Precedents for "Special" Cases
The Taught Programmes Office is often contacted by academic departments for guidance on how best to deal with a variety of 'special' cases involving students, where an issue has arisen which may not have been experienced within the department before.
Taught Programmes Office staff are always very willing to provide advice on non-standard student cases. A range of special cases have arisen across the various Faculties in recent years, including for example students who have:
- been permitted to make 'non-standard' choice of modules
- been exceptionally permitted to proceed to the next level of their degree programme notwithstanding University Regulations
- been allowed to graduate with fewer than 200 credits passed at Levels 2 and 3
- been re-admitted following an earlier withdrawal from the University
- been awarded aegrotat credit
Departments are encouraged to contact the appropriate Faculty contact in the Taught Programmes Office should they be presented with an unusual case of this sort, so that decisions can be taken in the light of any relevant precedents and in order to ensure as far as possible that such students are treated in a consistent way throughout the University.
Special Regulations ("Notwithstanding" Regulations)
In certain cases, your department may wish to make a recommendation in relation to a particular student which is contrary, either to the General Regulations or to the Programme Regulations for the degree programme the student is studying on. Special Regulations are necessary in these circumstances and you should consult with the Taught Programmes Office about any proposed cases in the first instance.
Examples might include recommendations that a particular student be exempted from modules which are normally core to the degree programme, or that a student be permitted to proceed to the next level of study with insufficient credits etc. Faculty Officers will need to give consideration to the circumstances and any resulting Special Regulation needs to be approved by the Vice Chancellor (in practice the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Learning and Teaching acts on the Vice Chancellor's behalf in these matters).
In most cases it is likely that departments will wish to seek advice on the appropriateness of their recommendation in advance from the Taught Programmes Office, and it is certainly important that special arrangements which are counter to Regulations are not agreed with the student before formal approval has been given. Alongside this, a careful written record should always be retained of any special arrangements (which would normally be copied to the student concerned) in case of future difficulties or confusions.