Feedback Charter

Feedback charter

As a student in the School of English you can expect the following standards and practices to be adhered to in assessment and written feedback across all modules and programmes.

Consistency

All assessments are marked according to the assessment criteria that have been developed by the School and approved by external examiners (lecturers and professors from other universities). The criteria are available on the School of English MOLE pages. All modules which count towards your final degree result are then moderated by another member of School staff. This means that we are constantly checking our marking practices and standards, in-house. In addition to that, all degree-bearing marks and marking practices are scrutinised by external examiners at end-of-year exam boards. By following these practices, we ensure consistent marking throughout the School.

Speed

Mid-semester assessments:

We recognise that prompt feedback is especially important for mid-semester assessments, which play a formative role in preparation for end-of-module assessments. Students can therefore expect to receive marks and feedback within 3 weeks of submitting their work.

End-of-module assessments:

Assessments submitted during the Winter or Summer assessment periods may take longer to process. This is because of the volume of assessments undertaken across the School, the moderation process and the involvement of external examiners. Marks for assessments completed at the end of Semester 1 will be returned in the first weeks of Semester 2. Marks for assessment completed at the end of Semester 2 will be returned by the end of June.

Style and presentation

We expect your work to conform to University standards of style and presentation. Discipline-specific conventions for referencing are described at http://www.librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/department/english.html. The presentation of your work will be taken into account during the marking and moderation process.

Plagiarism

We expect the work you submit to be your own. You must not make use of any unfair means when completing your assessments and you will be required to make a statement to this effect when submitting your work. We use plagiarism detection software when handling your assessments.

Exams

Because of the moderation process, exam scripts cannot be returned to you: they must be retained so that they can be inspected by our external examiners. You will, though, have the opportunity to consult your exam scripts and make notes about any feedback by appointment. You will then have the chance to discuss this feedback your module tutor and/or personal tutor.

Online Submission and Marking

Standard practice is that all written assignments are submitted online. There may be instances where you have to submit in another format or submit a paper copy too. You will be notified via the assessment rubric when this is the case. Unless otherwise stated, submission times will be 12 noon on the day of the deadline. Computer problems will not be accepted as an excuse for missing a deadline. If you have any technical difficulties with your submission, you must email english@sheffield.ac.uk quoting the module name and code (e.g. Lit 234 Renaissance Literature). When your assignment is marked, you can expect to receive comments on the following: your general performance in the assignment; presentation and style; areas to improve.

Written feedback on completed assessments

Detail and clarity:

You will receive a paragraph of feedback specific to your work. This will indicate the relationship between your mark and the marking criteria. Up to three specific recommendations for improvement will be provided. In some instances (e.g. in some forms of examination, oral presentation or in-class test) other methods of feedback on your performance will be more appropriate (e.g. a series of tick-boxes, annotations on an exam script). All written feedback you receive will be legible.

Opportunity for discussion: All module tutors will provide you with the opportunity to discuss completed assessments, either in office hours or in allocated feedback slots. A further chance to discuss completed assessments will be provided in sessions with personal tutors.

Constructive feedback:

The role of feedback is integral to your learning, by explaining the mark that has been given and offering advice about how to improve in the future. Feedback will therefore be constructive in its criticism.