up to assessment periods. It is imperative that
candidates speak as soon as possible to their Personal Tutor or other member
of staff in the College in order that the facts can be brought to the attention of
the College Examining Board well in advance of the University
Award/Progression Board meetings. Failure to inform their Colleges of their
difficulties and to provide evidence in good time before the College Examining
Board meeting may well result in the alleged circumstances being disregarded.
Extenuating circumstances could include personal or academic-related
problems or issues involving difficulty in accessing facilities or materials
relevant to the course.
Candidates are responsible for checking their examination timetables carefully
when they are published to ensure that all the examinations that they are due
to sit are scheduled. Any problems should be reported to the Examinations
Officer, Academic Registry.
Additional time for any candidate arriving after the start of the examination will
not be given.
Candidates must ensure that they take their Identity card to the examination
venue on all occasions and display it clearly on the desk during the
examination. Candidates must also fully complete an attendance slip.
Students must ensure that they do not engage in any form of unfair practice,
whereby they take action which may result in them obtaining for themselves or
others an unpermitted advantage. For instance:
No unauthorised material should be taken into examination venues;
The passing of notes or exchange of materials is strictly prohibited;
No talking or communication with other candidates is permitted.
Students are only allowed to take permitted aids for their examination into the
examination venue. These aids (e.g. pencils, biros) must be carried in a clear
and transparent pencil case, plastic bag or poly pocket which will be
examined on entry to the examination venue
Students shall use only the official stationery provided all rough work shall be
done on the stationary provided and handed in with the completed script. No
script, rough work or official stationery may be removed from the venue.
Students must not have in their possession in the examination room, nor make
use of, any book, manuscript, electronic calculator or any other aid which is not
specifically allowed in the rubric of the examination paper. If calculators are
permitted they must not contain any user-recorded data or program and must
be incapable of electronic communication.
Students who have been observed acting in breach of examination regulations
will be given a formal written warning. They will also be warned that if they
continue to be disruptive and persist to act in a manner that is likely to disturb
further other students they will be required to leave the venue immediately.
22

Such students will not be readmitted for this examination and the incident will
be reported to the Superintendent of Assessment.

CYFLWYNO GWAITH YN Y GYMRAEG

Bydd hawl gan bob myfyriwr i gyflwyno gwaith iw asesu yn Gymraeg beth bynnag fo
cyfrwng addysgur cwrs hwnnw ac eithrio yn achos modiwlau ym mhynciau iaith lle
mae meistroliaeth or iaith honno yn un o feini prawf yr asesiad. Yn achos unrhyw
waith syn ymwneud a chwrs neu fodiwl a addysgir drwy gyfrwng y Saesneg bydd
disgwyl ir myfyriwr roi gwybod ymlaen llaw eu bod yn dymuno cyflwyno gwaith yn
Gymraeg, fel y gellir gwneud trefniadau cyfieithu yn ol yr angen.
Rhaid i fyfyrwyr syn dilyn rhaglenni a addysgir gyflwyno cais ysgrifenedig ir Coleg o
fewn pedair wythnos i ddechraur modiwl(au) perthnasol er mwyn cael cyflwyno
arholiadau, traethodau hir neu draethodau ymchwil yn Gymraeg. (Lle bo modiwl yn
fyrrach na phedair wythnos o hyd, rhaid cyflwynor cais wrth ymrestru ar y modiwl).
Bydd y Coleg yn anfon ceisiadau ymlaen at y Cofrestrydd Academaidd a fydd wedyn
yn trefnu i gyfieithu cwestiynau, sgriptiau a thraethodau hir/ymchwil lle bo angen.
Rhaid i fyfyrwyr gyflwyno eu ceisiadau ir Coleg gartref gan ddefnyddior ffurflen
hon:
https://intranet.swan.ac.uk/documents/welsh/Cyflwyno_gwaith_yn_Gymraeg.doc
Bydd y Coleg Gartref yn anfon copau or ffurflenni ymlaen ir Gofrestrfa Academaidd
(a lle bon briodol, Colegau eraill).
Bydd angen i fyfyrwyr syn dilyn rhaglenni ymchwil ac sydd am gyflwyno eu
traethodau ymchwil yn Gymraeg wneud cais ir Coleg o fewn tri mis i ymrestru am y
tro cyntaf, fel rhan or broses or gofynion cadarnhau ymgeisyddiaeth. Bydd y Coleg
yn anfon copau ir Gofrestrfa Academaidd ar gyfer trefnu iw cyfieithu.

SUBMITTING WORK IN WELSH

Every student will have the right to present work for assessment in Welsh for a
course leading to an initial or higher degree, or diploma or certificate, irrespective of
the teaching medium of that course, except in the case of modules in language
subjects in which the command of the language is one of the assessment criteria. In
the case of any work involving a course or module taught through the medium of
English the student will be required to give prior notice that he or she wishes to
present work in Welsh so that the translation arrangements can be made as
necessary.
Students pursuing taught programmes of study must submit a written request to the
College within 4 weeks of the start of the relevant module(s) to be permitted to
submit examinations, dissertations or theses in Welsh. (Where modules are of a
shorter duration than 4 weeks, requests must be submitted upon enrolment on the
23

module.) The College shall forward requests to the Academic Registrar who will then
arrange for translation of questions, scripts, dissertation/thesis where required.
Students must submit their requests to their home College using the following
proforma:
https://intranet.swan.ac.uk/documents/welsh/Cyflwyno_gwaith_yn_Gymraeg.doc
The Home College shall forward copies of the forms to the Academic Registry (and
where relevant, other Colleges).
Students pursuing research programmes who wish to submit their dissertation in
Welsh must submit a request to the College within 3 months of initial enrolment, as
part of the confirmation of candidature requirements. The College shall forward
copies to the Academic Registry for translation arrangements.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENTS

You are required to include with your submission a standard statement that the work
is your own. This must be done on a standard form for this purpose which is
available from the Departments web pages, and a copy is included at the end of this
document, so that you can, if you wish, make several photocopies which you can
then complete as and when you submit assessed work.
The submitted work should be legible, have your student identity number clearly
marked on each sheet, and sheets securely stapled together.
All assessed work, including essays, assignments, dissertations, and other
coursework and continuous assessment materials, must be placed in the specified
locked assignment boxes located at the entrance to the Economics offices in the
Richard Price building, together with a completed copy of the Department's
assignment/assessment cover sheet referred to above.

Late Submission of Work

Work submitted after the deadline will receive a mark of zero, except that in
cases of late submission due to illness or other special circumstances, when you are
expected to submit your work at the earliest opportunity, together with a special
circumstances form which can be found at the end of this handbook. As a result of
the statements on that form, and, if appropriate, supported by medical or other
evidence, your late submitted work may be permitted to be included as part of your
assessed work.
You must, if you are following a module taught by another department, familiarise
yourself with their submission process and their policy with regard to late
submission, as these may differ from those of the Department of Economics.

24

END OF LEVEL PROGRESSION ISSUES

The full regulations relating to end of level progression issues are available in the
Assessment Regulations, published in the Academic Guide:
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/UndergraduateAwardRegulations/
UndergraduateAssessmentRegulations/.
STUDENTS ON FOUR YEAR PROGRAMMES
WITH A YEAR OF STUDY ABROAD
For students on four year programmes involving a years study at another university
particular progression requirements apply for progression from Level 2 to Level S
(which is the designation for the year abroad). Details of these are included in the
Study Abroad handbook which will be given to students on such programmes during
their time in Level 2. Undergraduates who have spent a year abroad, or a year in
industry benefit considerably by experiencing different study, work and cultural
environments. It is possible to change from a 3 year programme to a 4 year
programme involving a year abroad during your first year of study; the exact
arrangements and availability differ between degree programmes. You should
contact the degree programme coordinator of the 4 year programme, if you are
interested in changing to such a programme.
UNFAIR PRACTICE AND PLAGIARISM

You are referred to the Universitys Unfair Practice Procedure which can be found in
the current Academic Guide for Undergraduate Students and on the following
Swansea University web page:
www.swan.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/assessmentandprogress/unfairpracticeprocedure

Each time you submit work for assessment you will be required to sign a declaration,
found at the back of this document, stating that you have read and understood the
Universitys policy on unfair practice, plagiarism and collusion.

Unfair practice is defined as committing any act whereby a person may obtain for
him/herself or for another an unpermitted advantage. This shall apply whether
candidates act alone or in conjunction with another/others. An action or actions shall
be deemed to fall within this definition whether occurring during, or in relation to, a
formal examination, a piece of coursework, or any form of assessment undertaken in
pursuit of an academic or professional qualification at Swansea University.
Examples of Unfair Practice include:

the introduction into an examination room of any unauthorised form of materials

such as a book, manuscript, data or loose papers, information obtained via an
25

electronic device such as a mobile phone or any other source of unauthorised

information;
the introduction into an examination room of any authorised material which has
been annotated or changed in such a way that a student is likely to have
gained an unpermitted advantage;
copying from or communicating with another person in an examination room,
except as authorised by an invigilator;
communicating electronically with any other person;
impersonating an examination candidate or allowing oneself to be
impersonated;
presenting evidence of special circumstances to examination boards which is
false or falsified or which in any way misleads or could mislead examination
boards;
presenting an examination script as your own work when the script includes
material produced by unauthorised means. This includes plagiarism.

Candidates are only allowed to take permitted aids for their examination into the
examination venue. These aids (e.g. pencils, biros) must be carried in a clear and
transparent pencil case or poly pocket which will be examined on entry to the
examination venue.
Examples of Unfair Practice in non-examination conditions e.g. coursework,
assignments, dissertations etc:

Plagiarism (see below);

Collusion (see below);
Commissioning of work produced by another;
Falsification of the results of laboratory, field-work or other forms of data
collection and analysis.

Collusion can be defined as involving two or more students working together in

order to gain an unfair advantage, without prior authorisation from the academic
member of staff concerned (e.g. Programme Leader, Lecturer etc) to produce the
same or similar piece of work and then attempting to present this entirely as their
own. It is also considered Unfair Practice for any student or students to submit the
work of another with or without the knowledge of the originator. An allegation of
collusion may be amended during a hearing/investigation to allow a student to be
exonerated of the offence whilst alleging plagiarism against another student(s);
Plagiarism is the use, without acknowledgement, of another persons work and
submitting it for assessment; as though it were your own work.
The risk of cheating is immense, because the penalties when you get caught could
be enough to ruin your career. For instance a Law student could find that, if found
guilty of engaging in Unfair Practice, he/she will not be accepted as a member of the
Law Society. Likewise a student aspiring to become a teacher, doctor or nurse
might find his/her chosen career path being closed prematurely if found guilty of
cheating.
26

The penalties imposed on students vary but if you take the risk and are found guilty,
the likelihood is that all your marks for the Session will be cancelled i.e. 0% for each
module. You might even find that you will be required to withdraw and be
disqualified from any further University examinations, particularly if it was your
second attempt or if the act was of an extremely serious nature e.g. purchasing an
essay, impersonating another student or allowing oneself to be impersonated.
Colleges suspecting students of engaging in Unfair Practice shall be authorised to
use appropriate means to gain evidence on the allegations, such as using plagiarism
detection software or examining the student orally.
Prominent Examples of Plagiarism:

In 2000, Robbie Williams was found guilty of having plagiarised lyrics from
songs by Woody Guthrie and Loudon Wainwright III in his song Jesus in a
Camper Van. The consequences were costly: 25% of all royalties from the
song were awarded to the original copyright owners and an agreement was
made to remove the song from all subsequent pressings of Williams album
Ive Been Expecting You.
In March 2011, German defence minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg was
forced to resign all public office, effectively ending his career in politics, after it
emerged that he had largely plagiarised his 2006 doctoral thesis.
In 2008, celebrity psychiatrist and broadcaster Raj Persaud was found guilty
of plagiarising several written articles in books and newspapers. Although the
hearing ruled that his plagiarism was not financially motivated and did not
result in patient harm, Dr. Persaud was barred from practice for three months
and, more pertinently, suffered permanent damage to his reputation and
withdrew from the public eye.

The University is committed to providing support and guidance to prevent cases of

accidental plagiarism and you are advised to seek further advice from your College if
you are in any doubt as to what is required of you. Ignorance is not accepted as an
appropriate defence.
The University may use electronic detection software to identify cases of unfair
practice. However, knowledge of resources, changes in writing styles and google
searches may prove just as effective.
Plagiarism and Collusion Prevention Advice
Advice on preventing plagiarism and collusion is provided under the My Studies tab
in Blackboard, which is the Virtual Learning Environment that will support your study
at Swansea University. All students should read the booklet on Using Sources
before completing their assignments. All students should also read the document
Collaboration versus Collusion before completing their assignments. These two
documents can be viewed or downloaded from the Blackboard site; they provide
practical advice on how you can make use of sources of information and reference
them properly to avoid being accused of plagiarism.

27

REFERENCING
What is referencing?
When writing an assignment, your own thoughts and ideas will build on those of
other writers and researchers. It is essential that you acknowledge those sources of
information by:

Acknowledging the source within the text by citing the authors surname and date
of publication in parentheses, e.g (Davies, 2011)
Giving full details of each item in an alphabetical reference list at the end of your
assignment.

When you find a source that you wish to use in your assignment, write down all the
bibliographical information required to identify it. If you do not do this, you will have to
go to the trouble of finding these identifying bibliographical details again, since in any
assignment it is essential to reference all your sources fully: failure to do so will result
in your assignment being penalised.The following guide tells you what bibliographical
information you need to record for each different type of source.
Why reference?
The main reasons are:
To enable your lecturer to follow up the references and find the book or journal
article in a library.
To demonstrate to your lecturer that you have read widely a range of opinions.
To enable your lecturer to check the accuracy of the information youve given.
Good referencing will assist in avoiding accusations of plagiarism.
Youll lose marks if you dont acknowledge sources.

What is a referencing style?

There are four referencing systems in use at Swansea University:
System
Style used at SU by
Example of in-text
undergraduates
citation or footnote
Author-Date

APA, 6th ed.

(Davies, 2011)

Used by:

Human & Health

Business
Economics

Numeric

Vancouver

(1)

Science
Engineering

Footnote

MHRA

Noam Chomsky and

M. Halle, The Sound
Pattern of English (New
York: Harper & Row,
1968)
28

Arts &
Humanities

Legal
footnote

OSCOLA

34

HLA Hart, The

Concept of Law (2nd
edn, Clarendon Press
1994) 135.

Law

Economics as a discipline has adopted APA (6th ed.) as its style. Note that
bibliographic software packages such as Endnote and EndnoteWeb are a
convenient means of ensuring assignments and other coursework prepared by
Economics students comply stylistically with the conventions of APA (6th ed.), as
required by the Economics Department.
How do I present referenced material in my assignment?
There are two ways to refer to the works of other authors:

Paraphrasing allows you to summarise another authors ideas in your own words,
whilst still acknowledging the original source. Quotation marks or page numbers
are not needed. However if you refer to a table or diagram, you must include a
page number as the reader may wish to check it. A concise well-paraphrased
account demonstrates your understanding of what you have read.

Direct quotes can be used. However, an assignment cannot be a cut and paste
exercise. Quotations should be used sparingly, as the person reading the
assignment wants to see your views and analysis of what you have read. When
you use a direct quote always give the page number and place double quotation
marks around the quotation, as in the quotation on the consequences of
plagiarising above. If the quotation is 40 words or more (not something that you
should expect to do) then do not use quotation marks, but indent the quotation by
half an inch on the left margin.

What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?

A reference list is composed of all the sources that you have referred to in the text of
your assignment. A bibliography is composed of all those sources you read, but did
not refer to in your assignment. Both reference list and bibliography are arranged in
alphabetical order of authors last name. A bibliography is not always necessary and
will never duplicate anything in the reference list.
IN-TEXT CITATIONS
How do I cite authors in my assignment?
One author
In-text citation requires that the last name of the author and the year of publication
be inserted into the text, for example:
29

Marks (2011) states that ...

or
....(Marks, 2011)

Two authors
If there are two authors of a work, both should be cited.

Bee and Boyd (2010) state that ...

or
.....(Bee & Boyd, 2010)
NB. Link the two authors names with and when cited outside parentheses.
Link with an ampersand (&) inside parentheses.
Three, four or five authors
If there are three, four or five authors of a work all authors should be cited the first
time. Subsequently use et al. after the first author.

(Rolfe, Jasper, & Freshwater, 2010)

(Rolfe et al., 2010)

first cite
subsequent cites

NB There is a comma after the second-to-last author.

Six or more authors
If there are six authors or more only the first author is cited followed by et al.

....Yamada et al. (2003)

or
... (Yamada et al., 2003)
NB. Et al is Latin for and others.
More than one work cited
If you cite two or more works they should be in alphabetical order of author.
....(Phillips, Ajrouch & Hillcoat-Nalletamby, 2010; Rolfe, Jasper & Freshwater, 2010)
Author with two or more cited works in same year
Use lower case letters (a, b etc.) to distinguish between works published in the same
year by the same author (s).
....Hewitt (2010a) states that... this was supported by Hewitt (2010b) ..
Secondary referencing
Secondary referencing is where you need to refer to the work of an author which you
have not read in the original, but have learnt about from another author. Whenever
possible you should use the original work. If this is not feasible, you must make clear
that you have not read the original by referring to the work in which you found the
reference. In the reference list only include details of the work that you read.
30

Kleinman (1996) cited in Cunningham-Burley (1998) has argued...

or
It is the non-professional arena that illness is first defined (Kleinman, 1996,
cited in Cunningham-Burley, 1998)

Websites
Since it can be difficult to identify the author of a webpage, the accepted approach in
such cases is to determine which person or corporate body is responsible for that
page, and then to reference that person or corporate body as the author. In some
cases, making use of a websites search facility and/or About Us or Contact Us
links may help to identify the responsible person or corporate body. If this information
cannot be determined, cite instead the webpage title. (If there is no title, cite the
URL.)

What if some publication details are not available?

If no author
use [Anonymous]
If no date
use [n.d.]
If no place of publication use [s.l.]

THE REFERENCE LIST

What will my reference list look like?
If the reference has more than one author, add an ampersand (&) before the last
authors name and add a comma before the ampersand.
All lines of each reference after the first are indented.
Year is year of publication, not printing.
Only the first letter of the first word of the title and the first letter of the first word after
the colon are capitalised. Any proper nouns are also capitalised, for example

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association

Only enter edition if not the first edition.

The first place of publication is used in the reference.
The reference list is double spaced.
Book with one author
Last name, initial(s). (Year). Title. Place: Publisher
Neville, C. (2007). The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism.
Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Book with two authors or more
Last name, initial(s)., Last name, initial(s). (Year). Title. Place: Publisher.
Phillips, J., Ajrouch, K., & Hillcoat-Nalletamby, S. (2010). Key concepts in social
gerontology. London: Sage.

31

Edited book
Use (Ed.) if one editor and (Eds.) if two or more editors.
Last name, initial(s). (Ed.). (Year). Title. (ed.). Place: Publisher.
Cash, T. F., & Smolak, L. (Eds.) (2011). Body image: A handbook of science,
practice, and prevention. (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
Chapter in edited book
Last name, initial(s). (Year). Chapter title. In Initial. Last name, (Eds.), Book title
(pages of chapter). Place: Publisher.
Benton, D. (2011). Diet, behaviour and cognition in children. In D. Kilcast & F.
Angus, (Eds.), Developing childrens food products (pp. 62-81). Cambridge:
Woodhead.
E-book
Reference an e-book as you would a printed book, replace place and publisher with
URL of the e-book collection
Last name, initial(s). (Year). Title. Retrieved from URL
Ogden, J. (2007). Health psychology: A textbook. (4th ed.). Retrieved from
http://www.dawsonera.com
Official publication
An official publication is a publication published by Parliament, a government
department (UK or foreign), devolved government or an international organisation
such as the European Union or World Health Organisation. Sometimes there is no
personal author so the organisation is deemed to be the corporate author.
Corporate author. (Year). Title (Series or reference number). Place: Publisher.
H M Government. (2009). Shaping the future of care together: Presented to
Parliament by the Secretary for State for Health by command of her Majesty (Cm.
7673). London: The Stationery Office.
Online official publication
Corporate author. (Year). Title (Series or reference number). Retrieved from URL
Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health. (1998). Report of the Scientific
Committee on Tobacco and Health: Part one: The scale of the smoking problem.
Retrieved from
http://www.archive.officialdocuments.co.uk/document/doh/tobacco/part-1.htm
Journal article
Issue or part number only required if each issue begins with page 1, if volume has
continuous pagination issue or part number not required.
Last name, initial(s)., Last name, initial(s). (Year). Article title. Journal title, volume
number(issue or part number if needed), page numbers.
Tapper, K., Shaw, C., Ilsley, J., Hill, A. J., Bond, F. W., & Moore, L. (2009).
Exploratory randomised controlled trial of a mindfulness-based weight loss
intervention for women. Appetite, 52, 396-404.
Online journal article
If online version is the same as printed version, reference as printed journal article. If
not then include article Digital Object Identifier (DOI). A DOI is a long unique
numeric code. If a DOI is unavailable use a URL instead.
32

Last name, initial(s)., Last name, initial(s). (Year). Article title. Journal title, volume
number, page numbers. doi OR URL and date accessed
Jordan, S., Storey, M., & Morgan, G. (2008). Antibiotics and allergic reactions in
childhood. Open Nursing Journal, 2, 48-57. doi: 10.2174/1874434600802010048

Websites
Author. (Year). Title. Retrieved from URL
American Psychological Association. (2012). APA style blog. Retrieved May 29,
2012, from http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/
NB Only include the date the information was retrieved if the website is likely to
change frequently, as in the case of this example (a blog). If the information is
published with a static date (year) no date of retrieval is required.
Further information on APA style:
On Blackboard
Go to Blackboard and click on the link to the Skills4Study tab, then Referencing.
On the web
American Psychological Association. (2012). The basics of APA style tutorial.
Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx [Slides
13-25 are particularly useful for citing and references]
Books in the Library
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
Pears, R., & Shields, G. (2010). Cite them right: The essential referencing guide. (8th
ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Schwartz, B. M., Landrum, R. E., & Gurung, R. A. R. (2012). An easyguide to APA
style. Los Angeles: Sage. [Chapter 7 is useful for in text citations. Chapter 10 is
useful for giving full references in the reference list]

FITNESS TO PRACTISE REGULATIONS

Colleges are not only responsible for ensuring that you meet the academic
requirements of the course that you are undertaking but also that you comply with
the requirements of the University and any relevant professional body. Accordingly,
if you are pursuing a programme, which leads directly (or partially) to a professional
qualification or the right to practise a particular profession or calling and your conduct
or your personal circumstances renders you unable to continue on a course or not fit
to be admitted to and practise that profession or calling these regulations will apply.
Students are therefore required to read the regulations, which are available to view
in the Academic Guide, and become conversant with its contents:
33

www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/conductandcomplaints/fitnesstopractise
The following, offered as illustrative examples only, may amount to a case
being brought against a student under the Universitys Fitness to Practise
regulations:
o

Being physically, psychologically and/or emotionally unable to carry out the

full duties of a professional practitioner (such as being unable to
communicate effectively with patients/service users or administer
treatment);

Drug and alcohol abuse;

Exploiting the vulnerability of a patient, pupil or client;

Offences (including internet use) against the vulnerable including children,

older people and the mentally incapacitated;

Repeated failure to rectify behaviour that has been identified to the student
by the College as unacceptable;

Conviction of a criminal offence relevant to the profession concerned,

particularly involving dishonesty or violence;

Acting in a violent manner on or away from University premises;

Falsification of records and falsification of signatures of professional

personnel.

Gross dishonesty, for example, the commission of unfair examination or

assessment practices.

Further illustrative examples of conduct /personal circumstances which may amount

to a student being considered as unfit to practise are set out at Regulation 3.2 of the
Fitness to Practise Regulations.

34

ILLNESS DURING THE EXAMINATIONS PERIOD

THE UNIVERSITY IS DUE TO PUBLISH A REVISED POLICY ON EXTENUATING
CIRCUMSTANCES. FULL DETAILS WILL BE PUBLISHED TO STUDENTS VIA
E-MAIL AND THE INTRANET SHORTLY.
Students whose work is interrupted by illness for less than seven days are required
to inform the College by submitting a completed student self-certification form
(Appendix 1) which should be accompanied by a medical certificate.
A student who has been absent from an examination must send without delay to the
Department a written explanation with supporting evidence i.e. medical certificate.
You are advised always to ask your doctor for a medical certificate for illnesses
which affect your studies, and present these to the Department as soon as possible.
It is usually too late to tell your tutor after an Examination Board has met and
retrospective medical circumstances will not normally be accepted.

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES AND/OR SPECIAL

REQUIREMENTS
THE UNIVERSITY IS DUE TO PUBLISH A REVISED POLICY ON EXTENUATING
CIRCUMSTANCES. FULL DETAILS WILL BE PUBLISHED TO STUDENTS VIA
E-MAIL AND THE INTRANET SHORTLY.
Extenuating Circumstances are defined as serious and acute problems or events
which are beyond a students control or ability to foresee which may have affected a
students academic performance and/or may have impeded a students ability to
complete, submit or attend an assessment.
If prior notification of such circumstances is possible, the University can attempt to
put into place measures to offset such circumstances, e.g. extra time in
examinations or deferring the examination until August to be taken as a First Sit*
examination (with the express permission of the University Student Cases
Committee).
If you feel that your studies have been affected by such circumstances, it is
important that you speak, as soon as possible, to the Assessment Co-ordinator and
your Personal Tutor in order that the these facts can be brought to the attention of
the Special Circumstances Board and the Examining Board for consideration with
reference to your academic performance.
Any student who, for whatever reason, requests special allowance/consideration with
regard to assessment, must make his/her needs known and be prepared to produce
appropriate supporting evidence. The responsibility to inform the Department or the
Disability Office rests with the student. You must inform the Student Support
35

Team of extenuating circumstances as soon as possible since retrospective

applications will not normally be considered. You may present evidence (e.g.
medical certificates) in a sealed envelope if you wish, which will only be opened for
consideration by the Special Circumstances Committee.
Extenuating circumstances which are raised after the meeting of the Departmental
Boards and after the publication of results are likely to be disregarded.
*First Sits
The University recognises that some students will not be able to attend examinations
during the Mid-Sessional or Sessional Assessment Period e.g. due to illness or other
extenuating circumstances. Such students shall be permitted to apply to sit such
examinations as First Sit candidates.
A strict University filtering process operates for First-Sit applications. Applications
for First-Sit candidates (final year and non-final year) must be submitted to the
University Student Cases Committee with appropriate supporting documentation
(e.g. a medical certificate) for consideration.
Non-final Year Candidates granted First-Sits will be required to sit the examinations
at the next scheduled examination point for the modules concerned (i.e. January or
May/June of the following session).
Final year candidates who are unable to sit an examination in January and who have
been granted a First Sit by the Student Cases Committee, should sit the
examination in the May/June examination period in preference to the August
examination period.
First Sit marks are uncapped for classification purposes.
For further information, please refer to the Academic Guide:
www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/assessmentissues/extenuatingcircumst
ances/
EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES SUBMITTING A CLAIM
If you have experienced genuine difficulties and feel that your academic performance
or attendance has been, or is likely to be, adversely affected, it is in your best
interests to inform the Department (via the Assessment Co-ordinator or your
personal tutor) about it as soon as you can. This is so that it is possible for your
circumstances to be taken into account when decisions about your academic
performance or progress are being taken.
The system of submitting extenuating circumstances for consideration by the
Department conforms to the University assessment regulations, and students who
have genuinely encountered problems are strongly encouraged to consider using
this system to formally notify the Special Circumstances Committee. Any information
36

that you submit about your extenuating circumstances will always be treated in
confidence.
If you do experience difficulties during your time at university there are various
services, both within the University and outside, to support you. It is important that
you seek support in good time so that you can ensure your wellbeing and limit any
adverse effects on your studies where possible.
What type of academic situations might be considered?

Absence from an in class test

Failure to submit coursework by the required deadline
Temporary or prolonged absence
In general extenuating circumstances can only be considered for periods during
which you have attended or participated in your programme of study.

Examinations
If you are having long term difficulties, and feel that you are not fit to take
examination or undertake coursework, you may be able to arrange a formal
suspension of study. If the Department approves your suspension of study, you will
normally resume your studies at the start of the next academic year and take the
level afresh.
If you unexpectedly become ill during the exam and are unable to continue, you still
need to submit a claim with evidence and will also need to wait until the outcome of
the Special Circumstances committee to see if your circumstances are accepted as
a good reason for you failing to complete the exam.
Coursework
If you do not submit your coursework by the required deadline, you will be given a
mark of zero according to the Departments late penalty.
If you feel that you have been adversely affected by extenuating circumstances, and
that you are not going to be able to meet a deadline, you can ask the Department for
more time. This is known as an extension.
If the affected module is offered outside of the Department then the same applies,
the Department will contact the relevant staff on your behalf.
If you are unable to meet the new deadline, you must talk to the Department again,
about a further extension. Extensions can only be granted for a reasonable period of
time e.g. you cannot submit works after answers have been released to other
students, and/ or other students have received feedback on the piece of work.

37

Whether or not you are granted an extension, and the duration of that extension, is
for the Department to decide, the information that you can provide about your
extenuating circumstances will enable them to make their decision.
You should always ask for an extension before the required deadline for coursework
submission.
If you have had extenuating circumstances and you fail to submit your work by the
deadline without an agreed extension, then you must contact the Assessment Coordinator as soon as possible and provide an explanation with supporting evidence.
The Department may consider marking your work rather than giving you an
automatic fail. However, you would need to have compelling extenuating
circumstances and good reasons for not requesting an extension before the
deadline. This situation is rare and you are strongly advised to always request an
extension in advance of the deadline.
Temporary or prolonged absence
If you are temporarily unable to attend your programme of study because of ill health
or other extenuating circumstances, it is important that you let the Department know
immediately so that you are not deemed to be absent without good reason. If the
university thinks that you are absent without good reason this might affect your
academic record, your financial support or, for international students, your
immigration status. If the Department knows about your situation e.g. if you have an
on-going health condition or disability, it might be able to put special arrangement in
place to help you to continue your studies.
Temporary absence is usually considered to be up to two weeks, as this is a
reasonable period of time to expect you to catch up on missed work. If you are
absent for longer than two weeks you should consider, and talk to your tutor about,
applying for a suspension of studies as it becomes increasingly difficult to catch up
and for you to be unaffected by your circumstances. Although most students do not
want to take a year out, it can sometimes be better to do this rather than set yourself
an unrealistic goal of trying to catch up with the work that you have missed. The risk
is that you may fail and have to take a year out anyway to retake, or you may end up
with a degree classification which is not reflective of your ability.
General Academic Performance
Your academic performance is assessed each year by progression and award
boards. The Departmental progression and award board is the first of these and is a
meeting of staff, primarily from your academic department. The second is the
university progression and award boards which actually agrees the final
progression/award recommendation made by the Department for the subject area it
considers.
If the Department accepts that your academic performance in exams, coursework
and any other assessment has been affected by extenuating circumstances which
have not already been taken into account before (e.g. previous extensions) then this
will be taken into account when determining your overall degree classification. This
38

decision is entirely at the discretion of the Examination Board and is based on the
collective academic judgment of the Board members (including external examiners).
Extenuating circumstances can only make a difference to borderline progression
decisions /marginal classifications. Additional marks cannot be awarded to turn a
bad fail into a pass and a poor mark cannot be turned into a good one.
How should I submit information to the Department about extenuating
circumstances?
You should submit a Special Circumstances claim form with supporting
documentation to the Assessment Co-ordinator in the Student Support Team. You
should normally submit your claim and documentation by the published deadline. If
you have a good reason for being unable to do this, you should submit it as soon as
possible after the deadline. The Assessment Co-ordinator will be able to tell you this
date.
If, on the day of an exam, you are unexpectedly medically unfit to take the exam you
must see a medical practitioner that same day. This is because medical certificates
cannot be given in retrospect. You should see the doctor that you are already
registered with, and ask for a medical certificate.
If you are not registered with a doctor at all, or you are registered with a doctor
outside the university and they are unable to see you, contact the university medical
centre to ask to see a doctor there.
In all cases you are advised to contact the medical services as early as possible on
the day of the exam, so that you have the best opportunity of getting an appointment.
If you are ill during an examination an invigilator (staff member) will report that you
have left the examination and this report will be sent to your Department, but you
must still submit your claim and documentation to your Department, as described
above.
If, on the day of exam, you are unexpectedly unable to take the exam because of
serious personal or other difficulties, you must contact your Department that day. For
example, if you are suddenly bereaved or have a similar personal or domestic crisis
and can provide your school with appropriate documentary evidence of your situation
as soon as possible and before Special Circumstances Committee.
If you have an on-going medical condition or other on-going extenuating
circumstances that you feel are affecting your academic performance, you must
provide updated documentation to your Department each year as the Special
Circumstances Committee needs to know if your situation has got worse, remained
the same, or improved.
If you already receive special arrangements for on-going circumstances then the
same circumstances cannot be used as a special circumstances claim, unless there
is deterioration in your condition. For example, if you are permitted extra time for
exams due to dyslexia then an allowance has already been made and therefore the
dyslexia will not normally be taken into account again as you have already been
compensated.
39

APPEALS PROCEDURE

An academic appeal is defined as a request for a review of a decision of an

academic body charged with decisions on student progression, assessment and
awards. Students/graduates may submit an academic appeal against the decision of
an Examining Board, the University or one of its sub-committees if one or more of
the following situations are relevant:

Candidates who are prevented from continuing with their studies part-way
through a level of study or part of a programme.
Candidates who fail to qualify to proceed to the next stage of their programme
at the end of a level, end of a part or end of a year.
Candidates who have completed their programme but who wish to appeal
against the result or candidates who are dissatisfied with the award of an exit
qualification of the University.
Where the implications of the progression decision taken by the Examining
Board, the University or one of its Sub-Committees may have a significant
impact on the students overall result (e.g. capping of marks).

All appeals are subject to an initial filtering process. Any appeals based on the
grounds of extenuating circumstances not previously disclosed to an Examination
Board/College will be dismissed at the filtering stage of the appeals process unless
compelling reasons are shown as to why these could not have been previously
disclosed. Students who have completed the level/stage of study, or have been
granted supplementary examinations or other form of assessment of a module at the
next available opportunity, shall not normally be permitted to submit an appeal.
Such students may, however, submit a request for the verification of their results
(see Verification Procedures below).
All requests for an appeal against a University decision must be directed to the
Assistant Registrar (Appeals), Academic Registry, Swansea University,
Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP. Further information about, or clarification of,
these procedures is available from the Academic Registry and in the Academic
Guide:
www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/assessmentandprogress/academicappeals/

VERIFICATION PROCEDURES

Students have the opportunity to request a verification of their results if they wish to
query the accuracy of the marks recorded for the session. A fee is payable to cover
the costs of administration, though this fee will be reimbursed if the verification
request is successful.
40

Further details are available in the Academic Guide:

www.swan.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/assessmentandprogress/verificationregulationsand
procedures/

ANONYMITY/DOUBLE MARKING

You can expect all of your formal written examinations to be marked in their
anonymous state. Only the student number will be used to identify these scripts until
such time as both first and double marking has been completed. Whilst anonymity is
protected for as long as possible there are instances where identity will be disclosed:

If you submit an application for extenuating circumstances the College will

identify your script to ensure these circumstances are properly taken into
account
Anonymity is not maintained for final degree classifications

Colleges may conduct College examination boards without the disclosure of your
name however Progression and Award Boards will be conducted by name.

The University-wide policy on double marking is published in the Academic Guide:

www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/assessmentandprogress/doublemarkingpolicy/

The Department of Economics employs a variety of approaches including universal

second marking as check or audit, second marking as sampling or moderation, and
partial second marking.

POLICY ON PUBLISHING OF STUDENT MARKS

Progression and final award decisions shall not be published by Colleges but will be
communicated to students by the Academic Registry. Subsequent to this
communication, for purposes of the degree ceremonies, Colleges shall be permitted
to publish the award decision by student name. In this case, students should be
given the option of requesting that their name and result be omitted from any such
publication.
Where individual assessment marks and module marks are made available on a
basis that is not confidential, Colleges should adhere to the following:

All academic results must be published by student number;

41

Colleges shall be required to inform students of the Colleges practice of

publishing individual assessment marks and module marks in the College
Handbook;
Any publication of results which have not been confirmed by the appropriate
Board must include a clear statement that the results are provisional and
subject to University ratification.

42

EMPLOYABILITY
The College of Business, Economics and Law takes a proactive approach to
enhancing graduate employability. A range of activities and skills pervade the
teaching and pastoral care right from enrolment through to graduation. Co-ordinated
by the Colleges Director of Employability, our career enhancement opportunities
include guest lectures, networking events, internships and student-led projects.
Highlights from the last 12 months included talks from Finance and Commercial
Directors and internships in commercial departments of businesses from across
Asia. We also hosted a bootcamp of intensive workshops supported by recruiters
to fine tune our students job application and interview skills.
The new academic year will see the Colleges 50 Challenge (by which our students
use their knowledge and skills to turn a 50 investment and a business idea into a
profit), hands-on CV clinics, networking dinners with the accounting profession and
business world, speed interviews at our Employability Week 2013 and the
introduction of the Alumni Mentoring Scheme.
These activities are supported by the Swansea Employability Academy and run with
the assistance of the Universitys Careers & Employability Service (which offers
students the opportunity to gain the Swansea Employability Award) and our College
Student Societies.

GATEWAY TO EMPLOYMENT
The University has recently launched a new and exciting project under the umbrella
title of Gateway to Employment. It is designed to enhance your employment
prospects, both in the UK and globally by:

providing you with a comprehensive report of your achievements as a student,

in the form of the Higher Education Achievement Report. The HEAR is a
document that has been developed nationally by working with institutions,
employers and students and aims to promote student achievements. It records
not only your academic achievements but also other achievements, such as
completing the Swansea Employability Award (SEA), volunteering activities
with Discovery, work with the Students Union and any academic prizes you
have gained. It is also intended to highlight on your HEAR, employability
enhancing elements of your degree programme, such as work based learning
or mobility placements, bilingual education etc. The HEAR is only available
electronically and can only be accessed via the Gradintel software see details
below.

enabling you to choose to search for employment opportunities online, and to

allow prospective employers to access your academic and personal profile.
This is achieved and supported by the Gradintel system. An account will be
created for you on this system soon after the beginning of the academic
43

session and an email will be sent to you to allow you to activate the account.
The facility is entirely free and includes the following features:

It acts as a personal development tool. You will have the opportunity to

complete a personality profile that allows you to identify areas of
strengths and skills in which employers might be interested. It further
provides an indication of the careers for which you are best suited;

It allows you to undertake a personal psychometric assessment,

measuring your verbal, numerical and logical reasoning. Over 70% of
graduate recruiters now expect candidates to complete similar tests as
part of the selection process, so they provide a useful opportunity to
practice. The cost of purchasing similar psychometric assessment tools
would be over 170, but as part of the Gradintel software, the facility is
entirely free;

Companies are able to tag you, having accessed your academic and
personal profiles and psychometric results, drawing to your attention
vacancies or even inviting you for interviews.
This process is
anonymous until you express an interest in engaging with the employer
and share your personal information.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING (PDP)

During your time at university one of the most important skills you will develop is
being able to take responsibility for, and manage, your own learning and
development. Since the academic year 2005/06 all universities have been required
to provide opportunities for their students to undertake this type of personal
development activity throughout their degree programme.
The Swansea
Employability Award (SEA) offers every student the opportunity to plan for their
future employment. By taking advantage of the opportunities offered by your College
and by SEA you can make the most of your time at university in both your academic
work and other activities.
In practical terms PDP for students means being able to review how and what you
are learning and then plan how you are going to use this knowledge to consolidate
and improve your performance.
Further resources to help you with your PDP, in particular help with reflecting on your
learning, are provided through the Pebble Pad E-portfolio platform at:
pebblepad.swansea.ac.uk
In the Interactive Career Planning course in Blackboard is a career learning tool
called Destinations that contains a number of topics each exploring aspects of a
popular career learning theme such as Interviews or Personality. Destinations is
supported by up-to-date multimedia resources, short videos to support students with
their career planning and job search.
Extra-curricular activities, student jobs, and placements will also provide
opportunities to use and further develop skills of interest to employers and you
should use the SEA process to help get the most out of them.
44

Through undertaking the SEA process you will build up knowledge about yourself
which as well as being useful in helping you to take responsibility for your own
learning and make progress academically, will also help you to make decisions
about your future after university and to be able to build an effective and informative
CV.
To review your academic performance you will need to acquire information from a
number of different sources:

Module learning outcomes provide a checklist of the knowledge and skills you
acquire through a specific block of study

Assignment feedback

Personal tutorial meetings

Academic tutorials and seminars

Examinations
Extra-curricular activities, student jobs, and placements will also provide
opportunities to use and further develop skills of interest to employers and you
should use the learning and professional development process to review them
regularly. To help you analyse the information you have and plan how you are going
to improve your performance, make full use of the support offered by the careers
service.
You might wish to undertake an industrial placement or to study abroad during your
time as a student at Swansea. There are also opportunities to continue to learn
other languages. You are advised to speak to your Personal Tutor about these
options.
Employability skills information resources can be found on the Careers and
Employability Services website at http://www.swansea.ac.uk/careers.
The Universitys Careers Education, Information and Guidance (CEIG) policy has
been revised and updated and aims to provide students with the knowledge, skills
and qualities to:

secure their first job after graduation;

use these attributes subsequently in the effective management and
development of their career.

Information for students about the CEIG policy can be found in the Teaching Quality
Manual, available online at
www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/a-zguide/t/teachingqualitymanual
The Schools link person at the Careers Service is Rebecca Vaughan
r.m.vaughan@swansea.ac.uk
Location: ISS Building
Telephone: 01792 513266
45

ER PROSP
PECTS
CAREE
Recentt graduate destinations include
e:
Assista
ant Tax Co
onsultant, PriceWater
P
rhouseCoo
opers
Busine
ess Analystt, Bloombe
erg
Commercial Grad
duate, Corrus
Financce Graduatte, Ford Mo
otor Comp any
Financcial Manage
ement Trainee, LOre
eal
Foreign
n Exchang
ge Trader, HSBC
Investm
ment Bankker, Julian Hodge
H
Manag
gement Tra
ainee, Shelll UK
Marketting Assista
ant, Alfa Romeo
R
More d
details on Key Info
ormation S
Sets (KIS) will be available
a
oon the Un
niversity
website
e.

PERSO
ONAL QUA
ALITIES
Employyers value
e the varie
ety of activvities in wh
hich Swan
nsea studeents get in
nvolved,
becausse they devvelop the transferabl
t
e skills tha
at recruiters require. The follow
wing pie
chart ta
aken from NUS / CB
BI Working Towards your
y
Futurre 2009 shhows the personal
qualitie
es you should be look
king to enh
hance during your stu
udies.

46

STUDENT CASUAL JOBS, WORK PLACEMENTS AND WORK TASTERS

You should consider the need to gain employment whilst at university or during
vacations. Temporary and vacation jobs and leisure time activities and interests are
useful in developing and using your personal skills and qualities. Some employers
expect this experience because it develops a range of skills and qualities which are
not easy to acquire through study or in your leisure time. Support is available for you
to seek such employment from the Careers Centres Job Shop, which also arranges
placements.
However, please be aware that long part-time hours of work, or work at unsocial
hours, eg late at night, or during the day causing you to miss lectures or other
teaching sessions, as well as limiting your ability to work at other times on your own,
or as part of a group, can damage your academic results; a finding that has recently
been emphasized by survey research conducted in the School on students at this
University. A students primary obligation is to study and that there are limits to the
amount of hours that can be spent in employment. Guidelines on this can be found in
the Academic Guide:
http://www.swan.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/otheruniversityregulations/employme
ntduringtermtime-undergraduates/.
Support is available to those seeking such employment from the Jobs section of the
Careers and Employability Services website at www.swan.ac.uk/careers/jobs.
Careers and Employability also helps place students with local small and medium
sized employers, through the GO Wales programme www.gowales.co.uk. This
service provides a valuable opportunity for students to gain practical work based
skills at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

TAKING A YEAR OUT IN INDUSTRY

The Department does not provide a formal system of placement in industry as an
alternative to the intercalary year (which is spent at one of our overseas partner
universities) but encourages students who wish to consider the option of spending a
year in employment. Unlike the intercalary year on our four year programmes, a
year out in industry would not be included in the assessment process for your
degree. The Department does receive requests from employers for undergraduate
placements from time to time and passes these to students either by placing a notice
on the notice boards or by email. The Careers Office is a further source of
information on placement programmes available.

47

OBLIGATIONS OF STUDENTS
ENROLMENT

You must enrol with the University on an annual basis in accordance with the
regulations published in the Academic Guide:
www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/undergraduateawardregulations/genera
lregulations
Students are requested to enrol online but may enrol in person.
To enrol on a programme of study:

Students check personal and programme details are correct and agree to a
declaration to abide by the Rules and Regulations of the University.
Students must finalise arrangements for paying tuition fees. For example,
many UK undergraduates opt for a 100% fee loan from the SLC to pay their
course fee. Many postgraduates are externally sponsored (e.g. by an
embassy, trust or employer) in which case students must hand in a
confirmation of sponsorship form or a letter from your sponsor with the
equivalent details.
A student paying part or all fees directly, must either return a direct debit
mandate for a UK bank account or make the first tuition fee payment.
Students in receipt of a University bursary contribution towards their tuition fee
can confirm details are correct during enrolment. If details are not correct the
student should contact the member of staff who originated the bursary in order
to progress authorization.
International students must present a current passport with a visa (and if you
have one a UK identity card) as evidence of entitlement to study at Swansea
University.

After presenting valid documents, forms and finalizing tuition fee arrangements the
university record will be amended to show a student is enrolled on a programme of
study.
Debtors from a previous session will not be allowed to enrol unless the
outstanding amount is paid in full.
Failure to enrol within a prescribed enrolment period will result in candidature
lapsing and withdrawal of the candidate from the university. Candidates shall
be given the opportunity to appeal within 7 days against the decision.
For further information browse the Universitys web page:
www.swan.ac.uk/student_records/enrolment
48

or contact the Student Records Office located in Singleton Abbey:

Tel: +44 (0)1792 60 2100 Fax: +44 (0)1792 51 3527
Email: StudentRecords@swansea.ac.uk

MODULE SELECTION, PRE-SELECTION, AND TRANSFERS

Each student on a modular degree must select modules, notifying the Department
and the Student Records Office in accordance with the regulations governing module
selection in the Academic Guide:
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/undergraduateawardregulations/generalregulations

The main rules to be noted are:

Full-time students should select modules which have a total credit weighting of
120 credit points;
Part-time students should select modules which normally should have a total
credit weighting of 60 credit points;
If a student is repeating failed modules, only the modules being repeated will
be recorded on the academic record for the current session.

For further information contact your College or the Student Records Office:
Tel: +44 (0)1792 60 2100 Fax: +44 (0)1792 51 3527
Email: StudentRecords@swansea.ac.uk

Pre-selection of Modules for the next Level

Towards the end of Level 1, Level 2 (unless you hope to progress to Level S) and
Level S (if you have spent the year abroad), you will be required to pre-select your
modules for the next level of study. You will receive information on this, by email
during May and you should note that there is a strict deadline for recording your
selection. It is important that you do pre-register your modules for your next level of
study at the end of your current level as you may be disadvantaged if you do not;
modules may become full or, as the timetable is constructed on the basis of
preselected modules, you may find that there are timetable clashes between your
preferred modules. Additionally, as it can take time for module selections to be
entered onto the database, you may not have immediate access to Blackboard.
Making your choice of modules is not always easy. You must bear in mind the
modules that you might want to do in subsequent years as they may have prerequisites.
Your degree programme may involve modules provided by other schools or
departments. If so, it is necessary to visit and check with the school or department
concerned that you have all the relevant details for that module, and to obtain the
timetable for such modules.
49

Keep a careful record of all modules you will be studying and check their
compatibility on the timetable.
Transfer of Modules
Please refer to the appropriate sections of the current Academic Guide for
Undergraduate Students.
You are allowed to change your modules during a limited period at the start of each
module by completing and returning a Module Selection Authorisation form i.e.
before the end of the second week of a module finishing in December/January and
before the end of the fourth week for modules finishing later in the Academic year,
normally in May/June. If you drop a module after six weeks then you should return a
Late Transfer of Modules slip. You will normally be expected to pay a fee for the
additional module.
Transfer of Degree Programmes
You can change course if the Academic School or Department(s) involved agree but
you MUST return a completed application for a Transfer of Degree Programme Form
before you begin the second year of your current course. Also, before
proceeding always contact Student Records/Tuition Fee Officer and your LEA for
advice about financial support.
You are strongly advised to consult your tutor who can offer advice about the
process and the best way to set about making such a change. Please refer to the
appropriate sections of the current Academic Guide for Undergraduate Students.
Suspension of Studies
The University will give sympathetic consideration to requests from students who
may wish to suspend their studies during an academic session. As there are a
number of possible ways you can suspend studies, you are advised to consult with
your personal tutor, degree programme co-ordinator, or other appropriate member of
staff, and Head of Department, before reaching any decisions suspension of study or
withdrawal from the University. The way in which you formally suspend studies can
affect how, should you wish to do so, you could return to the University to continue
your studies. Further information regarding the suspension of studies or withdrawal
from the University, including an information booklet, is available from the Academic
Registry.

TIMETABLE CLASHES

It is the students responsibility to identify clashes in their timetable as early as

possible. Once identified these clashes should be raised with the students personal
tutor who will discuss the options for resolving these clashes and take appropriate
action.
For Joint Honours students the same process should be followed, clashes should be
identified and reported to the personal tutor as a matter of urgency, the personal
50

tutor will in this case discuss the options for resolving these clashes and co-ordinate
with other contacts responsible for the other parts of the degree being taught outside
the subject area/College, on the students behalf.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Swansea University operates regulations concerning the procedures for monitoring

attendance and progress, and the Department of Economics conforms to these
regulations.
The relevant University regulations concerning student attendance are as follows:
The University expects candidates to attend all teaching sessions associated
with each module which they have elected to pursue. The method of teaching
for each module shall be given in the School Handbooks.
Candidates whose work is interrupted by circumstances for more than seven
days shall be required to inform the School or the Academic Registrar of the
University and to submit a medical certificate.
The University requires that all students make satisfactory academic progress during
their programme of study. Unsatisfactory progress includes, but is not exclusively
confined to:
Failure to submit required work, including additional work and late submission
of work, by appropriate deadlines without providing a satisfactory reason to
the School;
Failure to achieve a satisfactory standard of written work, tutorial or seminar
presentations, professional placements, assignments, class tests or
examinations which may or may not contribute to the formal assessment of
the module or course.
There is strong evidence to show that poor attendance at teaching sessions often
leads to poor end of session results. It is therefore very much in your best interests
to comply with the University Attendance Policy. The Universitys Attendance Policy
can be found in the current Academic Guide for Undergraduate Students.
Prolonged absence will not be tolerated and may affect your enrolment status, your
funding and your right to complete assessments. If you are unable to attend you
must contact your Personal Tutor and take their advice on how best to proceed.
If you miss a teaching session, due to illness or other legitimate reasons, then it is
your responsibility to ascertain what academic material was covered in that session
and also any administrative announcements made then. Some lectures early on in a
module may cover material that you are familiar with. Deciding not to attend on this
basis is clearly a risky strategy; a better one is to look for new slants on old material
and gain insight on how the material will be developed and built on.
Attendance at all practical, exercise classes or tutorials and seminar classes
associated with a module will normally be compulsory; check the information
provided for that module and your attendance will be recorded. This information may
be used in providing information to ensure that all students are making satisfactory
51

academic progress, and to ensure that all students are compliant with the university
regulations on attendance. It may also be used by Department examination boards
when considering student performance and when consideration is given to particular
examination board decisions. If you miss a compulsory practical class or tutorial, if
you appear to be regularly absent from lectures, or if you fail to hand in an
assignment, the Department will keep a record, and if you continue to be absent,
then the Department will refer the matter to take further steps to require you to
attend. Ultimately, the University may require you to withdraw.
Our aim, however, is to try to prevent minor problems becoming major problems. In
summary, we need to know that you continue to be committed to your programme of
study and that you are working satisfactorily.
The University will monitor students attendance and will take relevant action
involving those students whose attendance is deemed to be unsatisfactory. The
University expects you to attend all the teaching sessions associated with each
module which you have elected to pursue. You must also adhere to the
Departments requirements identified in the Department Attendance Policy, relating
to compulsory teaching sessions. Your attendance is monitored primarily in order to
enable personal tutors to undertake a pastoral role, to ensure your wellbeing. Attendance is also monitored as a requirement of External Authorities e.g
LEAs, Sponsors, UK Border Agency (UKBA).
If you are absent for any period of time you must provide your Department with an
explanation for your absence. Wherever possible you should seek permission in
advance for any absences, this includes any time spent away from Swansea for
research or personal reasons. If you are an overseas student a central university
monitoring system shall also be applied. You will be required to sign a register to
confirm your attendance and continued engagement with the programme. This is in
addition to complying with the Departments attendance policy.
You are not permitted to take personal holidays during academic term. International
students, if returning home for university vacation periods, should ensure that flight
bookings are made for after the completion of all teaching and examination sessions.
If your attendance is unsatisfactory over two consecutive months you will be reported
to the Dean. Continued unsatisfactory attendance may result in you being required
to withdraw from the University. The University shall notify relevant authorities
(Sponsors, Local Education Authorities, UKBA etc) of any student who is withdrawn
from the University as soon as practically possible following the decision, taking into
account the students right of appeal. Such a confirmation of withdrawal may be
delayed for up to a period of one month following the original decision. The Schools
has established appropriate procedures to monitor students' general attendance. It
is for this reason that you must try to meet the deadlines set for submitting
appeals. The University does not accept responsibility for the consequences of
informing External Agencies of a students withdrawal if these deadlines have not
been met and if the Universitys attention has not been drawn to the relevant
information.
The Universitys Attendance Policy can be found in the Academic Guide:
52

http://www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/assessmentandprogress/policyonattenda
nce

PROGRESS

Students are reminded that they should inform College examination boards of any
circumstances which they feel might have adversely affected their performance.
Failure to do so would result in students not having legitimate grounds for appeal of
assessment decisions.

PAYMENT OF FEES

Regulations relating to payment of tuition fees, accommodation fees and other fees
are outlined in the Academic Guide:
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/otheruniversityregulations/paymentoffees

Contact details:
Payment of Tuition Fees: The Income Section of the Finance Department, located
on the ground floor of the Finance Building. Tel: 01792 295436; E-mail:
income@swansea.ac.uk
Payment of Accommodation Fees: Residential Services, located at Penmaen
Residence. Tel: 01792 295101 E-mail: accommodation@swansea.ac.uk

ABSENCE DUE TO SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

The Department needs to know about any disruption that may have occurred to your
studies, due to illness perhaps, or family matters, or if you have an accident or a
domestic upset. It is important that such problems are reported at the time,
accompanied by suitable documentary evidence such as medical certificates or a
death certificate of a close relative. There is a Special Circumstances Form to which
you attach medical certificates etc., and it must be given to your personal tutor or to
a departmental secretary. A blank Special Circumstances Form can be found at
the end of this document or you can obtain one from reception or on the
Departments Web pages. There are instructions on the form on how it should be
completed and submitted, but your tutor can also help you fill it in. It is most
important that you do not leave making such a report until after your examinations.
53

We wish to reassure you that matters reported on the form are treated in a sensitive
and confidential way.
The University requires you to provide a medical certificate for absence due to illness
of more than seven calendar days (or five teaching days). This must be submitted
via one of the Departments reception desks along with a completed special
circumstances form (included at the back of this document and also downloadable
from the student intranet). Any student who is absent from an examination due to
illness must complete also special circumstances form. All such forms should be
accompanied by an original copy of a medical certificate.
Examiners can only take such factors into account before marks are finalised and
before decisions relating to progression or the conferment of an award are taken.
The Department might even consider awarding a compensatory pass for students
who fail a module but have presented evidence to account for the failure.
If you, for whatever reason, request special allowance or consideration with regard to
assessment, you must make your needs known and be prepared to produce
appropriate supporting evidence. The responsibility to inform the Department or the
Disability Office rests with you. You must tell the Department of extenuating
circumstances as soon as possible since retrospective applications will not normally
be considered. You may present evidence (e.g. medical certificates) in a sealed
envelope if you wish, which will only be opened for consideration by the Extenuating
and Special Circumstances Panel.
Absence from the University for any other reason
If you wish to represent the University, or your country, or participate at a high level,
at a sport or some other recognized official activity then you should also submit a
special circumstances form. You should be aware that submitting such a form does
not automatically permit you to participate in the activity and you should submit the
form at least 14 days, and preferably earlier, before the activity so that your request
for absence may be given proper consideration.
If you are absent from the university during term time for more than 7 days for any
reason you must also complete a self-certification form for all absences over 7 days.
A copy is attached at the end of this document.
You should note that the University is under a legal obligation to report prolonged
absence to the Local Education Authorities and any other sponsors.

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Students must record any change in their home or Swansea address on their
Intranet record and notify their College(s) without delay. See also the Academic
Guide section Accuracy of Student Records:

54

http://www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/generalinformationandstudentresponsibilit
ies/accuracyofstudentrecords

GENERAL CONDUCT AND BEHAVIOUR

You will conduct yourself in an orderly manner.

If you wilfully damage University property you must pay for its repair and may
be subject to disciplinary action.

If you attempt to obstruct teaching, study, research or the administration of the

University you will be liable to disciplinary action.

Unauthorised absence from the University without proper cause will be liable to
disciplinary action.

You are under an obligation to inform your College of any criminal conviction
prior to and during your period as a student.

General Conduct and Behaviour regulations can be found in the Academic Guide:
www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/conductandcomplaints/generalconductandbehaviour

GENERAL REGULATIONS/ ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

You must abide by the Universitys Academic Regulations and General Regulations,
which are published in the Academic Guide:
http://www.swan.ac.uk/registry/academicguide

COMPLAINTS
If you wish to make a complaint, please first read the section in the Academic Guide
outlining the Universitys Complaints procedure:
www.swansea.ac.uk/registry/academicguide/conductandcomplaints/complaintsprocedure

55

GENERAL INFORMATION
HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS
Owing to Fire and Health & Safety Regulations (and from the general considerations
of security), the hours of entry to certain buildings on the campus are restricted.
Outside these hours, entry can only be gained on the written permission of the Head
of College or other authority concerned.
No Smoking
Smoking is not permitted in any University building, at building entrances, along the
Mall or within 5 metres of any building. (The Mall begins at the west end of the
Faraday Building and ends at the Abbey).
Pedestrian & Road Safety
This is a busy campus with few roads, caution is required when walking around
campus; please use the pavements and zebra crossings. When driving on campus
the speed limit is 15mph. Please take extra care of pedestrians and other road users
(including cyclists).
Accidents & First Aid
Should you have an accident, the names and locations of first aiders will be
displayed on University notice boards. If in doubt, speak to a member of staff and
they will arrange first aid assistance for you.
In the event of an emergency, using any internal University phone dial 333, which
will put you directly through to the emergency services.
Please ensure that a member of staff is made of aware of your accident, as an
accident report form is required to be completed. The form can be obtained from the
Security Desk or the University Internet.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
In the event of a medical (or other) emergency call 333 immediately on a
University landline or ask a member of staff to do so. If you are unsure if 333
has been called, call 333 again.
For all emergency calls on University property dial 333 on a University 'phone. This
helps the University to speed the arrival of the Emergency Services.

56

IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE

1.
2.
3.
4.

Raise the alarm at once by breaking the glass of the nearest fire alarm call
point.
Send the first available person to telephone 333 and give the location of the
fire.
If appropriate, call for assistance and attack the fire with the correct
extinguisher.
If the fire should get out of control, or your escape is threatened, leave the
building at once, closing doors and windows as you go.

IF YOU HEAR THE FIRE ALARM

1.
2.

Leave the building immediately, closing all doors behind you.

When clear of the building proceed at once to the assembly area for that
building (as indicated on the blue Fire Action signs around the building).

USE THE NEAREST AVAILABLE EXIT.

DO NOT STOP TO COLLECT PERSONAL BELONGINGS.
DO NOT USE LIFTS.
DO NOT RE-ENTER THE BUILDING.
24 Hour Emergency Services - Ambulance / Fire / Police
On campus, Hendrefoelan & Beck Hall Single Rooms Tel: 333

OTHER UNIVERSITY SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS

ACADEMIC REGISTRY
Contact details
Tel: 01792 513546
Fax: 01792 295157
Email: academic.registry@swansea.ac.uk
Web: www.swan.ac.uk/registry
Opening times: Monday to Friday 10am-4pm
The Academic Registry, located in the Stable Block of Singleton Abbey, administers
the following key areas that may directly affect your time at Swansea:
Appeals
Assessment
Attendance Monitoring
Complaints/Disciplinary
Council Tax Exemption

Diploma Supplements
Examinations
Graduation Ceremonies
Programme Specifications
57

Providing confirmation of student

status
Suspension/Withdrawal of Studies
Transcripts

Transfers of Programmes/Modules
Unfair Practice/Fitness to Practise
Visa Extensions
Welsh Language Provision

In addition, any queries that might result in having to change your personal or academic
details may have to be referred to the Academic Registry
International Development Office
Contact details:
Tel: 01792 602365
Email: international@swansea.ac.uk / erasmus@swansea.ac.uk
Web: www.swan.ac.uk/internationalisation
The International Development Office contains the Study Abroad Unit which provides
support, information and advice to students on international study and work placement
opportunities available to them, including Swansea Universitys range of semester and
year-long student exchange and study abroad programmes, the Erasmus scheme, and
short term programmes including Study in India, Study in China and other summer schools.

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Student Support Services is part of the Student Services Directorate alongside Residential
Services and the English Language Training Service (ELTS).
Contact details:
Tel: 01792 602000
Email: student.services@swansea.ac.uk
Web: www.swan.ac.uk/study/current/studentsupportservices
Student Support Services can be found in the Keir Hardie Building, Ground Floor. It offers a
one-stop shop to provide information, advice and support to students and staff working
with them. It comprises:
The Disability Office
The International Student Advisory Service (ISAS)
The Money Advice and Support Office
The Student Wellbeing Service
Students can be referred to the department if they have a general enquiry, specific
problem or just need to talk things through. Enquiries from staff seeking to support
students are also welcome.
Support Services Diary
A Support Services Diary will be provided to all new students on their arrival at the
University, which provides a comprehensive list of support service contact information as
well guidance on key dates and issues that may arise during the academic year.
58

Disability Office
Tel: 01792 602000
Fax: 01792 295090
Minicom/text: 01792 513200/295090
Email: disability@swansea.ac.uk
Web: www.swansea.ac.uk/study/current/studentsupportservices/disabilityoffice
The Disability Office both provides and co-ordinates support for students with disabilities.
Reference to disability includes those with any form of disability/ specific need/medical
condition that requires support. This short note aims to give some basic information about
the services available.
Support available

Disability Caseworkers provide a comprehensive advice and information service

for students from initial enquiries prior to application and throughout a chosen course
of study
Specialist tuition a team of Specialist Tutors provide group and individual
support sessions
IT training & technical support training and technical support is available from
experienced staff on all assistive software packages
Support Schemes Notetakers, Readers and Support Workers can all be arranged
through the Disability Office
Close links with the Well Being Service for students affected by mental health
issues
Assessment of needs / Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) an Assessment
Officer will undertake a comprehensive assessment of your needs to identify and
recommend the best available technology and human support
Alternative examination provision in conjunction with the Examinations Office
extra time, use of a computer & assistive software such as screen readers can be
arranged
Internal liaison to establish and maintain support and adjustments by Academic
Departments, the Accommodation Office, the Recording for the Blind Centre and the
Examinations Office
External liaison to facilitate the necessary support from agencies, such as Local
Education Authority, the RNIB, RNID, National Assembly
Educational psychologist the Disability Office can arrange for an assessment
with an Educational Psychologist for students who suspect they may be dyslexic

Assessment and Training Centre for Students with Disabilities (ATC), Grove Building
Extension.
The University established an Assessment and Training Centre for students with disabilities
in the summer of 2002. All IT Training and Assessment of Needs/DSA Assessments are
undertaken in this fully accessible and air-conditioned facility. The Assessment Officer can
demonstrate the latest equipment and software to ensure students make better- informed
decisions about the forms of support that will most appropriately meet their needs.
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Transcription Centre
Tel: 01792 295912
Email: Braille@swansea.ac.uk
Web: www.swan.ac.uk/lis/library/sutc
The Transcription Centre (formerly the Recording Centre for the Blind) works closely with
colleagues in the Disability Office and Library and Information Centre to provide materials in
Braille, large print and/or tape.
For further information about the range of services on offer, please visit the website for a
summary.
International Student Advisory Service (ISAS)
Tel: 01792 602000
Email: isas@swansea.ac.uk
Web: www.swan.ac.uk/study/current/studentsupportservices/isas
The International Student Advisory Service (ISAS) provides information, advice and support
on non-academic matters to all applicants, students, staff members, visitors to the
University, ethnic minority UK residents and their dependants. The service operates
according to the UKCISA/AISA Code of Ethics for those advising international students (
www.ukcisa.org.uk/join/code_of_ethics.php ) and the Rules and Code of Standards of the
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner ( www.oisc.gov.uk ). Common areas of
advice include UK immigration and visa extensions, financial hardship, employment
regulations and dependants.
ISAS operates the Home Office Batch Scheme to assist students with extending their visas,
and arranges Police Registration on campus. Specific induction sessions are arranged for
international students.
Students can drop in for advice on simple matters or make an appointment with an adviser
to discuss more complicated matters in detail. The drop in service operates each weekday
morning and appointments are scheduled in the afternoons.
International Student Handbook
The International Student Handbook is produced each year and sent to prospective
students. It is also available on the University website at:
www.swansea.ac.uk/study/current/studentsupportservices/isas/pre-arrivalinformation
Money Advice and Support Office
Tel: 01792 602000
Email: moneydoctors@swansea.ac.uk
Web: www.swansea.ac.uk/study/current/studentsupportservices/moneyadviceandsupport

60

Opening times: 9.00am-5.00pm (drop-in sessions Monday to Friday, 10.00am-12.30pm,

except Wednesday)
The Money Advice and Support Office is on hand to provide information, advice and
guidance in all areas of student funding, money management and financial assistance. The
service is available to all Swansea University students who are facing financial difficulties or
wish to manage their finances effectively. Staff within the office can offer advice and
assistance with the following:

Money Doctors (including budgeting and debt advice)

Applying for Support from your Local Authority (LA) or Student Finance England
(SFE)
Student Loan/Grant Queries
Short-term Emergency Loans (for students whose loans are late through no fault of
their own)
Part-time Funding Queries
Professional and Career Development Loans
Entitlement to Benefits
Banking Difficulties
Application to the Financial Contingency Fund (FCF's)
International Student Crisis Fund
All aspects of Student Funding

The advice is free of charge and officers will provide open, honest and non-judgmental
advice whilst taking the issue of confidentiality seriously.
In addition the Money Advice and Support Office has produced a number of leaflets that
may be to your benefit, these are available on the website.
All contacts and communications made between student and advisors will remain in
the strictest of confidence
Wellbeing Services
Tel: 01729 295592
Email: wellbeing@swansea.ac.uk
Web: www.swansea.ac.uk/wellbeing/counselling
Opening times: 8.30am 4.30pm (drop-in sessions 10.00am-12.15pm, 2.00pm-3.15pm,
term-time Monday-Friday except Wednesday morning)
The Wellbeing Unit was created within Student Support Services in 2009 to help people feel
better within themselves and function more effectively as members of the University.
Services available include:

Counselling for staff and students

Wellbeing advice and support

For more information on these Services visit the Wellbeing website.

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING SERVICES (ELTS)

Tel: 01792 295391
Email: elts@swansea.ac.uk
Web: www.swansea.ac.uk/elts
The University recognises that students from other countries whose first language is not
English may need additional information and support.
English Language Training Services (ELTS) provides a variety of English language
programmes for international students both before and during their studies. Students who
do not meet the required English language entry level for their degree programme can
attend a course in English for University Study for up to 12 months.
We recommend all international students whose first language is not English to attend a 5
week pre-sessional course to familiarise themselves with using English in an academic
setting on a daily basis before they commence their undergraduate or postgraduate
programmes.
For students who have already enrolled on a degree programme, there are free daily
Academic English Language Support classes and grammar, speaking and writing
workshops.

DATA PROTECTION
The Universitys procedures comply with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998.
The responsibilities of students in relation to the provision of personal data can be found on
the Records Management web pages:
www.swan.ac.uk/university/administration/recordsmanagement
Students as data subjects have a right to request from the University a copy of their own
personal data. A standard form must be completed and a fee of 10 is charged for each
request.
The Universitys registration number with the Information Commissioner is Z6102454.

62

USEFUL FORMS AND DIARY OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR

A number of useful forms and a diary of the academic session are to be found on the
following pages.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION FOR

ECONOMICS DEGREE PROGRAMMES
Additional detailed information on specific degree programmes and modules is provided as
a separate supplement to this Undergraduate Handbook.

63

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
Student Special Circumstances Form
Ongoing Medical or Personal Circumstances and/or
Absence from Examinations

This form provides a formal mechanism for students to inform the Department of any
special circumstances which they feel are likely to adversely affect their overall academic
performance. This includes absence from examinations in the May and June sessions as
well as in-class examinations held at other times. Students are asked to complete Section
A below and attach any relevant documentation (e.g. original medical certificate in cases of
illness, or supporting letter from parent, guardian or other third party).
The completed form can be handed directly to one of the secretaries in the Department.
However, you may find it helpful first to discuss the issues involved with your Personal
Tutor, who will add any comments they feel appropriate. Where strict confidentiality is
desired, the form should be submitted to the Head of Department.
You can if you wish submit the form in a sealed envelope clearly marked Special
Circumstance Form: Medical or Personal Circumstances regarding [insert your name and
student number]
The information provided on the form will be presented to the Departmental Student Special
Circumstances Committee which, after due consideration, will make any recommendations
it feels appropriate to the Departmental Examinations Board. Such recommendations will
provide one of the inputs into decisions in respect of student progression and degree
classification. Note that where confidentiality has been requested, only strictly necessary
details will be made available to the Examination Board.
Normal documentary evidence e.g. original medical certificates must be
attached, supporting the claim made on the form. We will copy original documents and
return the originals to you if you need them.

64

Department of Economics

Undergraduate Special Circumstances Application Form

First Name(s):
Surname:
Student Number:
Degree Programme:
Level of Study:

Details of circumstances/Reason for Request

Please provide full details of the circumstances which you wish to make the Department aware of:

.
Continue on an attached sheet if you need more space.

Period affected:

Period of absence (dates of missed lectures or other teaching sessions): From: _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _ To: _ _/_ _/_ _ _ _

Module(s) for which coursework extension is requested:

Code

Module Title

% Weighing

Due Date

Length of extension
requested

Module(s) for which in-class tests were affected:

Code

Module Title

% Weighing

65

Date of Test

Module(s) for Examination(s) which were affected:

Code
Module Title

Attended
Yes/No

Date of Exam

Comments of Personal Tutor (where applicable):

Supporting Evidence supplied:

Yes
To follow Please provide details of what and when supporting evidence will be provided

Applications will not be considered without appropriate supporting evidence.

Please return completed forms to:

Assessment Co-ordinator
Richard Price Building, Room F27
Swansea University
Singleton Park, Swansea
SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1792 295168
Email: s.brown@swansea.ac.uk

Students should contact the members of staff named above to ascertain whether their application for coursework
extension(s) has been approved prior to the submission date. Failure to submit coursework on time without prior approval
may result in a mark of zero in accordance with the Departments late penalty.
Student Signature: ......................................................... .

Date:

OFFICE USE ONLY

Received in the Department by:......................................................... .
Date:
Coursework Extension Approved:
Yes
N No
Revised Deadline // Time.................
Approved by:
Signature

Coursework Submitted by Revised Deadline: Yes

No
Confirmed by:
.....
Outcome of
SSCC
.......
Outcome of University Student Cases Committee (if applicable)...........................................................................

66

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
Student Special Circumstances Form
Request for Coursework Deadline Extension

This form must be completed by students who, due to illness or exceptional personal
circumstances, find themselves unable to meet a final submission date for coursework
which constitutes part of a modules formal assessment programme and are seeking a
deadline extension.
Students should complete section A of the form, make a photocopy for themselves, and
submit the original to the Economics Office in the Richard Price Building. The original will
be sent to the Departments Examination Officer and the copy sent to the lecturer to who
has set the coursework.
You can if you wish submit the form in a sealed envelope marked Special Circumstance
Form Request for Coursework Deadline Extension regarding [insert your name and
student number]
It is important to be aware that the Department has strict guidelines in respect of the
circumstances under which extensions might be granted. Note, for example, that general
pressure of work arising from proximity of deadlines does not qualify. University policy
requires that lecturers provide appropriate notice of coursework and associated deadlines;
it is then the responsibility of students to organise their workloads to ensure these deadlines
can be met. Applications for extensions due to illness should be accompanied by an
original medical certificate, while those arising from other personal circumstances should
generally be supported by relevant documentation (e.g. letter from parent, guardian or other
third party).
Normal documentary evidence e.g. original medical certificates must be
attached, supporting the claim made on the form. We will copy original documents and
return the originals to you if you need them.

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68

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
Student Special Circumstances Form
Request for Coursework Deadline Extension
Section A is to be filled in the by student, Section B by the Department

Section A
Student Name:

Student Number:

Degree Programme:

Level of Study:

Details of Circumstances
Please provide details of the circumstances which will prevent/have prevented you meeting the assignment
deadline(s).
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
Continue on an attached sheet if you need more space.

Assignment(s) Affected:
Please list all coursework assignments for which an extension is being sought, indicating the official deadline
and the length of extension you feel you require.
Attach a copy of a Student Special Circumstances Form: Ongoing Medical or Personal Circumstances and/or
Absence from Examinations, if you have completed one.
..
..

69

Assignment(s) Affected continued

..
..
..

Nature of Supporting Documentation:

..
..

Signature . Date

Section B
Decision of Examinations Officer:
..
..
..
..
..
..
Comments:
..
..
..
..
..
..

Date Received by Department Office: ...

Received by: ...

70

Student Record Number(s):

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
ADRAN ECONOMEG
Coursework Submission Cover Sheet & Declaration
Complete one copy of this cover sheet and staple to the front of your coursework prior to
submission via the Drop Box in the Richard Price Building for Economics assignments. The
assignment should be submitted by 12.00 p.m. on the deadline date. Any submissions after this
time will receive a mark of zero.
Group Assignments must include each members student number and signature.

Section A - To Be Completed By The Student

Module Code:

Module Title:

Coursework Title:

Deadline:

Please indicate whether the coursework is individual work or group project work
(tick appropriate box):

Individual
Group

Has a deadline extension for this coursework been sought from the Special
Circumstances Sub-Committee?

Yes
No

Has a deadline extension for this coursework been granted by the Special
Circumstances Sub-Committee?

Yes
No

If Yes to this second question please ensure that the following details are completed:
Extended Deadline:
Administrators Signature:

Date:

To Whom It May Concern: I/we declare that I/we have read and understood the Universitys policy on
unfair practice and this work is my/our own and not copied in whole or part from external sources without
acknowledgement, or from any other past or present student/group.

I/We have read and understood the advice on preventing Plagiarism and Collusion provided under
the "My Studies" tab in Blackboard.

Signature/s

Date:

Section B - For Office Use Only ( LATE Submissions)

Department Stamp:

Date and Signature:

a.m
p.m

Other Information:#

71

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72

DIARY OF THE 2012 - 2013 SESSION

MICHAELMAS TERM
Week 0
24/09/12 28/09/12
Enrolment and Induction
SEMESTER 1
Week 1
01/10/12 05/10/12
Teaching & Learning
Week 2
08/10/12 12/10/12
Teaching & Learning

Week 3
15/10/12 19/10/12
Teaching & Learning
Week 4
22/10/12 26/10/12
Teaching & Learning
Week 5
29/10/12 02/11/12
Teaching & Learning
Week 6
05/11/12 09/11/12
Teaching & Learning
Week 7
12/11/12 16/11/12
Teaching & Learning
Week 8
19/11/12 23/11/12
Teaching & Learning
Week 9
26/11/12 30/11/12
Teaching & Learning
Week 10
03/12/12 07/12/12
Teaching & Learning
Week 11
10/12/12 14/12/12
Teaching & Learning /
Exam Preparation
Christmas Recess
(3 weeks)
17/12/12 04/01/13

LENT TERM

SUMMER TERM

Week 12
07/01/13 11/01/13
Assessment

Week 23
15/04/13 19/04/13
Teaching & Learning

Week 13
14/01/13 18/01/13
Assessment
Week 14
21/01/13 25/01/13
Employability/Feedback/
Graduation Week
SEMESTER 2
Week 15
28/01/13 01/02/13
Teaching & Learning
Week 16
04/02/13 08/02/13
Teaching & Learning
Week 17
11/02/13 15/02/13
Teaching & Learning
Week 18
18/02/13 22/02/13
Teaching & Learning
Week 19
25/02/13 01/03/13
Teaching & Learning
Week 20
04/03/13 08/03/13
Teaching & Learning
Week 21
11/03/13 15/03/13
Teaching & Learning
Week 22
18/03/13 22/03/13
Teaching & Learning

Week 24
22/04/13 26/04/13
Teaching & Learning
Week 25
29/04/13 03/05/13
Teaching & Learning / Exam
Preparation

Easter Recess
(3 weeks)
25/03/13 12/04/13

73

Week 26
06/05/13 10/05/13
Assessment
Week 27
13/05/13 17/05/13
Assessment
Week 28
20/05/13 24/05/13
Assessment
Week 29
27/05/13 31/05/13
Assessment
Week 30
03/06/13 07/06/13
Marking
Week 31
10/06/13 14/06/13
Marking/Award Boards
End of Session
14/06/13
Graduation Cremonies
08/07/13 12/07/13

Summer Recess

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74