Department of
Chemical and Process
Engineering
Distance Learning
Handbook
Table of
contents
University
Welcome to the Chemical and Process Engineering Department
About Strathclyde University
University Facilities
Distance Learning Course
3 Year BEng Chemical Engineering Outline
4 Year BEng Chemical Engineering Outline
MSc Process Technology and Management Outline
Online learning
Getting Started on MyPlace
Technical Requirements
Learning and Teaching
Coursework
Assignments
Plagiarism and Referencing
Marking and Progression
Examinations
Exam Centres Abroad
Award Classifications and Receiving Results
Graduation and Future
Policy
Voluntary Suspension and Absences
Appeals and Academic Support
Feedback and Important Contacts
Refund Policy
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
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Go online
BEng
Chemical
Engineering
https://ww
Website
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https://ww
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mEng
Chemical
Engineering
Website
https://ww
w.
Msc process
technology
and
management
website
https://ww
w.
1
University
Welcome to the Chemical and Process Engineering Department
3
About Strathclyde University
4
University Facilities
5
2
2
welcome
Welcome to the course if you are a new student and to the start of a new term if you are
continuing! I hope you enjoy the course and benefit personally and professionally from
the experience.
The Bachelor of Engineering (BEng honours) in Chemical Engineering by distance
learning was created at the request of local industry in 1992 and was followed by the MSc
Process Technology and Management in 1997. The original courses were postal based
distance learning with students having to come into the campus for tutorial support,
restricting our reach to within the UK. Since then the course has been developed into a
fully online, and truly international distance learning course and we have had numerous
graduates both locally in Scotland, the UK and throughout the world.
As I gained both my undergraduate and masters degree via distance learning while
working full time in industry, I understand the challenges that you will face as a student
trying to juggle your time between work, personal and study. I also recognise the
challenges of returning to academic study after some time away and the adjustment that
this takes. However, as a graduate of two distance learning degree programmes I also
know how rewarding this experience can be, both in terms of personal satisfaction and
career advancement.
This handbook is designed to outline key information relevant to the distance learning
courses and it is very important that you read the whole document before you start your
study, and if you have additional questions you can ask these on the course site forum.
I hope you enjoy and benefit from the year ahead.
Yours Sincerely,
3
Chemical Engineering
The Department of Chemical and Process Engineering welcomes you to study a distance
learning course. Strathclyde is an international technological University with around 20,000
students from more than 100 nations. The University promotes lifelong learning and continuous
professional development via the distance learning courses in Chemical Engineering and
Process Technology and Management. We offer a flexible, innovative learning environment
where you’ll enjoy a first–class experience.
The University
regulations are
approved by senate
each year and give the
up to date regulations
for your course. Please
refer to the link below
for both the general
regulations and specific
regulations for the
course you are
following. You will also
find a link to the
University calendar
which gives important
dates including exam
periods and dates when
the University is closed.
http://www.strath.ac.uk/
sees/educationenhance
ment/qualityassurance/
universityregulations/
one of the
largest
chemical
engineering
departments in
the country
CPE Courses
Accredited
by the
Institute of
chemical
engineering
“Our Department’s
vision is to bring leading
edge chemical
engineering science,
technology and practice
to develop a socially
aware, forward-looking,
and creative generation
of engineers”
Prof Sudipta Roy, Head of Department
4
Facilities
As a distance learning
student you can access
the University library
online services. You can
borrow online books and
download academic
papers and journals.
The library also offers a
postal service for
distance learning
students.
http://www.strath.ac.u
k/library/
The University has a
number of services to
help online students
including access to IT
and administrative
support through email
and telephone along
with software to help
with your learning.
The course uses leading
technology to deliver the
distance learning
experience including a
Virtual Learning
Environment and
GoToWebinar for live
tutorial sessions.
You're also welcome to
attend full-time lectures
and tutorials and access
on-campus facilities if
you're in the Glasgow
area either temporarily
or as a local resident.
Our department has
extensive teaching,
research and computer
laboratories, including
newly-refurbished labs
and new offices and
computer rooms.
[email protected]
University library online services
The University of Strathclyde uses an integrated search
service called SUPrimo. This service allows students to
access online journals, reports, articles, books, exam papers
and other relevant materials. Additionally, students have
access to a wide selection of databases subscribed to by The
University of Strathclyde.
5
Distance
learning
courses
3 Year BEng Chemical Engineering Outline
7
4 Year BEng Chemical Engineering Outline
8
MSc Process Design and Technology Outline
9
6
6
3 year
BEng Chemical Engineering
Outline
YEAR 1
CP318 Professional
Engineering and
Project Management
CP208 Fluid Flow and
Heat Transfer
CP211 Chemical
Principles and
Thermodynamics
CP319 Chemical
Engineering Safety
YEAR 2
CP209 Process
Analysis and
Statistics
CP321 Reactors
CP314 Mass
Transfers and
Separation
Processes
CP320
Biochemical
Engineering
CP310 Process
Design and
Simulation
YEAR 3
CP411 Process
Control and
Environmental
Technology
CP412 Advanced
Separations and
Problem Solving
CP423 Chemical
Engineering Design
Part 1
CP424 Chemical
Engineering Design
Part 2
7
4 year
BEng Chemical Engineering
Outline
c
CP318 Professional
Engineering and
Project Management
YEAR 1
CP208 Fluid Flow and
Heat Transfer
CP211 Chemical
Principles and
Thermodynamics
CP319 Chemical
Engineering Safety
YEAR 2
CP209 Process
Analysis and Statistics
CP321 Reactors
CP314 Mass
Transfers and
Separation Processes
CP320 Biochemical
Engineering
YEAR 3
CP411 Process Control and
Environmental Technology
CP310 Process Design and
Simulation
CP423 Chemical Engineering
Design Part 1
YEAR 4
CP424 Chemical Engineering Design Part 2
CP412 Advanced Separations and Problem
Solving
8
Msc process design and
technology
YEAR 1- SEMESTER 1
Opportunity to exchange for Year 2 Semester 1 classes depending on previous learning.
CP917 Process Design Principles
CP964 Process Analysis in Chemical
Engineering
YEAR 1 - SEMESTER
2
Year 1 Semester 2 classes will alternate each year.
CP931 Understanding
Financial Information
CP933 Project Management
CP959 Advanced Process
Design
YEAR 2 - SEMESTER
1
Choose 3 subjects. All will run every year.
CP918 Safety Management
Practices
CP919 Programming and
Optimisation
CP921 Emerging Technologies
CP925 Petrochemical
Engineering
CP955 Molecular Simulation in
Chemical Engineering
CP950 Modern Process
Measurements
YEAR 2 - SEMESTER 2
CP932 Managing People
CP934 Business Technology
Strategy
CP9xx Industrial and
Environmental Engineering
YEAR 3 - CP936 PROJECT
9
Online
learning
Getting Started on MyPlace
11
Technical Requirements
12
Learning and Teaching
13
10
10
Getting started on MyPlace
MyPlace is the Moodle-based Learning
System at the University of Strathclyde. For
reference, The University of Strathclyde is
currently running MyPlace based on Moodle
Version 2.8.7+
Moodle is the online learning environment
used by educational organisations as a
platform to provide course materials,
important information and online learning
services.
Pegasus
Classes on myplace
The only way to submit assignments will be
on MyPlace. Furthermore, it will contain
important course information so it is
important for students to check that they
have access to their classes after
registration. Please note that your classes
will not appear on here until after registration
(and your curriculum has been agreed in the
case of courses which have module choice).
If you do not see any of your classes listed in
MyPlace, you should first check that you are
registered and that your classes are listed in
Pegasus.
If your classes are not listed in Pegasus
then the issue is not with MyPlace, as
MyPlace will only reflect classes that you
are registered for in Pegasus. Please note
that it will take a few days after registration
for your classes to be added and the
systems to update so that your classes
appear in MyPlace. If you are not registered
for a class and you think you should be you
should contact the course admin at
[email protected]
Registration
All students have to registern
at the start of every
updates
Important updates will be given through
MyPlace and students will receive an email
through their Strathclyde email addresses
to let them know, for example, of a marked
assignment or a posting on a class forum.
Students are encouraged to use their
Strathclyde email address so that they
receive these notifications, however if this
is a problem for you it is possible to redirect
your email to a work or personal email
address. Please see FAQ for information
on how to do this.
http://www.strath.ac.uk/exchange/faq.html/
11
academic year. Registration usually opens in early
August so you should ideally have your finance or
company sponsorship letters ready before this as
students can only register after they have been
approved by finance.
All you need to do to be eligible for registration
(provided you have been approved by the exam
board to continue your studies) is to pay your
annual fee, or the first instalment and a signed
instalment plan, or supply a letter to finance from
your company stating that they will pay the fees.
Once you have been approved by finance there will
be an online registration link in your Pegasus
account which will allow you to register online for
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the academic year ahead.
Technical requirements
As this is a distance learning
course, many aspects are
delivered electronically and
students are expected to have
access to a modern computer with
a reliable internet connection. This will
normally be a PC. If students are using other
computers, we will try to accommodate but in
some cases we may only be able to offer a PC
option. Another issue to take into account is
that if using a work based computer, your
employer may block certain connections or
installation of necessary software. In both
cases the student may have to obtain access
to or purchase a suitable computer.
We do not give a minimum spec
as there are so many variables to
take into account, but the below
specification from gotowebinar
(our web conferencing software
for tutorials) may give a good
idea of the type of spec required
in a PC.
- Internet Explorer 7.0 or newer, Mozilla Firefox
4.0 or newer or Google Chrome 5.0 or newer
(JavaScript and Java enabled)
- Windows 7, 8, Vista, XP
- Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet
connection
- Dual-core 2.4GHz CPU or faster with 2GB of
RAM (recommended)
If you think that you may have
issues meeting the computing
requirements of the course or will
not have access to a reliable
internet connection, you should
contact the course manager before the start of
the course.
Please note that while we will try
to be reasonable and help
wherever we can, computing
issues such as erratic or slow
internet connections, inability to
access VPNs, install software or
upload/download files due to
country or company restrictions, issues relating
to non ‘IBM PC type’ computers and outdated
software/operating systems cannot be
considered reasons for non-completion or
submission of coursework.
Students who are not able to access a
personal PC of a similar spec to above may be
advised to delay or cancel starting the course
as inability to access a suitable computer or
internet connection may make it difficult or
impossible to complete the course.
If in any doubt about this, you should contact
the course manager prior to beginning the
course.
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12
Learning and Teaching
The course is based on material delivered from
the University's virtual learning environment,
‘MyPlace’. In this environment you'll have
access to a page where you can communicate
with the course director and other students
across the course. You'll also have access to
general information about the course
administration including regulations and
registration for external examinations.
In the Chemical and Process Engineering
Department, the distance learning courses are
sometimes taught via webinars – online
seminars. This can allow interaction with the
tutor and provide the benefit of lectures without
attending in person
You'll be able to see a course site for each of
your classes. These host the materials and
activities for that particular class and allow
students on that class to communicate with
each other and the class tutor.
Lecturers provide support through online
tutorials, forums, email, telephone, and if
demand is sufficient, face-to-face on campus
tutorials.
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coursework
Assignments
15
Plagiarism and Referencing
16
Marking and Progression
17
14
14
Assignments
As part of the distance learning courses, you will be required to submit assignments – reports,
essays and projects – onto MyPlace. These submissions will form part of your overall final grade
and therefore it is important that you devote significant time to these assignments.
Submission
it
Please ensure that all assignments are
clearly marked with the student name,
registration number module title,
assignment number (and title in the case
of a report) and that pages are numbered.
Unless otherwise instructed, assignments
should be a single file (not a zip file
containing multiple scans or files).
The university is not liable for IT failures or
restrictions at students’ homes or places
of work such as a company IT system
blocking access to the University systems.
The assignment deadline is the last
possible date for submission so if you
envisage issues such as this it may be
wise to have a backup plan such as a
relative or friend with who can upload your
assignment on your behalf or have an
alternative location you can use such as
an internet café or library. The best advice
is to set a personal deadline to submit one
week before the official deadline to avoid
loss of marks for any last minute issues.
MyPlace is the only accepted method of
submitting assignments and students are
advised to ensure that they can access
and use the system well in advance of
submission deadlines – a dummy
assignment will be provided on the main
course page so that a test submission
may be made if required.
extensions
Non-submission
Extensions may be considered for
extreme circumstances such as medical
issues but this is likely to require that you
provide documentation such as a doctor’s
letter. These requests would normally be
made 1 week in advance of the deadline,
and should be made directly to the
module lecturer. It is highly unlikely that
we will consider extension requests that
come in after the deadline. If an extension
is granted a late penalty may be applied
and the deduction will be agreed through
discussion between the module lecturer
and course manager. A common penalty
system used in the department is 10% for
each week or part of a week granted.
All assignments should be submitted to
MyPlace by the published deadline which
will normally be a Sunday evening at
midnight for assignments. Except in
exceptional circumstances where
documentary evidence is provided,
nonattendance at an exam or nonsubmission of an assignment will result in
a zero mark being awarded even in if this
results in a fail for the class concerned.
The rules for late assignments also apply
to project submissions and presentations,
including the final project.
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plagiarism
Plagiarism is essentially the act of representing another person’s work as your own.
Sometimes this is a deliberate act such as copying another student’s assignment
and other times it can be due to a failure to reference work that you are citing as an
example. Unfortunately, it is impossible for a tutor to differentiate between deliberate
and accidental plagiarism and the University will penalise students who submit work
that is not their own, and has not been properly referenced. It is common for an
entire assignment or project report to be given a zero mark when significant
plagiarism has been detected. Experienced tutors can spot plagiarised documents
very quickly and the University also makes use of software – Turnitin - to detect
common phrases to assist with this.
As members of the academic community, you are responsible for ensuring that your
work abides by the conventions and rules of that community. That includes ensuring
that the correct citation and referencing conventions are applied in your work when
you use or quote the work of other people. This ensures that everyone receives the
credit due to them for their work and helps to demonstrate your intellectual integrity.
Developments on the internet and in technology, the fact that essay banks and
ghost-writing services now advertise their services freely, the expansion of offcampus learning and the growth in the use of group work and assessed coursework
rather than closed examination have increased opportunities for plagiarism. At the
same time, increasing pressures on you as students, whether external (i.e. caring
responsibilities or the need to undertake paid employment) or internal (i.e. lack of
time and doubts about the worth of your own work), have increased the temptation to
plagiarise. For more information, please visit Strathclyde’s plagiarism policy.
a guide to referencing
There are a variety of
referencing styles that are
accepted at Strathclyde,
such as Harvard and APA.
It is important to reference
all sources used in work
that is submitted on
MyPlace. This includes the
citation and the reference
list at the end of the
document.
All documents submitted to
MyPlace will be assessed
by Turnitin - an online
plagiarism prevention
package. Papers submitted
are compared against
billions of Internet
documents and any
matching text is detailed in
an Originality Report and
sent to the user.
It is important to follow the
referencing style indicated
by the lecturer for that
module as this can vary
between modules, even
within the same
department. For more
information, please visit
Strathclyde’s referencing
guide.
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marking AND PROGRESSION
Progression and resits
Each year in June after the semester 2 exams a general exam board meets to discuss
student results and make decisions on progression to the next year of the course. If you
have passed all of your classes from semester 1 and 2 then the board decision will be a
very straightforward 'pass' and there will be nothing more that you need to do until
registration opens in August for the next year of the course.
If the June exam board issues a 'resit' decision, then you will need to attend a resit exam
(or submit a resit assignment if the class was assessment based) in the August diet of
exams. This exam diet is followed by a resit exam board which again will make a decision
on your progress. If you have now passed everything then it is likely that it will be a
straightforward 'pass' decision and you can then register for the next year of the course. If
you still have a significant number of fails then you may be placed into academic
suspension which means that you do not progress to the next year of the course and
instead you will sit 3rd and possibly a final 4th attempt to pass the relevant classes at the
next opportunity in the January, May and August exam diets.
First attempts, credits and the importance of maintaining a good
average mark
When you have completed the assessment for a class there are two important parameters
on your student record, the class mark and the credit value. If you have scored above the
pass mark (40% for BEng or 50% for MSc) then the exam board will record a pass and
award all of the credits allocated to that class. Your first attempt mark is then used to
calculate your year average and while you must resit the class to gain the credits for the
class, you cannot improve that first attempt mark. The only exception to this is when the
board have agreed to discount your first attempt due to special circumstances and in this
case your next attempt would be considered the first attempt. As your first attempt is
permanent and is used to calculate your average, it is very important that you try to get the
best mark possible. Even if you think you are going to fail a class, submitting something
and getting for example 30% can have a significant impact overall, in contrast to submitting
nothing and getting zero. Some of the reasons for this and why maintaining a good average
is important are outlined below
Compensated passes
If you fail a class but the mark is less than 10% below the pass mark, then sometimes a
class can be compensated. The rules for this are complex but generally if your year
average is more than 5% above the course pass mark then you can be awarded up to 10
credits a year of compensated passes. A compensated pass simply means that although
you did not reach the pass mark for that particular class, the exam board has decided to
award the class credits because your overall performance justifies compensation in that
one class where you did badly.
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17
Other progression rules
BEng 1st year progression
At the end of 1st year only students who have passed all of the classes (60 credits) and have
a year average of at least 40% will be allowed to remain on the 3 year programme. All other
students will be transferred to the 4 year programme. This is based on our reasonable
assumption that if a student cannot pass 60 credits at the first attempt in 1st year, they are
likely to struggle with 80 credits at a higher level in the second year. Students may also
voluntarily transfer to the 4-year programme at the end of the 1st year by simply informing
the course director that they wish to do so.
BEng (progression to final honours year)
Students who wish to progress to the final year of the programme and gain an honours
degree need to demonstrate to the exam board that they have a reasonable chance of
achieving the requirements for an honours classification. As the student can exit the course
prior to the final year with a BEng pass degree, and the same award would be made if a
student did not achieve an honours classification at the end of the final year, we do not wish
students to waste their time and money progressing to a final year in which we do not believe
that you can be successful. A number of factors are taken into account by the exam board,
but in general you should aim to maintain your year averages to greater than 50% if you wish
to be allowed to progress to the final year. An average of at least 50% in the early years of
the course will show the exam board that even if the students' performance drops a little in
the more difficult honours level classes, that they should still achieve an honours degree.
Progression from BEng honours to MEng
Students who wish to continue to the MEng at the end of the BEng honours year must
achieve either a weighted average of at least 60% in their level 4 classes, or have an overall
course weighted average that would have resulted in an upper second class honours or
above.
MSc progression
To achieve an MSc award a student must gain 120 credits from the classes in year 1 and 2,
60 credits from the project in year 3 and have an overall weighted average of at least 50%.
As an advanced degree there are some very strict university rules:
The first is that you are only allowed a maximum of 2 attempts at any class. If you fail the
second attempt at any class then you can no longer gain the credits for that class and as
both the postgraduate Diploma and MSc require 120 class credits, the highest award you
can therefore achieve is a postgraduate certificate.
There is also a rule which states that for students who wish to progress to the 3rd year and
gain an MSc award can only have a maximum of two fails, or two compensated passes (or
one fail and one compensated pass). This means that if you have achieved less than 50% in
three classes or more, then you are no longer eligible for the MSc and would not be able to
progress to the final year project.
Note that for this course the above rules apply to all classes including optional classes. For
example, once you have chosen an optional class and the class has started, you cannot then
change your mind and swap this class for another that you think you may do better in - once
you have selected an optional class you must complete it and accept the mark. The
message for MSc students is that the safest route is to avoid failing any cases and this will in
itself maintain an average above the required 50%.
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18
examinations
Examination Centres
20
Award Classifications and Receiving Results
21
Graduation and Future
22
19
19
Examination
centres
If you have been approved to sit an external exam it is the student’s responsibility to arrange the
venue, and upload the details to the exam centre submission tool on the course MyPlace page
before the given deadline. The exam centre details must be added for every exam diet. If it is the
first time using an exam centre the student must send the details to the course secretary who will
seek approval and respond to the student. Note that in order to meet the deadline to submit
exam centre details you will need to seek approval for new centres at least 2 months before an
exam takes place.
All British Council offices worldwide are pre-approved so you do not need to seek approval to use
these but you will of course need to upload the details to MyPlace of which centre you are sitting
at.
All costs associated with the external exam are the responsibility of the student, this includes
venue and courier costs charged by the centre for returning exams (the University will not charge
for courier costs to ship the exams to the centre). Note that the University does not take
responsibility for any issues encountered with external exam centres.
Students who do not submit external exam centre details by the deadline will need to sit their
exams at the University campus. Non-attendance will result in a fail and a zero mark recorded for
the exam.
All students must bring their student ID to the exam
centre, if you do not have this you may use a
passport but you must know your registration number
as this needs to be written on the exam booklet.
Students will be advised whether an exam is open or
closed book and any other information specific to the
exam. However, for all exams there should be no
communication devices such as mobile phones,
pagers and laptop computers etc. present on the
desk. If the student does bring these into the
examination room they should be removed to an area
in the room allocated for bags etc., and be turned off
or silent.
20
AWARD CLASSIFICATIONS
undergraduate
To complete the BEng honours degree requires 480 credits (240 credits from the course
curriculum + the 240 credits awarded for previous study at the start of the course). A
student may choose to leave the course early and accept the award of BEng pass
degree if they have accrued at least 360 credits (120 credits from the course curriculum)
or may be made this award by an exam board who feel that their results do not merit an
honours classification.
postgraduate
The honours classification of the degree is based on
the following scale
>60% Upper 2nd Class Honours
Final MSc awards are
classified as follows based on
a simple weighted average of
all classes. Please note that
below is a guide and the final
decision is made by the
exam/awards board.
>70% First Class Honours
Overall class average:
Honours average:
>40% 3rd Class Honours
>50% Lower 2nd Class Honours
The honours average is currently calculated using a
>50%
Pass
weighting of 10%, 20% and 70% for 1st 2nd and 3rd
>60%
Merit
year classes respectively but the honours classification
is always at the discretion of the exam/awards board.
>70%
Distinction
The above is current at time of publication and for guidance only – for the full regulations
please refer to the University website.
Receiving results
The results of final assessments (by written examination or by continuous assessment) will be
notified to Student Business by the department responsible for the class. All examination results
are available as an Online Service on PEGASUS (MyPlace).
Unapproved marks that have been returned to Student Business will only appear on PEGASUS up
until the exam boards begin in May. They will then not be visible until they are released as
approved marks after the relevant exam board meetings.
When your marks are released you will be able to view them on Pegasus. There will also be a
'decision': If the decision is pass or proceed then it means that you have been progressed to the
next year of study and you don't have to do anything until August registration. This will be reflected
in your results as they will all be showing a pass.
If it is ‘resit’, then you have one or more resits to complete in August and you will be able to see
which ones in your degree results list. Resit dates will be announced via Pegasus, not MyPlace,
and unlike the original exam dates, they are set centrally. These resit dates will be announced on
Pegasus in July.
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21
Graduation and future
graduation
Students should register for graduation
early. It may seem counter intuitive to
register for graduation before you know
that you have passed, but because of the
timelines between results being known
and the ceremony, that’s exactly what
you need to do, as if you wait until your
results are known you will probably have
missed the deadline to register for the
ceremony! Graduation is run centrally by
student services so any questions should
go to [email protected] and more
information can be found at
http://www.strath.ac.uk/graduation/
Where next?
For students who wish to continue after completing the BEng honours degree there
are a number of options. The University offers full time postgraduate courses which
may be of interest and details of these can be found on the University website. This
department offers two courses which offer a natural progression from the BEng
honours and interested students should contact the Distance Learning manager for
further details. Entry to these courses will be at the discretion of the University but
students aiming to progress to Masters level should be aiming for upper second class
honours and above in the BEng.
MEng (Master of Engineering) Chemical Engineering – this course is a direct
continuation from BEng study and students who choose to continue on this course
cannot graduate with a BEng. A 2 year, fully distance learning version of this is now
available.
MSc (Master of Science) Process Technology and Management – this course
combines advanced chemical engineering modules with Business/Management and
IT and is intended for students who intend to work in a senior or technical
management position. Students may accept the BEng honours award and then
continue on to this course as they are not connected.
22
University
policy
Voluntary Suspension and Absences
24
Appeals and Academic Support
25
Feedback and Important Contacts
26
Refund Policy
27
23
23
voluntary suspension & absences
Voluntary suspension
Voluntary Suspension (VS) is normally intended as a method for students to apply in
advance for a complete suspension of study of an entire semester or year. The current
regulations state that VS cannot be applied retrospectively by more than 8 weeks.
There may be some reasons for exceptions but there would have to be a compelling
reason such as a sudden debilitating illness. This means that if more than 8 weeks have
passed since the start of a semester then VS is unlikely to be approved.
The most common reasons distance learning students give for applying for VS is work,
personal or family health issues and bereavement. Note that in all circumstances there
is a requirement for evidence to be provided along with the form. In the case of health
issues this might be a doctor’s letter, or for bereavement a death certificate. We do not
like to ask for these personal items but it would be unethical of us to make personal
judgements on which students we believe and which we do not, so we can only act on
verifiable evidence.
If there have been changes in your workplace that make it impossible for you to keep up
with your studies, you should supply a letter from your employer or other evidence that
confirms the changes. There will always be occasional issues that fall outside of these
categories and if you are unsure about that evidence to provide please seek advice
from the course director.
Use the form at the link below to apply for a voluntary suspension of studies, attaching
any relevant evidence, and return to the course secretary who will seek approval from
the course director and the vice dean academic. This process is likely to take up to 4
weeks and the student will be notified of the outcome by student business. Note that the
normal maximum for VS is one year in any degree programme. In exceptional
circumstances a VS may be extended but this will require resubmission of the form and
up to date evidence.
Absence and Mitigating Personal Circumstances
Examples of personal circumstances could be for example where there has been a
bereavement, or illness that has prevented you attending, or affected your performance in
an exam or other form of assessment. Personal Circumstances normally require evidence of
some form such as medical or death certificates. We recognise that obtaining and providing
such documentation can be uncomfortable, but it is necessary because we have in the past
had dishonest submissions. Although medical and bereavement are the most common types
of personal circumstance submissions it is possible to submit for other reasons but all
submissions will require some form of evidence. Bear in mind that if submitting due to a
work issue then it would have to be something significant and that has come up since you
started the session. For example, being ‘busy at work’ is normally not significant enough as
all distance learning students are busy at work, neither is any scenario that you were aware
of prior to registering for the year.
Official Procedure
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appeals and academic support
appeals
Appeals can only be made after you have
been officially informed of a result in
Pegasus and there will be a link in Pegasus
to indicate when and how to make an
appeal, and when the deadlines are. Appeals
go to the faculty rather than the department,
although the department will be asked for a
response to any appeal that will be
considered alongside the student
submission, by the appeals board. Note that
any appeal must have grounds, rather than
for example a feeling that you should have
received a better mark. You may wish to
discuss this with the course director before
making a formal appeal.
Go
online
https://ww
appeals information
can be found on
the Strathclyde
website
http://www.strath.ac.uk/stu
dentlifecycle/appeals/
Academic support
Go
online
https://ww
more information
can be found on
the Strathclyde
website
http://www.strath.ac.uk/stu
dywithus/strathlife/acade
micsupport/
At Strathclyde, we’re committed to
supporting all our students in developing
your learning and study skills. We provide a
range of services to help you improve your
skills and abilities to support your learning
and enhance your performance. Our
services are available to all students.
Services available include:
Organisation & self-management
Reading & note taking skills
Writing skills
Presenting
Critical analysis & evaluation
Editing and reviewing
Managing assessment
Understanding feedback
Exam preparation
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feedback and important contacts
The list to the right is
intended to help you decide
who to contact first in the
event of an issue or to ask a
question. Contacting the
correct person/department in
the first instance, rather than
the course manager or
secretary helps us to be more
efficient and is likely to help
you get an answer quicker.
Please take into consideration
that staff are busy so although
we will make every effort to
respond promptly it may up to
one week for a reply in some
cases.
To telephone the University
dial +44 (0)141 548 XXXX,
where the last 4 digits will be
the extension below. The
extension for the department
office is 2148.
Academic/Module specific issues
Any questions relating to a specific module you are
following should be addressed first to the lecturer teaching
that module, either through the forum on the class page or
to their email which will also be displayed on the class
page. This would include feedback, marking of
assignments, extensions, questions related to the module
content etc. The lecturer can be telephoned if necessary
via the department office.
Registry/Student Experience/Student Business
The above names all refer to what used to be known as
the registry department and they hold the official student
records, process applications, roll forward students to
continuing sessions etc.
Email:
[email protected]
Extension:
3165
Finance
Distance learning admin
Contact for majority of DL
enquiries:
Megan O’Donnell
Email:
chemeng-dladmissions@strath
.ac.uk
Extension:
Finance approval is required before a student is registered
for the first and subsequent years.
Finance Department Email:
[email protected]
Extension:
2217
2148
DL manager
Contact the course manager for
any issues that have not been
resolved using the other contacts
or to discuss matters you do not
wish to share with others for
personal reasons:
[email protected]
It support
IT issues with Strathclyde systems other than MyPlace
learning:
[email protected]
Issues with MyPlace:
Online form in myplace help
menu
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Refund policy
Note that when you register for this course annually you agree to pay the fees for the
entire year. If you have made an instalment agreement with the university you are still
liable for the full annual fee and if you simply withdraw from the course or stop paying
the instalments you will be pursued by the University, and subsequently debt collection
agencies for the outstanding amount.
The reason that we implement this policy is that we have a limited number of places on
this course, and if a student withdraws after the course has begun it is too late for us to
bring in another student and the expected income to the course over the next three
years is not recoverable, so we at least expect the student to pay for the year that they
have committed to. Another reason that we seek the full year’s fee is that with a
distance learning course, the moment a student registers they have access to the
entire semesters teaching material so a pro-rata arrangement for teaching received is
impossible to quantify.
As a compromise to the above and in recognition of the fact that students’
circumstances can change we may offer partial refunds to the annual fee in the
following circumstances
1. You must have informed the course director by email that you wish to formally
withdraw from the course.
2. The date of withdrawal must be prior to the final instalment date given at
http://www.strath.ac.uk/finance/student/tuitionfees/
As an example, based on the 2014/15 instalment agreement:

A student formally withdrawing from the course before the second instalment
date of the 1st December would only be liable for 1/3rd of the annual fee

A student formally withdrawing from the course before the third instalment date
of the 2nd February would only be liable for 2/3rd of the annual fee

A student formally withdrawing from the course after the third instalment date of
the 2nd February would be liable for the full annual fee
Note: If you withdraw from the course and intend to seek a partial refund you should
ensure that you receive a response from the University confirming your withdrawal
date. If we do not have a record of your withdrawal and you cannot provide evidence of
your withdrawal, then we will not be able to agree to a partial refund after the fact.
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