A new Extenuating Circumstances (EC) Procedure launches today (Monday 10 March). The new procedure introduces a ‘self-certification’ claims process, enabling students to secure deadline extensions for some assessments without the need to provide evidence in support.
Key details of the new procedure are:
- Students can make a self-certification claim once per semester.
- Students can self-certify for a period of five working days, ‘the self-certification period’, mirroring typical practice in workplaces.
- A self-certification claim will provide extensions of 10 working days for any coursework or coursework-style assessments falling within the self-certification period.
- The self-certification claims process is available to students through the Extenuating Circumstances area of the MySRS portal and is an automated process.
- For any situation where self-certification is not available, students must make a full EC claim with supporting evidence.
The new procedure is available on iCity and on the University’s website, and is supported by staff and student FAQs. Guidance videos have also been produced to help students in understanding the process for making self-certification claims and full EC claims.
Assistant Director Student Services Richard Booth said: “Introducing self-certification is an important step at the University in responding to student and staff feedback, and in supporting our students to achieve their very best.
“Allowing students limited opportunity to self-certify will relieve some of the stress associated with claiming and will help drive more equitable outcomes for our students.”
Staff with questions about the new EC Procedure are advised to refer to the iCity page and the staff FAQs in the first instance. Otherwise, questions can be addressed to the Student Governance team via appealsandresolutions@bcu.ac.uk.
The Student Governance team will be running a briefing about the new procedure on Wednesday 12 March. Information can be found on the iCity events page – look out for further details in Tiger Today.