Assignments

The University requires all suitable coursework to be submitted online.  Some forms of assessment are unsuitable for online submission and arrangements for the submission or presentation of such work will be set out in your Module Guide.

Work submitted is both submitted and received through password protected, secure sites. Assignments should not be submitted via email as this is not considered to be a secure method of submission. Your Module Leader will advise you of the arrangements for online submission for each piece of work.  Assessment information is also provided in Module Guides which you should find on your Module Blackboard site. 

Where there is network failure and Blackboard, Pebblepad or Turnitin or the University network is not accessible at the time of submission, or in the 12 hour period before that time, the submission deadline will be amended to the next working day on which Blackboard, Pebblepad or Turnitin or the network becomes available.

By submitting your assignments electronically you are making a declaration of intellectual integrity. You are declaring that the work is your own, and that you have read the Academic Regulations relating to assessment of work and that the work complies with those regulations. Further information on intellectual ownership can be obtained here.  Without this declaration you may be at risk of committing plagiarism.  You are also agreeing to allow your work to be compared against the work of others to detect plagiarism and collusion.

See Turnitin for details of how to submit assignments online through Blackboard.

All assignments should be word-processed, unless you are specifically told differently by a tutor. Requirements for submission of individual items of work will be detailed in your Module Guide. If you require further information please contact your Module Leader.

When you submit your work it should be in the following format:

12 pt font size
Verdana
1.5 line spaced or double spaced
Single sided pages

Written assignments must be submitted in English unless specifically requested otherwise.

It is expected that all students will demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes for an assessment within the defined word limit. The
penalties for exceeding word counts are set out in Module Guides.  Further information can be found in Section 3.3 of Appendix 3c The Conduct of Assessment of the University of Cumbria Academic Procedures and Processes.

All academic work should be referenced and cited using the Harvard system unless you are advised differently by your Module Leader.

Please ensure that you keep a copy of all work submitted for assessment as you may be required to produce it subsequently. 

All students are encouraged to check the originality of their work through the university's plagiarism prevention software Turnitin as a development tool. Further information on plagiarism can be found here.

For online submission, the assignment’s deadline date and time will be available to you on Blackboard or PebblePad.  Leaving an online submission until the last-minute risks internet-connection issues which could result in the assignment being marked as late. You should ensure that you have checked submission requirements and allow time to submit.

Any work received after the published deadline date and time will be considered as ‘late’.  

We want our students to achieve their potential. We recognise that students perform to the best of their capabilities when they regularly attend and engage within classes and participate in all the planned activities associated with their modules, including meeting deadline dates for assessments. This supports you to succeed on programme, to achieve and to progress on programme with your cohort.

When you take an assessment (e.g. attend an examination, submit coursework, deliver a presentation, or take a practical assessment) the University assumes that you are well enough to do so. Your attempt and the mark gained will count.

We understand that unexpected, serious issues may occasionally affect your ability to prepare for or to complete assessments and there are a range of procedures and support mechanisms in place to support you.  These include:

• Talking to your Module Leader or Personal Tutor – Talk to your tutors about any questions, issues or concerns you may have, so that they can provide signposting and support you.
• Seek support from Student Services – Student Services provide extensive resources, advice and guidance to support you in preparing for assessment.  For more information click here.
• Requesting a formal extension to an assessment deadline – You may apply for a formal extension to the assessment submission deadline, on a time lost basis (e.g. 3 days ill health, 3 days extension).  An extension of up to 10 working days (maximum) may be requested.  Evidence will be required and you may self-certificate (for up to 7 days) up to twice within any one academic year. Where a formal extension is approved, no mark penalty is applied.  Extensions cannot normally be applied for, for reassessments.  For more information click here.
• Submitting work late but without within 3 days of the deadline date - If you are unable to meet the deadline date but have not applied for an extension or have applied for one but it has been refused, you may submit work late, within 3 days (72 hours) of the original deadline date and time.  Your mark would be capped at the pass mark (40% for undergraduate, 50% for postgraduate).  This option only applies to the original assessment deadline for first attempts, so if you have a resubmission to make over the summer period, or have already had an extension, you cannot use this provision.
• Extenuating Circumstances – If you are unable to engage in the assessment e.g. unable to attend an examination/presentation or to submit coursework, you can apply for Extenuating Circumstances.  If approved, you would be permitted another assessment opportunity without penalty (i.e. if a first attempt would be given another first attempt, if a reassessment would be given another reassessment attempt for a capped mark). If you submit for the assessment, then any extenuating claim will be disregarded as by submitting or attending you are confirming you are fit to do so. For more information click here.
• Appeals - alongside implementation of the above fit to sit policy for coursework there has  been an addition to the  appeal policy (link).  Students who can provide documentary evidence that they were not fit to make the decision at the time of submitting the coursework, can consider submitting an academic appeal, once marks and board outcomes are confirmed if they have appropriate documentary evidence.

Coursework submitted beyond the submission date but within 3 working days (i.e. excluding weekends, public holidays and periods of University closure) of the submission deadline and without an agreed extension, will be marked as having been received late and marked as an unauthorised late submission. The maximum mark that can then be awarded is the pass mark (40% at Levels 3-6; 50% Level 7).

Submission thereafter, without an agreed extension, will be regarded as non-submission and awarded a zero mark. Where an extension has been agreed, and the work does not meet the agreed new deadline, then the submission will be regarded as a non-submission and awarded a zero mark.

Unauthorised late submission applies only to the first assessment of coursework and not to authorised extensions, deferred assessment, reassessment or extensions. It also does not apply to timed assessments such as presentations, group work, exhibitions or performances, which have the status of examinations.

Where known extenuating circumstances prevent a student from submitting by the due or agreed extension date, they should then make a claim for consideration via the Extenuating Circumstances procedures.

Authorised extensions to submissions may be agreed by the Module Leader for valid reasons.

Extension Form needs to be completed by you. 

Once you have completed the request, please see the guidance related to the particular assessment for where to submit the form for authorisation. For any questions regarding the correct Authorised Extension Request route, please contact your Module Leader.

The form once agreed must be sent to Programme Administration.

An extension may be given for up to 2 weeks (14 days including 10 working days). Extensions are granted for the shortest period possible, taking into account the time the student has lost due to the relevant circumstances. Evidence must be provided in support of extension requests (self-certification may only be used twice within each academic year). No penalty will be applied to the mark, provided the work is submitted to the re-negotiated deadline. Assignments submitted without an approved extension, but submitted within 3 working days of the original submission will be capped at the pass mark. (The 3-day late submission for a capped mark does not apply to reassessments.)

When considering requests for extensions the academic team will need to ensure that the agreed extension date allows time for the work to be marked and moderated before formal mark confirmation processes.