Assessment

The assessments are not contained on this CD. They will be posted on the live course website (http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/distance/exploring/course). Reminders will also be posted on the important notices section of the Discussion Forum. We will provide you with plenty of time in advance of suggested deadlines. If you think you will have a problem meeting a deadline contact a course tutor in advance to negotiate an extension. We are conscious you have other commitments on your time so we aim to be as flexible as possible. Extensions beyond the end of the course cannot be arranged (except for deferrals - see below) so it is very important that you keep in touch with your tutor so that we are aware of your circumstances and your wishes concerning assessment.

Assessment will take the following form:

• Review (worth 50% of the final mark): In two parts.
  You will be asked to send us solutions to a number of review questions and exercises.
• Observational Report (worth 25% of the final mark): 
  You will be asked to send us a written report on the observational programme and subsequent analysis of data which you carry out during the course.
• Final test (25%): This is a multiple choice test covering the whole course. The test will be available for download during a 2 week period at the end of the course. You choose when to take the test at a time that suits you during that 2-week period. You will have 6 hours to return solutions via a web form.

Please note that in academic year 2002/03 we are trialling anonymous marking for the periodic reviews. When you submit solutions please ensure that you provide a coversheet which includes your name and registration number and the title of the course and the piece of assessment (e.g. Review 1). Coursework should be submitted to the address given on the Contacts page. This coversheet will be removed by office staff before distributing the remainder of your submission to the tutor for marking. If the work is to remain anonymous then the remainder of your work should not contain your name or registration number. 

Participation

It is particularly important in a distance learning course that you remain actively involved in the course. This can be achieved mainly by reading and making postings to the web-based discussion forum. You should also maintain contact with the course tutor via email or, if you prefer, telephone.

Award of Certificate

A University Certificate of Credit for 20 Level 1 credits will be awarded for a final mark of 40% or greater. Students achieving a mark of 60-79% will be deemed to have passed with Merit and those with 80% or higher with Distinction.

The University of Manchester credit system follows the UK national standard in which 120 Level 1 credits correspond to the first year of full- time undergraduate study. These credits can therefore be transferred to other suitable programmes of study - if you are intending to do this you must first check with the director of the target programme that this course is suitable for accreditation.

If circumstances mean you will not be able to complete a large part of the course then you can ask for assessment to be deferred till the following year. Only one such deferral can be allowed. If you wish to defer or withdraw entirely you must contact the course tutor immediately.

If you hand in work but fail to achieve a pass mark then you can request a referral i.e. extra work can be set for you to enable you to achieve a pass. This is usually to be completed by the September following the end of the course depending on the amount of work required. If you fail because you did not hand in work at all and have not been in contact with the tutors to arrange extensions or a deferral, the examiners need not offer a referral.