3. Student Support and Guidance 11/12
3. Student Support and Guidance
Below are listed various sources of guidance for students. In every case of problems, a student is encouraged in the first instance to make contact with their Personal Tutor (see section 3.2). However, not all tutors can be accessible all of the time, and it is useful to know of other contacts. If you have personal problems which are affecting your work you should consider talking to Gé raldine Garrabet ( geraldine.garrabet@manchester.ac.uk ) who is based in the School Office. If the problem involves course choices, your Programme Director should be contacted (section 7). If you don't get on with your academic or personal tutor, or feel that they are not doing their job (e.g. repeatedly cancelling meetings, failing to mark your work or seeming not to understand the work - these have all been known), then the appropriate person to consult is the Year Tutor (section 7) who is also the person to approach if at any time you wish to request a change of personal tutor. The Office will always be happy to advise on the most appropriate person to contact. Beyond the School, the University operates Counselling and student Guidance services (section 3.4).
3.1 Notice Boards
There are separate notice boards for each year of study in the foyer. Failure to consult these notice boards can lead to students missing meetings with tutors, and missing the deadlines for the submission of work and for examination registration, etc. The School reserves the right to charge for extra administrative work incurred by students who miss deadlines.
3.2 Personal Tutors
Each student is assigned a Personal Tutor at the beginning of the degree programme. The Personal Tutor advises on options chosen at registration, and monitors progress throughout the degree programmes. Four official meetings are scheduled each academic year: a meeting in registration week at the beginning of the academic year, a meeting to consider progress in the ninth week of the first semester, a mid-year progress meeting in week four of the second semester, and an end of year meeting at the end of the June examination period. However, at all times during the year, students should feel free to approach their Personal Tutors on matters affecting study and on personal problems.
3.3 Disability Support Office
The Disability Support Office (DSO) provides help and advice for students with specific learning difficulties, disabilities, sensory impairments, mental health difficulties and medical conditions. Elaine Shillcock ( elaine@manchester.ac.uk ) is the Head of the DSO and the office is on the Second Floor of University Place. Telephone: 0161-275 7512/8518; dso@manchester.ac.uk
The School's Disability Co-ordinator is Géraldine Garrabet, who can be contacted via the School Office (Telephone: 0161-275 54100 or geraldine.garrabet@manchester.ac.uk ). She is responsible for ensuring that special needs for students with disabilities are communicated to the University and staff in the School.
3.4 University Support Services
The University's counselling service offers confidential help with any personal issues affecting work, self-esteem, relationships, mental health and general well-being. The Counselling Service ( counsel.service@manchester.ac.uk , 0161-275 2864) is on the fifth floor of Crawford House.
The Student Guidance Service (University Place, 0161-275 3033) offers confidential advice on any matter relating to your studies, for example: course changes, interruptions, anxiety about academic ability or exams, guidance on academic appeals, or any issue affecting you and your academic progress. The Students' Union (Steve Biko Building, 0161-275 2947) provides advice on academic and welfare problems. There is also a Nightline service run by students ( nightmail@nightline.manchester.ac.uk ).
3.5 Tutors and Tutorials
Academic tutors are assigned at the beginning of the academic year. Each student has a physics tutor and a mathematics tutor in the first year, and a physics tutor in the second year. Your first year physics tutor is normally also your personal tutor. Tutors help with mathematics and physics, but they can also provide guidance on personal problems. Tutorials, normally as a group of five students, take place weekly. Work for tutorials is compulsory and is assessed. If a student misses a tutorial he or she should contact the tutor as soon as possible and explain the absence.
3.6 Contact with other Academic Staff (Refer to Staff List on pages 1 & 2)
Students are welcome to contact informally any member of staff about teaching and learning. If they have problems in this regard, they should request an appointment via email. Email addresses are listed on pages 1 and 2 of this handbook and are also available from the staff and student directory on the University website ( http://directory.manchester.ac.uk )
3.7 References
Personal Tutors will normally provide a reference for students who require one for a job or further study. They should always be contacted in advance; a CV and a brief statement about reasons for applying for the position are very helpful. Other members of staff who have had significant contact with the student, for instance second year tutors and project supervisors, will usually also be happy to provide a reference, but again they should be asked in advance.
3.8 Careers Service
The Careers Service provides information and guidance on career planning to all students and postgraduates during their course and for up to three years following graduation. In addition to the modern Careers Resource Centre library, students can obtain individual careers advice at any stage of their university career, from work experience to company internships, from full-time employment to further study, both in the UK and overseas. The Careers Resource Centre at Crawford House is open weekdays from 9-5 (0161-275 2828) or on the web at http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk
3.9 Student Work and Attendance
Students who cannot attend scheduled tutorials and laboratory classes should, as a matter of courtesy, inform the relevant member of staff at the earliest opportunity. In the event of an absence from the department, a late submission of work, or a missed examination, a Temporary Interruption of Study Form, which is obtainable from the School Office, should be completed.
See also Section 9 of the blue book.
3.10 Student Ill-Health and Assessment
(a) It is a requirement of your registration with the University of Manchester that you register with a local general practitioner. A list of GP practices can be obtained from the Student Health Centre, any University hall of residence or a local Pharmacy.
(b) You should always consult your GP (or for emergencies the Accident and Emergency Department of a hospital) if your illness is severe, if it persists or if you are in any doubt about your health. You should also consult your GP if illness keeps you absent from the University for more than 7 days including week-ends. If you do consult a GP and they consider that you are not fit for attendance at the University, then you should obtain a note from the doctor to that effect or ask them to complete Part III of the University form 'Certification of Student Ill Health' copies of which are available at local GP surgeries. You should hand this certificate to your programme director, tutor or school office as appropriate at the earliest opportunity.
(c) If your condition is not sufficiently serious to cause you to seek medical help, then the University will not require you to supply a doctor's medical certificate unless you are absent from the University due to illness for more than 7 days (in which case see (b) above). You must however contact your school as soon as possible and self-certify your illness (that is complete and sign the "Certification of Student Ill Health" form to state you have been ill) as soon as you are able to attend your school. You should do this if your illness means you are absent from the University for any period up to 7 days (see (d)(i)) or if you are able to attend the University but your illness is affecting your studies (see (d) (ii) and (iii)).
(d) The following sub-paragraphs explain what you should do if your illness affects your attendance at compulsory classes or examinations, or if you consider that your performance in assessments has been impaired. The School's Mitigating Circumstances Committee will consider such submissions if they may affect a student's progression or final examinations result; see section 8.1 for more information.
(i) If you are unwell and feel unable to attend the University to take a compulsory assessment or examination then you must seek advice by contacting your school immediately, in person, through a friend or family member, by telephone or by email. This is to ensure that you understand the implications of being absent and the consequences for your academic progress, which might be quite serious. You must do this as soon as possible so that all options can be considered and certainly no later than the day of your compulsory class, assessment or examination. If you do not do this then you will normally be considered to have been absent from the class without good reason, or to have taken the assessment or examination in which case you will be given a mark of zero. You must also complete and hand in a "Certification of Student Ill Health" form on your return.
(ii) You may be unwell but are able to proceed with an assessment or examination and yet you feel that your performance will have been impaired. If you wish this to be taken into account as a mitigating circumstance, you must inform your school about this on the day of the assessment or examination and hand in to your school a completed "Certification of Student Ill Health" form. If you leave this until later it will not normally be possible to take your illness into account when assessing your performance.
(iii) If, as a consequence of your illness, you wish to seek an extension to a deadline for submitting assessed coursework, you must complete a "Certification of Student Ill Health" form and discuss it with the appropriate person in your school. The application for extension must be made BEFORE the deadline and not retrospectively.
(iv) You may be under occasional and ongoing medical attention which affects your studies. If so, you should obtain a letter from your physician which should be given to your school before the end of the January, May/June or August/September examination period, as appropriate, if you wish your condition to be taken into account as a mitigating circumstance.
Notes:
(i) If you are found to have been deceitful or dishonest in completing the Certification of Student Ill Health form you could be liable to disciplinary action under the University's Conduct and Discipline of Students Regulation XVII.
(ii) The use of the "Certification of Student Ill Health" forms by GPs as described above has been agreed by the Manchester Local Medical Committee. A GP may make a charge for completing the form.