Assessments
How you submit an assessment will depend on which course you are studying.
No assessments are submitted via firstpoint.
Assessment requirements, including deadlines, formatting and how you should submit your work, are described in the module outline.
The key method for submitting assignments is electronically through Blackboard, often using the plugin Turnitin, which is used both for uploading your work for marking, and to check for plagiarism. You can find out more in this video guide to submitting through Turnitin.
Some assessments are submitted by paper and should be submitted with an assessment receipt form that is available via your SOLE page. Work should be submitted to the relevant School assessment boxes by the 3pm deadline. Your module tutor should advise you of the locations of these boxes during your induction.
Anonymous marking is a system whereby the student's identity is not made known to the internal/external examiner at the time of marking. Assessments which are to be anonymously marked (check your module outline for details) should only be labelled with your student number and not your name. You can find out more on the Registry Services Anonymous Marking webpage.
Re-Assessment items should normally be submitted in the same way as the original submission.
Who should you contact if something goes wrong?
If the submission point is not available on your Blackboard page, please contact your module tutor; they are responsible for ensuring that the submission point is set up and are the only people who can make changes to this.
If something prevents you from submitting your work in the usual way, you may wish to put in a mitigating circumstances claim.
Feedback and Study Skills Support
Feedback refers to the information tutors give you about your work - either as written comments on a feedback form or in discussion with them. This information is designed to help you know what you are doing well and what you need to improve. You can find out more information in the Student Handbook. The University has also created a guide to Understanding Assessment and Feedback.
Improving your academic performance
There are a number of steps you can take in order to improve your academic performance.
Step 1: Read the feedback that tutors have given on your assignments. This will usually help to inform you of the areas that you need to improve.
Step 2: Refer to the module handbook and the scoring/assessment criteria for each assignment. Make a note of the things that you may have missed. For example, are you presenting the work in the required format? Have you included a reference list? Have you demonstrated a wide range of reading and knowledge?
Step 3: Access the advice and guidance of the module tutor. You can review your feedback together to make sure you understand where improvements can be made. This is also an opportunity to review your assessment plans, and gain guidance on subject areas you may need to complete further research on.
Step 4: Use the study skills support services available through the University. There are a wide range of different options available to support academic writing skills, spelling and grammar, referencing and research skills.
Sometimes students might find assessments difficult because of a learning difference or health condition. If you feel like your health or a disability affected your performance in assessments, it is recommended to speak to the Disability and Dyslexia Service for advice on academic support. Some students will already have a diagnosis and need to discuss the support plan they have in place. Others might need to discuss symptoms they are experiencing and seek further advice and guidance about getting a diagnosis.
It is not uncommon for students to fail an assessment because of personal circumstances. It can sometimes be appropriate to use the mitigating circumstances process in these situations. It can also be helpful to have the support of the University’s Counselling and Mental Health service or the Student Support and Wellbeing service.