Academic Regulation on Academic Progress
1. A student is permitted to proceed with their approved course of study only if they maintain acceptable progress as evidenced by attendance at classes, satisfactory performance in assessments and the proper completion of such other work as may be allotted to the student.
2. Faculty Pro vice-Chancellors (or deputised authority) shall have power to recommend that a student, whose academic performance is unsatisfactory, should be excluded from University either temporarily or permanently.
3. Such requirements may be either absolute or conditional on the student in question failing to comply with a requirement relating to their studies which has been imposed by the Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor (or deputised authority).
4. UNDERGRADUATE AND TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS WHO FAIL TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THEIR STUDIES AND/OR SUBMISSION OF WORK
4.1 The University requires students to engage with all scheduled activities (in person and online) and materials made available through the Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard) and Lecture Capture (Panopto). These shall include but shall not be limited to lectures, seminars, practical classes and tutorials. The University may also require students to comply with additional attendance requirements to enable the University to comply with external agencies. Fraudulent use of attendance and/or engagement monitoring systems could lead to disciplinary action under the Rules and Regulations for Students.
4.2 At the start of each session, Faculties shall inform students taking their modules of University requirements for academic engagement and submission of work, and any additional Faculty specific requirements. Students should ensure that they understand these requirements fully. Where a student is identified as failing to meet the requirements for academic engagements and/or submission of work, the Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor (or deputised authority), should interview the student and undertake such other formal consultation as they consider necessary.
4.3 If after interviewing the student and after any appropriate consultation no satisfactory explanation has emerged, the Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor (or deputised authority) should issue a formal warning that unless the student’s progress improves they will be excluded from University either temporarily or permanently.
4.4 In the event that the student’s progress does not improve, or if the student fails to attend an interview, the Faculty Pro Vice-chancellor (or deputised authority) shall submit a report to the Academic Registrar recommending that the student is excluded from University either temporarily or permanently. The Academic Registrar shall verify that this regulation and the guidance contained in Academic Quality Handbook have been followed and then shall issue formal notification to the student of permanent or temporary exclusion.
4.5 A student whose progress is identified as unsatisfactory during the third term shall be interviewed as in 4.2 above. Such a student shall not be excluded at that time, but shall be informed that the relevant Examining Boards at the end of the session shall take unsatisfactory progress into account and may decide that the student should not be allowed to return to University.
4.6 Where a decision to exclude a student has been made at a departmental Examination Board, that decision should be recorded in the departmental Examination Board minutes, and the associated paperwork forwarded to Academic Registry. Senate Exam Board will confirm students to be excluded, and Academic Registry will issue exclusion letters following the Boards. The Senate Examination Board recommendation to exclude a student on a permanent or temporary basis will be subject to Academic Registry verification that the Academic Regulation on Academic Progress procedure has been followed by faculties.
4.7 All template forms can be found in section 3.13 of the AQH: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/academic-registry/handbook/taught-schemes/.
4.8 The Faculty will inform the Academic Registry of its decisions in every case. The Academic Registrar will inform the student in writing within five working days of a decision to exclude and of the student’s right to an appeal.
4.9 The student has 10 working days in which to submit an appeal. A copy of the Academic Appeal Procedures can be found at https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/academic-registry/handbook/appeals/)
5. RESEARCH POSTGRADUATES
5.1 A research postgraduate student is permitted to proceed with their approved course of study only if they maintain satisfactory progress in relation to the programme of work and the timetable agreed by the supervisor(s) including the submission of written drafts within agreed periods of time.
5.2 The Head of the Graduate School, on the recommendation of the Faculty/Department Research Monitoring Committee, shall have the power to require a student whose academic performance is inadequate to be:
5.2.1 prevented from proceeding from the probationary period;
5.2.2 not allowed to proceed to the next year of research;
5.2.3 not permitted to upgrade from a Research Masters' to a Doctorate;
5.2.4 downgraded from a Doctorate to a Research Masters';
5.2.5 excluded from the University.
5.3 Such requirements may be either absolute or conditional on the student in question failing to comply with a requirement relating to their studies which has been imposed by the Research Monitoring Committee.
5.4 The Head of the Graduate School should notify the Academic Registrar using the Monitoring Student Progress - Template H. The Academic Registrar will inform the student in writing within five days of such decisions, and of the student’s right to an appeal.
5.5 All template forms can be found in section 3.13 of the AQH: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/academic-registry/handbook/taught-schemes/
5.6 A student has 10 working days from the date of the letter in which to formally request a Review against a decision by a Research Monitoring Committee. A copy of the Academic Appeal Procedures can be found at https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/academic-registry/handbook/appeals/
Reviewed: September 2023