Types of Alternative Assessments

• In the School of Humanities we will be using the following forms of alternative assessment to replace examinations for second and final year students:
  • Alternative assignments for text-based subjects (short, written pieces: replaces desk exams)
  • Alternative arrangements for oral examinations and term 3 presentations 
  • You can find detailed breakdowns of second and third year assessment changes by module in the charts at tottom of this page.
• We will be asking first year students to complete a portfolio of work in term 3, with exact portfolio requirements differing  depending on the degree programme you are taking. Please see the First Year section below for more details about the portfolio requirements by degree.

 

Second and Final Year UG and PGT Students

The Alternative Assessment Timetable for second and final years can be found here.  Dates for oral exams in LLC can be found in the links further down this page. Please npte that the date given is the date the assessment will be released, not the date it is due back (which will be the day after, in nearly all cases). 

All Alternative Assessments have a window of 23 hours to be completed.  You should set aside two hours to complete each assessment. 

All assessments will be launched at 11:00am with the deadline at 10:00am the following day.  All times are in British Summer Time (BST).  If you are in a different time zone to BST, please calculate a suitable time of day in advance so you can ensure that you submit the work by the end of the assessment window. 

We recommend that complete the assessments in a space where you can work without distractions or interruptions.  It is a good idea to plan where you will work in advance, warn people around you, and switch off your mobile/other communications.  

 

First Year Students: Portfolios

• First Year Portfolios will replace the in-person written (and where relevant, oral) examinations that students would have taken in Term 3.  This will bring together aspects from the courses that students would have been examined on, in order to ensure that the degree learning outcomes are met and students can progress.  
• Portfolios are only designed to replace exams in Term 3 which will not now take place. If you are currently working on a piece of assessed coursework due at the start of Term 3, you should continue to work on this and submit as normal. The fact that you are currently doing some coursework, and will therefore have completed a higher percentage of your assessments than if you had been due to take exams alone, has been factored into the size and scope of the portfolio requirement. 
• First year marks do not count towards your final degree classification, but we require that you pass the portfolio, and that you complete any outstanding assignments that have already been set.  Decisions about successful completion of Year One and progression will be made by Exam Boards on the basis of all of your marks and the successful completion of this portfolio.

 

Portfolio Requirements by degree programme

• You can see a list of which portfolios are required by degree programme here. Clicking on the links next to your degree programme will take you to the relevant appendix, where the exact requirements are explained.

• Module convenors will be in touch with all students in the coming week to explain how their exam paper will be adapted for alternative assessment in the portfolio. If you have any other questions, please do contact the School: humanities-school@rhul.ac.uk. 
• We will email more information about where to upload your portfolio components next week: in many cases, this will simply be an additional box on the relevant module's Moodle page.
• The Chair of Exams in LLC will email students taking oral components in the portfolio to explain the arrangements for these. These will no longer be in the week commencing 27th April, in order to give you longer to plan your oral presentation.

Timetable

• A timetable for the release and submission of portfolio components for first year students has been emailed, and is now available here. 

 

Alternative Assessment Guidance: All Students

Accessing the alternative assessments

All papers will be made available through Moodle on the module’s Moodle page at the time in the published timetable.  Students will also be emailed the assessment via the module Moodle page.

Format of the Assessment

• Alternative Assignment:  The format of the alternative assignment will be similar to an examination paper with students being given a choice of questions to answer.  There will be an introduction sheet at the start of the assignment which outlines how to complete and submit the assessment.   Please read this carefully.  Module convenors will be in touch with students to confirm the format of their particular assessment and any rubric issues that students may need to be aware of.
• Oral Language Exams (LLC): students to submit a pre-recording of their oral presentation on an agreed topic via the course Moodle page.  Further details will be emailed by the course convenors and Chair of Exams in LLC.  

• Some modules across the School of Humanities are usually assessed by group presentations or mini conferences.  While the technology is there to replicate these more ambitiously, we have decided on grounds of accessibility to keep our replacement assessments very simple.  Planned group presentations will replaced by individual presentations, produced as a PowerPoint presentation with a recorded voiceover, and submitted via Turnitin (bar the planned presentations for LA1000, which, given the introduction of the portfolio for first years, have now been cancelled).

  Individual presentations set on other modules will also be submitted as a PowerPoint presentation with a recorded voiceover.  There are further details in the pdfs below, and you will also be contacted by the relevant module convenor to explain how this revised format will work in the relevant modules.

Completing the Assessment

• Answers should be completed electronically in a Word document.
• At the top of the first page (or in the header) of the document you submit please write (a) the course number/name and (b) your candidate number.  Please do not enter your name or Student ID number to ensure your work can be marked confidentially.
• For each question you attempt, please state the question number.  All answers should appear in a single document.
• Please do not cut and paste material from other documents or from the internet into your answers (the Turnitin plagiarism checker will tell us immediately if you have done this).
• Pictures or diagrams can be included by photographing a hand drawn document or inserting a picture file from another document.
• Referencing: as with an exam, please do not use references (or include a bibliography).
• The assignment should be written in your own words, except for quotations.  Identify quotations using quotation marks, and give the source.  Base answers on your knowledge and revision of materials from the course. i.e. do not research new literature as you would for a coursework essay. 
• A full rubric for ‘essay’ style exam answers will be distributed at the start of the exam period.  Like a normal exam, these exercises will reward the ability to come up with sharp ideas spontaneously, to explain them clearly, and in a way that reflects mature knowledge of the primary subject materials.  For now, you should be preparing for these assessments as you would have been doing before the current situation – developing your knowledge of primary materials, and engaging widely with other commentators. 
• Every paper will be run through plagiarism software (Turnitin). The software will also compare your work against all other students’ submitted work.  Any unattributed collaboration among students will be treated as collusion, a serious assessment offence.

Submission of Alternative Assessments in the incorrect format

• Wherever possible, you should try to submit work in the format outlined.  However, if you are having problems producing the format requested please let humanities-school@rhul.ac.uk know and tell them why, then complete and submit the work in a format that you are able to access.  You should ensure that the work you complete meets the assessment requirements you have been set and that you submit the work by the submission deadline.

Submitting the Assessment

• Students will be required to submit alternative assignments using the submission links in the module page.
• If you are submitting a document with photos or diagrams, you can reduce the size of document by converting this to a PDF document - this will make the upload process quicker and easier.
• If you are having difficulty in submitting your Alternative Assessment on time, for example due to technological difficulties, then you should e-mail us as soon as you can and as close to the submission deadline as possible, letting us know the reason why so we can advise you on what to do.  We are here to help you and will treat all situations sympathetically.  Please contact humanities-school@rhul.ac.uk.

Word Counts & Over-Length Work

Second and Final Years

• Each alternative assessment will have a total word count of 2000 words, with some flexibility to write up to 2400 words in total if required.  Typically alternative assessments will ask you to answer two questions.  The purpose of a word limit is to give all students a clear indication of the maximum length of a piece of assessed written work and the amount of work expected. The word limits are designed to allow you to complete the assessment within the time indicated that you should spend on the assessment.  Markers will not mark work once the word count has been reached, so please do not exceed these limits. 

First Years

• Each alternative assessment will have a total word count of 1000-1200 words.  Typically alternative assessments will ask you to answer one question.  The purpose of a word limit is to give all students a clear indication of the maximum length of a piece of assessed written work and the amount of work expected. The word limits are designed to allow you to complete the assessment within the time indicated that you should spend on the assessment.  Markers will not mark work once the word count has been reached, so please do not exceed these limits. 

 

Extensions & Late Submissions

• Extensions
  • You may be able to request an extension for coursework assessments (but not alternative assessments) if you are unable to submit on time.  Extensions will be considered in line with the current extensions policy, which has had adjustments made in light of the covid-19 situation.  
  • Extensions should be applied for via the extensions system in Campus Connect. Please note you will not be able to apply for an additional extension until two weeks before the new deadline.
  • For further information, please see the Extensions & Extenuating Circumstances pages.

• Late Submissions
  • If you are having difficulty in submitting your Alternative Assessment on time, for example due to technological difficulties, then you should e-mail the school office – Humanities-school@rhul.ac.uk as soon as you can and as close to the submission deadline as possible, letting us know the reason why so we can advise you on what to do.  We are here to help you and will treat all situations sympathetically.
  • These Alternative Assessments are being offered to replace formal examinations and therefore late submissions may be classed as a non-submission.  If this situation were to happen you would automatically be offered another attempt at the assessment as a First Sit without needing to submit ECs.  Please see the Results & Progression page for further details.

Undergraduate Changes to Assessment By Module (Years 2 and 3)

Please click on the links below for details on which modules have amended assessments, by term:

Term 2 Changes to Assessment

Term 3 Changes to Assessment

 

Postgraduate Taught Changes to Assessment By Module

The following PGT modules have amended assessments in Term 2:

PGT Assessments Term 2

Module	Previous Assessment	Assessment Amendment
HS5462: The Voice of the People	50% essay, previously due 25th March	Deadline extended to 15th April

Please click on the link below for details of PGT assessments in Term 3:

Term 3 Changes to Assessment: PGT