Purpose

The purpose of the policy to bring awareness to students about their rights and responsibilities.

Scope

This policy applies to all students.

Policy Statement

The College assures and encourages fair treatment and equal opportunities to all students. Students are encouraged to be aware of their rights and responsibilities well in advance.

Procedures

Student Rights

Student rights include but are not limited to:

• The right to exercise the privileges of a legal resident in a higher education setting.

• The right to question and recommend improvements to policies, regulations, and procedures that affect student welfare. This right is often exercised by using the appropriate channels available through the Student Affairs Office. Students may also be a committee member where they participate in the governance of the College.

• The right to a counselor representation, a fair hearing, and to an appeal when disciplinary actions are taken against the student as an individual or as a member of a group.

Student Responsibilities

• Student are responsible for the following (but not limited to):

Being fully aware of all published rules, regulations, and policies of the College and comply with them in the interest of maintaining an orderly and productive College community.

• Following the principles of common decency and acceptable behavior that are expected while pursuing a college education. This includes the obligation to respect the rights, freedoms, and property of others.

• Checking their College email account regularly, as this is the primary method of communication from the College

• Attending all learning and teaching activities, unless they have valid mitigating reasons for not doing so.

• Engaging fully with learning and teaching activities, including arriving punctually and remaining for the duration of the session.

• Notifying their Program Coordinator/Head of Schools, in a timely manner, of absence due to sickness, where possible and practical to do so.

• Notifying their Program Coordinator/Head of Schools of other periods of anticipated absence. In some circumstances, this may constitute an interruption of studies.

• Where a student is undertaking a work placement or internship, the student must notify both their School/Collaborative Partner and placement/internship provider in the event of absence.

• If they are unable to attend due to religious observance, the student must liaise with the Module Leader at the earliest opportunity in advance of the religious observance to agree an alternative approach to engagement in the learning experience.

• Familiarizing themselves with the content of this Policy and Procedure.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on supporting students with proper counselling in a healthy and safe study environment.

Scope

This policy applies to all students.

Policy Statement

The College helps students understand their strengths and weaknesses and resolve their educational, vocational, and personal problems. The Student Affairs Office will have basic counselling services for students. The College provides counselling through the Student Affairs Office to all enrolled students. The student counsellor works with students struggling with a variety of personal issues such as:

• Adjustment to college life

• Academic challenges

• Emotional issues or distress (anxiety, stress, grief, depression)

• Low self-esteem - feelings of inadequacy

• Relationship issues (friends, classmates or roommates)

Procedures

The Student Affairs Office will provide confidential counselling services and general advising to BAC students. Its goal will be to help students reduce stress, maximize opportunities for academic and personal success, enhance personal development, and make important life changes.

• Any student requiring counselling support should contact Student Affairs Office and make an appointment.

• All administrators, faculty, and staff should refer students to Student Affairs Office for counseling services when necessary.

• If the student is currently seeing a Medical/Mental Health Professional, the student will need to provide documentation from the Medical/Mental Health Professional.

The Students Affairs Office maintains a record each student who has taken the counselling services. It contains the notes of the counselling session and the information provided by the student.

To obtain any special facility or accommodation for a disability, a current medical certificate from a recognized medical practitioner needs to be submitted. The certification must not be older than one year from the date on which it is being submitted to the institute.

The College is dedicated to provide proper healthcare services for all stakeholders including a healthy and safe environment that promotes wellbeing of the students, faculty and staff.

Procedure

• All students, faculty members and staff must be covered by health insurance. As a part of the registration process during admission, every student will be required to enroll for health insurance if they do not have any other insurance.

• Students and staff can access the health services through the health insurance scheme in designated hospitals and clinics. Administration Office will provide the list of designated hospitals and clinics.

• For any minor health-related services, students, faculty and staff can contact health care clinic at the college.

The College provides academic advising for intellectual and personal development of students for successful progression towards graduation.

Procedures

Every student has an Academic Advisor assigned to them by the respective Head of School for the duration of their degree program.

Academic Advisors assist students with:

choice of major

• Semester course selection including choice of program electives

• Registration-related matters

• Academic progression

• Internship guidance and support

• Career goals.

• Advisors are available to students on a daily basis by appointment or in non-scheduled sessions. Advisors primarily discuss goal-setting, answer questions about academic programs, review student registration forms for courses, and refer students to College and off- campus resources as required.

• The optimal advisor-to-student ratio is 1 advisor for every 25 students.

The policy provides reasonable assurance that all practices and actions are relevant and realistic, and that they are applied in an unbiased and nondiscriminatory manner. The purpose of the policy is to ensure good student relations, handle grievances efficiently at a level closest to the problem, and establish a fair problem-solving environment for academic and non-academic grievances with total student participation.

Scope

The student grievance and appeals policy applies to all students.

Policy Statement

The College has a mechanism to solve grievances raised by students. This encourages fairness and safeguards them from any discriminatory conduct by the staff or fellow-students. All grievances and complaints are confidential.

Procedure

If a student feels that she/he has been treated unjustly, she/he may submit a complaint or grievance to Student Affairs, using Special Request Form, without fear of retribution, interference, or harassment from the faculty or administration.

A written grievance will contain a clear and concise statement of the grievance, refer to the actual policy that is alleged to have been violated, the date the incident took place, the issue involved, and a proposed solution. The following steps must be followed to reconcile a grievance:

Step 1:

The grievant will discuss the nature of the grievance with the source of the problem within five working days after the date the grievant became aware that the problem occurred. The faculty or staff member involved will verbally inform the aggrieved person of a decision to the problem within five working days.

Step 2:

If not satisfied with the decision, the grievant may submit a written appeal (using Special Request Form) to the Academic Director or next higher level of supervision within five working days after the Step 1 decision. A written decision will then be made by this supervisor within five working days after receipt of the grievant written statement.

Step 3:

If the grievant remains dissatisfied after Step 2, the grievant may then appeal, within five working days of the receipt of the Step 2 decision to the Disciplinary & Grievance Committee through the Student Affairs Office. The Committee will conduct hearings, ensure due process, determine the facts, produce a record, and submit a written recommendation to the appropriate Head of Schools.

Step 4:

An appeal to a Step 3 decision may be made by the grievant in writing within five working days to the Chairman. The Chairman or a representative from the Chairman’s Office will review the case and a meeting with the grievant may take place. The Executive Dean will render a written decision within seven working days after receiving the appeal.

Time Limits

If the grievant fails to meet the time limits at any step, the grievance is automatically considered dropped. If the administration or other College staff fail to meet the time limits at any step, the grievance case automatically advances to the next step. The Executive Dean may authorize an extension of time limits for any step upon timely receipt of a written request.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide students with a fair, timely and consistent process to appeal decisions that impact their academic standing or progression.

Scope

The Academic Grievance and Grade appeal policy applies to all students.

Policy Statement

Students are responsible for meeting the standards of academic performance established for each study or course in which they are enrolled.

Faculty are responsible for establishing methods and criteria for assessment and evaluating a student’s performance awards of academic credit. Academic judgments are based upon academic performance and the application of relevant assessment and academic policies. Students may appeal an academic decision if they believe that an academic judgment was unfair or that the BACU’s academic policies were not followed or were applied incorrectly.

Policy Reference:

External References to Policy: Pearson and NQC

The Academic Grievance and Grade Appeal Policy has been developed to ensure that it fully meets the expectations of the awarding bodies including Pearson for International Qualifications and National Qualification Center (NQC) from NQC endorsed qualifications.

Definitions

1. An Academic decision is a determination made by BAC in accordance with academic policies and procedures. b.

2. The Academic judgement is a ‘judgement that is made about a matter where only the opinion of an academic expert is sufficient’

3. An Assessment Board is the board with authority to approve grades and certification or award.

4. An Academic Committee is not constituted as an Assessment Board, and does not have the authority to set aside the decision of an Assessment Board however, it can request that an Assessment Board reconsider its decision.

5. An Academic Grievance is any dissatisfaction or feeling of injustice a student or prospective student may have while associated with the College. A grievance can result from any valid and reasonable academic disagreement.

6. An Academic Appeal is a request for a review of an academic decision made by an Assessment Board charged with making a decision about a student’s assessment, progression and/or award. Throughout these Regulations, use of the term ‘Assessment Board’ normally means a Progression and/or Award Board

Fair Treatment

1. No student submitting an Academic Appeal under the Early Resolution or Formal Stages, whether or not it is successful, will be treated less favorably by any member of staff. If evidence to the contrary is found, the member of staff may be subject to action under the College’s Disciplinary Procedure.

2. Where a student or staff member believes that consideration of an Academic Appeal is likely to affect their relationship, all parties will be expected to continue that relationship in a professional manner. Only in exceptional circumstances will the appropriate Head consider agreeing to a request for alternative working arrangements whilst the Academic Appeal is being investigated.

3. Where a student has declared a disability and/or learning difficulty as part of this process, the College will endeavor to ensure that information is available to the student at all stages of the procedure in appropriate formats, and where needed, reasonable adjustments will be made.

Confidentiality, Consent and Documentation Retention

1. All parties are required to keep confidential matters, which are raised in the context of an Academic Appeal, as failure to observe confidentiality may prejudice the outcome of an investigation.

2. Information provided by students will be handled in confidence, and released only to those members of staff who require it for the purposes of investigating and responding to the Academic Appeal. Any breach of confidentiality may result in formal disciplinary action being taken.

3. Where a student has submitted an Academic Appeal, it may be necessary for the College to gather all information considered relevant to the case. This may include obtaining information held by staff and other departments and in some cases third parties, explicit consent of the data subject will be obtained prior to the collecting of the information. Where consent of the data subject is not supplied to access special category data, which is considered relevant to the issues raised, the student should be aware that this may affect the College’s ability to adequately investigate the Academic Appeal and that the College will be required to make a determination without all the relevant facts.

4. Any outcome of a meeting/hearing is confidential until formal notification is sent to the parties involved.

5. Where a student submits a complaint to the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), UAE relevant information shall be disclosed to the MOHE in order for the review to take place. This will include all personal data, including special category data, which has been considered by the College during its investigations

6. Any documentation obtained, or produced, as part of this process will be retained by the College.

7. For the use of this process, third party data will normally only be accepted from a student with the written consent of the individual concerned. Where third party data is submitted without the consent of the individual, it should be anonymized (i.e. names should be redacted). Students should be aware that documents may not be accepted where third party data submitted without consent has not been anonymized, but that they may be re submitted once anonymization has been carried out, or consent provided. Where non- anonymized third party personal data has been accepted in error, the College reserves the right to redact personal data. Processing of personal data in this way will be under the lawful basis of legitimate interest and in the public interest.

Academic Grievance

The student is encouraged to resolve problems where they arise and with the parties involved. Only when the problem cannot be solved informally in conference with the involved faculty or staff member, should the student resort to the formal grievance process. At this stage, the student should seek the advice of the Student Affairs Office about a proper course of action.

A student who has an academic grievance should take the following actions:

Step 1:

The student will discuss the nature of the grievance with the faculty or staff within five working days after the date the student became aware that the problem occurred. The faculty or staff member involved will verbally inform the aggrieved student of a decision to the problem within five working days.

Step 2:

If not satisfied with the decision, the student may submit a written appeal (using Special Request Form) to the Academic Director or next higher level of supervision within five working days after the Step 1 decision. A written decision will then be made by this supervisor within five working days after receipt of the student written statement.

Step 3:

If the grievant remains dissatisfied after Step 2, the student may then appeal, within five working days of the receipt of the Step 2 decision to the Disciplinary & Grievance Committee through the Student Affairs Office. The Committee chaired by Executive Dean will conduct hearings, ensure due process, determine the facts, produce a record, and submit a written decision to all concerned parties.

Step 4:

An appeal to a Step 3 decision may be made by the student in writing within five working days to the Chairman. The Chairman or a representative from the Chairman’s Office will review the case and a meeting with the grievant may take place. The Executive Dean will render a written decision within seven working days after receiving the appeal.

Time Limits

f the student fails to meet the time limits at any step, the grievance is automatically dropped. If the administration or other College staff fail to meet the time limits at any step, the grievance case automatically advances to the next step. The Executive Dean may authorize an extension of time limits for any step upon timely receipt of a written request

Group Academic Grievance and Appeal Applications

A group of students may use the same above procedures (Step 1 to 4), which will be considered as one collective Academic Grievance and Appeal.

The Special Request Form should include the names of all students, including their BAC student numbers, who wish to bring the Academic Appeal. A lead student should be identified on the form who will act as a spokesperson and correspondent. Students who have not associated themselves with a group Academic Appeal at the point of submission will not normally be permitted subsequently to do so.

Third Party Academic Grievance and Appeal Applications

Academic Grievance and Appeals submitted by third parties (for example, legal representative, parent, guardian, or spouse) will not normally be accepted for consideration except where written consent is provided by the student. Where written consent is provided and accepted by the College, all further communications will be via the nominated individual only.

Legal Proceedings

If a student chooses to start legal proceedings against the College, any Academic Appeal will be stayed until legal proceedings are completed. If a determination on the matters subject to the appeal is made during legal proceedings, the College may terminate consideration of the Academic Appeal and the student will be issued with a decision letter.

Frivolous, Vexatious or Fraudulent Applications

If a student submits an Academic Appeal or an Academic Appeal Review, which in the opinion of Student Affair’s Office is deemed to be frivolous or vexatious, Student Affair’s Office will forward the application to the Academic Director for consideration as to whether their application is acceptable for consideration or should be rejected. Frivolous or vexatious applications may include:

• Academic Appeals which are obsessive, harassing or repetitive.

• Insistence on pursuing unrealistic Academic Appeals and/or unreasonable outcomes.

• Insistence on pursuing Academic Appeals in an unreasonable manner.

• Academic Appeals designed to cause disruption or annoyance.

b. If it is believed that a student has submitted a fraudulent Academic Appeal or Academic Appeal Review, Student Affair’s Office will liaise with the Academic Director to determine whether the application should be stayed and the matter considered under the relevant Academic Misconduct Regulations. Where it is determined that the student’s application is fraudulent, the Academic Director may dismiss the application.

c. The decision of the Academic Director is final and not subject to further review. In such cases, the student will be issued with a decision letter from Academic Director Office.

Academic Progress during an Appeal.

a. The published decision of an Assessment Board is valid until such a time that it may be amended by a reconvened Assessment Board or Chair’s Action following a successful Academic Appeal.

b. If a student has been granted a reassessment or restudy, they should continue to work towards this, pending the outcome of their Academic Appeal unless otherwise advised by the Assessment Board.

c. If a student has failed or been withdrawn from their course, the College will not normally allow them to continue or progress whilst an Academic Appeal is pending. However, this may be granted on an exceptional basis by the appropriate Head.

d. In the above instance, if an Academic Appeal is unsuccessful, the student will be discontinued from their course with immediate effect. The decision of the Head on whether or not to exceptionally allow a student to continue is final and not subject to further appeal.

e. A student is not typically required to be physically present at the relevant institution for an Academic Appeal to be investigated, though participation in a meeting/hearing may be necessary via electronic communication, such as Skype/Microsoft Teams.

If the student who is not satisfied with the decision of assessment board about his/her assessment grades, progression and/or award, he/she can appeal against the decision.

Grounds for Appeal

An Assessment Board may be asked to reconsider a decision at the request of a student in the following circumstances only:

• The student’s academic achievement or progression was adversely affected by illness or other factors which the student was unable, for valid reasons, to bring to the attention of the relevant Academic Committee.

and/or

• The student’s performance in an assessment was adversely affected by a material administrative error attributable to the College, or to an agent acting on behalf of the College, or that an assessment was not conducted in accordance with the current College Regulations (Procedural Error).

The following DO NOT constitute grounds for an Academic Appeal:

• Questioning the academic judgement of a properly convened and constituted Assessment Board.

• Questioning the assessment of the quality of one or more pieces of work by another student.

• Questioning marks or grades awarded for other students.

• Questioning provisional (unratified) results.

• Questioning the overall decision on a student’s progression or on the final level of award based on the marks or grades awarded.

• Complaints made against the College or its staff, or the level of supervision and teaching. These should be made using the College’s Student Grievance Policy within the stipulated timescales.

Procedure for Academic Appeal for grade or an award

Step 1: The Early Resolution Stage

a. If a student considers that they may have grounds to request reconsideration of a decision by an Assessment Board, they are normally expected to attempt to resolve the issue informally. The Early Resolution Stage must be commenced within five working days of the date of publication of results.

b. Students, in the first instance, should contact the appropriate Head of School. At this time, the student should also provide the relevant evidence to support their case. If the matter has previously been brought to the Department’s attention and no resolution has been reached, it may not always be helpful to try and resolve the matter informally.

c. Where this is the case, the faculty must decide whether they wish to engage with a student using the Early Resolution process. If necessary, the faculty will inform the student why the Early Resolution process is not suitable, and inform the student that they can make a formal Academic Appeal using the Special Request Form, clearly setting out the timescales in which to do so (Refer to Step 2 below).

d. Commencement of the Early Resolution Stage does not prevent the student from submitting a formal Academic Appeal. Any formal Academic Appeal must be submitted in accordance with the timescales outlined in these Regulations. If a student submits a formal Academic Appeal late because of a delay in resolving their issues informally, then the Academic Appeal will be considered, subject to confirmation from the Academic Director that the delay was due to undertaking the Early Resolution process. If the relevant Head of School is unable to confirm that an Early Resolution process had taken place, then the Academic Appeal will be considered.

e. The Early Resolution Stage should normally be resolved within five working days of approaching the Head of School. At the conclusion of the Early Resolution Stage, the student will be informed, in writing, of the outcome. A copy of the outcome will be kept in the student’s file, and may be circulated, in confidence, to relevant members of staff.

f. In the event that the student is dissatisfied with the outcome at the Early Resolution Stage, the student may submit an Academic Appeal Application Form under the Formal Stage of the process within five working days of the date of the written outcome of the Early Resolution Stage.

Step 2: Formal Appeal Stage

Submitting an Academic Appeal (Procedure)

1st Stage: Submission of the appeal

a. Students must submit their formal request by submitting a filled Academic Appeal Application as a part of Special Request Form which is available in College’s website.

b. Students may only submit one Academic Appeal against an Assessment Board decision. and should include all relevant grounds in their Academic Appeal,

c. The Academic Appeal must be submitted to Student Affair’s Office within five working days of the date of formal publication of results. Only in exceptional circumstances will an Academic Appeal be accepted after the cut-off date. If a student submits an Academic Appeal Application outside of the defined timeline, he/she must provide a valid reason with supported evidence to the Academic Director or his/her designated nominee. The Academic Director or his/her nominee’s decision will be final and is not subject to further review. If the decision is not to accept a late Academic Appeal, the student will be issued with a decision letter.

d. An Academic Appeal must clearly identify the relevant ground(s) in which a student must normally submit their Academic Appeal with clear and legible documentary evidence. The evidence should normally be the original, for example a Doctor’s note, and not a photocopy.

e. Where the submission of supporting documentary evidence is not possible at the time of the submission of the Academic Appeal, due to circumstances outside the student’s control, the Academic Appeal should be submitted prior to the deadline date together with a clear statement that evidence will follow, normally within five working days. If no subsequent supporting evidence is received, Student Affair’s Office will process the Academic Appeal based on the available documentation.

f. Student Affair’s Office, on receipt of the Academic Appeal, reserves the right to request further clarification and/or information from the student prior to referring the Academic Appeal to the relevant Head of School.

g. Students are advised to retain a copy of their Academic Appeal. Documents submitted as part of the application process will not be returned. Where photocopies of documents are submitted, the student may be required to provide Student Affair’s Office with sight of the original documents in order to verify their authenticity. If evidence is provided in a language other than English, it is the student’s responsibility to have it independently translated.

h. The College reserves the right to contact any person named in the submission to seek clarification or further information.

Review of 1st Stage of Appeal

a. The process is started by the submission of an Academic Appeal.

b. Receipt of the Academic Appeal will normally be acknowledged by the Student Affair’s Office within 5 days.

c. The Student Affair’s Office will send the Academic Appeal to the Head of School for consideration and review.

d. If the Head of School believes that there is a case for the decision of the Assessment Board to be reviewed, they may, if necessary, request further clarification directly from the student and reconvene, if appropriate, the Assessment Board to consider the case. In cases where there may be a delay in convening an Assessment Board, it may be necessary for the Assessment Board Chair’s Action to be taken. In this event, the decision must be formally recorded for ratification at the next appropriate Assessment Board.

e. The Academic Director/Head of School must inform the student, in writing, of the decision of the Assessment Board, and/or the decision taken by Chair’s Action. A copy of the decision must be sent to the Student Affair’s Office.

f. If the Head of School finds that there is no valid reason for the decision of the Assessment Board to be reviewed, they must provide a written report to the Student Affair’s Office within 5 working days of receipt of the Academic Appeal by the Head of School.

g. The Report must normally contain:

o A clear statement relating to the Academic Appeal to the Academic Committee/Assessment Board at the time of the decision. The Report must be confined to factual comments on the case and must not include comments on the merits of the Academic Appeal.

o A copy of the relevant part and appropriately redacted Assessment Board minutes which have been endorsed by the Chair of the Assessment Board.

o A copy of the relevant Internal Verifier’s Confirmation of Endorsement of Assessment Process Form.

o The outcome of any Early Resolution discussions.

h. The Head of School is responsible for ensuring that an appropriate member of staff is available to provide the Report within five working days. Where complex matters are identified, an extension to this timescale may be granted by the Student Affair’s Office on request. Where an extension is granted, the Student Affair’s Office will inform the student of the delay in processing their Academic Appeal.

The Head of School must advise the student of their right to continue to pursue the case through the formal Academic Appeal process, and to contact the Student Affair’s Office if they remain dissatisfied with the decision (Refer to 2nd Stage). If no such request is received from the student within 5 working days, the case will be closed.

2nd Stage:

If the student remains dissatisfied with the decision of 1st Stage, they can pursue the case with the Student Affair’s Office. Within five working days of receipt of the ‘Report’, the Student Affair’s Office will communicate with the Disciplinary & Grievance Committee. It will be chaired by Executive Dean, and will also include a student representative who has had no prior involvement with the student, or previous participation in the case under consideration. A Secretary (staff member) shall also be in attendance.

The purpose of the Committee is to facilitate the consideration of the case based on the information discussed below. The student or relevant Department will not be invited to attend this meeting. The Committee will consider:

• The student’s Academic Appeal;

• The Report;

• Any other additional relevant information

Step 3: Decision and Communication

After consideration of the available evidence, the Committee may:

• Request further information from the Department or student, or any other relevant person. This information should normally be provided to the Secretary within 5 working days of the request

• Dismiss the Academic Appeal

• Where it is felt that further investigation is required, the Committee can form an adhoc Committee to consider an Academic Appeal.

a. The Chair of the Committee will write to the student and Department with the decision of the Committee normally within 5 working days of the meeting. A copy of the Report, and any additional documentation, will be provided to the student along with the Committee’s decision. If the Academic Appeal is unsuccessful, the student will be informed that they have the right, in certain circumstances, to request a review of the decision under the Review Stage process.

b. In cases where the Department, having reviewed the decision of the Academic Appeal that an Academic Committee should be convened, believe that there is a case for the decision of the Assessment Board to be reviewed, they may reconvene the Assessment Board, or take Chair’s Action, to amend the Assessment Board’s previous decision rather than proceed with the Academic Committee. In this event, the decision must be formally recorded for ratification at the next appropriate Assessment Board. In cases where the decision of the Academic Committee is to dismiss the Academic Appeal and the student fails to submit a request for a review of the Academic Appeal decision, the Chair’s letter concludes the College’s deliberations on the appeal. Provision for independent external review is made through the existence MOHE Office, UAE. Should a student wish to take their case to the MOHE, they will need a written letter. A student must request a written letter from Students Affair’s Office within five working days from the issue date of the letter from the Chair of the Academic Committee.

Procedure for the Hearing of the Committee for Appeal

a. Meetings of the Committee will normally be held within five working days of a request for a Committee to be convened. The student and the relevant Department representative will be advised of the date and time of the hearing.

b. The Committee will normally be held at the College’s campus. Students and staff based in other locations may attend in the Campus or participate in the Committee Hearing electronically for example, Skype/Microsoft Teams. Those who wish to do so must inform the Student Affair’s Office prior to the Hearing. Where the Committee is being held electronically the identity of the student may need to be verified at the start of the meeting/hearing.

c. It will not normally be possible for the date of the Hearing to be changed. This will only be done in exceptional circumstances. Any requests to change the date of the Hearing must be submitted in writing to Student Affair’s Office, and the decision will be at the discretion of the Chair. Where a decision to re-arrange a Hearing has been refused, the student and Department will be informed, in writing, of the refusal and the case will be considered in the absence of the student or Chair of the relevant Assessment Board.

d. Only the student, accompanied by one friend, and the Chair of the relevant Assessment Board, accompanied by one other Department representative, may be present throughout the whole of the Committee except when the decision is being debated. If either party wishes to request the attendance of additional friends, this will be at the discretion of the Chair and all relevant parties will be informed of this prior to the Hearing.

e. At least 5 days prior to the Hearing, the student and the Chair of the relevant Assessment Board should confirm, to Student Affair’s Office, the names of those who will be attending.

f. In considering the Academic Appeal, the Chair may call any appropriate members of staff to give evidence with at least 5 days’ notice of the Hearing. The member of staff may be accompanied to the hearing by one ‘friend’, and Student Affair’s Office will provide this person with a copy of the appropriate documentation. If it appears to the Chair that the evidence presented raises allegations of misconduct this may lead to Staff Disciplinary Regulations being invoked.

g. The documentation to be considered by the Committee will be circulated to all parties prior to the Hearing. Following which, the presentation of any new documentation, by either party, will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances with agreement of the Chair. In this event, a suspension of proceedings may be necessary in order to provide all parties with the opportunity to consider the new documentation.

h. The student, their friend and the relevant member(s) of staff from the Department will normally be allowed to be present throughout the whole of the Hearing except when the decision is being debated. If the Committee, in its absolute discretion, determines that the presence of any party is not appropriate throughout the whole hearing or during any specific part of it, the Chair shall use reasonable endeavors to ensure that such person is given an adequate opportunity to present their case.

During the Hearing:

• The Chair will outline the procedure of the hearing to all parties;

• The Chair will ask the student and/or friend to present their case in support of their Academic Appeal;

• Members of the Committee may ask questions of the student and/or friend;

• The Department may ask for clarification on any representations made by the student by addressing questions via the Chair;

• The Chair will ask the Department representative(s) to present their case;

• Members of the Committee may ask questions of the Department representative(s);

• The student may ask for clarification on any representations made by the Department addressing questions via the Chair;

• The Chair will give each party the opportunity to sum up their case;

• The Chair will ask the student, their friend and the Department representative(s) to leave the hearing;

• The Committee will consider the evidence in private and reach a decision.

• The Committee has the authority to adjourn the Hearing at any time, or any reason, for such a period as it, in its absolute discretion, thinks fit.

Decision of the Committee on the appeal

• The decision of the Committee will be by majority decision.

• After consideration of the available evidence relating to the Academic Appeal, the Committee may reach any of the following decisions:

a. The Academic Appeal is rejected;

or

b. The Academic Appeal is upheld and the Assessment Board will be asked to reconvene to reconsider its decision along with any additional recommendation(s)/direction(s) made by the Committee.

Procedure following decision of Committee

o The student and the Department shall be informed, in writing, normally within 5 days of the decision of the Committee.

o This decision will be circulated to the student, the Department and when appropriate, to the Committee with overall responsibility for assessment matters, so that any issues of principle or general interest may be identified and acted upon. The Committee will also keep a record of its proceedings.

o Where an Academic Appeal is rejected, the decision of the Committee shall be immediate.

o When it is determined that an Assessment Board shall be reconvened at the earliest opportunity normally, within 15 days. In cases where there may be a delay in reconvening a Board, it may be necessary for Chair’s Action to be taken. In the event of a Chair’s Action, the decision must be formally recorded for ratification at the next appropriate Assessment Board.

o No member of staff directly involved in the Department’s submission to the Academic Appeal shall act as Chair, or as a panel member, for the reconvened Assessment Board

o Student Affair’s Office will advise the student if there is likely to be a delay before a final decision is reached.

o The student will be given the opportunity to provide the reconvened Assessment Board, in writing, with any new information presented orally to the Academic Committee for Appeal.

o The Executive Dean’s nominee will forward the documentation considered by the Committee to the Chair of the reconvened Assessment Board (together with the reasoned decision of the Committee) unless, in exceptional circumstances, the Chair of the Committee directs that it would be appropriate to withhold some of the documentation or agrees with a request by the student to withhold sensitive personal information.

o It is not necessary for the reconvened Assessment Board to comply with the standard quorum requirements of attendance; however, it is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure an appropriate balance in the circumstances.

o The appropriate external examiner(s) must normally be invited to attend the meeting, but their absence will not invalidate the decision of the reconvened Assessment Board which is properly constituted in all other respects, and the views of external examiner(s) must have been ascertained before the decision of the Board is published. The comments of external examiner(s) who are unable to attend must be recorded and attached to the minutes

o The Chair of the Committee may nominate an Observer to attend the reconvened Assessment Board. The name of the Observer will be communicated to the reconvened Assessment Board by Student Affair’s Office. The Observer shall, if requested, provide clarification to the reconvened Assessment Board on the recommendation of the Committee.

o The reconvened Assessment Board should normally implement the recommendation(s)/direction(s) made by the Committee unless it determines that these recommendations/directions are unreasonable or contrary to the College’s Regulations.

o The Chair of the reconvened Assessment Board is responsible for communicating the outcome to the student and to Student Affair’s Office in writing, within 7 days. If the reconvened Assessment Board amended its previous decision, then the communication should give reasons for the decision and when the remedy will be implemented. The student should be informed of the right to appeal the decision of the reconvened Assessment Board.

Timescales

a. Procedures shall normally be completed within the timescales cited in these Regulations however, there may be occasions where the timescales cannot be met. In this instance the College must keep the student and the Department updated on progress. The College also expects students and the Department to meet the timescales unless there are exceptional circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the student or the Department. In such circumstances, the student or Department should contact Student Affair’s Office to discuss the feasibility of an extension to the relevant timescale.

b. Reference to timescales in these Regulations relate to calendar days, excluding the UAE Government Holidays and College closure period.

c. Attendance and Representation at Meetings or Hearings

d. During the course of investigating an Academic Appeal it may be necessary for the representative from the Department considering the case (Chair) to meet with the student and/or relevant member(s) of staff. A note taker may be in attendance at such meetings/hearings.

e. If the student or relevant member of staff does not attend a meeting/hearing without providing a good reason for their non-attendance in advance, the meeting/hearing may proceed in their absence. In this instance, the Academic Appeal will be considered on the evidence available at the time.

f. If, the student or relevant member of staff is unable to attend a meeting/hearing, then they may request that it is postponed until a later date. The decision on whether a meeting/hearing will be deferred will be made by the relevant Chair.

g. If the student and/or their friend has a disability or learning difficulty and requires additional facilities or adjustments, those requirements should be made known to Students Affair’s Office prior to the meeting/hearing in order that, if possible, appropriate arrangements can be made.

h. The student or member of staff also has the right to be accompanied to a meeting/hearing by one friend who may not act as a representative or attend in any legal capacity unless permitted by the person conducing the proceedings.

i. If the student, or member of staff presenting the case is accompanied at any meeting/hearing by a friend, it is their responsibility to provide all relevant communications, and documents to their friend.

j. The student, or member of staff, must provide the name of the friend to the relevant Chair 5 days prior to any meeting/hearing via Student Affair’s Office.

Attendance at an Award Ceremony

Students who are eligible to receive a College award may attend an Award Ceremony. In such cases the award will be the one that was previously determined by the Assessment Board. If the award is subsequently amended, there will be no further opportunity to attend an Award Ceremony. If preferred, students may defer attendance at the Award Ceremony until the outcome of their Academic Appeal. Should the student receive a Certificate of Award whilst an Academic Appeal is ongoing and the Assessment Board amends its decision, the Award Certificate must be returned to the College and a replacement will be issued. Attendance at an Award Ceremony does not prevent a student from submitting an Academic Appeal.

Behavior at Meetings/Hearings

All participants at meetings/hearings are expected to behave in an orderly and non-confrontational manner. If the appropriate Chair of a meeting/hearing believes it necessary, they may adjourn or Holt proceedings if, in their opinion, progress of the meeting/hearing is being hampered by a participant’s behavior.

Recording of Proceedings

The audio recording of meetings/hearings is prohibited subject to such reasonable adjustments as may be agreed by the College.

Monitoring and Evaluation

On an annual basis, Student Affair’s Office shall provide a written report to relevant College Committees. The report shall provide anonymous statistical data, identify any trends or wider issues, and make any observations and/or recommendations, which may assist the College to further good practice in the management of this process.

Expenses

The student or member of staff will be responsible for any associated costs related to the appeal process which will be communicated by the Student Affairs’ Office.

Advice and Guidance

a. Students and staff can obtain advice on these Regulations from a number of sources. In particular, their respective faculty Adviser and/or the Student Council who can provide students with advice, independent of the College. This can include, assistance in submitting an Academic Appeal and attending meetings/hearings in a supporting role. Staff and students can also seek advice and support on understanding the Regulations from Student Affair’s Office.

b. Staff in Student Affair’s office can only provide advice on the operation of these Regulations, and are unable to provide advice to students on their individual circumstances.

Appeal against the College to Pearson

If the student is not satisfied with the outcomes of BACU Appeals Policy, can appeal to Pearson. Such appeals are received and processed as per the Appeals Procedures of Pearson.

Students studying HND with BACU will write to Pearson at :

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/contact-us/students.html