Coursework Assessment Deadlines
We have adjusted a number of coursework assessment deadlines to support students – please see below for confirmation of the new deadlines:
Alternative Assessments for Second, Third and Final Year UG Students (Music only)
- In the School of Performing and Digital Arts we will be using the following forms of alternative assessment to replace on-campus examinations:
- Alternative assignments for text-based subjects (short, written pieces)
- Arrangements for recital examinations (as instructed by Director of Performance Dr Mary Dullea, and/or module convenor)
The full list of alternative assessments by module is available here.
Alternative Assessments Timetable for Second, Third and Final Year UG Students (Music only)
• Alternative Assessment Timetable
• All Alternative Assessments have a window of 23 hours to be completed. All assessments will be launched at 11:00am with the deadline at 10:00am the following day. All times are British Summer Time (BST).
• Alternative assessments in the School are designed to take a maximum of 2 hours. Students therefore may have assessments in successive days and multiple assessments within a week. Much like having more than one exam in a week this is not considered to be detrimental to students’ performance.
Guidance Documents on submitting work:
Helpsheet - Submitting a Document to Turnitin
Helpsheet - Submitting a Video Assignment in RePlay (to submit a Music recital recording)
First Year Undergraduates (Music only)
First Year Assessment timetable and supporting information
Preparing for Alternative Assessments
The following instructions are aimed to provide guidance for text-based subjects only. Please read them carefully so that you are well prepared. Arrangements for replacing practical examinations (e.g., recitals, practice-based work) are per the instructions from your department and/or module convenor.
- Revision Sessions & Technical Practice
- We will providing revision sessions and/or 'technical practice' to help students prepare for the Alternative Assessments. The details on these sessions/practice will be available on the 17th April
- Preparing for alternative assessments
- The alternative assessment will be made available at the scheduled time (British Summer Time - BST) on the timetable. We recommend that you set aside time to complete the assessment in a space where you can work without distractions or interruptions to complete the paper. It is a good idea to plan where you will work in advance, warn people around you, and switch off your mobile/other communications. 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.
- 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
- Students without IT equipment or internet access
- We understand that some students may not have adequate access to either IT equipment or internet connections that would enable them to complete their assessments. The following support is available to help you complete this academic year successfully:
- Financial support - If you are unable to access IT equipment due to financial difficulties students can contact the Financial Wellbeing team to discuss options and an assessment for support from the Study Support Grant. A standard assessment process is used which calculates the level of support based on the difference between annual income and essential expenditure.
- IT support - If you are having other difficulties, for example technical difficulties, please refer to the access off-campus support pages.
- Extenuating circumstances - If your difficulties with IT mean that you are not able to attempt assessments within the allocated time please see our Extensions & Extenuating Circumstances Guidance.
- Completing Alternative Assessments
- Format:
- 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 and Plagiarism:
- As with exams, 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 (e.g. Martina Fredrick). 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.
- 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.
- Word Counts & Over-Length Work:
- Each assessment will have a 700 word limit per 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. You will not be penalised for longer answers, but work above the word count may not be marked. Remember that shorter, succinct and well-conceived answers tend to receive better marks than longer rambling ones
- Submitting the Assessment
- Students will be required to submit text-based alternative assignments through Turnitin 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 encounter technical problems in uploading the assessment to the Moodle page for this module please contact PDA-School@rhul.ac.uk.
- Submission of answers in an alternative format: Wherever possible, you should try to submit work in the format outlined. However, if you are having problems producing the format requested please contact PDA-school@rhul.ac.uk 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.
- Guidance Documents on submitting work:
Helpsheet - Submitting a Document to Turnitin
Helpsheet - Submitting a Video Assignment in RePlay (to submit a Music recital recording)
- 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. Not all assessments are eligible for extensions, if you aren’t sure, please contact the school office – PDA-school@rhul.ac.uk.
- 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
- Alternative Assessments
- 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 – PDA-school@rhul.ac.uk as soon as you can and as close to the submission deadline as possible, letting us know the reason why. 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 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.
- Coursework Assessments
- If you submit your coursework late, even after you have applied for an extension, then it will be subject to the usual late penalties as outlined in the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Regulations.
- Where you are not in a position to submit coursework for submission deadlines that fall between 1 March and 30 June 2020 then you will automatically be offered another attempt at the assessment without needing to submit ECs. Please see the Results & Progression page for further details.
We hope this answers most questions you may have about the end of year Alternative Assessments, but don’t hesitate to contact the school helpdesk (PDA-school@rhul.ac.uk) if you have any queries, or Henry Stobart (Music’s Chair of Exams), if you have any Music specific queries.