► Academic Support

Hello and welcome to the Education section! As your Vice President Education, I am here to support you through your academic life and campaign on anything affecting your academic life here at Solent University. In this section you can find the answers to any questions you may have, or at least find the person to contact on areas such as:

• Academic Misconduct

• Complaints

• Appeals

• Extenuating Circumstances

• Drop In Sessions

• Campaigns

• Course Reps

• Library Information

What is Academic Misconduct?

Academic Misconduct is when a lecturer/examiner feels that a student has gained an unfair advantage on an assignment or exam. A case of ‘Academic Misconduct’ can be identified as:

• Plagiarism (presenting the work of another as your own)

• Collusion (working with another student on a piece of work without authorization)

• Falsification (including forged information an assessment)

• Replication

• Taking unauthorized notes or devices into an exam,

• Communicating or trying to communicate with another student during an exam,

• Commissioning or buying essays from a third party.

I have received a letter stating that I have been caught for Academic Misconduct, what do I do?

This depends on whether you have received a minor or major offence, but the main question you need to ask yourself is whether you are happy with the decision made and whether you want to appeal it. You will usually be given the chance to attend a panel meeting, however if this is a first offence with reasonable evidence it may simply go straight to a retake with a capped mark of 40%. You are still able to appeal this, all you need to do is write to or email the member of staff who sent the letter. If you have not been allocated a date on the letter you have received, however it states that you will be attending a panel, then await a second letter with more information before seeking guidance or representation from the Students Union. We will then be able to allocate some time with either our VP Education or Student Advocate to go over your case and explain the panel procedure.

Complaints and Appeals

View the complaints and appeal process

Have you spoken with a member of staff from your faculty regarding your issues? Most issues can be dealt with on ground level however this may not always be the case. If you have an issue and feel as though the only way it will be dealt with is by following the formal procedures then use the chart above to distinguish what you need to do and how your case will be dealt with.

Extenuating Circumstances

Are you struggling with your work? Are personal issues consuming your time to carry out your assignments? Extenuating Circumstances can relieve some of the strain and allow you more time to sort out your personal issues and effectively complete your work to the best of your ability. If you decide to apply for Extenuating Circumstances, you cannot sit/submit your assessment on the hand in date. You will have to decide on which circumstance best fits your needs;

• You will not be able to complete the work at any point in the near future. You will need to complete an Extenutating Circumstance form with evidence and request a defer to complete the work at the next available opportunity without an academic penalty.

• You will be able to complete the work with an extended deadline. You can apply for a 10 day extension, in which you must submit your work at any point up to 10 days later. You will still need to submit an Extenuating Circumstances form with evidence, ticking the extension to deadline box.

Drop In Sessions

Every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month, Mihaela our VP Education will be in the library foyer answering any questions or queries you may have regarding your studies. Whether it is an issue with one of your course units or simply how the Students Union can help support you during your studies here at Solent University, she will be there to give you support and advice! If you have any major issues with your academic learning, then please feel free to drop into the Sabbatical Office SU006 or email sueducation@solent.ac.uk.