Central Guidance on Student Handbooks

The following are suggested headings for Student Handbooks to assist staff involved in writing these documents; please use any of these headings/links as appropriate for your particular publication. Local information will need to be supplemented with the headings in Sections 1 and 2, but Section 3 provides url links with virtually all the headings thus providing information links for students – these links will be checked annually by Academic Policy & Governance.

Part 1  Programme/Course Information

Content in this section could include the following:

  • Timetable
  • Course or Programme Details
    • Course or Programme Structure
    • Minimum requirement for credit
    • Aims
    • Intended Learning Outcomes
    • Teaching and Learning Methods
    • Prescribed Texts / Recommended Reading
    • Information on Moodle
    • Formative & Summative Assessment
      • Coursework assignments: presentation, deadlines, feedback, weighting (if summative). Specify any summative coursework assignments where there is no opportunity for reassessment (see para 16.9 of the Code of Assessment). Also clear information should be given on how exceeding word length in coursework will be penalised.
      • Penalties for Late Submission of Coursework (see paras 16-25-16.28 of the Code of Assessment). Add details of non-submission deadlines for coursework assignments if these differ from the default agreed by Academic Standards Committee that assessments should be counted as non-submissions if they had not been handed in by the time assessment feedback was presented to the rest of the cohort.
      • For electronic submission of coursework, note that it is the student's responsibility to upload the submission correctly. If they fail to do so it will count as a non-submission and any subsequent resubmission after the deadline will be subject to the standard late submission penalties. Note that lecturers/tutors are not required to check submissions before marking and therefore may not identify any problem until sometime after the submission date has passed.
      • Guidance for Students on Code of Assessment
      • Declaration of Originality Form [Word] - to be submitted with all assignments
      • Examinations: dates, feedback (if formative), weighting (if summative)
      • Dissertation: presentation, deadline, weighting. Specify that for an Honours degree students must achieve a grade D3 or better. 
      • Resit/reassessment
    • Link to Programme Specification (https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/apg/programmesearch/)
    • Degree Regulations: provide information on University Regulations
  • Progress
    • Progress to next level (if appropriate)
    • Admission to Honours and/or designated degree programme

Part 2  School Information

Content in this section could include the following:

  • Welcome from Head of School
  • School Mission Statement
  • Teaching Staff
  • Support Staff
  • Communication Channels
    • Appointments
    • Telephone
    • E-mail
    • Website
    • Notice Boards
    • Reporting Absences (with cross-reference to University Student Absence Policy - under Registry in Section III)
  • School Access
  • Quality Assurance and Enhancement
    • Student Course Appraisal/Feedback
    • Annual Course Monitoring
    • The Role of the External Examiner
    • Board of Examiners
    • Accreditation by Professional and Statutory Bodies
    • Consultation on Proposed Course Changes
  • Committees with Student Representation (Information about the role of the Class or PGR Representative and on how GUSRC can support students and their representatives should be included in student course handbooks.)
    • Committee Name
    • Remit
    • Election of Student Representatives
  • Academic Support
    • Adviser of Studies
    • Effective Learning Advisers 
    • Course Tutors
    • Study Skills
    • Availability of assessment information
  • Health and Safety
    • Fire Safety
    • Laboratory Safety
    • Fieldwork
    • Placements/Electives
  • School Website

Possible text: “Students are encouraged to regularly check the School website (insert url link) and also those given in the following section as information is updated throughout the session.”