MA Journalism

2020/21

Course Leader: Clare Cook.

School of Journalism, Media and Performance

Please read this Handbook in conjunction with the University’s Student Handbook.

All course materials, including lecture notes and other additional materials related to

your course and provided to you, whether electronically or in hard copy, as part of your

study, are the property of (or licensed to) UCLan and MUST not be distributed, sold,

published, made available to others or copied other than for your personal study use

unless you have gained written permission to do so from the Dean of School. This

applies to the materials in their entirety and to any part of the materials.

Contents

1 Welcome to the Course

2 Structure of the Course

3 Approaches to teaching and learning

4 Student Support

5 Assessment

6 Classification of Awards

7 Student Feedback

8 Appendices

8.1 Programme Specification(s)

1. Welcome to the course

Welcome to the School of Journalism, Media and Performance - one of the leading centres for

journalism education in the UK. Our reputation rests on our commitment to providing practical

and vocational courses in journalism, underpinned by theoretical and conceptual aspects

relevant to the profession. Journalism at UCLan is recognised nationally and internationally as a

centre of excellence in its field.

Journalism has changed more in the last decade than at any time in its history. Search engines,

usergenerated content, social media networks have transformed the way stories are gathered

and told. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube are now household names in the production

and sharing of content. The onset of the digital age has shifted communication and the media

beyond traditional monolithic production and consumption structures to one that is a complex,

nuanced and potentially fragile media ecosystem. Media generators and consumers are facing a

landscape of change and reinvention.

Studies that map the changing media industry reveal a necessary shift away from

technologically determined media institutions towards entrepreneurs and innovators.

(Sirkkunen & Cook, 2012) Online-only players are increasingly defining what it means to make

and deliver the media services on offer in a networked world. Journalism is - and will continue -

to flux. We need to shape that future with future-proofed journalism professionals. This

programme aims to do just that.

Students on this programme are likely to have a journalism/media background – either through

an undergraduate degree and/or through industry experience. This programme has been

designed to enable you to develop a mastery of the key skills and knowledge required for

career development in contemporary media. It also aims to enable you to develop intellectual

skills and creative insights in order to develop sustainable and flexible career options.

You will begin by reflecting on where industry is today and where you are in your career

development. This will lead you to consider how you wish to tailor your learning to reflect your

interests and needs. You may wish to develop your digital content creation and production skills

or your leadership skills or you may want to take an innovation route through the programme.

This programme is designed to be flexible in terms of content and delivery to enable successful

graduates to achieve not only a Masters qualification, but also to enable you to take

ownership of your career in an evolving media world.

1.1 Rationale, aims and learning outcomes of the course

Our course aims:

• To enable students to develop a mastery of the key skills and knowledge required for career

development in contemporary media.

• To develop students’ intellectual skills and creative insights to enable them to become

reflective practitioners with sustainable and flexible career options.

• To enable students to critically analyse, develop and challenge theories of contemporary

journalism and business practice and to exploit that understanding in the development of

new practice and innovation.

• To promote engagement in debate about the definition, nature and purpose of journalism

and its ethical framework

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme you will be able to:

• Apply a critical understanding of the main themes, conceptual issues and professional

approaches to journalism.

• Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of the cultural, legal and business context

in which new forms of media are evolving.

• Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of complex theories of society, public life

and the role of enterprise and journalism innovation in this context

• Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of the relevant concepts, terms, debates

and controversies relevant to journalism and enterprise.

Subject-specific skills

On successful completion of this programme you will be able to:

• Design and manage strategies to create and sustain contemporary and/or innovative

journalism skills, products and services.

• Apply appropriate legal and ethical frameworks to their practice

• Develop, produce and support complex digital production processes • Develop, apply

and exploit innovative facilitation and production techniques.

Thinking Skills

On successful completion of this programme you will be able to:

• Apply critical and theoretical approaches to journalism

• Evaluate, compare and contrast critical/theoretical and professional approaches to

create and sustain journalism today

• Analyse arguments and concepts

• Organise ideas and develop a coherent argument

Other skills relevant to employability and personal development

• Self-management

• Critical awareness

• Communication, presentation and interpersonal skills • Business management.

1.2 COURSE TEAM

Clare Cook cecook@uclan.ac.uk +44 (0)1772 894737

Course leader: Clare is an award-winning journalist with ten years’ experience in the print and magazine industry. She is co-author of a range of publications relating to social media, storytelling and the business of journalism. Her research network spans Europe and beyond. Fellow of the HE academy, she teaches and consults around the world on social and digital media. Clare has worked extensively on journalism intelligence and demonstrators. For example, she led two RCUK Nemodefunded workshops exploring revenue models and open innovation. In 2016, she was PI on a European study assessing the sustainability of hyperlocals as part of Nesta’s Destination Local programme. Evidence from this fed into the select committee reviewing the BBC Charter. Programme director Kathryn Geels said the work "set an important foundation in our understanding of the financial opportunities and gaps for the sector as a whole.” This built on her wider international expertise looking at the revenue models of startup, independent and fragile media. She has also been PI on an award-nominated project CAST looking at novel technologies for proximity distribution. In three remote villages in Armenia, she has pushed the boundaries of technology and civic engagement to tackle a digital divide (www.castproject.org). Selected as one of three external examiners on the Google Digital News Initiative Innovation Fund 2016, she is also ideally placed to feed wider innovation into the programme.

John Mills jmills@uclan.ac.uk +44 (0)1772 895797 John’s recent research activity includes the hyperlocal/digital

design project Bespoke, which formulated the immersive

community media methodology ‘Insight Journalism’ and

Interactive Newsprint – which is developing a new platform

for community news using printed electronics. He currently

teaches multimedia journalism techniques and theory at

UCLan. His other research interests have recently examined

the potential for mobile platforms to facilitate professional

and citizen journalism both within the UK and internationally.

He has an MA in 19th century Literature and Culture;

specialising in representations of the self within a

regenerative urban environment. Professionally, John has

established business-to-business editorial operations in

Manchester and Leeds for online news agency Adfero, and

managed large teams of online correspondents both in the

UK and further afield.

Dr Francois Nel

Dr Francois Nel Reader in Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship, National Teaching Fellow 2013, Fellow of the European Entrepreneurship Educators (3EP) Programme, Convenor: Digital Editors Network, UK, author World News Publishers Outlook 2017 report for the World Association of Newspaper and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA): www.wan-ifra.org/outlook_2017 A digital media specialist with wide international experience, François is an award-winning researcher, author and educator who has managed departments and led teams to devise and deliver groundbreaking programmes and courses that support innovative news organisations, digital media start-ups and university students.

He is the founding director of the pioneering Journalism Leaders Programme and initiator of the Media And Digital Enterprise (MADE) project, which is the only UK winner of the International Press Institute’s inaugural News Innovation Contest sponsored by Google. In 2015, he was a Visiting Fellow of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford and convened the UK’s first Journalism Entrepreneurship Summit in collaboration with the IPI, Talk About Local and with further support from Google. Named a National Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2013, François in that year also became the first digital media specialist to be named a Fellow of the European Entrepreneurship Educators Programme (3EP). As such, he is amongst a select group of 25 UK academics and one of only 75 in Europe to have been awarded the prestigious 3EP Fellowship which aims to support and develop enterprise education.

He is co-founder of the Digital Editors Network (UK), the Innovation Research Group and the first academic invited to join the World Editors Forum of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). François has initiated several ongoing studies into the impacts of innovation within the business and practices of the newspaper industry, including the annual

World Newsmedia Innovation Study, which he initiated in 2009 in collaboration with WAN-IFRA.

He is also the editor and lead researcher of WAN-IFRA’s World News Media Outlook report, the author of two books for Oxford University Press and more than 30 book chapters, journal articles, papers and industry reports that have appeared in, amongst others, Journalism Practice, Journalism Studies, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator and the Rhodes Journalism Review.

Kevin Duffy

Kevin was employed as a full-time staff journalist for over 20 years before he began lecturing in the subject. He entered the journalism industry as a freelance reporter/photographer and his career includes four years as a newspaper editor and four years as a TV news reporter. Kevin teaches the Law and Regulation module.

Steve Greaves Law

SGreavesLaw@uclan.ac.uk 01772 894297 Steve Greaves Law is a Lecturer in Multimedia Journalism. Steve has joined us from BBC North West in Media City where he was a Digital Senior Broadcast Journalist. He was in charge of digital video content and the social media accounts for BBC in the North West. His role at the BBC also involved social media training for staff, along with skills training to enable journalists to film and edit video on both mobile phones and professional cameras. Steve previously worked at BBC Radio Cumbria, where he had many years’ experience in producer and social media roles.

Dr Amy Binns

Amy Binns trained as a photographer before spending ten

years as a newspaper reporter. She teaches print and digital

journalism. Her research is largely around finding practical

solutions for difficult behaviour online, which involves

working with a wide range of people including media industry

professionals, and fellow academics. She still loves a good

story and recently researched, wrote and self-published a local

history book, Valley of the Chapels, which led her to a new

field in feminist history scholarship. Amy has worked for

local newspapers including the Yorkshire Post and magazines

including the Times Higher Education Supplement.

Amy has published several articles on The Conversation, to

read them please follow the links below.

• Facebook’s moderation rules prove it’s OK with being a hostile place for women

• #weakandwobbly: how Twitter revealed the mood that led to a hung parliament

• Online trolls mustn’t be allowed to intimidate journalists

• Popularity of latest ‘honesty app’ Sarahah shows how much we desire validation, whatever the cost

Facebook wants your nude photos to prevent ‘revenge porn’ – here’s why you should be sceptical

1.4 ACADEMIC ADVISOR

You will be assigned an Academic Advisor who will provide additional academic advice and

support during the year. They will be the first point of call for many of the questions that you

might have during the year. Your Academic Advisor will be able to help you with personal

development, providing insight and direction to enable you to realise your potential.

1.5 ADMINISTRATION DETAILS

Campus Admin Services provides academic administration support for students and staff and are located in the following hubs which open from 8.45am until 5.15pm Monday to Thursday and until 4.00pm on Fridays. The hub can provide general assistance and advice regarding specific processes such as extenuating circumstances, extensions and appeals.

The Hub for Journalism programmes is in the Computing and Technology Building telephone:

01772 891994/891995

email: CandTHub@uclan.ac.uk

1.6 COMMUNICATION

The University expects you to use your UCLan email address and check

regularly for messages from staff. If you send us email messages from

other addresses they risk being filtered out as potential spam and

discarded unread.

The team will generally make contact with you via your university email

account. When contacting your tutors, please ensure that you use that

account to ensure that communication can be maintained effectively.

1.7 EXTERNAL EXAMINER

The University has appointed an External Examiner to your course who helps to ensure that the

standards of your course are comparable to those provided at other higher education

institutions in the UK. The name of this person, their position and home institution can be

found below. If you wish to make contact with your External Examiner, you should do this

through your Course Leader and not directly. External Examiner reports will be made available

to you electronically:

Bianca Wright

School of Media and Performing Arts

Coventry University

Lisa Kelly

Planning Editor

BBC Breakfast TV

2. STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE

2.1 OVERALL STRUCTURE

Journalism Today 20 credits.

This module will offer a springboard into the programme. It aims to present students with an

overview of the problematics and influences shaping the journalism industry today. Set around

a one-week intensive delivery (or residential for blended learning students) the module will

explore key concepts in journalism media, innovation, structures, markets, business, product

development and audience behaviours as drivers for change.

Multimedia Content. 40 credits.

This module introduce students to the core knowledge and practical skills needed to work as a professional journalist across a range of media environments. Students will develop strategies to exploit the changing media landscape through critical analysis of the role of journalism and the individual journalist. Students will appreciate the ethical, legal and commercial considerations that will enable them to function in professional media environments. Students will critically assess the development of new journalistic tools, processes and practices and they will develop and apply the practical skills needed to use these tools effectively in a multiplatform environment.

Journalism Innovation. 40 credits.

Students will develop an understanding of sector-specific value-chains and value-creation. They

will produce a well-defined innovation process focused on co-production of 'Exploitable

Knowledge' which is further developed into a 'Value-Proposition.' They will invite lead users to

create derivative works out of existing intellectual property, to share their creative ideas with

one another, and to build their own “solutions” (gadgets, mash-ups, applications, etc.) They

will also host open co-design sessions with lead users and create events and virtual spaces

where customers/users can contribute ideas and content, to pose and solve problems, and to

interact with one another in public online community spaces.

Theory Today. 20 credits.

On this module, students will critically explore and develop concepts surrounding journalism,

visual journalism, management and innovation theory. They will critically analyse how

journalism and entrepreneurial activity maps against a range of theoretical approaches, and

explore and critically analyse tools and models to prompt understanding, innovation and

change within an organisational structure.

Project. 40 credits.

Students will develop advanced production and innovation within or around an existing

organisational structure. They will develop and execute independent learning and skills

planning, master independent research entrepreneurial-themed problem solving and

innovation in order to produce a project..

They will develop professional level project-management skills within a live environment, apply

research methodologies and critical thinking and experience real-world teamwork and

communication in a chosen field.

Placement. 40 credits.

This module aims to prepare students for an extensive period of work placement. Students will

undertake and benefit from placement experience in order to enhance employability. They will

then reflect on their workplace experience and to critically analyse the relevant organisation /

industry sector and the employment opportunities available.

Dissertation.

This module will equip students with the necessary research methods and methodological

considerations required for advanced academic study. Students will learn how to perform topic

selection, literature review and research proposals. Focus will be placed on developing

research, analysis, theoretical perspectives and discussion in relation to literature. It is

especially relevant for those seeking career progression into academia.

Cross industry perspectives.

Students will explore and critically analyse the working processes of one aspect of professional practice. The aim is for students to witness first hand practitioners at work and to use that for the basis of a case study into professional development. This will equip them with the knowledge and understanding of new working practices and perspectives to help shape their careers.

The shadowing experience will act as a springboard to assess and critically analyse commercial and market trends within an external organisation within the development of that market. They will critically understand and assess behavioural and organisational traits as they exist within an umbrella of the creative industries with specific focus on change drivers.

Data Journalism.

This module aims to develop students’ knowledge of data driven visualisation and application. It

will cover both the applied practical skills and develop students’ understanding of the impact

and importance of data in real-world applications.

This module explores the development, principles and contemporary practice of data

journalism. Students will gain a practical understanding of the way data and the digital tools

available to process and present data can be used as part of the journalistic process. Students

will also explore the historical context and development of data journalism to critically assess

the professional, legal and ethical issues as they relate to current practice.

Drone Journalism

This module will enable student to understand contemporary contexts of drone journalism.

They will also facilitate professional-level skills in drone operations and develop professional

level skills related to aerial image capture via a range of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)

platforms. They will also apply relevant CAA regulations for safe and legal drone operations in a

range of settings and environments and have an opportunity to engage in real world and

innovative industry practice.

Photojournalism

This module aims to give students an introduction and development opportunity into some of

the working practices, conventions, approaches and techniques of contemporary

photojournalism. It id designed to enable journalists to do their own photography. It will examine

changes in technology, along with increased demand for content from multiple media. Media

Law and Regulation 20 credits.

This module enables you to learn about laws that govern how journalists operate. Among the topics you will study are defamation, contempt of court, privacy, copyright, reporting restrictions, sourcing stories and the regulatory codes of practice. You will learn that while the law can constrain the issues journalists can report on, it can also empower journalists in their right to report in the public interest.

2.3 Course requirements

Awards

Masters Degree in Journalism.

Requires 180 credits at Level 7

Postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

Requires 120 credits at Level 7.

Postgraduate certificate in Journalism.

Requires 60 credits at Level

2.4 MODULE REGISTRATION OPTIONS Discussions about your progression will take place during the course.

2.5 STUDY TIME

2.5.1 WEEKLY TIMETABLE A timetable will be available once you have enrolled on the programme, through the student

portal.

2.5.2 EXPECTED HOURS OF STUDY

20 credits is a standard module size and equals 200 notional learning hours.

The normal amount of work involved in achieving a successful outcome to your studies is to

study for 10 hours per each credit you need to achieve – this includes attendance at UCLan and

time spent in private study. A typical working week may include lectures, seminars and practical

workshops.

Research and project based modules will demand more private study and formal contact time

with staff may be limited to tutorials and supervision sessions. Outside teaching hours you may

also need to spend time completing work placements. It is important that you plan your week

and learn to manage your time carefully in order to complete your studies successfully.

2.5.3 Attendance Requirements You are

required to attend all timetabled learning

activities for each module unless it is a specific

blended learning activity when you will be

expected to engage with the module via

Blackboard and/or other online sites. Students

should report non-attendance to the hub email –

CandTHubAttendance@uclan.ac.uk or by

telephoning the hub on 01772 891994 or 01772

891995.

International students should be aware of their responsibilities under the UK Border Agency

(UKBA), Points Based System (PBS). You MUST attend your course of study regularly; under PBS,

UCLan is obliged to tell UKBA if you withdraw from a course, defer or suspend your studies, or if

you fail to attend the course regularly.

If you have not gained the required authorisation for leave of absence, do not respond to

communications from the University and if you are absent for four weeks or more, you may be

deemed to have withdrawn from the course. If this is the case, then the date of withdrawal will

be recorded as the last day of attendance.

Student attendance is monitored through a university data system called SAM (Student

Attendance Monitoring). You can check your attendance record online through myUCLan.

Each time you are asked to enter your details on SAM you must remember that the University

has a responsibility to keep information up to date and that you must only enter your own

details on the system. To enter any other names would result in inaccurate records and be

dishonest. Any student who is found to make false entries can be disciplined under the student

guide to regulations.

3. APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING

3.1 LEARNING AND TEACHING METHODS

This programme aims to have flexible delivery patterns to enable you to combine your studies

with other areas of your life. There will be on-campus seminar/workshop sessions that you will

need to attend. You will be given details of these at the start of the programme. There will also

be online delivery and discussion and recommendation of off-campus events to attend in order

to enhance your learning.

3.2 STUDY SKILLS

We consider the development of study skills to be a key part of our programme and our weekly

sessions, formal assessments and learning and teaching strategies all work to embed skills

acquisition. you will be asked, during your time on this programme, to produce presentations,

design posters, conduct quantitative and qualitative research, interpret database figures and,

crucially, consider the distinctions between statistic and fact, received, or ‘popular’ opinion and

research-informed propositions.

WISER, based in Harris Building 113, offers a range of specialist, free sessions and courses to

help you develop your study skills. these range from essay writing to time management. Check

them out in Harris Building 113 or visit wiser on the uclan website.

WISER HTTP://WWW.UCLAN.AC.UK/STUDENTS/STUDY/WISER/INDEX.PHP

Study Skills - ‘Ask Your Librarian’ https://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/support/study/it_library_trainer.php You can book a one to one session with a subject Librarian via Starfish. These sessions will help with questions such as “My lecturer says I need a wider variety of sources in my references, what do I do?" "I need to find research articles, where do I start?" "How do I find the Journal of ...?" "How do I use RefWorks?”

3.3 LEARNING RESOURCES

3.3.1 Learning and Information Services (LIS)

The best place to start when exploring the Library resources available to you is; • Your ‘Subject Guide’ can be found in the Library Resources

• Your ‘My Library’ tab in the Student Portal • Library search

Extensive Resources are available to support your studies provided by LIS – library and IT staff.

Take advantage of the free training sessions designed to enable you to gain all

the skills you need for your research and study. For more information go to:

WISER https://portal.uclan.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_33_1

LIS https://portal.uclan.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_25_1

3.3.2 ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

3.4 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

Personal development planning is of paramount importance. We have ensured that, in addition

to providing you with practical skillsets, we will enable you to reflect on your learning, and

gather knowledge about yourself as a postgraduate learner. You will be given the opportunity,

during taught sessions, to analyse your strengths and weaknesses, within an informed and

supportive environment, and work towards filling gaps in skills, knowledge and provide you

with an understanding of your potential.

3.5 Preparing for your career

The MA Journalism is vocational program designed to help you gain sustainable career

development in journalism and/or the creative media industries.

4. STUDENT SUPPORT

Information on the support available is at: https://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/

As well as regular and personal contact with the course leader and other tutors, there is a

centralised student and academic support service which has the 'i' student information centre

as its first point of contact. you can obtain information on a wide range of topics including

student administration such as council tax and letters to verify your status plus scholarships,

counselling, student finance, mentoring, studying abroad, disability advice, independent

academic advice, international advice, multi faith centre, pre school centre, medical centre and

general life in Preston.

You will receive all support documentation at your induction meeting.

Student liaison officers have recent experience of what it is like to be a student and can advise

you of the support systems available. they work towards improving your student experience

here at UCLan.

4.1 ACADEMIC ADVISORS

At the start of your course you will be assigned an academic advisor who will regularly meet

with you. The Academic Advisor will be a key person to help you with your personal

development, including developing skills in self-awareness, reflection and action planning.

4.2 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

If you have a disability that may affect your studies, please let one of the course team know as

soon as possible. The University will make reasonable adjustments to accommodate your needs

and to provide appropriate support for you to complete your study successfully. Where

necessary, you will be asked for evidence to help identify appropriate adjustments.

4.3 STUDENTS UNION

The Students’ Union offers thousands of volunteering opportunities ranging from

representative to other leadership roles. They also advertise paid work and employ student

staff on a variety of roles. You can find more information on the SU’s website:

http://www.uclansu.co.uk/

5. ASSESSMENT

5.1 ASSESSMENT STRATEGY

Methods of assessment

A range of methods will be used to evaluate progress, including essays based on research,

portfolios, reflection and/or analysis, presentations and pitches, business plans, project plans,

new product proposals, reflective learning logs and critical analyses.

5.2 Notification of assignments and examination arrangements

Deadlines for submission of coursework will be set by individual module tutors. If you have

arranged to post coursework because of illness, it is essential that you (a) keep a copy and (b)

use recorded delivery. At the end of each module you may be asked to hand in all coursework

to the course tutor, who will then return it to you after the Ass essment Boards.

Some Module Tutors also make arrangements for online submission through E-learn or e-mail.

Guidance will be given in your seminar sessions.

5.3 REFERENCING

We have decided to recommend one style for citation and documentation purposes for your

course:

Harvard Style.

Using the Harvard system (or style) of referencing, citations in the body of your writing should

give the author's surname with the year of publication. The full details of all these sources

should be listed alphabetically by author name as a reference list at the end of your writing.

5.4 CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL

During the course of your study, you may handle confidential material. Please do not share this

information with anyone outside the module unless you are given permission.

5.5 Cheating, plagiarism, collusion or re-presentation

You are required to sign a declaration indicating that individual work submitted for an

assessment is your own.

If you attempt to influence the standard of the award you obtain through cheating, plagiarism or collusion, it will be considered as a serious academic and disciplinary offence as described within the Academic Regulations and the Assessment Handbook . • Cheating is any deliberate attempt to deceive and covers a range of offences described in the Assessment Handbook.

• Plagiarism describes copying from the works of another person without suitably

attributing the published or unpublished works of others. This means that all

quotes, ideas, opinions, music and images should be acknowledged and referenced

within your assignments.

• Collusion is an attempt to deceive the examiners by disguising the true authorship

of an assignment by copying, or imitating in close detail another student’s work -

this includes with the other student’s consent and also when 2 or more students

divide the elements of an assignment amongst themselves and copy one another’s

answers. It does not include the normal situation in which you learn from your peers

and share ideas, as this generates the knowledge and understanding necessary for

each individual to independently undertake an assignment; nor should it be

confused with group work on an assignment which is specifically authorised in the

assignment brief.

• Re-presentation is an attempt to gain credit twice for the same piece of work.

The process of investigation and penalties which will be applied can be reviewed in the

Assessment Handbook. If an allegation is found to be proven then the appropriate penalty will

be implemented:

In the case of a single offence of cheating, plagiarism, collusion or re-presentation: •

the penalty will be 0% for the element of assessment, and an overall fail for

the module.

• the plagiarised element of assessment must be resubmitted to the required

standard and the mark for the module following resubmission will be restricted to

the minimum pass mark.

• when it is detected for the first time on a resubmission for an already failed module,

no further resubmission for the module will be permitted, and the appropriate fail

grade will be awarded.

In the event of a repeat offence of cheating, plagiarism, collusion or re-presentation

(irrespective of whether the repeat offence involves the same form of unfair means) on the

same or any other module within the course:

• the appropriate penalty will be 0% for the module with no opportunity for re-

assessment. This penalty does not preclude you being able to retake the module in

a subsequent year.

The penalties will apply if you transfer from one UCLan course to another during your period

of study and module credits gained on the former course are transferred to the current

course.

Contact the Students’ Union Advice and Representation Centre by emailing:

suadvice@uclan.ac.uk for support and guidance.

Please refer to the information included in section 6.6 of the University Student Handbook for

full definitions. The University uses an online Assessment Tool called Turnitin. A

pseudoTurnitin assignment will be set up using the School space on Blackboard to allow

students to check as many drafts as the system allows before their final submission to the

‘official’ Turnitin assignment. Students are required to self-submit their own assignment on

Turnitin and will be given access to the Originality Reports arising from each submission. In

operating Turnitin, Schools must take steps to ensure that the University’s requirement for all

summative assessment to be marked anonymously is not undermined and therefore Turnitin

reports should either be anonymised or considered separately from marking. Turnitin may also

be used to assist with plagiarism detection and collusion, where there is suspicion about

individual piece(s) of work.

5.6 How do I know that my assessed work had been marked fairly?

Assessment is an integral part of the course. Module staff work closely together to design assessments, agree the marking criteria and approve final versions of assessments to ensure that these are appropriate. The criteria for assessment will be communicated to you clearly during the module teaching. All module staff engage in development and training in assessment, marking and feedback. Once the assessments have been completed the module team will discuss the assessment methods and marking criteria, prior to starting to mark, so that there is a common understanding of what is expected of students. All assessed modules have moderation built into the marking process. Moderation involves sampling students’ assessed work to make sure that the learning outcomes and agreed marking criteria have been interpreted and applied in the same way. This ensures that you and your fellow students are treated equitably and that the academic standards are applied consistently. During the marking process the module leader will co-ordinate moderation to ensure that at least 10% of assessed work (or a minimum of three pieces) has been reviewed by other markers and any concerns about consistency or accuracy addressed with the whole module team. Your work may or may not be part of this sample, but the processes for developing assessments and marking criteria as well as moderation mean that you can be confident that teaching staff are marking assessments to the same criteria. Module teams may then use feedback from moderation to improve clarity about the nature and purpose of future assessment, or to make changes if required. Modules are also moderated externally. The module leader will arrange for the external examiner to receive a sample of work for review and comment. External examiners cannot change individual grades but can act as ‘critical friends’ and confirm that marking standards are in line with other, similar courses in the sector. If, on reviewing the sample, external examiners feel that the marking criteria have not been applied consistently the work of the whole cohort will be reviewed.

6. CLASSIFICATION OF AWARDS

The University publishes the principles underpinning the way in which awards and results are

decided in Academic Regulations. Decisions about the overall classification of awards are made

by Assessment Boards through the application of the academic and relevant course regulations.

7. STUDENT FEEDBACK

You can play an important part in the process of improving the quality of this course through

the feedback you give. You can play an important part in the process of improving the quality of

this course through the feedback you give. In addition to the on-going discussion with the

course team throughout the year, there are a range of mechanisms for you to feedback about

your experience of teaching and learning. We aim to respond to your feedback and let you

know of our plans for improvement.

7.1 Student Staff Liaison Committee meetings (SSLCs)

A course representative is a student who represents their fellow students’ views and opinions

to the course team, school, university and students’ union. Course representatives work

proactively and diplomatically to improve the academic and non-academic experiences of

students.

The role of a course representative is extremely beneficial to both students on your course and

the university. It enables students to have ownership of their student experience and voice

their opinions and share positive practice with the course team, primarily the Student Staff

Liaison Committee Meetings (see below).

Course representatives will be elected every year either in April or September. Alongside

receiving recognition, support and respect being a course representative is a great opportunity

to enhance your employability skills. If you are interested in becoming a course representative

and wish to find out more about the role visit the Students’ Union website or by emailing:

coursereps@uclan.ac.uk.

School Presidents meanwhile are annually elected representatives who voice the opinions of

students within each school. They communicate and engage with students in their school to

gain feedback and work in partnership with senior management to create positive change. They

are also trained to support and signpost course representatives where needed.

Details of the Protocol for the operation of SSLCs is included in section 8.2 of the University

Student Handbook. Through the Students’ Union a representative will be elected for the course.

They will then attend a staff student liaison meeting once per semester during which student

feedback will be communicated to the course teaching team.

8. Appendices

Harvard Style Guide

Books

In text:

According to Bell (2010, p.23) the most important part of the research process is… Reference list:

Bell, J. (2010) Doing your research project. 5th ed. Buckingham: Open University Press. Articles/Chapters from an Edited Book

In text:

The view proposed by Taruskin (1988, p.137-207)

Reference list:

Taruskin, R. (1988) The pastness of the present and the present of the past. In Kenyon, N. (ed.) Authenticity and early music. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p.137-20.

Journal Articles

In text:

French et al (2006) concluded…

Reference list:

French, C., Ost, J. and Wright, D. (2006) Recovered and false memories. The Psychologist, 19 (6), p.352-355.

Thesis or dissertation

Most theses or dissertations are unpublished. If published, it should be cited as a book.

In text:

Jones (1974) describes Faure's piano style …

Reference list:

Jones, J.B. (1974) The piano and chamber works of Gabriel Fauré. Unpublished PhD dissertation. Cambridge University.

Newspaper Articles

In text:

McElvoy (2003) accused the Government of bad faith.

Reference list:

McElvoy, A. (2003) Can they ever stop the spin? The Evening Standard, 30 July 2003, p.11.

If there is no author, use the title of the newspaper followed by the date.

Articles from an Encyclopedia

Kalyanaraman, Sriram. "Online Relationships." The Encyclopaedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media. Ed. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2007. Print.

Government Publications

United States. Cong. Joint Committee on Printing. Congressional Directory 2007-2008: 110th Congress. Washington: GPO, 2007. Print.

E-book

In text:

Griffiths (1995) points out that …

Reference list:

Griffiths, P. (1995) Modern music and after. MyiLibrary [Online]. Available at:

http://www.myilibrary.com [Accessed: 4 August 2008].

Online Video

The Descent of Finance. Perf. Niall Ferguson and Adi Ignatius. Harvard Business Publishing, 2009. YouTube.Com. Web. 3 Aug. 2009.

E-Journal

In text:

Hunt (2008) describes the sub-prime mortgage problem…

Reference list:

Hunt, A. (2008) Explaining the credit crunch. Economist, 387 (8584), p.20. EBSCOhost:

Business Source Premier [Online]. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com [Accessed: 30 July 2008]. Web Article

In text:

To keep sound in and out of your studio White (2008) advises…

Reference list:

White, P. (2008) Practical soundproofing. Sound on Sound, May 2008 [Online]. Available at:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may08 [Accessed: 6 August 2008].

Article from online newspaper

If the name of the journalist or writer is given, start with this.

In text:

Hygiene in NHS hospitals is described by Lister (2006)

Reference list:

Lister, S. (2006) Basic hygiene is failing in a third of NHS hospitals. Timesonline.co.uk, March 22 2006 [Online]. Available at: http://ww.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article744018.ece [Accessed: 24 July 2008].

If the journalist or writer isn't named, start with the title of the online newspaper followed by the date in round brackets.

In text:

Guardian.co.uk (2008) describes the human rights situation in China…

Organisation or personal web site

In text:

Yau (2001) provided information about the Chinese community.

Reference list:

Yau,T. (2001) Dragon project. [Online]. Available at: http://www.geocities.com/dragonproject2000/ [Accessed: 1 August 2008].

For web pages where no author can be identified, use the web page's title. Where no author or title can be identified, use the web page's URL. In text:

The process for compressing video files is described at

(http://www.newmediarepublic.com/dvideo/compression.html, 2008)

Blog

Author(s) Last name, First name. (Year site published/Last updated) ‘Title of message’, Title of Internet Site, Day Month of posted message. Available at:

internet address (Accessed Day Month Year).

Example: O’Connor, John (2010) ‘Global warming and the future’, Jane Murphy Blog, 14 January. Available at: http://janemurphyblog.com/blogs/archive/2010/01/14/115/aspx (Accessed 13 April 2010).

Email communication

Sender Last name, Initials (Year of message) Medium of communication Receiver of communication, Day Month of communication.

Example: Scott, G. (2010) E-mail to John Bryce, 26 February.

Interviews

Last name, Initials of person interviewed. (Year of interview) ‘Title of the interview (if any)’. Interview by/with Interviewer’s First name Last name, Title of publication.

Medium in which the interview appeared (journal, radio, video etc), Publication details.

Example: Cowen, B. (2010) Interviewed by Brian Dobson, Six One News, video, RTE One,

In text

Cowen (2010) claimed in an interview…. In an interview on RTE (Cowen, 2010)….

Example of a reference list using the Harvard system.

References Source

Abraham, S. (2008) Eating disorders . 6 th rev. ed. Oxford : Oxford University Press

Book

Ake, D. (2002) Learning jazz, teaching jazz. In: Cooke, M. and Horn, D. (eds.) The

Cambridge companion to jazz . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, p.255269.

Chapter from an edited book

Ang, L. and Taylor, B. (2005) Managing customer profitability using portfolio matrices. Journal of Marketing , 12 (5), p.298-304.

Journal article

Benoit, B. (2007) G8 faces impasse on global warming. Financial Times , 29 May 2007, p.9.

Newspaper

article

European Commission (2004) First report on the implementation of the internal marketing strategy 2003-2006. Luxembourg : Office for Publications of the European Communities.

Report

Garcia-Sierra, A. (2000) An Investigation into electronic commerce potential of small to medium-sized enterprises. Unpublished PhD thesis, Cardiff University .

PhD thesis

Huber, D.M. (2005) Modern recording techniques . 6 th ed. Dawsonera [Online]. Available at: http://dawsonera.com [Accessed: 30 July 2008].

Electronic book

Hunt, A. (2008) Explaining the credit crunch. Economist , vol. 387, issue 8584, p.20 EBSCOhost: Business Source Premier [Online]. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com [Accessed: 24 July 2008].

Electronic journal (from database)

Neilson, J.P. (2007) Symphysis-fundal height measurement in pregnancy

[Systematic Review]. Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews[Online]. Available at: http://ovidsp.uk.ovid.com [Accessed 30 July 2008].

Review from Cochrane database

R. v. Edwards (John) (1991) 93 Cr. App. R.48 Law report

Thompson, B. (2008) Can the tech community go green ? [Online]. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7240440.stm [Accessed: 24 July 2008].

Web page

Further reading

Pears, Richard and Shields, Graham (2010) Cite Them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide (Palgrave Study Skills series). 8th ed. Palgrave Macmillan

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE

Programme Specification

1. Awarding Institution / Body

University of Central Lancashire

2. Teaching Institution and Location of Delivery

University of Central Lancashire

3. University School/Centre

Journalism, Media and Performance

4. External Accreditation

None

5. Title of Final Award

MA Journalism

6. Modes of Attendance offered

Full Time/Part Time/Blended.

7a) UCAS Code

Postgraduate programme.

7b) JACS Code

P500

8. Relevant Subject Benchmarking Group(s)

No benchmarking at this level.

9. Other external influences

10. Date of production/revision of this form

January 2018

11. Aims of the Programme

• To enable students to develop a mastery of the key skills and knowledge required for career

development in contemporary media. • To develop students’ intellectual skills and creative insights to enable them to become reflective

practitioners with sustainable and flexible career options. • To enable students to critically analyse, develop and challenge theories of contemporary

journalism and business practice and to exploit that understanding in the development of new practice and innovation.

• To promote engagement in debate about the definition, nature and purpose of journalism and its

ethical framework. 12. Learning Outcomes, Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods A. Knowledge and Understanding

A1. Apply a critical understanding of the main themes, conceptual issues and professional approaches to journalism

A2. Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of the cultural, legal and business context in which new forms of media are evolving

A3. Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of complex theories of society, public life and the role of enterprise and journalism innovation in this context

A4. Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of the relevant concepts, terms, debates and controversies relevant to journalism and enterprise.

Teaching and Learning Methods Case studies, supporting literature, blended learning events and workshops, lectures and seminars, alongside industry expose will underpin key principles. Application to current practice through observation of professional practice will encourage and enable synthesis of concepts in to practice. Assessment methods Case studies, projects, essays and reflective reports will be used to develop the students’ critical understanding and mastery of the core theoretical constructs of innovation. B. Subject-specific skills

B1. Design and manage strategies to create and sustain contemporary and/or innovative journalism skills, products and services

B2. Apply appropriate legal and ethical frameworks to their practice B3. Develop, produce and support complex digital production processes B4. Develop, apply and exploit innovative facilitation and production techniques. Teaching and Learning Methods Coursework and exercises will concentrate on building the students’ practical skills in a live environment. Case studies will allow students to see these skills used in context and the lab sessions will encourage students not only to critically assess current practice but to develop novel approaches based on their own and the groups projects. Assessment methods Case studies, portfolios and reports on current practice will provide a backbone to the lab sessions and project. Core practical and technical skills will also be tested with appropriate coursework and live exercises. C. Thinking Skills

C1. Application of critical and theoretical approaches to journalism C2. Evaluation of, comparison and contrast of critical/theoretical and professional approaches to

create and sustain journalism today C3. The ability to analyse arguments and concepts C4. The ability to organise ideas and develop a coherent argument

Teaching and Learning Methods Lecture material, seminar work, guided reading and tutorial support will build on the students own knowledge and understanding. Assessment methods

Essays, presentations, written critiques and reflection on industry as part of case studies and personal process and practice test the depth of the students critical analysis and understanding. D. Other skills relevant to employability and personal development

D1. Self-management D2. Critical awareness D3.Communication, presentation and interpersonal skills D4. Business management.

Teaching and Learning Methods The rigour of deadlines and self-management through the process of assessment and learning in a blended learning setting will provide a robust environment to test and develop personal and professional skills. Assessment methods Practical assessment and presentations will test the student’s personal and practical management skills. Appropriate critical reflection will consolidate their learning. 13. Programme Structures 14. Awards and Credits* Level Module

Code Module Title Credit

rating Level 7 JN4511

JN4512

JN4501

JN4509

JN4505

JN4506

JN4513

JN4514

JN4515

JN4516

JN4504

JN4507

JN4502

Journalism Today

Theory Today

ONE OR BOTH

Multimedia Content.

Journalism Innovation

PLUS EITHER

Placement

Dissertation

Project

OPTIONS:

Cross industry Perspectives.

Drone Journalism

Data Journalism

Photo Journalism

Media Law and Regulation

Broadcast Newsroom

20

20

40

40

40

40

40

20

20

20

20

20

40

Masters Degree in Journalism.

Requires 180 credits at Level 7

Postgraduate diploma in

Journalism.

Requires 120 credits at Level 7.

Postgraduate certificate in

Journalism.

Requires 60 credits at Level 7.

15. Personal Development Planning The nature of this course encourages students to put their own personal and professional development at the heart of their learning. Students will be encouraged through assessment and through tutorial and group activity to constantly reflect and apply their learning and experiences on the course to their own personal and professional goals. The placement, project and dissertation allows students to direct their study and the flexibility of the blended study mode allows for individuals, with guidance, to align their work on the course with their personal development goals. The pathways offer clear options to springboard careers. 16. Admissions criteria * (including agreed tariffs for entry with advanced standing) *Correct as at date of approval. For latest information, please consult the University’s website.

• Typically either an undergraduate degree in journalism or a related media subject, typically at 2:1 or above.

• Or evidence of professional journalism/media industry experience with an undergraduate degree typically at 2:1 and above in any subject.

• Other graduates with a 2:1 or above can be considered, subject to agreement on course structure to ensure professional journalism competency.

• Appropriate computer literacy and internet access. • International applicants are required to have an IELTS score of 7 or equivalent. • Applicants will also be interviewed either in person or via electronic means.

17. Key sources of information about the programme

• www.uclan.ac.uk • External advertising • Social media • Industry contacts • Postgraduate advice events.

18. Curriculum Skills Map

Module Code Module Title

Core (C), Compulsory (COMP) or Option (O)

Programme Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding Subject-specific Skills Thinking Skills

Other skills relevant to employability and

personal development

A1 A2 A3 A4 B1 B2 B3 B4 C1 C2 C3 C4 D1 D2 D3 D4

JN4511 Journalism Today COMP x x x x x x x x x x

JN4512 Journalism Theory COMP x x x x x x x x x x x x

JN4501 Multimedia Content O x x x x x x x x x x x x x

JN4509 Journalism Innovation. O x x x x x x x x x x x

JN4505 Placement O x x x x x x x x JN4506 Dissertation O x x x x x x x x x x x JN4513 Project O x x x x x x x x

JN4514 Cross-industry Perspectives. O x x x x x x x x x x x x x

JN4515 Drone Journalism O x x x x x x x x

JN4516 Data Journalism O x x x x x x x x x x

JN4504 Photo Journalism O x x x x x x x x JN4502 Broadcast Newsroom O x x x x x x x x JN4507 Media Law and Regulation O x x x x x x x x x

19. LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR EXIT AWARDS: For each exit award available, list learning outcomes relating to the knowledge and understanding,

subject specific skills, thinking, other skills relevant to employability and personal development that a

typical student might be expected to gain as a result of successfully completing each level of a

course of study.

Learning outcomes for the award of: Post graduate certificate in Journalism.

A1. Apply a critical understanding of the main themes, conceptual issues and professional

approaches to journalism A2. Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of the cultural, legal and business context in

which new forms of media are evolving A4. Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of the relevant concepts, terms, debates and

controversies relevant to journalism and enterprise.

B1. Design and manage strategies to create and sustain contemporary and/or innovative

journalism skills, products and services B2. Apply appropriate legal and ethical frameworks to their practice

B4. Develop, apply and exploit innovative facilitation and production techniques.

C3 The ability to analyse arguments and concepts

D1. Self-management

D3.Communication, presentation and interpersonal skills

D4. Business management.

Learning outcomes for the award of: Post graduate diploma in Journalism.

A1. Apply a critical understanding of the main themes, conceptual issues and professional

approaches to journalism A2. Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of the cultural, legal and business context in

which new forms of media are evolving A3. Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of complex theories of society, public life and

the role of enterprise and journalism innovation in this context A4. Demonstrate and exploit a critical awareness of the relevant concepts, terms, debates and

controversies relevant to journalism and enterprise.

B1. Design and manage strategies to create and sustain contemporary and/or innovative

journalism skills, products and services B2. Apply appropriate legal and ethical frameworks to their practice

B3. Develop, produce and support complex digital production processes B4. Develop, apply and exploit innovative facilitation and production techniques.

C1. Application of critical and theoretical approaches to journalism C2. Evaluation of, comparison and contrast of critical/theoretical and professional approaches to

create and sustain journalism today C3 The ability to analyse arguments and concepts and to organise C4.

The ability to organise ideas and develop a coherent argument. D1. Self-management

D2. Critical awareness

1

D3.Communication, presentation and interpersonal skills

D4. Business management.

University Student Handbook for

Taught Courses

2018/19

Please read this Handbook in conjunction with your Course Handbook.

All course materials, including lecture notes and other additional materials related to your

course and provided to you, whether electronically or in hard copy, as part of your study, are

the property of (or licensed to) UCLan and MUST not be distributed, sold, published, made

available to others or copied other than for your personal study use unless you have gained

2

written permission to do so from the Dean/Head of School. This applies to the materials in

their entirety and to any part of the materials.

This Handbook is produced centrally and locked for editing. Partner institutions only are given permission to contextualise the Handbook.

UCLan Mission statement

We create positive change in our students, staff, business partners and wider communities,

enabling them to develop their full potential by providing excellent higher education,

innovation and research.

UCLan Values

• The pursuit of excellence in all that we do.

• Equality of opportunity for all, supporting the rights and freedoms of our diverse

community.

• The advancement and protection of knowledge, freedom of speech and enquiry.

• Supporting the health, safety and wellbeing of all.

Student Charter The Student Charter has been developed by the University and the Students’ Union so that

students gain the maximum from their UCLan experience. It is a two-way commitment or

‘contract’ between the University and each individual student. It acts as a means of

establishing in black and white what students can expect from the University and the Union

in terms of support, and in return what we expect from our students. Read the full Student

Charter

Supporting Diversity at UCLan

UCLan recognises and values individual difference and has a public duty to promote equality

and remove discrimination on various grounds including race, gender, disability, religion or

belief, sexual orientation and age. During your time at UCLan we expect you to be able to

• experience "an integrated community based on mutual respect and tolerance where all staff

and students can feel safe, valued and supported."

• contribute to creating a positive environment where discriminatory practices and discrimination

no longer happen.

Please review the UCLan Equality and Diversity Policy for further information.

Contents page

1. Welcome and Introduction to the University

2. Learning Resources

3. Preparing for your career

4. Student support

3

5. Students’ Union

6. Rationale, aims and learning outcomes of the course

7. Assessment

8. Student Voice

4

1. Welcome and Introduction to the University

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) welcomes you and hopes that you will enjoy

studying at UCLan and that you will find your course both interesting and rewarding. This

Handbook provides you with generic University level information and the Course Handbook

provides specific information about your programme of study.

1.1 Communication

The University expects you to use your UCLan email address and check regularly for

messages from staff. If you send us email messages from other addresses they risk being

filtered out as potential spam and discarded as unread.

1.2 External Examiner

The University has appointed an External Examiner to your course who helps to ensure that

the standards of your course are comparable to those provided at other higher education

institutions in the UK. External Examiner reports will be made available to you electronically.

The School will also send a sample of student coursework to the external examiner(s) for

external moderation purposes, once it has been marked and internally moderated by the

course tutors. The sample will include work awarded the highest and lowest marks and

awarded marks in the middle range. Details of the External Examiner associated with your

course can be found in your Course Handbook.

1.3 Expected hours of study

The normal amount of work involved in achieving a successful outcome to your studies is to

study for 10 hours per each credit you need to achieve – this includes attendance at UCLan

and time spent in private study. Please note however that this may vary depending on your

particular course and programme of study. You should therefore check your Course Handbook

or contact a member of staff within the relevant School.

1.4 Attendance Requirements

Student attendance at timetabled learning activities of courses and modules is required.

Notification of illness or exceptional requests for leave of absence must be made as detailed

in the Course Handbook. Individual modules and/or courses may incorporate a specific

attendance requirement as part of the assessment criteria for successful completion of a

module.

Students with continuous unauthorised absence may be deemed to have withdrawn from the

course. The date of withdrawal will be recorded as the last day of attendance. You may

request a review of this decision if you have grounds in line with the Academic Appeals

Procedure. Tuition fees will be charged in accordance with Appendix 2 of our Tuition Fee

Policy.

You must swipe in using your student card. Each time you are asked to enter your details on

the Student Attendance Monitoring system (SAM) you must remember that the University has

a responsibility to keep information up to date. You must only enter your own details on

the system as to enter any other names would result in inaccurate records and be dishonest.

Any student who is found to make false entries, such as scanning but not attending, can be

disciplined under the Regulations for the Conduct of Students

1.5 Data Protection

All of the personal information obtained from you and other sources in connection with your

studies at the University will be held securely and will be used by the University both during

your course and after you leave the University for a variety of purposes. These purposes are

all explained during the enrolment process at the commencement of your studies. If you would

5

like a more detailed explanation of the University’s policy on the use and disclosure of personal

information, please see the University’s Data Protection Policy and Privacy Notice or contact

the Information Governance Officer, Office of the University Secretary and Legal Officer,

University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE or email DPFOIA@uclan.ac.uk.

2. Learning resources

2.1 Learning Information Services (LIS)

Extensive resources are available to support your studies provided by LIS – library and IT staff. Take advantage of the free training sessions designed to enable you to

gain all the skills you need for your research and study.

You can find the link to the Library Opening Hours here:

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/library/opening_hours.php

2.2 Electronic Resources

LIS provide access to a range of electronic resources – e-journals and databases, e-books,

images and texts.

3. Preparing for your career

Your future is important to us, so to make sure that you achieve your full potential whilst at

university and beyond, your course has employability learning integrated into it. This is not

extra to your degree, but an important part of it.

Your course will take you on a journey of development that will help you to map your personal

story of your time at university.

You will be encouraged to record your learning journey so that you can demonstrate all the

work-related skills you have developed, both before and during your time at UCLan. This will

help you to show future employers just how valuable your degree is and the employability skills

you have acquired.

• You will be given the opportunity to explore your identity, your strengths and areas for

development, your values and what you want to get out of life.

• You will be able to investigate a range of options, including jobs and work experience,

postgraduate study and self-employment.

• We will support you to enable you to successfully tackle the recruitment process and to

develop your enterprise skills.

UCLan Careers offers a range of support for you including:-

• One to one career and employability advice and guidance appointments.

• Advice on finding graduate jobs, including how to improve your CV with work placements,

internships, voluntary opportunities and part-time employment.

• Workshops, seminars, and events to enhance your learning and develop your skills.

• Employer presentations and events, to give you the chance to network with potential

employers and find out from them what they are looking for.

The UCLan careers portal careerEDGE contains all the information and resources you will

need to help navigate your way to a successful career, including access to hundreds of

graduate vacancies, placements and part-time jobs.

6

We are based in the entrance to Foster building and are open from 09:00-17:00, Monday to

Thursday, 9:00-16:00 on Fridays. Come to see us to arrange your guidance appointment,

have your CV and cover letter checked, get help in applying for a job or just to find out more

about our full range of services.It’s your future: take charge of it!

UCLan Careers | Foster Building | University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE

01772 895858 careers@uclan.ac.uk www.uclan.ac.uk/careers

4. Student support, guidance and conduct

4.1 Student Support

“Got a Problem to Sort? Come to us for Support”.

The <i> is your first point of call for all enquiries, help and advice. We provide guidance to all UCLan students whatever the query may be. We offer advice on:

• Bank and Confirmation of Study Letters

• Council Tax Exemption Certificates

• International Student Support

• Library Services and Support

• Printing and Printer Credit • Student Financial Support

• UCLan Cards

• UCLan Financial Bursary (1st year students only)

• Student Support and Wellbeing (including Disability) and much more.

We are based on the ground floor of the UCLan Library and open 7 days a week most of the

year. Our friendly and approachable team will do their best to ensure your query is answered.

Come and have a chat with us if you have a query on any aspect of student life and study.

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/library/the_i.php

If you are struggling financially or have financial concerns which may prevent you from

continuing on your course, you are advised to seek advice from the University’s Finance

Support Team, based in the <i>, or in the Advice and Representation Centre at the Students’

Union.

If you are finding the course challenging or cannot complete independent study and

assessments on time you should consult your Academic Advisor.

4.2 Students with disabilities

You are strongly encouraged to declare your disability on your application form when you apply

to study at UCLan. If you have declared this Disability Services will be in contact with you to

advise you about reasonable adjustments which may be appropriate in the circumstances.

You can also tell any member of staff at the University, who will ask you to sign a disability

disclosure form, to let the Disability Service know that you have a disability and agree to share

this information with them. Disability Services will then get in touch with you to discuss your

available options. Following this you will be assigned a Disability Adviser whom you can

contact should you need any further help or assistance.

https://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/health/disability_services.php

4.3 Assessment arrangements for students with a disability

Arrangements are made for students who have a disability/specific learning difficulty for which

valid supporting evidence can be made available. Contact your Disability Adviser for advice

and information, disability@uclan.ac.uk

7

4.4 Health and Safety

As a student of the University you share responsibility for the safety of yourself

and for that of others around you. You must understand and follow all the

regulations and safety codes necessary for a safe campus environment. Please

help to keep it safe by reporting any incidents, accidents or potentially unsafe

situations to a

member of staff as soon as possible.

Safety assessments have been undertaken for each module of your course and you will be

advised of all applicable safety codes and any specific safety issues during the induction to

your course and modules. You must ensure that you understand and apply all necessary

safety codes. These form an essential element of your personal development and contribute

to the safety of others.

4.5 Conduct

You will be expected to abide by the Regulations for the Conduct of Students in the University.

UCLan expects you to behave in a respectful manner towards all members of the University

at all times demonstrated by using appropriate language in class, switching mobile phones /

other devices off prior to attending classes, and also in your use of any social networking sites.

If your behaviour is considered to be unacceptable, any member of staff is able to issue an

informal oral warning and the University will support staff by invoking formal procedures where

necessary. You can read more about UCLan expectations in the Regulations for the Conduct

of Students.

5. Students’ Union

The Students’ Union is the representative body for all UCLan students. The

organisation exists separately from the University and is led by the elected

officers of the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) as well as representatives on the Students’

Council. The Students’ Union building is located at the heart of the Preston campus, and is

the hub for all student activities.

Representation and campaigning for students’ rights is at the core of what the Students’ Union

does and is encompassed by its tag line of Making Life Better for Students. Should you wish

to make a change to any aspect of your student experience, whether it be academically related

or not, then the Students’ Union is where your voice can be heard, actions taken, or campaigns

launched.

Your Students’ Union is also the home to a fantastic range of student-led societies, sports

teams and multitudes of volunteering opportunities. You can also receive help in finding

parttime work whilst you study. Not sure where to go? Pop into the Opportunities Centre on

the ground floor of the Students’ Union building and someone will point you in the right

direction.

We hope your time at University is trouble free, but should you come into difficulties around

anything from academic appeals, to issues with housing, benefits or debt, then the Student

Union’s dedicated staff team in the Advice and Representation Centre are on hand to help

and offer impartial advice.

8

More information on all these things, as well as details about all the Student Union’s

(notforprofit) commercial services, including its student supermarket (Essentials) and student-

bar (Source) can be found at www.uclansu.co.uk

6. Rationale, aims and learning outcomes of the course

6.1 You will find information specific to your chosen course of study in your Course Handbook,

in the form of a ‘programme specification’. As defined by the QAA (Quality Assurance Agency)

- the regulatory body responsible for overseeing quality compliance in the Higher Education

Sector - a programme specification is a concise description of the intended learning outcomes

of an HE programme. It is the means by which the outcomes are achieved and demonstrated.

In general, modules or other units of study have stated outcomes, often set out in handbooks

provided by institutions to inform student choice. These intended learning outcomes relate

directly to the curriculum, study and assessment methods and criteria used to assess

performance. Programme specifications can show how modules can be combined into whole

qualifications. However, a programme specification is not simply an aggregation of module

outcomes; it relates to the learning and attributes developed by the programme as a whole and

which, in general, are typically in HE more than the sum of the parts.

6.2 Sometimes certain aspects of courses may be subject to change. Applicants are

encouraged to check information on our relevant course pages from time to time, particularly

before submitting any application for their academic year of study. Material changes about a

course will be notified to you in material produced after the change is made and at the time

you are made any offer of a place of study for that course. For details about changes to course

information after you have accepted any offer, please see our Additional Information and

Conditions of Offer

7. Assessment

Please note that all modules will be assessed. You are expected to attempt

all required assessments for each module for which you are registered, and to

do so at the times scheduled unless authorised extensions, special

arrangements for disability, or extenuating circumstances have been expressly

agreed by the University to allow you to defer your assessment.

7.1 Dealing with difficulties in meeting assessment deadlines

Assignments must be submitted no later than the time and date on your assignment

instructions / brief. If you anticipate that you will have difficulty in meeting assessment

deadlines or you have missed or are likely to miss in-semester tests you must report this at

the earliest possible opportunity. An academic staff member, such as your Academic Advisor

or Module or Course Leader, will be able to provide advice to you on how to do this.

Extenuating Circumstances are defined as unforeseen, unpreventable circumstances that

significantly disrupt student performance in assessment. Where students have a temporary

unexpected circumstance that means that they are unable to complete a particular assignment

on time the student may apply for an extension of up to ten working days.

7.2 Extensions

Authorisation of the late submission of work requires written permission. Your School is

authorised to give permission for one extension period of between 1 and 10 working days

where appropriate evidence of good reason has been accepted and where submission within

this timescale would be reasonable taking into account your circumstances. Requests for

extensions should be made prior to the submission date as extensions cannot be given

Retrospectively (Academic Regulations).

9

You should complete and submit an extension request form, with any supporting evidence,

to your CAS Hub. Further information is available on the Student Portal at:

https://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/examinations_and_awards/extensions.php

We aim to let you know if the extension has been granted within 1 working day of the receipt

of the request.

If you are unable to submit work within 10 working days after the submission date due to

verifiable extenuating circumstances, you may submit a case for consideration in accordance

with the University’s Policies and Procedures on Extenuating Circumstances (Academic

Regulations and Assessment Handbook).

7.3 Extenuating circumstances

Some students face significant events in their personal life that occur after their

course has started, which have a greater impact on their studies than can be

solved by the use of an extension. If this applies to you, the University is ready

to support you, with both your course and your personal wellbeing, through a

process called Extenuating Circumstances (see Academic Regulations and Assessment

Handbook)

You can apply for Extenuating Circumstances online via myUCLan. You must apply no later

than 3 days after any examination or assessment submission date. Do not wait until you

receive your assessment results to submit a claim. It is in your own interests to submit the

claim as soon as possible.

You will be expected to re-submit claims for extenuating circumstances for each semester in

which they apply. All evidence provided relating to extenuating circumstances will be treated

in a sensitive and confidential manner. Supporting evidence will not be kept for longer than is

necessary and will be destroyed shortly after the end of the current academic year. Further

information about the submission process

In determining assessment recommendations, Assessment Boards will consider properly

submitted claims from students who believe their performance has been adversely affected

by extenuating circumstances. N.B. Assessment Boards are not permitted to alter individual

assessment marks to take account of extenuating circumstances (Academic Regulations and

Assessment Handbook).

7.4 Late submissions

If you submit work late without authorisation, a universal penalty will be applied

in relation to your work:

• If you submit work within 5 working days following the published submission

date you will obtain the minimum pass mark for that element of assessment.

• Work submitted later than 5 working days after the published submission date will be awarded

a mark of 0% for that element of assessment.

• Unauthorised late submission at resubmission will automatically be awarded a mark of 0%

for that element of assessment.

You may apply to appeal this decision in accordance with the University’s Academic

Regulations.

10

7.5 Feedback Following Assessments

UCLan is committed to giving you clear, legible and informative feedback for all your

assessments (Academic Regulations). You are expected to review and reflect on your

feedback and learn from each experience to improve your performance as you progress

though the course.

For courses (except distance learning):

You will be provided with generic feedback for in-module formative and summative elements

of assessment which contribute to a module within 15 working days of the scheduled

submission or examination date. Generic feedback on end of module assessment and

dissertations will be made available within 15 days of publication of results. Generic feedback

may be oral, written, posted on a website or other.

For distance learning courses:

You will be provided with generic feedback for in-module formative and summative elements

of assessment which contribute to a module within 20 working days of the scheduled

submission or examination date. Generic feedback on end of module assessment and

dissertations will be made available within 20 days of publication of results. Generic feedback

may be oral, written, posted on a website or other.

7.6 Unfair Means to Enhance Performance

The University regards any use of unfair means in an attempt to enhance

performance or to influence the standard of award obtained as a serious

academic and/or disciplinary offence. Such offences can include, without

limitation, cheating, plagiarism, collusion and re-presentation (‘unfair means’).

You are required to sign a declaration indicating that individual work submitted for assessment

is your own and will be able to view your Originality Report following e-submission of assessed

work.

If you attempt to influence the standard of the award you obtain through cheating, plagiarism

or collusion, it will be considered as a serious academic and disciplinary offence as described

within the Academic Regulations and the Assessment Handbook .

• Cheating is any deliberate attempt to deceive and covers a range of offences described in the

Assessment Handbook.

• Plagiarism describes copying from the works of another person without suitably attributing the

published or unpublished works of others. This means that all quotes, ideas, opinions, music

and images should be acknowledged and referenced within your assignments.

• Collusion is an attempt to deceive the examiners by disguising the true authorship of an

assignment by copying, or imitating in close detail another student’s work - this includes with

the other student’s consent and also when 2 or more students divide the elements of an

assignment amongst themselves and copy one another’s answers. It does not include the

normal situation in which you learn from your peers and share ideas, as this generates the

knowledge and understanding necessary for each individual to independently undertake an

assignment; nor should it be confused with group work on an assignment which is specifically

authorised in the assignment brief.

• Re-presentation is an attempt to gain credit twice for the same piece of work.

The process of investigation and penalties which will be applied can be reviewed in the

Assessment Handbook. If an allegation is found to be proven then the appropriate penalty will

be implemented as set out below:

11

In the case of a single offence of unfair means in an undergraduate or postgraduate

assessment:

• the appropriate penalty will be 0% for the element of assessment, and an overall fail for the

module (whether or not the resulting numeric average mark is above or below the minimum

pass mark). The affected element of the assessment must be resubmitted to the required

standard. The mark for the module following resubmission will be restricted to the minimum

pass mark. Where unfair means is detected for the first time on a reassessment for an already

failed module, no further reassessment for the module will be permitted, and the appropriate

fail grade will be awarded.

In the event of a repeat offence of unfair means (irrespective of whether the repeat offence

involves the same form of unfair means) on the same or any other module within the course:

• the appropriate penalty will be 0% for the module with no opportunity for re-assessment. This

penalty does not preclude you being able to retake the module in a subsequent year.

The penalties will apply if you transfer from one UCLan course to another during your period

of study and module credits gained on the former course are transferred to the current course.

Contact the Students’ Union Advice and Representation Centre by emailing:

suadvice@uclan.ac.uk for support and guidance.

7.7 Appeals against assessment board decisions

If you consider that you have a reason to appeal against an assessment board decision, please

bear in mind that your reasons must fall within the grounds specified in the University

Academic Regulations: Section I. You cannot appeal simply because you disagree with the

mark given. The specified grounds for appeal are:

1. that an Assessment Board has given insufficient weight to extenuating circumstances; 2.

that the student’s academic performance has been adversely affected by extenuating

circumstances which the student has, for good reason, been unable to make known to the

Assessment Board;

3. that there has been a material administrative error at a stage of the examining process, or

that some material irregularities have occurred;

that the assessment procedure and/or examinations have not been conducted in accordance

with the approved regulations (this fourth ground will not be relevant to an appeal against a

decision relating to an interruption or discontinuance of study. Such an appeal should be based

on one or more of the three grounds above.

If you want to appeal, then you must do so within 14 days of your results being published. The

onus is on you to find out your results and submit your appeal on time. Contact the Students'

Union Advice and Representation Centre by emailing: suadvice@uclan.ac.uk for support and

guidance.

8. Student voice

You can play an important part in the process of improving the quality of your

course through the feedback you give. In addition to the ongoing discussion

with the course team throughout the year, there are a range of mechanisms

for you to feed back about your experience of teaching and

learning which

are outlined below. Where appropriate, we aim to respond to your feedback and let you know

12

of our plans for improvement.

The Students Union can support you in voicing your opinion, provide on-going advice and

support and encourage your involvement in all feedback opportunities. They will be requesting

that you complete the National Student Survey (during semester 2 for students in their final

year of study) or the UCLan Student Survey (all other students).

The Students’ Union and University work closely together to ensure that the student voice is

heard in all matters of student-life. We encourage students to provide constructive feedback

throughout their time at university, through course reps, surveys and any other appropriate

means.

The Union’s Student Affairs Committee (SAC), members of Students’ Council and School

Presidents each have particular representative responsibilities and are involved with decision

making committees at levels as high as the University Board. Therefore it is very important

students engage with the democratic processes of the Students’ Union and elect the students

they see as most able to represent them.

8.1 Course Representatives and School Presidents

A course representative is a student who represents their fellow students’ views and opinions

to the course team, school, university and students’ union. Course representatives work

proactively and diplomatically to improve the academic and non-academic experiences of

students.

The role of a course representative is extremely beneficial to both students on your course

and the University. It enables students to have ownership of their student experience, to voice

their opinions and to share positive practice with the course team, primarily at the Student

Staff Liaison Committee Meetings (see below).

Course representatives will be elected every year either in April or September. Alongside

receiving recognition, support and respect, being a course representative is a great

opportunity to enhance your employability skills. If you are interested in becoming a course

representative and wish to find out more about the role visit the Students’ Union website or

by emailing: coursereps@uclan.ac.uk.

School Presidents are annually elected representatives who voice the opinions of students

within each school. They communicate and engage with students in their school to gain

feedback and work in partnership with senior management to create positive change. They

are also trained to support and signpost course representatives where needed. If you wish to

find out who your School President is or more about the role visit the Students’ Union website

or email: coursereps@uclan.ac.uk

8.2 Student Staff Liaison Committee Meetings (SSLC)

The purpose of a SSLC meeting is to improve courses, to have an open

discussion and respect each other’s views, to share good practice where

identified, to provide opportunity for students to feedback to staff about

their course and student experience, to regularly review the course to

improve its development, and to jointly work together to action plan

against issues raised.

There will normally be one meeting per semester which will last no more than 2 hours. Your

School President will Chair the meetings with an academic co-Chair, using guidelines and will

13

provide a record of the meeting with any decisions and / or responses made and / or actions

taken as a result of the discussions held. A standard agenda and action grid template will be

used. Course representatives will gather feedback from students and communicate this to the

School President in advance of the meetings.

8.3 Complaints

The University recognises that there may be occasions when you have cause for complaint

about the service you have received. When this happens, the University’s Student Complaints

Procedure is intended to provide an accessible, fair and straightforward system which ensures

an effective, prompt and appropriate response. Click on this link for more information

University’s Student Complaints Procedure

If you are a student registered for a University award at a partner college, who is dissatisfied

with the provision at the college, you should pursue your complaint in accordance with the

college’s complaints procedure in the first instance. In the event of continuing dissatisfaction

when you have completed the college’s procedure, you will be entitled to submit your

complaint to UCLan under stage 3 of the procedure.