Glossary of terms
Accreditation of prior learning (APL)
Accreditation of prior learning (APL) is defined as the recognition of previously acquired learning which can be mapped against particular learning outcomes of courses or modules within a programme. A student who is awarded APL for a specific course or module is considered to be exempt from study and assessment of the course/module. This means that the student is considered to have completed the course/module for the purposes of progression within the programme. The mark obtained for a course/module for which APL has been awarded will not be carried forward to the student's record and will not contribute towards the award.
Students should note that their transcript will identify any course/module for which APL has been granted, however, the mark obtained for a course/module for which APL has been granted will not be carried forward to the student's record and will not contribute towards the classification of the award.
Accreditation of prior learning has previously been called 'exemption'.
Admission Notice
An Admission Notice is provided to each student who has entered an examination. The Admission Notice contains the student's candidate number and confirmation of the dates and times of the examination(s) for which they have entered.
Aegrotat degree
This is an honours degree awarded without classification (i.e. an unclassified degree). A student registered for a degree at Level 6 of the FHEQ who is unable to sit one or more examinations to complete the award, or feels that their performance has been adversely affected, because of illness or another cause (eg the death or a near relative) can sometimes be awarded an Aegrotat degree. The award is made on the understanding that the student would otherwise have passed the degree.
Annex
The Annexes are part of the regulations and supplement the Detailed Regulations.
Assessment
Assessment is the means by which a student's ability, progress and achievement are measured against criteria. The purpose of assessment is for students to demonstrate that they have fulfilled the intended aims and learning outcomes of the programme of study and achieved the standard required for the award they seek.
Assessment criteria
The assessment criteria describe how to achieve a particular mark or result. Assessment criteria are based on the intended learning outcomes for the work being assessed, the knowledge, understanding and skills markers expect a student to display in the assessment task. Assessment criteria are given in an Annex to the Detailed Regulations.
Award
An award is a qualification. It may be a degree, diploma or certificate with a specific title. The level of each award is defined within the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications.
Awarding body
The awarding body refers to the institution that awards the student their degree. An International Programmes Student receives a University of London award, and therefore the University is the awarding body.
Board of Examiners
A Board of Examiners is appointed for each programme or for each group of related programmes. The Lead College nominates Board members and these are then contracted to the University for their services. The Board of Examiners follows guidelines and regulations laid down by the University, part of which is to ensure that assessment is, and can be demonstrated to be, fair and impartial. A Board's responsibilities include the setting of papers, marking of scripts and determining student results.
Compulsory course/module
A compulsory course/module is an individual element which must be taken (i.e. the examination must be attempted) as part of the requirements for the programme concerned.
Course/module
Individual elements of a programme are called modules at postgraduate level and courses at undergraduate level for the University of London International Programmes. Each element is a self-contained, formally structured learning experience with a coherent and explicit set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria.
Credit
The credit value of a course/module indicates both 'how much' learning is expected and 'how hard' it is (the level of difficulty). A student is awarded credit after they have successfully completed a course/module to which credit has been assigned.
Each course/module to which credit has been assigned has only one level for its credit; qualifications/awards may include courses/modules with credit at more than one level.
One credit represents 10 notional study hours.
A bachelor's degree with honours normally includes the equivalent of a minimum of three years full-time study which would be expressed as 360 credits, or 3,600 notional study hours.
If mapped to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), the 360 credits would be equivalent to 180 ECTS credits.
For more information on academic credit in higher education in England, see www.qaa.ac.uk
Credit bearing individual courses/modules
These are individual courses or modules that may be taken into account for admission, and for credit, to a related or unrelated degree or diploma provided the formal assessment of the course/module has been successfully completed.
(See also individual course/module)
Credit transfer
A student may be considered for credit for a subject that was passed during a previous registration with the University of London or, in the case of the LLB degree, for studies towards an appropriate degree at another university acceptable to the University of London. Where credit is given, the mark obtained for the subject previously studied will be carried forward to the student's record and may contribute towards the award, in accordance with the scheme of award for the programme concerned.
Diploma Supplement (see also 'Final diploma')
A Diploma Supplement is a document that accompanies every final diploma awarded to successful students. The model used was developed by the European Commission, Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES. The purpose of the supplement is to provide sufficient independent data to improve the international 'transparency' and fair academic and professional recognition of awards. It provides a description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were pursued and successfully completed by the student. Included also is a detailed record of a student's examination results in the form of a transcript.
Diploma teaching institutions
Students who are registered for some named Diploma awards are required to attend a Diploma teaching institution that has been recognised by the University of London International Academy for teaching the diploma. Diploma teaching institutions are only recognised to teach diplomas once they have applied and been inspected by the Lead College against established criteria.
Effective date of registration
All students are given an effective date of registration. The effective date of registration may differ from the date on which the student actually registered. Some programmes have one or more effective dates of registration. The effective date of registration indicates the point from which the length of a student's registration is calculated. It determines the year in which a student may first enter an examination and when their registration expires.
Examination
The term 'examination' refers to all the methods used to examine the student in a particular course/module. Methods include a written paper examination, coursework, project, dissertation, or online participation requirements. (See also 'assessment'.)
Examination attempt
A student who enters an examination room to attempt a written paper examination will be considered to have made an examination attempt.
Examination centre
An examination centre is a place where a student goes to attempt their written paper examinations. The University has approved examination centres worldwide. Students are required to sit any written paper examinations at one of these centres.
Exclusion
Where courses/modules may not be taken together under any circumstances, normally because there is an overlap in content.
Final diploma
The final diploma is the certificate (or parchment) that a student receives from the University when they have successfully completed an award of the University.
Formal assessment
This is the means by which credit bearing individual courses/modules are examined. The forms of assessment associated with the appropriate level of study are used.
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ)
The FHEQ forms part of the academic infrastructure of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) in England and Wales. University of London awards are identified as being at one of the levels contained within the FHEQ.
Guidelines for Examinations
The Guidelines for Examinations contain the details of the responsibilities and conduct of examinations for University of London International Programmes.
Individual courses/modules
For some programmes, a student may register for individual courses/modules (also referred to as 'short courses' or 'career and personal development study' in some instances).
Individual courses/modules do not lead to an award but may be considered for entry and/or credit towards, a programme leading to an award. There are separate regulations governing provision of individual courses/modules.
Intermediate award
A student who withdraws before completing the target award may be offered an intermediate award. Any criteria for obtaining an intermediate award are set out in Section 8, Scheme of award, in the detailed programme regulations.
International Programmes Student
A student who is registered with the University of London International Academy, studying for one of the University of London International Programmes. (Previously referred to as an 'External student'.)
Laws Consortium
The group of University of London Colleges that has responsibility for the academic management and development of the undergraduate Laws programme.
Lead College
A single College or Institute (the Lead College) has responsibility for the academic management and development of individual programmes of study and related student matters.
Learning outcomes
Statement of what a learner/student is expected to know, understand and /or be able to demonstrate after completion of a process of learning.
Module/course
Individual elements of a programme are called modules at postgraduate level and courses at undergraduate level for the University of London International Programmes. Each element is a self-contained, formally structured learning experience with a coherent and explicit set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria.
Non-credit bearing individual courses/modules
These are individual courses/modules that may not be taken into account for admission to a related or unrelated degree or diploma. No credit or accreditation of prior learning for the related or unrelated degree or diploma will be given.
Notice to Candidates
The Notice to Candidates contains the prescribed rules for the examination. The notice to candidates is provided to students together with the Admission Notice.
Notional study hours
Notional study hours give an indication of the number of hours it will take an average student to meet a specific set of learning outcomes of a particular course/module or a full diploma/degree.
Occasional student
For some undergraduate programmes, a student who is not registered for a full degree, diploma or certificate as an International Programmes Student may register as an Occasional student to take one or more subjects. An Occasional student does not receive an award but receives a certificate of completion for subjects for which an examination is passed.
With effect from 1 September 2010, a student will no longer be able to register under Occasional student and Supplementary subjects arrangements.
Quota
A quota is a set number of students who may be registered in any given year. When a specific programme has a quota, applicants who meet the entrance requirements will be given a conditional offer of registration. Registration will then be confirmed on payment of the appropriate fee and if the quota for that year has not yet been met. A student whose registration is not confirmed will be made a conditional offer of registration for the following study year.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's thoughts or words as if they were the student's own: for example, copying from text books and other sources (including the Internet) without due acknowledgement that the passages quoted are copied and without giving the source of those passages.
Prerequisite
A prerequisite is a specified course/module/ that must be passed before the student is permitted to attempt the examination for another particular course/module.
Programme or programme of study
A programme or programme of study is a structured pathway (or pathways) of learning designed to equip a person with knowledge, understanding, subject specific skills and key skills relevant to the requirements for an award. It usually leads to an award.
Programme Specification
A Programme Specification is a concise description of the intended learning outcomes of a programme, and the means by which the outcomes are achieved and demonstrated. It gives a concise description of the key parameters of the programme concerned. The Programme Specification is regulatory in nature and is supplemented by the Detailed Regulations.
Progression
Progression is the term given to the process by which a student proceeds within a particular programme of study. In order to progress a student must satisfy certain conditions, usually involving attempting and passing a certain number of courses/modules.
Related/unrelated programme
Where an individual course/module is associated with a particular degree, diploma and/or certificate, these are referred to as 'related' programmes. Unrelated programmes are those which have no association with the individual courses/modules.
Scheme of award
The scheme of award shows how marks are awarded and how a student's results are calculated both for individual courses/modules/ and for the award as a whole.
Short courses
See individual courses/modules
Syllabus
The syllabus (also referred to as course/module outline) gives a detailed description of the content of a course/module and its intended learning outcomes. All Programme Specifications and Detailed Regulations have an annex with a detailed syllabus for the respective programme.
Student Handbook
There is a student handbook or manual for most programmes offered to International Programmes Students. The handbook contains advice and guidance for students on academic and practical matters including important procedures.
Subject benchmark
Subject benchmarks set out expectations about standards of degrees in a range of subject areas, as defined by the QAA. They describe what gives a discipline its coherence and identity, and define what can be expected of a graduate in terms of the abilities and skills needed to develop understanding or competence in the subject.
Supplementary subjects
For some programmes, a student who has already been awarded a degree or other award as an International Programmes Student may apply to register for additional subjects from that same programme. These are called 'Supplementary subjects'.
With effect from 1 September 2010, a student will no longer be able to register under Occasional student and Supplementary subjects arrangements.
Transcript
The University will issue an official transcript which shows the courses/modules a student has studied and the marks a student has obtained for each course/module. The transcript will hold the signature of the Chief Operating Officer of the University of London International Programmes and his embossed Seal.
Transfer
Transfer is the process by which students may move between programmes in accordance with specific rules. Where the transfer is from diploma (or access route) to degree this is sometimes referred to as 'progression' as the student is considered to be moving from level of award to another level.
University
The University of London. The University of London is a federation of independent Colleges and Central Academic Bodies
University of London International Academy
A Central Academic Body of the University of London collaborating with twelve Lead Colleges. The product of this collaboration is the University of London International Programmes
University of London International Programmes
The Colleges of the University of London and the University of London International Academy collaborate to deliver the University of London International Programmes.
Written paper examination
A written paper examination is an examination which the student writes in a controlled environment. These are the examinations that are taken at examination centres worldwide. A time limit is given and students are not permitted to use any aids, except where these are indicated in the Detailed Regulations or Notice to Candidates.
