Safety Net Introduced For UoL Students

The University of Liverpool has announced new steps to help reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 and the move to online teaching, as well as industrial action, which combined, has had a huge affect on students this academic year. 

‘Safety Net’

UoL has announced a ‘safety net’ approach in determining students’ overall marks for the 2019/20 academic year. The approach, providing students achieve an overall minimum pass mark for the year, will have the University calculate two overall marks for each students. The two marks will be calculated using:

1. Your overall average for all assessment done in 2019/20, and
2. Your overall average for assessments that the Examinations Boards have designated as unaffected by industrial action and the move to online teaching.

After these are calculated, the higher of the two averages will be taken as your official overall mark for the year, used for progression and degree classification. 

What Happens Now?

Professor Gavin Brown, Pro Vice Chancellor for Education, has commented:

“As you will appreciate, there is now much work to be done to operationalise this new policy. A team of colleagues is working hard to develop guidance for you, Schools, Departments and Boards of Examiners. We hope this will be complete in the next two weeks. In the meantime, please could I ask for your patience.”

Professor Gavin Brown via The University of Liverpool

Departmental Staff

The University also states that staff and departments are working hard to support students’ learning and organising remaining assessments, which they say is the immediate need. In order for this to be done, the university urges students to allow staff to do this by giving them time, with as little disruption as possible. They advise that this can be done by having students focus on their studies. UoL adds that this will also allow for guidance to be developed, which will answer any questions students may have. 

Finally Professor Gavin Brown adds that:

“I hope you will agree that we are all doing our best to take good decisions in challenging circumstances and communicate with you regularly. We will continue to work hard to support you at this difficult time.”

Professor Gavin Brown via The University of Liverpool

See here for the full information from UoL.

Feature Image Credit: Unsplash.