Plagiarism Policy

Scope

Plagiarism is defined as the use of the work (phrases, ideas, findings, etc.) by other persons, without reference to the creator and the source, regardless of whether there is an intention or not. Examples of plagiarism are:

  1. i) The inclusion in a student’s work of more than a single phrase from another person’s work without the use of quotation marks and Acknowledgement of the sources.
  2. ii) The summarizing of another person’s work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of presentation, without acknowledgement.
  • iii) The substantial and unauthorized use of the ideas of another person without acknowledgement of the source.
  1. iv) Copying the work of another candidate, with or without that candidate’s knowledge or agreement.
  2. v) Students should also be aware of AUTO PLAGIARISM which is deemed as a very serious academic offence. “Auto plagiarism occurs where a student’s own work is re-presented without being properly referenced.

 

Plagiarism is considered copyright theft and is a legal offense.

 

In academic discourse, the reference to the source, which corresponds to a formulated thought, judgment, idea or argument, is made by quoting bibliographic references.

 

This policy and procedure applies to all forms of assessment, internal and external.

 

 

Aim

The aim of this policy is to ensure and encourage students to adopt good academic conduct in respect of assessment and ensure students are informed of the consequences of academic misconduct.

 

 

Policy

In all assessed work students should take care to ensure the work presented is their own and fully acknowledge the work and opinions of others through proper referencing and citation. It is also the responsibility of the students to ensure that they do not undertake any form of cheating or other form of unfair advantage.

 

Mesoyios College is using the Harvard Referencing.

 

Penalties for plagiarism

Accidental plagiarism

If the lecturer confirms that the student unintentionally plagiarizes, and have no previous infractions, then the lecturer can consider the following options:

  • In case the whole paper is plagiarized, the lecturer can give a chance to the student to re-write the assignment and give an “I” grade until the assessment is completed.
  • In any other case, the lecturer can either give lower grade (based on the volume of plagiarized text) or fail the course.

 

Deliberate plagiarism

If the lecturer ascertains that the student intentionally committed plagiarism (for example, by copying and pasting text or paraphrasing another student’s or author’s ideas without citing the source), he/she will fail the assignment or the course, and this will be considered as a disciplinary action, and will be referred to the Disciplinary Committee.

 

If the Disciplinary Committee finds that the student has directly plagiarized (i.e. by submitting a paper that is wholly or mostly someone else’s work and passing it off as his/her own), the student could be dismissed from the program and college.

 

How to avoid plagiarism

When writing an assignment or research it is necessary to state the sources from which we derive information. It is important to provide complete and organized academic references for anything we use in our work.

More specifically we avoid plagiarism, whenever:

  1. When using quotations from another person’s published or unpublished works, you should refer to the relevant sources in full.
  2. When paraphrasing another person’s text, you must cite the source.
  3. In case of copying and pasting the original text from a printed or electronic source, you should place it in quotation marks “…” and make a complete reference to the source.
  4. When translating a foreign language text, you must indicate the source.
  5. When you use your own thoughts that have been published in your previous work, you should refer to them.

 

Please refer to the link https://www.citethisforme.com/harvard-referencing for more information and guidance about Harvard Referencing.

 

 

PLAGIARISM CHECKER TOOLS (OPEN ACCESS)

http://plagiarisma.net/

https://plagiarismdetector.net/

https://www.grammarly.com/plagiarism-checker?q=plagiarism

https://www.plagtracker.com/upload.html

http://www.neilstoolbox.com/plagiarism-tester/index.htm

https://plagiarismcheckerx.com/plagiarism-checker-for-students

Procedure

Change of Grade/Grade Petition Policy

Policy

Once the grades are submitted to the Office of the Registrar no changes are allowed, unless one professor fills out the necessary form for “Change of Grade” which would explain the reason of changing the grade.

 

 

 

Procedure

Grades Revision Procedure (Grade Petition)

If the student believes that he/she received a grade that is different from what he/she expected, then he/she should first contact the instructor of the specific course.

If this does not lead to a result, then the student might report to the Office of the Registrar.

The Registrar will forward a copy of the report to the Program Coordinator and Quality Assurance Officer (QA), who will have to confirm that there was not any mistake by the instructor previously. The Program Coordinator should be able to explain how the Academic Committee made their judgement, and what evidence they relied on. Even where there is no evidence of an error being made, understanding how the Academic Committee made a judgement and what evidence they took into account, might help the student to understand the grade he/she have been given.

 

If indeed there was not any mistake by the instructor, the Program Coordinator and QA will commit a reevaluation of the final examination from another instructor. In case of a large difference between the two evaluations where a change of the grade is appropriate, the average of the two evaluations will be assigned as the final grade of the course. Changes of the grades resulting from the above procedure require the approval of the Program Coordinator and Quality Assurance Officer. The appeal for review of a result must be done by the student within 4 weeks from the date of announcement of the final results.

 

Making a complaint about bias, discrimination, malpractice or maladministration

Students cannot appeal because they disagree with the assessment grades given by college. However, they might be concerned that their assessment grades were wrong because they believe the judgement was influenced by things other than evidence about their academic performance. We know that some students are concerned that some assessment grades could be influenced by bias or discrimination. Individual cases of bias or discrimination would be taken very seriously, and we expect them to be rare.

 

If bias or discrimination affected students’ assessment grades, this could be a form of malpractice or maladministration. If students think that malpractice or maladministration might have affected them, then they should first discuss this directly with the Program Coordinator and raise a complaint through the complaints policy. If they feel that their concerns have not been addressed, they could then consider raising their concerns about malpractice or maladministration with the Academic Committee.

 

Students would be expected to raise any concerns with the college initially, and if they have evidence of malpractice or maladministration on the part of the college and have concerns about raising it with them directly in the first instance, it may be appropriate for students to discuss this directly with the Academic Committee instead. In order to examine these cases, the Academic Committee will need to see something specific or something surprising, which calls for an explanation that the college has been unable to give.

 

If the Academic Committee decides that it has a reasonable basis to suspect malpractice or maladministration might have occurred in relation to the student’s assessment grades, it will carry out an investigation to gather evidence so it can decide whether or not malpractice or maladministration actually happened. The Academic Committee is likely to review the student’s academic records, and any other specific evidence the student might provide, and also to talk to the Program Coordinator or the Principal and to the lecturer for whom the student complaints of being responsible for the malpractice or maladministration. They may also choose to look at any other relevant data, which may include historical data. When the Academic Committee decides that there has been malpractice or maladministration, for example, because discriminatory views influenced an assessment grade, this can have serious consequences for any lecturer involved, so the Academic Committee will allow the lecturer an opportunity to explain when they do not agree with the complaint.

 

If the Academic Committee thinks there has been malpractice or maladministration, it will then consider to proceed with the Change of Grade procedure.

 

Change of Grade

A change in grade is authorized only under unusual circumstances. Faculty submits the change of grade via the Change of Grade Form. The change of grade process requires the instructor’s signature and the approval of the Program Coordinator and Quality Assurance Officer for all grade changes—including removal of “I” grades.

Grade change requests should carry a statement regarding the circumstances necessitating the change, which includes a description of the circumstances for an original award of an “I” grade. It is improper to permit a student to improve a grade by doing extra work unless all students in the class are given the same opportunity.

Data Protection Policy

Data Protection Policy

 

In carrying out its statutory duties, Mesoyios College  needs to hold personal data for a variety of reasons. It strives to ensure that such data is held securely, and that it is used only in appropriate ways. To that end, the College Council has produced the following Data Protection Policy.

 

All those acting on behalf of the College are required to observe and enforce these policies.

 

The controller for your personal data is Mesoyios College. The Data Protection Officer for the College should be contacted if you have any concerns about how the College is managing your personal information, or if you require advice on how to exercise your rights as outlined in this handbook.

 

 

 

Contents

Data Protection Policy. 1

Overview.. 4

Scope. 4

Personal data protection principles. 4

Those principles require personal data to be: 4

Data users’ Rights. 5

Accountability. 5

Responsibilities. 6

  1. College responsibilities. 6
  2. Data Protection Officer responsibilities. 6
  3. Staff responsibilities. 6
  4. Third-Party Data Processors. 6
  5. Contractors, Short-Term and Voluntary Staff 7
  6. Student responsibilities. 7

Data user Access Requests. 7

Reporting a personal data breach. 8

Limitations on the transfer of personal data. 8

Record Keeping. 9

Training and Audit 9

Data privacy by design and default and Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) 9

Direct Marketing. 9

Sharing Personal Data. 10

Changes to this policy. 10

Appendix 1. 10

Principle 1 of GDPR – Processing personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently. 10

Lawfulness and fairness. 10

(a) Consent 10

(b) Legal bases for Processing Sensitive Personal Data, including Special Category Data. 11

  1. Transparency (notifying data users) 11

Appendix 2. 12

Principle 2 of GDPR – Purpose Limitation. 12

Principle 3 of the GDPR – Data minimisation. 12

Principle 4 of the GDPR – Accuracy. 12

Principle 5 of the GDPR – Storage limitation. 13

Principle 6 of the GDPR – Security, Integrity and Confidentiality. 13

Appendix 3. 14

Glossary of Terms. 14

 

 

Overview

The College takes its responsibilities with regards to the management of the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) very seriously. This policy clearly aligns those responsibilities and how the College manages them.

 

The College obtains, uses, stores and otherwise processes personal data relating to potential staff and students (applicants), current staff and students, former staff and students, current and former workers, contractors, website users and contacts, collectively referred to in this policy as data users. When processing personal data, the College is obliged to fulfil individuals’ reasonable expectations of privacy by complying with GDPR and other relevant data protection legislation (data protection law).

 

This policy therefore seeks to ensure that we:

  1. Are clear about how personal data must be processed and the College’s expectations for all those who process personal data on its behalf;
  2. Comply with the data protection law and with good practice;
  3. Protect the College’s reputation by ensuring the personal data entrusted to us is processed in accordance with the data users’ rights
  4. Protect the College from risks of personal data breaches and other breaches of data protection law.

 

Terms used are explained in the glossary (Appendix 3).

 

Scope

This policy applies to all personal data we process regardless of the location where that personal data is stored (e.g. on an employee’s own device) and regardless of the data user. All staff and others processing personal data on the College’s behalf must read it. A failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action.

All Heads of Department and Directors are responsible for ensuring that all College staff within their area of responsibility comply with this policy and should implement appropriate practices, processes, controls and training to ensure that compliance.

 

Personal data protection principles

When you process personal data, you should be guided by the following principles, which are set out in the GDPR. The College is responsible for, and must be able to demonstrate compliance with, the data protection principles listed below:

 

Those principles require personal data to be:

  1. Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner. Details on how to achieve this can be found in Appendix 1.
  2. Collected only for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner incompatible with those purposes (Purpose limitation). Details on how to achieve this can be found in Appendix 2.
  3. Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which it is Processed (Data minimisation). Details on how to achieve this can be found in Appendix 2.
  4. Accurate and where necessary kept up to date (Accuracy). Details on how to achieve this can be found in Appendix 2.
  5. Not kept in a form which permits identification of data users for longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data is processed (Storage limitation). Details on how to achieve this can be found in Appendix 2.
  6. Processed in a manner that ensures its security, using appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage (Security, integrity and confidentiality). Details on how to achieve this can be found in Appendix 2.

 

Data users’ Rights

Data user has rights in relation to the way we handle their personal data.

These include the following rights:

  1. Where the legal basis of our processing is Consent, to withdraw that Consent at any time
  2. To ask for access to the personal data that we hold
  3. To prevent our use of the personal data for direct marketing purposes
  4. To object to our processing of personal data in limited circumstances
  5. To ask us to erase personal data without delay:
    1. If it is no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise processed
    2. If the only legal basis of processing is Consent and that Consent has been withdrawn and there is no other legal basis on which we can process that personal data
    3. If the data user objects to our processing where the legal basis is the pursuit of a legitimate interest or the public interest and we can show no overriding legitimate grounds or interest
    4. If the data user has objected to our processing for direct marketing purposes
    5. If the processing is unlawful
  6. To ask us to rectify inaccurate data or to complete incomplete data
  7. To restrict processing in specific circumstances e.g. where there is a complaint about accuracy
  8. To ask us for a copy of the safeguards under which personal data is transferred outside of the EU

 

Requests (including for data user access – see below) must be sent to the College’s DPO for processing and approval.

 

Accountability

The College must implement appropriate technical and organisational measures in an effective manner to ensure compliance with data protection principles. The College is responsible for, and must be able to demonstrate compliance with, the data protection principles.

We must therefore apply adequate resources and controls to ensure and to document GDPR compliance including:

  • Appointing a suitably qualified DPO
  • Implementing Privacy by Design (design policies, procedures and systems which comply with the GDPR from the inception of the product’s or processes’ development)
  • Integrating data protection into our policies and procedures, in the way personal data is handled by us and by producing required documentation such as Written Consent Forms, Records of Processing and records of Personal Data Breaches
  • Training staff on compliance with Data Protection Law and keeping a record accordingly
  • Regularly testing the privacy measures implemented and conducting periodic reviews and audits to assess compliance, including using results of testing to demonstrate compliance improvement effort

 

Responsibilities

1. College responsibilities

The College is responsible for establishing policies and procedures in order to comply with data protection law.

 

2. Data Protection Officer responsibilities

The DPO is responsible for:

  1. Advising the College and its staff of its obligations under GDPR
  2. Monitoring compliance with this Regulation and other relevant data protection law, the College’s policies with respect to this and monitoring training and audit activities relate to GDPR compliance
  3. To provide advice where requested on data protection impact assessments
  4. To fully understand the risk associated with processing operations, taking into account the nature, scope, context and purposes of processing.

 

3. Staff responsibilities

Staff members who process personal data about students, staff, applicants, alumni or any other individual must comply with the requirements of this policy. Staff members must ensure that:

  1. All personal data is kept securely
  2. No personal data is disclosed either verbally or in writing, accidentally or otherwise, to any unauthorised third party
  3. Personal data is kept in accordance with the College’s retention schedule
  4. Any queries regarding data protection, including user access requests and complaints, are promptly directed to the Data Protection Officer
  5. Any data protection breaches are swiftly brought to the attention of the Data Protection Officer
  6. where there is uncertainty around a data protection matter advice is sought from the Data Protection Officer

 

Where members of staff are responsible for supervising students doing work which involves the processing of personal information (for example in research projects), they must ensure that those students are aware of the Data Protection principles.

Staff who are unsure about who are the authorised third parties to whom they can legitimately disclose personal data should seek advice from the Data Protection Officer.

 

4. Third-Party Data Processors

Where external companies are used to process personal data on behalf of the College, responsibility for the security and appropriate use of that data remains with the College.

 

Where a third-party data processor is used:

  1. A data processor must be chosen which provides sufficient guarantees about its security measures to protect the processing of personal data
  2. Reasonable steps must be taken that such security measures are in place
  3. A written contract establishing what personal data will be processed and for what purpose must be set out

 

For further guidance about the use of third-party data processors please contact the Data Protection Officer.

 

6. Contractors, Short-Term and Voluntary Staff

The College is responsible for the use made of personal data by anyone working on its behalf.

 

Managers who employ contractors, short term or voluntary staff must ensure that they are appropriately qualified for the data they will be processing. In addition, managers should ensure that:

 

  1. Any personal data collected or processed in the course of work undertaken for the College is kept securely and confidentially
  2. All personal data is returned to the College on completion of the work, including any copies that may have been made. Alternatively, that the data is securely destroyed and the College receives notification in this regard from the contractor or short term / voluntary member of staff;
  3. The College receives prior written notification of any disclosure of personal data to any other organisation or any person who is not a direct employee of the contractor;
  4. Any personal data made available by the College, or collected in the course of the work, is neither stored nor processed outside the country unless written consent to do so has been received from the College
  5. All practical and reasonable steps are taken to ensure that contractors, short term or part time staff do not have access to any personal data beyond what is essential for the work to be carried out properly

 

7. Student responsibilities

Students are responsible for:

  1. Familiarising themselves with the College GDPR Policy provided when they register with the College
  2. Ensuring that their personal data provided to the College is accurate and up to date
  3. Any changes to their personal information they are responsible to notify/inform the College’s Registrar

 

Data user Access Requests

Data users have the right to receive a copy of their personal data which is held by the College. In addition, an individual is entitled to receive further information about the College’s processing of their personal data as follows:

  • The purposes
  • The categories of personal data being processed
  • Retention periods
  • Information about their rights
  • The right to complain
  • Any third-party source of the personal data

 

You should not allow third parties to persuade you into disclosing personal data without proper authorisation. For example, students’ parents do not have an automatic right to gain access to their son’s or daughter’s data.

 

The entitlement is not to documents per se (which may however be accessible by means of the Freedom of Information Act, subject to any exemptions and the public interest), but to such personal data as is contained in the document. The right relates to personal data held electronically and to limited manual records.

 

You should not alter, conceal, block or destroy personal data once a request for access has been made. You should contact the Data Protection Officer before any changes are made to personal data which is the subject of an access request.

 

Reporting a personal data breach

The GDPR requires that we report to the Data Protection Officer any personal data breach where there is a risk to the rights and freedoms of the data user. Where the Personal data breach results in a high risk to the data user, he/she also has to be notified unless subsequent steps have been taken to ensure that the risk is unlikely to materialise, security measures were applied to render the personal data unintelligible (e.g. encryption) or it would amount to disproportionate effort to inform the data user directly. In the latter circumstances, a public communication must be made or an equally effective alternative measure must be adopted to inform data users, so that they themselves can take any remedial action.

 

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify data users where we are legally required to do so.

 

Limitations on the transfer of personal data

The GDPR restricts data transfers to countries outside the EU in order to ensure that the level of data protection afforded to individuals by the GDPR is not undermined. You transfer personal data originating in one country across borders when you transmit or send that data to a different country or view/access it in a different country.

 

You may only transfer personal data outside the EU if one of the following conditions applies:

  • The European Commission has issued a decision confirming that the country to which we transfer the personal data ensures an adequate level of protection for the data users’ rights and freedoms.

 

The countries currently approved can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/data-transfers-outside-eu/adequacy-protection-personal-data-non-eu-countries_en

 

  • The data user has provided written consent to the proposed transfer after being informed of any potential risks; or the transfer is necessary for one of the other reasons set out in the GDPR including:
    • The performance of a contract between us and the data user (e.g. students’ mandatory year abroad in an overseas institution/placement)
    • Reasons of public interest
    • To establish, exercise or defend legal claims
    • To protect the vital interests of the data user where the data user is physically or legally incapable of giving consent

 

 

Record Keeping

The GDPR requires us to keep full and accurate records of all our data processing activities. We keep and maintain accurate corporate records reflecting our processing, including records of data users’ consents and procedures for obtaining consents, where consent is the legal basis of processing.

 

These records should include, at a minimum, the name and contact details of the College as Data Controller and the Data Protection Officer, clear descriptions of the personal data types, data user types, processing activities, processing purposes, third-party recipients of the personal data, personal data storage locations, personal data transfers and a description of the security measures in place.

 

Records of personal data breaches must also be kept, setting out:

  • The facts surrounding the breach
  • Its effects
  • The solution and action taken

 

Training and Audit

We are required to ensure that all College staff undergo adequate training to enable them to comply with data protection law. We must also regularly test our systems and processes to assess compliance.

 

Data privacy by design and default and Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs)

We are required to implement privacy-by-design measures when processing personal data, by implementing appropriate technical and organisational measures (like pseudonymisation) in an effective manner, to ensure compliance with data-protection principles. The College must ensure therefore that by default only personal data which is necessary for each specific purpose is processed. The obligation applies to the volume of personal data collected, the extent of the processing, the period of storage and the accessibility of the personal data. In particular, by default, personal data should not be available to an indefinite number of persons.

 

The College also conducts DPIAs in respect of high-risk processing before that processing is undertaken.

 

Direct Marketing

We are subject to certain rules and privacy laws when marketing to our applicants, students, alumni and any other potential user of our services.

 

For example, a data user’s prior written consent is required for electronic direct marketing (for example, by email, text or automated calls). The limited exception for existing customers (e.g. current students) known as “soft opt in” allows organisations to send marketing texts or emails if they have obtained contact details in the course of a sale to that person, they are marketing similar services (e.g. a post-graduate course or a professional qualification), and they gave the person an opportunity to opt out of marketing when first collecting the details and in every subsequent message.

 

The right to object to direct marketing must be explicitly offered to the data user in an intelligible manner so that it is clearly distinguishable from other information.

 

A data user’s objection to direct marketing must be promptly honoured. If a data user opts out at any time, their details should be suppressed as soon as possible. Suppression involves retaining just enough information to ensure that marketing preferences are respected in the future.

 

Sharing Personal Data

In the absence of a written consent, a legal obligation or other legal basis of processing, personal data should not generally be disclosed to third parties unrelated to the College (e.g. students’ parents, members of the public, private property owners).

 

Changes to this policy

We reserve the right to change this policy at any time without notice to you so please check regularly to obtain the latest copy.

 

Appendix 1

Principle 1 of GDPR – Processing personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently

Lawfulness and fairness

You may only process personal data fairly and lawfully and for specified purposes. These restrictions are not intended to prevent processing, but ensure that we process personal data for legitimate purposes without prejudicing the rights and freedoms of data users. In order to be justified, the College may only process personal data if the processing in question is based on one (or more) of the legal bases set out below.

 

The legal bases for processing non-sensitive personal data are as follows:

  1. The data user has given his or her written consent
  2. The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data user (e.g. monitoring academic performance in order to provide the relevant qualification for which the student has enrolled)
  3. To meet our legal compliance obligations
  4. To protect the data user’s vital interests (i.e. matters of life or death)

 

(a) Consent

You should only obtain a data user’s consent if there is no other legal basis for the processing.  A data user consents to processing of his/her personal data if he/she indicates agreement clearly either by a statement or positive action to the processing.

 

Data users must be able to withdraw consent to processing easily at any time. Withdrawal of consent must be promptly honoured. Consent may need to be renewed if you intend to process personal data for a different and incompatible purpose which was not disclosed when the data user first consented.

You will need to ensure that you have evidence of consent and you should keep a record of all consents obtained so that we can demonstrate compliance.

 

(b) Legal bases for Processing Sensitive Personal Data, including Special Category Data

Special Category Personal Data is data revealing:

  1. Ethnic origin
  2. Political opinions
  3. Religious or philosophical beliefs
  4. Trade union membership
  5. Genetic data
  6. Biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person
  7. Data concerning health
  8. Data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation
  9. Personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences

 

The processing of sensitive personal data by the College must be based on one of the following:

  • The data user has given written Consent
  • The processing is necessary for complying with employment law
  • The processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data user or another person where the data user is physically or legally incapable of giving Consent
  • The processing relates to personal data which are manifestly made public by the data user
  • The processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims
  • The processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine
  • The processing is necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health

 

2. Transparency (notifying data users)

Under the GDPR the College is required to provide detailed, specific information to data users depending on whether the information was collected directly from data users or from elsewhere. That information must be provided through appropriate letter of consent which must be concise, transparent, intelligible, easily accessible, and in clear and plain language so that a data user can easily understand what happens to their personal data.

 

Whenever we collect personal data directly from data users, for example for the recruitment and employment of staff and for the recruitment and enrolment of students, at the time of collection we must provide the data user with all the prescribed information which includes:

 

  • College’s details
  • Contact details of DPO (Data Protection Office)
  • Purposes of processing
  • Legal basis of processing
  • Where the legal basis is legitimate interest, identify the particular interests (e.g. marketing, fundraising)
  • Where the legal basis is Consent, the right to withdraw
  • Where statutory/contractual necessity, the consequences for the Data user of not providing the data of non-provision

 

When personal data is collected indirectly (for example, from a third party or publically available source), you must also provide information about the categories of personal data and any information on the source. The data user must be provided with all the information required by the GDPR as soon as possible after collecting/receiving the data.

 

Appendix 2

Principle 2 of GDPR – Purpose Limitation

Personal data must be collected only for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes. It must not be further processed in any manner incompatible with those purposes.

 

You cannot therefore use personal data for entirely new, different or incompatible purposes from those disclosed when it was first obtained unless you have informed the data user of the new purposes. Where the further processing is not based on the data user’s written consent or on a lawful exemption from data-protection law requirements, you should assess whether a purpose is incompatible by taking into account factors such as:

 

  1. The link between the original purpose/s for which the personal data was collected and the intended further processing
  2. The context in which the personal data has been collected – in particular the College-data user relationship.
  3. The nature of the personal data in particular whether it involves special categories of personal data (i.e. sensitive) or personal data relating to criminal offences/convictions
  4. The consequences of the intended further processing for the data users
  5. The existence of any appropriate safeguards e.g. encryption or pseudonymisation

 

Principle 3 of the GDPR – Data minimisation

Personal data must be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which it is processed. You should not therefore amass large volumes of personal data that are not relevant for the purposes for which they are intended to be processed. Conversely, personal data must be adequate to ensure that we can fulfil the purposes for which it was intended to be processed.

 

You may only process personal data when performing your job duties requires it and you should not process personal data for any reason unrelated to your job duties.

 

You must ensure that when personal data is no longer needed for specified purposes, it is deleted or anonymised in accordance with the College’s data retention policy and schedule.

 

Principle 4 of the GDPR – Accuracy

Personal data must be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. You should ensure that personal data is recorded in the correct files.

 

Incomplete records can lead to inaccurate conclusions being drawn and in particular, where there is such a risk, you should ensure that relevant records are completed.

 

You must check the accuracy of any personal data at the point of collection and at regular intervals thereafter. You must take all reasonable steps to destroy or amend inaccurate records without delay and you should up-date out-of-date personal data where necessary (e.g. where it is not simply a pure historical record).

Where a data user has required his/her personal data to be rectified or erased, you should inform recipients of that personal data that it has been erased/rectified, unless it is impossible or significantly onerous to do so.

 

Principle 5 of the GDPR – Storage limitation

You must not keep personal data in a form that allows data users to be identified for longer than needed for the legitimate educational/research or College business purposes or other purposes for which the College collected it. Those purposes include satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements. Records of personal data can be kept for longer than necessary if anonymised.

 

You will take all reasonable steps to destroy or erase from the College’s systems all personal data that we no longer require in accordance with all relevant College records retention schedules and policies.

 

You will ensure that data users are informed of the period for which their personal data is stored or how that period is determined.

 

Principle 6 of the GDPR – Security, Integrity and Confidentiality

The College is required to implement and maintain appropriate safeguards to protect personal data, taking into account in particular the risks to data users presented by unauthorised or unlawful processing or accidental loss, destruction of, or damage to their personal data. Safeguarding will include the use of encryption and pseudonymisation where appropriate. It also includes protecting the confidentiality (i.e. that only those who need to know and are authorised to use personal data have access to it), integrity and availability of the personal data. We will regularly evaluate and test the effectiveness of those safeguards to ensure security of our processing of personal data.

 

You are also responsible for protecting the personal data that you process in the course of your duties. You must therefore handle personal data in a way that guards against accidental loss or disclosure or other unintended or unlawful processing and in a way that maintains its confidentiality. You must exercise particular care in protecting sensitive personal data from loss and unauthorised access, use or disclosure.

 

You must comply with all procedures and technologies we put in place to maintain the security of all personal data from the point of collection to the point of destruction.

 

You may only transfer personal data to third-party service providers (i.e. data processors) who provide sufficient guarantees to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to comply with Data Protection Law and who agree to act only on the College’s instructions.

 

 

Appendix 3

Glossary of Terms

Automated Decision-Making (ADM): when a decision is made which is based solely on automated processing (including profiling) which produces legal effects or significantly affects an individual. The GDPR prohibits Automated Decision-Making (unless certain conditions are met) but not automated processing.

 

Profiling: any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to an individual, in particular to analyse or predict aspects concerning that individual’s performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behaviour, location or movements. Profiling is an example of automated processing.

 

Written Consent: agreement which must be freely given, specific, informed and be an unambiguous indication of the data user’s wishes by which they, by a statement or by a clear positive action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to them.

 

Data Controller: the person or organisation that determines when, why and how to process personal data. It is responsible for establishing practices and policies in accordance with the GDPR. The College is the Data Controller of all personal data relating to it and used delivering education and training, conducting research and all other purposes connected with it including business purposes.

 

Data user: a living, identified or identifiable individual about whom we hold personal data.

 

Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA): tools and assessments used to identify and reduce risks of a data processing activity. DPIA can be carried out as part of Privacy by Design and should be conducted for all major system or business change programs involving the processing of personal data.

 

Data Protection Officer (DPO): the person appointed as such under the GDPR and in accordance with its requirements. A DPO is responsible for advising the College (including its employees) on their obligations under Data Protection Law, for monitoring compliance with data protection law, as well as with the College’s polices, providing advice, cooperating with the ICO and acting as a point of contact with the ICO.

 

Personal Data: any information identifying a data user or information relating to a data user that we can identify (directly or indirectly) from that data alone or in combination with other identifiers we possess or can reasonably access. Personal data includes sensitive personal data and pseudonymised personal data but excludes anonymous data or data that has had the identity of an individual permanently removed. Personal data can be factual (for example, a name, email address, location or date of birth) or an opinion about that person’s actions or behaviour.

 

Personal Data Breach: any breach of security resulting in the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or unauthorised access to, personal data, where that breach results in a risk to the data user. It can be an act or omission.

 

Privacy by Design and Default: implementing appropriate technical and organisational measures in an effective manner to ensure compliance with the GDPR.

 

Privacy Notices: separate notices setting out information that may be provided to data users when the College collects information about them. These notices may take the form of general privacy statements applicable to a specific group of individuals (for example, employee, student and donor privacy notices or the website privacy policy) or they may be stand-alone, one-time privacy statements covering processing related to a specific purpose.

 

Processing or Process: any activity that involves the use of personal data. It includes obtaining, recording or holding the data, or carrying out any operation or set of operations on the data including organising, amending, retrieving, using, disclosing, erasing or destroying it. Processing also includes transmitting or transferring Personal Data to third parties. In brief, it is anything that can be done to personal data from its creation to its destruction, including both creation and destruction.

 

Pseudonymisation or Pseudonymised: replacing information that directly or indirectly identifies an individual with one or more artificial identifiers or pseudonyms so that the person, to whom the data relates, cannot be identified without the use of additional information which is meant to be kept separately and secure.

Examinations Policy

Policy

The primary purpose of examinations is to check the student’s progress. Students may be given unannounced quizzes as part of the assessment methods of their courses. However, all major examinations are announced in advance.

 

All final examination scripts are retained by the College for two years. Mid-term papers, quizzes and term papers are kept by the Academic Affairs Department for two years.

 

Final grades for all courses are posted on the student notice board and on the Student Portal. Grades can be changed only in case of error. Students have the right to see their examination scripts within one month of the date the examination results were officially announced.

 

Grade Petitions

Students wishing to dispute their semester grades have up to one month after the announcement of results to demand a second marking of their paper by completing a Grade Petition Form available at the Academic Affairs Department and initiation of the Grade Petition Policy and Procedure.

 

Improving a Course Grade

A student may improve his/her grade in a course only by taking the course again. In exceptional cases, such as when a student is graduating, and the course needed is not offered, the student may appeal for permission to retake part of whole of the course assessment requirements in order to improve the grade.

 

Make-up Examinations/Tests

For all announced examinations missed, the faculty teaching the course may or may not give a make-up exam. If one is given, the student must pay a make-up fee. Students are allowed to take the resit exam 1 time.

No student may miss a final examination. Failure to take the final examination without permission or official withdrawal will receive zero in that exam. In case of unavoidable absence, the student must call prior to the test, report the reason for the absence, and give a telephone number where he can be reached. The Administration may ask for verifiable evidence and the Program Coordinator reserves the right to accept or reject any reason as a valid excuse.

If a student qualifies for a re-examination, a grade of “I” must be submitted to the Registrar at the end of the semester. The re-examination must be completed during the specific re-examination periods announced by the college. If the student passes the re-examination, the grade of “I” will be converted to the minimum passing grade of the college/program. If the student fails the re-examination, the grade of “I” will be converted to a grade of “F”. In case of failure to pass the course after the re-examination, the student has should retake the course.

The grade of RE (Re-examination), is shown next to a student’s grade on his/her transcript. Only the final grade obtained will be counted for the cumulative GPA.

 

Examinations Regulations

During the examinations students should comply with the following instructions:

 

  1. Have their student ID card on their desk so that the invigilator can check it at any time.
  2. No smoking and no food or drinks are allowed in the exam room. Only a bottle of water, if needed.
  3. Mobile phones must be switched off and put away.
  4. No notes, dictionaries, books or any other aids are allowed in the exam room, unless otherwise mentioned.
  5. No talking during the exam.
  6. Use blue or black pen. Do not use pencils.
  7. Ensure that their handwriting is readable.
  8. Do not use correction fluid or any other correcting material.
  9. Cheating or copying from other students can result in expulsion from the college.
  10. Students will not be allowed to enter the exam room half an hour (30 minutes) after the exam has begun.
  11. Students will only be allowed to leave the exam room after half an hour (30 minutes) has passed.
  12. Read the exam paper carefully. Students are advised to take up to ten (10) minutes to read the questions and the exam requirements.
  13. Allow up to ten (10) minutes to correct your answers before the exam ends.
  14. The last 2 students shall leave the class together.

 

Process

All full and part time faculty members, teaching the specific courses, are responsible to prepare the examination papers. For quality assurance purposes the Program’s Coordinator and the QA Officer are responsible to check the manuscript in order to ensure three issues:

 

  • paper’s quality of instruction,
  • paper’s relevance to the material covered during the semester, and
  • paper’s structure is according to the requirements set by the Internal Quality Committee.
    • when appropriate faculty members in a final exam paper should allocate the weigh percentage as follow:
      • True / False or Fill in the Gaps or any other similar form of assessment 20-40%.
      • Multiple choice questions 20-40%.
      • Short essay questions 20% – 30%
      • Long essay questions 30% – 50%

 

Grade reports of the course (continuous assessment and final examination grade) are submitted to the Program Coordinator by the instructor. The grade reports are reviewed by the instructor, Program Coordinator and QA Officer, they proceed with modifications (if necessary) with the instructor, -> approval by the Program Coordinator and QA -> signed both by the instructor and the Program Coordinator. The final examination papers are saved in the permanent records of the College for five years.

 

The grade reports are submitted to the Academic Committee for FINAL approval. Once they are approved they are entered into the College registration system and announced to students. The final grades that the Academic Committee approves/ratification (επικυρώνει) are written in the student’s transcript of academic record.

Semester Load Policy

Policy

Α normal semester load for full-time students 30 ECTS, representing at least 15 teaching hours, which is considered as a full-time student.

ECTS is a measure of the amount of academic work (1 ECTS equals to 25 – 30 hours of workload). ECTS break down (per semester):

  • 39 class hours
  • 2 hours final exam
  • 1 hour midterm exam
  • 39 hours private study
  • 42 hours coursework (i.e. homework, assignments, projects, case studies, etc.)
  • 9 hours midterm exam preparation
  • 18 hours final exam preparation

 

 

Procedure for Overload

Full-time students who would like to take over 30 ECTS must petition for permission from the Program Coordinator to do so. Such permission may be granted if:

  • the student’s CGPA is higher than 3.3
  • the student needs a few extra credits during his/her last semester in order to graduate

When permission is given to take over 30 ECTS, an Overload Charge is levied teaching hours above 15. Maximum workload is 42 ECTS per semester representing a maximum of 21 teaching hours per week. Only under exceptional circumstances a workload with more than 21 may be allowed. A serious personal reason and the approval of the Quality Assurance Committee must be granted.

 

Student Progression, Recognition and Certification Policy

Progression

Every semester the college utilizes certain processes and tools to collect, monitor and act on information of student progression. More specifically, at least twice every semester the Academic Advisor (AA) meets each student to review and discuss the student’s academic performance. Utilizing the GRADE REPORT prepared by the instructor, the AA and student discuss the student’s grades, assessments, attendance and GPA (CGPA). In the case of failed subjects, the AA guides the student to improve his/her progress (i.e. the student could re-take a course or proceed with final re-examination to pass the subject).

During those meetings, the AA provides mentoring and arranges additional tutorials to the student if necessary.

 

Academic probation:

At the end of each academic semester, students with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CPA) below what is required for good academic standing will be placed on academic probation. The CPA criteria are as follow:

  • Diploma – completion of two consecutive semester – CPA < 1.7
  • Higher Diploma – completion of two consecutive semester – CPA < 1.8
  • Bachelor – completion of two consecutive semester – CPA < 2.0

Students may also be placed on academic probation because of excessive course withdrawals (W) or Administrative Withdrawal (AW). All students placed on academic probation will receive a letter informing them of their status and will be encouraged to increase their CPA. There will also be a warning that should the student’s CPA drop below the low end of each scale, he/she may be ineligible to reregister.

 

 

Recognition

Use of ECTS Credits

Credits awarded in one program may be transferred into another program. Such a program can be offered by the same or another institution. This transfer can only take place the credits acquired elsewhere are recognized. Partner institutions should agree in advance on the recognition of periods of study abroad. Credit transfer and accumulation are facilitated by the use of the ECTS Key Documents (Course Catalogue, Student Application Form, Learning Agreement and Transcript of Records).

 

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit is credit earned at other accredited programs/colleges/universities, which are transferable to the College. All courses are evaluated individually, based on the College standards and the student’s grades. The general philosophy governing transfer credits is that a student’s knowledge, no matter how it was gained, can be considered as long as it is relevant and can be documented. Thus, credits may be transferred to the student’s record from a variety of sources.

 

Transfer credits appear on the student’s transcript with the suffix “TR” but no grades are counted in the student’s CPA.

 

Credit Earned at other Colleges and Universities

Credits earned at other accredited colleges and universities or in accredited programs are transferable to the College. A transcript is required. Course descriptions, syllabi and textbooks used may be required to determine the subject covered. Courses are normally evaluated individually. In some cases, validation may be required in the form of oral or written examination, transfer credits may be provisional, and students may be placed on probation. The Registrar carries out this evaluation in consultation with Program Coordinators.

 

Students will be able to receive course exemptions provided that:

 

  • The material covered in previous course(s) is similar to a course offered at Mesoyios College (minimum requirement is 70% of the course syllabus).
  • A passing grade has been earned (minimum qualifying grade is D (50%).
  • English Language courses are not transferred

 

The Credit Transfer Evaluation Process is as follow:

  1. A Credit Transfer Evaluation Form should be completed along with a non-refundable fee (applies only in cases of transferring credit from external institutions).
  2. Information and documentation about the accreditation status of the foreign institution together with official diplomas/certificates in the original language.
  3. All official transcripts and documents should be in the Greek or English Language (should include name of course, grades, and hours of instruction). Documents not in the English/Greek language must be accompanied by certified English translations.
  4. Official course descriptions (subject matter, method of assessment and prerequisite courses).
  5. Academic catalogues of institutions illustrating main policies with course codes, regulations, course descriptions and program curriculum.
  6. No credit is awarded for courses assessed only by oral examination.
  7. No refund will be made if a request is denied.

 

Maximum credits to be transferred to the new program at Mesoyios College are as follow:

  • To a Diploma – up to 60 ECTS
  • To a Higher Diploma – up to 90 ECTS
  • To a Bachelor – up to 120 ECTS

 

Credit by Examination (CE)

Mesoyios College (MC) may award credit on the basis of written examinations. MC’s Academic Affairs Department develops and administers in a number of courses examinations in order to provide an opportunity for students who earned credits on a similar course to be assessed on that course. If the student passes the exam he/she may transfer the appropriate credits instead of taking the particular course. Students willing to earn credits by examination must request in writing and must provide evidence that they have covered the relevant material. Only two attempts are allowed per examination or course.

 

Credit by examination appears on the student’s transcript and the hours are included in the earned hours. But a grade of P is recorded which is also included in the computation of the GΡΑ or CGPA.

 

MC recognizes and accepts the transfer of credits from International Testing Organizations and examination bodies such as General Certificate of Education (GCE) – Advanced (“A”) Level, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Proficiency Examination Program (PEP), LCCI, ACCA, CAT, CIB, CIM, CAM.

 

Credit for Prior Learning

It is possible to earn credit from life or work experience, business or industrial training programs and other achievements. A portfolio must be submitted documenting the learning done outside of formal university courses. Credit is given for the learning or achievements that have come from experience, not the experience itself. Students must demonstrate a balance between theory and practice.

 

Placement/Proficiency Examinations

Examinations are administered to determine proficiency or establish placement in English Language.

 

English Placement Examination

All students registered under programs that are taught in English are required to take the English Placement Examination (based on IELTS – level B1-B2). The result of the test will determine the number and type of courses a student can take.

 

 

Certification

Criteria for Graduation

In order for a student to graduate, he/she must meet the following criteria:

  • Completion of the program requirements as indicated in the study guide.
  • Completion of all credits in each program of study as specified in the study guide of Mesoyios College, unless the law determines otherwise.
  • Maintain the following minimum CPA:
    • Diploma – completion of two consecutive semester – CPA > 1.7
    • Higher Diploma – completion of two consecutive semester – CPA > 1.8
    • Bachelor – completion of two consecutive semester – CPA > 2.0
  • Settlement of all financial obligations to the college before the issuance of the diploma. Students who meet the above must apply for a diploma at the Office of the Registrar from where they should complete the relevant Graduation Form. The student must pay the amount of €60 for the issuance of the Degree.

 

Procedure for Issuing the Degree

Degrees are issued about two months after the end of the last semester of study. The Office of the Registrar will proceed to the issuance of Degree only when the student meets all the requirements for graduation as listed above.

 

Dean’s List

The Dean’s List includes the students who have achieved a grade point average (GPA) 3.50 or higher. Honors are awarded as follows:

  • 1st Distinction 95% – 100%
  • 2nd Distinction 90% – 94%
  • 3rd Distinction 85% – 89%

Academic Honor

MC rewards academic excellence and prepares a Graduation Honor List.

Withdrawal and Refund Policy

Scope

 

Mesoyios College is committed to students success, and we offer a range of services to support students in remaining at the college. We recognize that students encounter many challenges which may prevent them from successfully completing their studies and shpould proceed with withdrawal.

 

 

Reasons for withdrawal:

  • Withdrawal from the student
    • Students have the responsibility to officially withdraw from the program of study that does not intend to complete within the first 4 weeks of the courses. The completion and submission of the “Withdrawal from Academic Program” Form is necessary, which is available and should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
      • Failure to comply with ALL requirements for withdrawal may affect students’ ability to:
        • Avoid a Failing grade
        • Complete their program at Mesoyios College at a later date
        • Transfer into another program at Mesoyios College
        • Re-enroll at Mesoyios College, particularly if they have outstanding fees
        • Obtain a copy of their academic transcripts
        • Remain in good standing with Mesoyios College
      • Withdrawal from the Program Coordinator
        • A faculty member teaching a particular course may proceed or ask from the Program Coordinator for the withdrawal of a student from a program of study because of non-participation and/or improper registration (the student has not the appropriate qualifications for the specific program of study) or due to very low academic performance. This withdrawal is to help students to protect their GPA and CGPA in the possibility of an academic failure. It is necessary for the Office of the Registrar to be informed from the Program Coordinator for any withdrawal. Withdrawal from the Program Coordinator may occur during the first 4 weeks of the courses, as in the case of withdrawal from the students.
      • Administrative Withdrawal
        • The college’s administration may ask for the withdrawal of a student for the following reasons:
          • Very poor academic performance and failure to improve their status after Academic Probation.
          • Continuous poor class attendance more than 30%.
          • Failure to register in a semester.
          • Disciplinary issues.

 

 

Refunding of fees to students who withdraw from college:

 

Before the commencement of courses 100% of annual fees
During the 1st calendar week of the semester 75% of annual fees
During the 2nd calendar week of the semester 50% of annual fees
During the 3rd calendar week of the semester 25% of annual fees
After the 3rd calendar week of the semester None

 

For international students an additional 25% of their annual fees are detained to cover entry visa expenses etc.

 

The above refunds for international students are applicable only when:

 

  • The student ensures registration in another institution, by presenting all the necessary documents.
  • In case of interruption of their studies and departure from Cyprus during the above periods.

 

Refunding of Fees to International Students Who Fail to Grand a VISA or Arrive to Cyprus

 

MC strictly complies with the regulations provided by the MOEC (Decision 806/2011), concerning the refunding of fees to international students who, for any reason do not manage to arrive to Cyprus. In this case, MC is fully responsible to refund tuition fees paid by any international student who failed to arrive to Cyprus and MC for study purposes.

 

Withdrawal & Refund Procedure

 

  1. The student should communicate with the college and request for withdrawal and refund (if applicable).
  2. The student should fill out the official Withdrawal FormRefund Request Form which contains all the necessary details of the student for this purpose.
  3. In case of International Students (before arrival to Cyprus):
    1. The college will investigate for arrival of the student in Cyprus.
    2. The college will contact the student via telephone to confirm his/her identity and the details he/she stated in the Refund Request Form.
  1. The forms are forwarded to the Academic Committee for review and final approval.
  2. The Committee forwards a report to the College Council to approve any refunds where applicable.

 

The college will transfer the refund amount to the student’s bank account based on the information given in the Refund Request Form.

Assesment and Assignment Policy

Policy

LATE SUBMISSION OF WORK

Assignments must be submitted no later than the date assigned by the instructor. If students are experiencing difficulties in meeting a submission date, they should discuss any issues promptly with the appropriate instructor. The instructor will advise if an extension request is appropriate in the circumstances or if the matter should progress to the Extenuating Circumstances procedure.

 

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES

Extenuating Circumstances must be submitted within 3 days after the assignment deadline or exam date.

Extenuating Circumstances refer to exceptional factors outside of students’ control which have adversely affected their performance within their course. These factors may prevent them from attending examinations or other timed assessments or caused them to miss assignment submission dates. Examples include illness, accidents or serious family problems.

Normally extenuating circumstances will relate to a change in your circumstances since students commenced their course, which have had a significant, adverse effect on their studies. Everyday occurrences such as colds or known conditions such as hay-fever will not qualify unless the effects are unusually severe and this is confirmed by a medical note. The College does not look sympathetically on absences or delays caused by holiday commitments or by work commitments in the case of full-time students. The normal work commitments of part-time students would not constitute an extenuating circumstance.

 

 

Procedure

LATE SUBMISSION

Late submission of work requires written permission and students must send an Extension Request Form by email to their instructor BEFORE the submission deadline date. Requests submitted on the deadline date will only be considered if there is evidence of unforeseen circumstances preventing students to request an extension earlier. No extensions can be given after the original deadline date. Once the extension request is submitted by email, students will receive an answer within 24hrs.

 

Requests for extensions may be granted where circumstances or events are of a temporary nature and are sufficiently disruptive to prevent submission by the due date. Such circumstances should not be foreseeable or preventable. These may include for example:

  1. Short-term illness
  2. Caring for a sick relative
  3. Unexpected personal difficulties

 

If an extension is approved students will receive a signed copy of their extension request form, by email to their college email account, stating the new submission date which they will need to keep to. Students must attach the approved extension request form to their assignment for handing in. 

 

Requests for extensions will not normally be granted for the following reasons:

  1. Planned events such as holidays, religious festivals or moving house
  2. Appointments arranged on the submission date
  3. Attending courses
  4. Paid employment
  5. IT issues (printer problems/ pc crashes/ USB issues), including denied access to the College systems due to debt
  6. Inadequate time planning

 

If the extension request is declined students will receive a signed copy of their extension request form, by email to their college email account, noting the reason of declining the extension request.  The original submission date remains, with the rules regarding late submission to apply.

 

If students are unable to submit work within 10 working days after the submission date due to verifiable extenuating circumstances, they may submit a case for consideration in accordance with this Policy and Procedure.

 

 

 

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES

Students can apply for extenuating circumstances at the Administration Office by completing an Extenuating Circumstances Form, in which they will state the reason for applying together with relevant independent evidence (see table below), which will support their application. This must normally be submitted within 3 days after the assignment deadline date or the exam date. The Program Coordinator will examine the request to decide whether to accept or decline the application, and the students will be informed of the decision by email to their college email account.

Students will be expected to re-submit claims for extenuating circumstances for each assessment period.

In determining assessment recommendations, the Academic Committee will consider properly submitted claims from students who believe their performance has been adversely affected by extenuating circumstances.

 

Privacy and personal information

The College recognizes that the circumstances surrounding Extenuating Circumstances can sometimes be very sensitive. Any information that students disclose will be treated as confidential and where necessary, they can request strict confidentiality so that their submission is considered only by the Program Coordinator.

If students believe that their Extenuating Circumstances may have a significant impact on their studies, it’s really important that they submit a claim as early as possible so that where appropriate the College can take appropriate action to minimize the impact on their performance.

 

Type of Evidence includes:

 

Extenuating Circumstances Reason Example Evidence
Significant illness or injury to self Medical certificate or prescription

Hospital letter or note

Appointment card

Death or critical/significant illness of a close family member/dependent Obituary notice

Newspaper article

Medical certificate/hospital letter or note

Family crisis or major financial problems leading to acute stress Documents relating to the issue

Statement from independent professional, including counsellor, victim support or legal advisor

Absence for jury service or maternity, paternity or adoption leave Official letters/documentation
Victim of crime Police report

Statement from independent professional, including counsellor, victim support or legal advisor

Work commitments (in rare cases) Letter from employer

 

Counselling:

Psychiatrists and Counsellors with a recognized professional qualification may provide a confidential statement.

 

Illness and Injury
Circumstances relating to illness or injury must be independently verified by the person, practice or institution that diagnosed or assessed the illness/injury at the time it occurred.

Evidence must take the form of a medical certificate or doctor’s letter that is either obtained at the time of the illness or evidence that makes it clear that the student was unwell at the time. It should state the time and duration of the illness and include a clear medical opinion, (a note from the doctor indicting that the student told them that they were unwell will not be accepted).

Written evidence from Complementary Therapists will only be considered where the College is satisfied that the therapist is a member of a recognized professional body.

 

Bereavement:
Where the death is of someone related to or known to the student, the College requires a death certificate or an officially certified copy of a Death Certificate or written confirmation from a GP to be provided.

Where a student has been affected by a death of someone other than a partner, parent, child or close family member, the College requires the student to explain the relationship to the deceased and the impact upon their performance in assessment.

 

Financial and Accommodation Problems
Claims and evidence for financial and accommodation problems are considered on a case-by-case basis and must comply with the conditions for independent documentary evidence and must fulfil the principles of the Extenuating Circumstances process.

 

Chronic or Long-term Conditions and Special Examination Arrangements
Such cases will only be considered if evidence from a Medical Practitioner indicates that the chronic condition became acute during the relevant period.

Special arrangements for examinations and other assessments may be made for students with particular disabilities or difficulties affecting their ability to undertake the proposed examination or other form of assessment.

Students who have been granted special examination arrangements for assessments would not have a claim of Extenuating Circumstances accepted for the same piece of assessment unless the Extenuating Circumstances affected the student over and above the special examination arrangements that had been made for them.

 

Employment
Students in employment who are prevented by their employer’s action(s) from attending assessments or completing work by the published deadline must provide documentary evidence from their employer.

 

Documentary Evidence for claims

In addition to the requirement for independent documentary evidence to be provided, the following also applies:

  1. Documentary evidence must be presented in English or Greek (clearly written) and, where required, translations must be provided by the student. It is not the responsibility of the College to translate any evidence provided by the student and any un-translated evidence will not be considered.
  2. The College reserves the right to check the authenticity of all documentation submitted as part of an Extenuating circumstances claim.

 

Any student who submits documentation that is not authentic may be subject to the College disciplinary procedures.