Aerospace Engineering - University of Sheffield

DEPARTMENT OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOK

2012-2013

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Undergraduate Student Handbook We welcome new and continuing students to the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering at the University of Sheffield, and we are very pleased that you have chosen this department as your academic home. Almost everything you need to know about your academic life in the Department is on the Automatic Control and Systems Engineering website, at

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/acse/current The Student Services Information Desk has information about most other topics related to your life at the University of Sheffield (on Level 4, of the Students‟ Union Building, and online at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid). This handbook aims to highlight important information that you need and to point you to sources of further information. An electronic version of this handbook is available on the ACSE current undergraduate student web pages at the following link:

http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.91576!/file/Handbook.pdf

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Table of Contents Part 1 General Information Reception Departmental Secretary's Office

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Page

3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4

Part 2 Assessment Procedures Levels, Credits and Grades Written Examinations: When and what to expect and do Medical or Personal Circumstances Affecting Examinations and Assessment Sessions Religious Holidays and Examinations Calculators and Dictionaries Permitted Items Conduct During Examinations Past Exam Papers Submission Procedures Problems with Submission and Late Submissions Feedback on Assignment Work

Notice Boards

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University Computing Services Web pages Email Display Screen Computing Support Office Student Services Information Desk The University Library Information about Disability and Dyslexia Support Services Information about Careers and Vacation Work Information about Study Abroad and Degrees with Employment Experience Who is Who on the Staff Registration for Continuing Students Module Choice Personal Tutors and Welfare Support for International Students HEAR

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Plagiarism and Collusion (Unfair Means)

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First University Examination Progression and Failure Progression Repeat examinations Not Completed Module Degree Classification Repeating Modules or Years Reporting of Module Grades and Examination Results Academic Appeals Procedures

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Sheffield Graduate Development Programme Attendance Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Course Literature Medical or other personal circumstances Staff Student Committee

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Examination Scripts Anonymous Marking Policy Examination Marking Verification Policy Certifying Letters and Transcripts of Examination Results Certifying Letters and Transcripts of Examination Results Prizes Projects and Dissertations ACSE Dissertation, Thesis and Projects Library

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Student Files Student Feedback Questionnaires Semester Dates and Course Timetables General Regulations What are the procedures for choosing Modern Language modules? Your Safety at the University Other sources of information

8 8 9 9 9

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4 5 5 5 6 6

7 8 8 8 8

10 10 10 11 11 11 11 11 11 12 13

14 14 14 15 15 16 17

9 9

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18 18 18 18

1. General Information The Automatic Control and Systems Engineering Department occupies two buildings: the Amy Johnson Building on Portobello Street and the Sir Henry Stephenson Building on Mappin Street. The Reception and most staff offices are in the Amy Johnson Building: a full list of staff and the location of their offices is given at http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/staff. Reception is located in room B06 of the Amy Johnson Building. Normal opening hours are 9.15am to 4.45pm Monday to Friday. You should use Reception for all general enquiries, for example, about timetables and examinations and where to find people. It is also where you will hand in coursework. Departmental Secretary's Office: the Departmental Secretary‟s office is located in room B10 of the Amy Johnson Building. You should go to this office if you wish to see the Head of Department. Notice Boards: Undergraduate notice boards, including the Exams Notice board, are located on floor A of the Amy Johnson Building. You should check these notice boards regularly for general information and for information on courses. University Computing Services: The University has a Computer Network for use by all students. A managed desktop in University computing laboratories provides various programs to support your course. Email and a Student Portal facility are provided via the University Computer Network. Information on the use of the University computer network may be found at http://www.shef.ac.uk/cics. Web pages: The University web pages are a rich source of information, and the main University home page is http://www.shef.ac.uk/. The department maintains its own local pages at http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse, where information such as course timetables may be found. Each student will have a student portal with information specific to them; the portal is described at http://www.shef.ac.uk/cics/muse. Amongst other things, the MUSE portal allows you to update the contact details that the University holds for you. Please remember also to let the General Office know when you change either your home address or your Sheffield address. If you do not do this it can lead to difficulties if we need to contact you urgently, particularly at examination time.

Email: You must check your University email every day. The Department will use your University email address to communicate with you. Display Screen: This is located on B floor of the Amy Johnson Building by the Reception. Please check this regularly for urgent notices. Computing Support Office: This is located in room A15 of the Amy Johnson Building. The Support Office deals with problems relating to our computing facilities and administers the department's software library. Student Services Information Desk: This is on the ground floor of the Union of Students Building, with extensive web pages at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid. The SSID should be the first point of contact for most student-related enquiries that are not specifically related to your course of study. For example, the SSID desk/website provides the following services: 4

Certifying Letters, Change of Status forms, Council Tax and LEA Confirmation Forms, Financial Help Information, Calculator and Dictionary Approval, Examination Clash and Resit Forms, Immigration Certifying Letters, Module Add/Drop Forms, Special Circumstances/Medical Forms, Student Finance Information, Transcripts and U-cards. The University Library: The Library is here to support you in your studies. There is a wealth of material available; over 1,400,000 printed volumes and an extensive range of electronic resources including subject databases, ebooks and ejournals. Many resources are accessible from anywhere. The Library web pages at www.shef.ac.uk/library offer extensive information about making the best use of resources and services. Information about Disability and Dyslexia Support Services: The Department is committed to supporting students with disabilities and makes use of the University Disability and Dyslexia Support Service. See http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/disability for more information. Please inform the Department‟s disability support officer (Angela Satur, [email protected]) if you have a disability, so that the Department can take account of any support needs that you have. Information about Careers and Vacation Work: ACSE undergraduate careers information is displayed at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/acse/current/careers . The main source of information about careers and vacation work is provided by the University Careers Service. The Careers Service offers comprehensive help, guidance and advice on: finding vacation employment, sponsorship and placements; completing application forms, writing CV‟s, interview techniques, aptitude tests etc; career prospects for systems engineers. The University of Sheffield Careers Service web page is at http://www.shef.ac.uk/careers/. Information about Study Abroad and Degrees with Employment Experience: ACSE students have the opportunity to spend part of their degree abroad, without extending the length of the course. Eligible students spend their third year at a partner university. The study and assessment you carry out at the partner university will form part of your University of Sheffield degree. Please contact the Study Abroad/Erasmus Coordinator in ACSE for further information. Full details of this programme are available from the University web pages at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/studyabroad. Degrees with Employment Experience offer the opportunity to undertake a one year work placement as part of your degree programme. Further details are available at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/placements/students. Who is Who on the Staff: Principal administrative roles of staff in the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering: Head of Department Prof Visakan Kadirkamanathan (on secondment until March 2013) Acting Head of Department Prof Rob Harrison Departmental Administrator Dr Kathryn Gannon Research Administrator Mr Matthew Ham Departmental Superintendent Mr Alex Price Director of Learning & Teaching UGT/PGT Programmes Officer Assessment Officer

Dr Anthony Rossiter Dr Zi-Qiang Lang Dr Osman Tokhi 5

Student Support Officer Foundation Year Tutor 1st Year Tutor 2nd Year Tutor 3rd & 4th Year Tutor PGT Tutor Tutor for Aerospace Engineering Tutor for Biomedical Engineering Study Abroad / Erasmus Coordinator

Mrs Linda Gray Prof. Mahdi Mahfouf Mrs Linda Gray Dr HuaLiang Wei Dr Zi-Qiang Lang Dr Osman Tokhi Dr Tony Dodd Dr HuaLiang Wei Dr Roderich Gross

Departmental Secretary Student Support Exams Administrator & MSc Secretary Admissions Secretary (Research) Admissions Secretary (UG)

Mrs Debbie Proctor Ms Liz Woodward Mr Richard Holmes Mrs Frances Bright Miss Angela Satur

Director of Admissions & External Affairs UGT / PGT Recruitment Officer

Prof Misha Balikhin Dr Simon Pope

Media & Marketing Officer Head of Publicity External Affairs Officer

Dr Ian Lilley Dr George Panoutsos Dr Robin Purshouse

Director of Resources Computing Officer Safety Officer

Prof Rob Harrison Dr Ian Lilley Mr Alex Price

Principal Faculty Administrative Roles: Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor Director of Learning and Teaching Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching Assistant Faculty Director of Learning and Teaching (Quality Enhancement) Assistant Faculty Director of Learning and Teaching (Student Experience) Director of Research & Innovation

Professor M J Hounslow Prof Stephen Beck Dr Siobhán North Dr Rachel Horn Mrs Linda Gray Professor Aleksandar Pavic

Registration for Continuing Students: Continuing undergraduate students receive information about registration with their examination results. You should access the on-line registration link via MUSE (follow the link in the top left-hand corner of the home page, and once you are in MUSE, go to the 'My record' tab, then click on the link for Online Registration). You will be able to update your personal details and pay any tuition fees that are due. Please be reminded that it is a University Regulation that students should register for each academic year of study, prior to their registration start date. Module Choice: Students can find the 2012/13 regulations for their Degree Programme at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/acse/current/undergraduates/firstyear. Information on how to choose optional modules and modules descriptions for non-ACSE modules which students may wish to take can be found at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/course.

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Personal Tutors and Welfare: Each of you has been allocated a member of staff as your personal tutor. The role of the personal tutor is to help you with any difficulties, academic or personal, which you may encounter during your time here. You should ensure that your tutor is aware of any personal circumstances that might affect your performance. Your personal tutor will make arrangements to see you and will inform you of dates and times of formal personal tutorial meetings. Attendance at formal personal tutorial meetings is mandatory. For more information about the personal tutoring system in ACSE, please see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/current/undergraduates/tutors. The University recognizes that students sometimes have problems and need someone to turn to for help. Because the problems that students have fall into many different categories, the University has put together the following webpage, to point students to the right support for different types of problem: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/welfare/signposts. Your personal tutor will also see you individually to help you, but please remember that staff have other duties and are more likely to be helpful if you make an appointment to see them. If you need urgent help and you cannot find your personal tutor, see your year tutor or ask at Reception. Explain to whomever you see in the Reception that your problem needs urgent attention. Support for International Students: The student body in Automatic Control and Systems Engineering is very cosmopolitan, providing opportunities for all of our students to gain experience in working in a multicultural environment. We encourage our students to get to know all the students in their year by making sure that there is a mix of students from different countries in tutorial and project work groups. We recognize that international students sometimes need extra information and support.  

For information related to immigration status and rights and responsibilities in the UK, please see http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/international. For information about extra support with English provided by the University English Language Teaching Centre, please see http://www.shef.ac.uk/eltc.

New international first year undergraduates will also be offered tailored English support in the Department, in addition to or instead of support in the University English Language Teaching Centre, and you will receive more information about this tailored English support from the Department's Language Support Coordinator.

HEAR The University is committed to recognising the wide range of curricular and extracurricular learning experiences that students gain during their time at Sheffield. It is therefore introducing a new kind of degree transcript that will be offered to all new undergraduate students from September 2012: the Higher Education Achievement Report or „HEAR‟. This transcript has been developed over the past four years, through a national project involving other universities, employers and students. You will be issued with your HEAR alongside your degree certificate. As well as including your degree classification, an overview of your qualification and a list of your modules and grades, the HEAR will include more detailed information about your chosen course. It will also give details of non-academic achievements that the University or the Students‟ Union can verify, to provide you with a broad picture of 7

your university achievements. These might include additional modules you have taken (e.g. a language course), awards such as the Sheffield Graduate Award or Skills for Work Certificate, and other extra-curricular activities such as volunteering or mentoring. For more information about the HEAR, visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/hear. Sheffield Graduate Development Programme : Find out more about the Sheffield Graduate at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/sheffieldgraduate. Attendance: You are expected to attend regularly all the lectures, tutorials, laboratory sessions, assessments, etc. that are listed in your timetable or that are communicated to you as the semester proceeds. To help ensure that you make full use of the learning opportunities that are available, the department will be monitoring the attendance of students at twelve or more sessions throughout the year. The monitoring will be carried out using systems that have been developed by the University specifically to help departments identify and support students who are having difficulty with their study programme. Within ACSE, the monitoring will be carried out by a mixture of registers, examination attendance and coursework submission. For more information see General University Regulations: Regulation 42, Attendance: http://www.shef.ac.uk/govern/calendar/genreg/attend.

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) The University of Sheffield makes use of a virtual learning environment to support traditional teaching methods. The VLE is proprietary software from Blackboard, and we call the installation we have at the University "MOLE2" (My On-line Learning Environment). Your student portal has a link to MOLE2, and when you follow that link you will see your "course list", which is a list of all the VLE courses that you are enrolled in. Your course list typically will include entries for each of the modules you are registered for, as well as some extra courses to support your learning. For more information about using MOLE2, see http://www.shef.ac.uk/cics/mole2 .

Course Literature As far as possible, all printed materials relevant to modules in a semester (lecture notes, laboratory instructions, problem sheets etc) are assembled as a pack which is available from the Reception in the Amy Johnson Building at the start of each semester. However, in addition to this initial pack of material, some lecturers will hand out printed material during classes. Most lecturers also make handouts available on the virtual learning environment, MOLE2. Medical or other personal circumstances If medical or other personal circumstances have resulted in absence or have affected your performance or examinations/assessment, you must report this by completing a Special Circumstances Form, available from: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/forms/special.html. If you have been ill, then you are strongly advised to get Section 4 of the form completed by a medical practitioner. This is particularly important if you have been ill for more than 7 days or during the examination period. If you have been ill during the exam period, further evidence from your GP is required. The examiners cannot take these circumstances into

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consideration unless they are supported by the relevant documentation. The University Health Service web page is at http://www.shef.ac.uk/health/ Staff Student Committee The aim of the Departmental Staff Student Committee is to provide an open forum for the exchange of opinions and information between the staff and students of the Department. All students are invited to stand as representatives. The Committee consists of a number of academics and support staff from the department plus student representatives from Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught programmes. For more information, see: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/acse/current/ssc. Student Files Information concerning the progress of students through their course of study is kept in confidential files. This is used when staff provide references to companies where students are seeking employment. In giving a company the name of a member of staff as a referee, you are giving the University permission to divulge details from such confidential files to the company. The University requires departments to only keep such files for one year after graduation but, in your best interests, this Department has agreed to keep files for six years after you have graduated. Student Feedback Questionnaires The Department greatly values student feedback for the contribution that it makes to course programme evaluation and improvement, and it encourages all students to participate in completing student feedback questionnaires. Students will be informed about how to access questionnaires towards the end of each semester and we strongly encourage all students to contribute their views about their course and their modules. It is vital that we get a response from as close to 100% of students as possible, since the statistical significance of course and module evaluation decreases as the response rate by students falls away from 100%.

Semester Dates and Course Timetables Semester Dates are available online at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/about/dates. Course Timetables are available online at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/current/undergraduates/timetables General Regulations The University General Regulations apply to all undergraduate students in all Faculties. They include Regulations which refer to:  Registration and Fees  Modular Programmes of Study (including attendance, transferring programme, examination results and grades, progression from one level of a degree programme to the next, etc.)  Academic progress For further detailed information follow these links: General University Regulations General Regulations for First Degrees

http://www.shef.ac.uk/govern/calendar/genreg http://calendar.dept.shef.ac.uk/calendar/06d_gen_regs_for_first_degrees.pdf

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http://www.shef.ac.uk/calendar/progspec/acs.html Regulations for Programmes of Study

What are the procedures for choosing Modern Language modules? Please see http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/current/undergraduates/courses/generalinfo.html Your Safety at the University An up to date version of the department‟s policies on safety can be found at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/current/safety These pages include information on accident reporting, laboratory rules, out of hours working, use of display screen equipment, manual handling and portable appliance testing. The framework for safe working in the University is contained in the University publication Health and Safety Code of Practice. This is online at http://www.shef.ac.uk/safety. The Department‟s trained first aider isAnthony Whelpton, and his office is SHSB rm 307, phone 0114 222 5660. Other sources of information The following documents contain further information that is relevant to students: Departmental Web Pages

http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse

The Students‟ Charter

http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/ourcommitment/charter

The University Calendar

http://www.shef.ac.uk/calendar/

International Students Web Pages

http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/international

The SSiD

http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid

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2. Assessment Procedures Please note: the information given in this section is provided for your convenience. It is not a formal statement of the regulations governing the award of degrees. Assessment procedures are designed to satisfy the university's code of practice on assessment procedures which can be read via the following web link: http://www.tlsu.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/29_Assessment.doc. Levels, Credits and Grades Each module will be assessed: this will be by either a written examination, by continuous assessment, or by a combination of the two. The result of this assessment will be given as a grade expressed as a whole number on the following 100-point scale. The meaning of grades expressed on the 100-point scale is as follows: 70 - 100

work of a standard appropriate to Class I

60 - 69

work of a standard appropriate to Class II – Division 1

50 – 59

work of a standard appropriate to a Class II – Division 2

45 – 49

work of a standard appropriate to Class III

40 – 44

work of a Pass standard

1 – 39

work in respect of which the candidate fails

0

work not submitted

To obtain the credits for a unit of study you must obtain a grade of at least 40 for the unit. Written Examinations: When and what to expect and do In general, written examinations will be held at the end of each semester: modules taught during semester 1 will be examined at the end of semester 1, and those taught during semester 2 will be examined at the end of semester 2. Please note, however, that several year-long modules may be examined only at the end of semester 2. The University regulations require students to be resident in Sheffield during the entire examination period. For more information about examinations please see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams For advice about preparing for and sitting exams see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/revnotes Medical or Personal Circumstances Affecting Examinations and Assessment Sessions During your studies, you may experience difficulties which could affect your academic performance. Such difficulties are known as „special circumstances‟. Special circumstances could include:    

medical problems, including long-term problems or short spells of illness personal problems, e.g. stress, anxiety, or homesickness difficult events, e.g. bereavement serious incidents, e.g. being affected by crime.

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It is important that you report any special circumstances to the department as soon as you can. Any special circumstances which you report in advance of the final exam period will be considered by the Departmental Examination Board and may be taken into account when calculating your results and determining your final degree classification. Any information you submit will be treated as confidential and will not be used for any other purpose. To report special circumstances to your department, please complete a Special Circumstances reporting form and submit it to your personal tutor. You can pick up a copy of the form from the Student Services Information Desk (SSiD) in the Students‟ Union, or download one from the SSiD website, at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/forms/special.html You will usually need to submit documentary evidence along with the form, e.g. a medical certificate would normally be required for significant illness. The department will be able to advise you if you are unsure whether to submit additional evidence with your form. Early notification of special circumstances is important to ensure that you can obtain and provide the appropriate supplementary evidence. Information about academic appeals can be found at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/procedures/grid.html#academic. Religious Holidays and Examinations Any student who is not able for religious reasons (e.g. Sabbath, Festival, Friday Prayers etc.) to take examinations on any day on which examinations may be set during the year (including Saturdays but not Sundays), is asked to complete a 'Request for Religious Observance Form' no later than week three of the semester. Forms are available from SSiD and must be handed into the Examinations Office, Level 6, University House by the end of the third week of the relevant semester. The Request for Religious Observance Form can also be downloaded as PDF document from the Downloads box. More information can be found at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/observance.html Please note that once examination timetables have been set it is difficult for alterations to be made. Calculators and Dictionaries All calculators to be taken into exams must be approved by the Faculty. Most graphics calculators and those with programmable memories are not allowed. To get yours approved, take it to the Student Services Department, where you will be given a sticker bearing the University crest. In the examinations, the invigilators are free to check for this seal of approval and reject any, which are unmarked. In some circumstances, foreign students may be allowed to take foreign language/English dictionaries into the examination hall provided that prior approval has been given. Enquiries should be directed to the Student Services Department. Permitted Items Calculator (if approved), ruler, pens, pencils, eraser and drawing implements. Bags, cases etc. must be left elsewhere. Small containers such as pencil cases are allowed, but may be searched. Conduct During Examinations The full university regulations about conduct during examinations are written in the University Calendar, a copy of which is available for inspection in the General Office. In particular, the regulations state that a student must not use or attempt to use unfair means 12

or communicate or attempt to communicate with other students during the period of the examination. No material or notes may be taken into the examination hall except the permitted items noted above. http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/plagiarism Past Exam Papers A sample exam paper with sample solutions for each ACSE undergraduate module will be available on the relevant MOLE2 course. Submission Procedures The Department operates an electronic system for preparing a cover sheet for coursework submission. Students are asked to generate a cover sheet for their coursework via an internet site: https://foe-coversheet.group.shef.ac.uk/ Step by step instructions for generating a cover sheet to submit with your coursework are available at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.60450!/file/How-to-produce-yourassignment-barcode-cover-sheet.pdf    

Information for students on the dates of assignment hand-ins will be given to students by module leaders during the year. Assignments should be submitted by posting them in the letter box on the front of the Reception Desk in the Amy Johnson Building. All assignments have to be submitted by 16.00 on the date required, unless otherwise stated. The Departmental clerical staff use the barcode on the coversheet to scan your assignment and this will automatically generate an email to you confirming receipt of your assignment.

Problems with Submission and Late Submissions  If you are unable to submit work by the deadline specified, you must always discuss the matter with the lecturer who is responsible for the assignment. Staff will try to be as sympathetic as possible towards real problems. If the lateness is due to medical problems, appropriate documentation certifying the nature of the problem must be supplied.  Work which is late (without medical or other similar documented evidence unless agreed with the lecturer setting the work) will suffer a penalty for late submission. The mark will be reduced by 5% of the mark which it would have received for each working day (or part of working day) after the required date of submission. Submission deadlines will normally be at 4pm unless otherwise stated.  The penalty increases to 100% (i.e. a zero mark) if work is handed in more than 5 working days after the deadline for submission unless special dispensation has been requested and given. Full details of the standard university policy or penalties can be found at the following web link: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/policies  Special rules about late submission of project dissertations apply. Project submission information is available on the appropriate MOLE2 page.  Work submitted by the deadline will normally be returned to you within two weeks of the deadline for submission. Module Leaders will supply with you detail about the return of the work.

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Feedback on Assignment Work Work submitted for assessment in all years but year one has to be retained by the Department for audit by the External Examiner. Feedback on assignment work will be given in the most appropriate way for the assignment. Plagiarism and Collusion (Unfair Means) All assignment work that is submitted for assessment must be entirely your own work (with the exception of group projects if a group report is specifically requested). It is not permissible in any circumstances to copy the work of another student, either in whole or in part. Whilst discussion of your work with other students is both allowable and to be encouraged as a valuable part of the learning process, the report that you write must be written entirely by yourself and expressed in your own words. It is definitely not permissible for a group of two or more students to collude together in a joint report and then submit this individually as separate copies of such a common report, unless group work is specifically directed and a group report is specifically invited. Unfortunately, in the past year there have been cases of plagiarism and collusion in ACSE, and these cases have been dealt with severely. A marks penalty is applied in cases of plagiarism and collusion, and sometimes the penalty is a failing mark for the assessment. For a serious offence of plagiarism or collusion, the University Disciplinary Committee will hear the case and will decide on a penalty, which will range from a reduction in marks through to expulsion from the University. To summarise therefore, copying of other people‟s work, words or ideas and passing them off as your own is a serious offence. The University‟s guidance on unfair means can be found at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/plagiarism. First University Examination Progression and Failure Examination Conventions for Modular Degree Programmes are an accessible source of information for students on the rules and regulations for examination and progression during your studies. The conventions tell you how many credits you need to progress from one level to another, and what may happen if you do not pass all of your modules. These conventions should be read in conjunction with the Official University Regulations, and do not override the Regulations in any way. The Conventions are available at:

http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.197878!/file/UGEXCON_2012-13.pdf Regulations set out the requirements students need to meet for each level of study in order to progress to the next level. The full official University Regulations are available at the following link: http://www.shef.ac.uk/govern/calendar/regs.html Progression from Level 0 (Foundation Year) to Level 1 To pass the Foundation Year examination, students must obtain a grade of 40 or more in each individual module. For students who have not met this automatic progression, the Department follows the Faculty Examination Conventions for progression available at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/ugexams/progression Progression from Level 1 to Level 2 The Examiners have discretion to decide whether students who have been awarded at least 100 credits and less than 120 credits may be deemed to have passed at Level 1 and permitted to proceed to Level 2, but only in cases where a grade of at least 30 has been achieved in the failed module(s). For students who have not met this automatic progression, the Department follows the Faculty Examination Conventions for progression available at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/ugexams/progression

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Please note that in addition to the Exam Conventions detailed above, the Department requires students to pass the Systems Engineering Mathematics module (ACS123) with a mark of 40 or above to progress to level 2. Progression from Level 2 to Level 3 Bachelors Degrees: The Examiners have discretion to decide whether students who have been awarded at least 100 credits and less than 120 credits may be deemed to have passed at Level 2 and permitted to proceed to Level 3. For students who have not met this automatic progression, the Department follows the Faculty Examination Conventions for progression available at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/ugexams/progression Integrated Masters Degrees1: The Examiners have discretion to decide whether students who have been awarded at least 100 credits and less than 120 credits at Level 2 may be permitted to proceed to Level 3, but only in cases where a weighted mean grade of at least 49.5 has been obtained for modules taken at Level 2. Please note that in addition to the Exam Conventions detailed above, the Department has supplementary requirements for progression to level 3 of the MEng programmes, as follows: Progression from Level 2 to Level 3 is normally automatic for students who have been awarded 120 credits and have obtained a weighted mean grade of at least 53.0 for modules taken at Level 2 Where discretion is not exercised, the Department follows the Faculty Examination Conventions for progression available at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/ugexams/progression. Progression from Level 3 to Level 4 (integrated Masters Degrees) The Examiners have discretion to decide whether students who have been awarded at least 100 credits and less than 120 credits at Level 3 may be permitted to proceed to Level 4, but only in cases where a weighted mean grade of 49.5 has been obtained for modules taken at Level 3. Permission to proceed in these circumstances is not automatic, and does not imply the waiver of prerequisite requirements, where modules taken at Level 4 require a pass in a related module at Level 3. Students in respect of whom discretion is not exercised or who fail to meet the above requirement may be considered for the award of a Bachelors degree. Repeat examinations A student who fails a module or modules during Level 1 or Level 2 may resit the examination(s) in August. Departments will determine the form of the resit examination (which may differ from the examination held at the end of the previous two semesters) and the parts of the examination to be retaken. All resit marks are capped at 40, including from September 2012 onwards, all level 1 marks for first year students starting their course in 2012. Full details of the regulations for repeating examinations are available at:

http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.197878!/file/UGEXCON_2012-13.pdf Not Completed Module For modules which are assessed by examination only, non-attendance at the examination (unless there are special circumstances) will obtain a Not Completed result. In addition, if a module is assessed by coursework and examination, non-submission of all elements of 1

The following are classed as integrated Masters degrees: MArch, MBiolSci, MBiomedSci, MChem, MComp, MEng, MEnvSci, MMath, MPhys and MPlan. 15

coursework plus non-attendance at an examination, will also constitute a Not Completed outcome. Please note that the examination board cannot allow progression or award a degree where any module is “Not Completed”. Degree Classification a) Third year students have to pass 90 H level credits to graduate with a BEng and fourth year students have to pass 90 M level credits to graduate with a MEng. b) At the end of your programme of study, your degree will be classified on the basis of a calculation which takes account of both the weighted average of the grades you obtain in modules at Levels 2 and above and the class within which the best 50% of these weighted module grades fall. c) Your degree classification will be awarded anonymously to avoid any possible bias. It is important therefore that if you have any special circumstances such as serious illness which has affected your performance you report these to your department in good time so that they can be considered before the final anonymous degree classification board meeting. The special circumstances form can be found at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/forms/special.html For further details including an animated tutorial of a worked example of how a degree class is calculated, see http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/exams/classification.html. Repeating Modules or Years

First Year Students Students who fail to satisfy the requirements to proceed from level one of the course to level two can either: Repeat the year as a full-time student, retaking all modules or Repeat just failed modules as a part-time student, attending lectures etc for the relevant units or Repeat exams etc just for failed units as an external candidate (without attendance) The Student Services Department can give advice about the level of fees payable for each of these three options. If a student repeats the first year as a full-time student (or is allowed to repeat later years as a full-time student in special circumstances), then he/she must repeat the whole course, including all the specified core units for the course and sufficient optional units such that units to the total value of 120 credits are taken. For all course units taken in the repeat year, all elements of each unit, including all continuously assessed work (lab work, written assignments etc.), must be taken. It is possible to substitute one or more optional course units during the repeat year. Also provided that the Department agrees, it is also sometimes possible to change from one Systems Engineering course to another at the start of the repeat year, in which case some of the core units to be taken may change. However, course units to the value of 120 credits must still be taken in all cases. If a student repeats some first year modules with part-time registration they must normally repeat all elements of each module that they register for, including repeating coursework assignments. The relevant module leader should be consulted if a student wishes to claim exemption from the requirement to complete coursework assignments.

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If a student repeats one or more course units as an external candidate, they will not normally be required to repeat continuously assessed parts of the repeated units. However, where coursework marks are deficient, the Department may make special arrangements to allow students to repeat or resubmit deficient coursework.

Second, Third and Fourth year students Students who fail at the end of any year other than the first year cannot repeat the year as a full-time student unless the examining board makes a special recommendation on medical grounds. Normally, students can only repeat modules that they have failed at level 2, 3 or 4 either as a part-time student attending modules that they have failed or else as an external candidate just registering for exams. Again, the Student Services Department can give advice about the level of fees payable for each of these options. In the case of part-time registration, the same rules apply as specified above for first year students repeating modules with parttime registration. Please note that students who fail any module may normally enter for a subsequent examination in that module on only one occasion, i.e. only two attempts at passing any particular module are allowed (for this purpose, an exam in January or May/June together with a resit exam in August where available counts as one attempt). Please also note that, apart from resit exams in August where available, repeat examinations for semester one modules can only be taken in the following January/February examination period and repeat examinations for semester two modules can only be taken in the following May/June examination period.

Except on medical grounds, students who have to repeat level 3 modules in order to achieve the minimum number of credits or grade point average specified for a BEng Honours degree will only be eligible for a BEng Pass degree. Similarly, students registered for MEng will not be eligible for a MEng degree if they have to repeat level 3 modules in order to achieve the minimum number of credits and grade point average specified for an MEng degree. However, they may be eligible for a BEng degree. Special cases: The above rules represent normal Departmental procedures, but the examiners are empowered to vary the rules in special cases, such as where a student´s progress has been affected by certified medical or other personal reasons. Any student affected by this will be notified. Reporting of Module Grades and Examination Results Following examiners´ meetings in February and June each year, provisional module grades will be reported. In the case of final year students, provisional degree classifications will be reported rather than module grades. These results will be displayed on the departmental MUSE page and the examination notice board on A floor. Results will be displayed either one or two days after the meeting of examiners, this delay being necessary to allow all the results to be tabulated and checked before display. At this stage, the reported grades are provisional and for guidance only, and have to be confirmed by the Faculty of Engineering Board and the University Senate. Confirmed results are posted by the Student Services Department, normally during the fourth week following the end of each semester. In their notification, the Student Services Department will also include instructions about re-sit examinations if these are necessary. Results will be posted on the University MUSE pages.

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As well as recommending module grades, examiners´ meetings also make recommendations about student progression to the next level of the course. Such recommendations are subject to particular scrutiny by the Faculty Board in the case of students who do not meet the specified requirements (i.e. students who achieve less that 120 credits in a semester or less than the specified minimum grade-point average for modules). In consequence, Departments are not permitted to divulge recommendations about progression in advance of the formal notification from the Student Services Department. Academic Appeals Procedures Academic Appeals allow students to apply for a reconsideration of a recommended grade for any module or degree classification or examination. You need to be able to show that either there has been a procedural error or that there is new evidence concerning mitigating circumstances that was not made available to the examiners and that it could not have been produced at an earlier stage. You must apply in writing within 14 days of the publication of the exam results* using the Academic Appeals Form. The appeal will then be considered by the appropriate Faculty Officer. Full details of the Academic appeals process and the Academic Appeals Form are available at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/procedures/grid#academic * For these purposes, the date of publication of results is taken as the date upon which the examination results are first made available to students in the relevant department (i.e. the results are still subject to confirmation by the Faculty(ies) and Senate). Examination Scripts At the University of Sheffield, students are entitled to access their examination scripts following the examinations and after official notification of marks has been made by the University. Students are encouraged to discuss their exam performance in the first case with their personal tutors but may also request an individual meeting with the module leaders. Bookable times for viewing scripts are made available to students following the official notification of exam results from the University. Signup sheets will be available on the Exams Notice Board in the Amy Johnson Building. A student who wishes to obtain feedback on their performance in a given subject may, with the agreement of the members(s) of staff concerned, re-work the whole of an examination paper and submit the re-worked paper to the staff concerned who will provide comments on the work submitted. The decision to provide this means of feedback to a student lies with individual members of staff and members of staff are not obliged to do so. Anonymous Marking Policy All examination scripts and individual assignments are marked anonymously. Group work is not marked anonymously as knowledge of the individual contributions of member of a group is an important factor in the assessment procedure.

Examination Marking Verification Policy Marking of all examination scripts is verified by an independent member of staff (different to that marking the scripts).

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Certifying Letters and Transcripts of Examination Results The University Student Services Department is responsible for the production of all certifying letters and transcripts of examination results in respect of students. This includes council tax and LEA confirmation forms, immigration certifying letters (for visa applications, etc.), and confirmation of student status.  For Proof of Student Status letters please see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/forms  For Transcripts of Qualifications please see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/transcript Prizes The main prizes available to students are:  The EDF Project Prize  Laverick-Webster-Hewitt Prize  Mappin Medal  Nicholson Prize for Masters Studies  Nicholson Prize for UG Studies  Sir Harold West Award  LJC Woolliscroft Prize More information about prizes and prize winners in ACSE is available online at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/prizes.html Projects and Dissertations Information on projects and dissertations is available from the relevant MOLE2 pages and includes:  General guidance  Information on Timetables, Submission procedures and Penalties  Project choice, selection and allocation  Dissertation preparation procedures, advice and downloadable templates  Oral presentation guidance Additional information is available at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/current/dept/genguide.html ACSE Dissertation, Thesis and Projects Library  Digital copies of Masters projects submitted since August 2001 are available on-line via our Virtual Dissertation Library: http://www.acse.dept.shef.ac.uk/local/vdl2/  Digital copies of Undergraduate projects submitted since 2011-12 are also available online at http://www.acse.dept.shef.ac.uk/local/vdl1/  A full list of all PhD and MSc Dissertations submitted in the Department are available for download at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/current/disslib To request a hardcopy item, please complete and submit the form on the link: http://www.shef.ac.uk/acse/current/disslib

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