Brookes decide to adopt safety net policy a week after saying they wouldn’t

Ungraded and compensated passes will be given instead of fails


At 11am this morning, Brookes sent out an all-student email announcing their new safety net review process for students affected by coronavirus.

The email outlines the importance of the previously announced 14-day extension, but also includes a further policy to ensure students are not negatively affected by these “extremely uncertain times.”

“We encourage you to take advantage of the 14-day extension for students who have been affected by the current COVID-19 situation. You don’t need to submit any evidence to be granted this extension: you just need to make an application via the Exceptional Circumstances portal.”

“If you still find you have been negatively impacted, in addition to our Exceptional Circumstances process, we can reassure you that if your performance in Semester 2 is weaker when compared with Semester 1 (or the most recent semester for which you have assessment results) we will put into place an adjustment so that you are not disadvantaged by the current situation.”

“We have considered very carefully how we are going to do this, without compromising our standards or devaluing your degrees. We have also listened carefully to feedback that we have received from you and Brookes Union on this subject and are ensuring that any new processes are simple to engage with.”

 

 

“The exact adjustment will depend on your situation, and any programme-specific or professional body rules which may apply, but the possibilities are:

“That your marks for these assessments will not count towards your final classification average or Grade Point Average: you will get an ungraded pass for the modules where your performance was affected.”

“That you will get the chance to re-sit these assessments at a later date, for an uncapped mark.”

“That, in certain very limited and specific circumstances, a “compensated pass” can be applied to a module that you may have narrowly failed.”

“I would again stress that we will make it very simple for students to request an adjustment, that all requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and that we will provide more information about how to make that request when we publish this semester’s results.”

When speaking to Brookes Union president, Harry Bower, he explained the policy more simply: “If your performance this semester is lower than your average grade last semester, you can apply for the safety net review process and they will use one of three methods of support, subject to the preferences of professional bodies.”

“Firstly, that the mark will not count towards your final GPA or classification (an ungraded pass).”

“Secondly, that you will get an uncapped resist.”

“Thirdly, in a very limited and specific number of cases a compensated pass will be given for a failed module.”

“The use of the combination of the three of these will help to give a fair level of support across the different stages and types of study without disadvantaging students.”