YEAR 2 Handbook (2015-16)

CORE CHEMISTRY MODULES

DATES OF SEMESTERS, REVISION WEEKS AND EXAM PERIODS

See: University Term Dates and Examination Schedule

YEAR 2 COORDINATOR

General Year 2 issues should be addressed to the Year 2 Coordinator, Dr John Satherley, Room 115, Department of Chemistry (Building 213 on the Campus map), js1@liverpool.ac.uk (email is often the fastest method of communication), 0151 794 3530. Note that one member of staff is in overall charge of each chemistry module. Inquiries concerning academic matters relating to a particular module should be made to the module leader in the first instance. Descriptions of the modules and staff involved in a particular module can be found through VITAL (see Module Codes). If you are having problems with your programme then discuss this with the Year 2 Coordinator. If you experience personal problems which affect your studies then remember you can also discuss this with your academic advisor.

YEAR 2 TIMETABLE

Students can view their personalised timetable in LIVERPOOL LIFE.

YEAR 2 CHEMISTRY MODULES

A typical module is assessed on the basis of tutorials and other coursework (20%), with the majority of the marks (80%) coming from the end-of-semester written exam. It is obviously essential to turn up to all of the tutorials and do all of the coursework. Marks for practical modules (CHEM245 and CHEM246) and the key skills module CHEM280 are based entirely on continuously assessed work.

NB: the core modules CHEM231 (organic), CHEM260 (physical) and CHEM214 (inorganic) DO NOT include practical work; the latter is covered, for each branch of Chemistry in the practical modules CHEM245 and CHEM246. In order to pass the core modules you cannot rely on the practical work to get you through as you did in Year 1.

For details of Assessment Criteria in relation to practical work and assessment of written work, the University position on Cheating, Plagiarism and Collusion and the Departmental Policy on Feedback to Students see this section in VITAL.

Lectures. Attendance is compulsory. Your timetable should be available through LIVERPOOL LIFE. Please sign the attendance sheets or use the scanners circulated during each lecture. Inform the Year 2 Coordinator if you are registered for a module, but your name does not appear on the list, or your details are wrong. If you experience any timetable clashes as a result of subsidiary courses, please inform the Year 2 Coordinator as soon as possible. Do not try and muddle through by missing one of the modules that clash.

Tutorials. Tutorial times and locations should be available via LIVERPOOL LIFE. In order to benefit from the tutorials it is essential to do the required work (as indicated on the tutorial sheets) beforehand. Marks are awarded for participating in tutorials and for handing in tutorial work on time. If you have a timetable problem, please see the Year 2 Coordinator as a matter of urgency.

Handing in work. Tutorial work and other coursework should be handed in to the Student Support Office in Chemistry during opening hours (not pushed under the door). All work should state clearly which module it relates to, your tutorial group and tutor’s name and be signed (with name printed) and dated. All work must be submitted in person and it will be date stamped by the Student Support Office.

Late work. For continuously assessed work (tutorials, assignments etc.) you lose 5% of the original mark for each day it is late. You score zero if it is more than 5 working days late. However, provided the work is handed in before the 5^th working day beyond the deadline you cannot be given less than the pass mark for the piece of work. So even if you are a day or two late, hand it in anyway. If, for good reasons, you are unable to submit a piece of work on time then you must negotiate with the module leader about the possibility of submission at a later date.

Practical modules. You must attend practical classes, and be sure to hand in your books and workshop scripts at the correct times as requested by the lab module organisers. Failure to attend practicals and/or failure to produce your practical book could result in you obtaining less than 35% for the module, hence being unable to pass the year (see rule (iii) below).

Exams. Timetables for exams become available a few weeks before the exam period starts and are published on LIVERPOOL LIFE and also posted outside the Student Support Office. Past papers are available for download in pdf format from VITAL. Information about the University's rules on Examinations and Assessments can be found here. Failure to attend your exams may result in you being Deemed Withdrawn.

RULES FOR PASSING YEAR 2

Your second year module marks contribute to your overall degree classification. To pass Year 2, you must:

MCHEM Programmes. Students registered on MCHEM programmes must obtain an overall average mark of ≥ 55% at the first attempt. If this is not achieved then the student must transfer to a BSc programme.

Resits. If you get less than 35% in any module then you must resit ALL of the modules for which you obtained less than 40% (i.e. failed). As the overall marks for lecture-based modules are a combination of the marks for both the continuously assessed work and the exam, and you can only resit the exam part, you need good marks in your tutorials and coursework, otherwise you may find yourself needing to get up to 50% in the resit exam in order to obtain 40% overall. It is not wise to give up on a module and deliberately fail at the first attempt with the expectation that you can pass it in August, since even if you do pass, your mark is capped at 40%, and this will obviously lower your carry–forward mark for the year. The carry-forward mark is the one which contributes to your final degree classification. One more thing to remember about resits: the exam mark from your first (failed) attempt is automatically set to zero, so you must turn up to all of your resits and make a serious effort at them, otherwise you cannot pass the year.

Resits are only available in Years 1 and 2. NB. In Years 3 and 4 if you fail a Year then you can only re-take failed exams at the next available sitting, i.e. in the January or May/June exam periods of the following year.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE ILL OR ABSENT

If you are unable to attend lectures, tutorials, workshops or practical classes because of illness or for other reasons then you should fill in an absence form, available from outside the Student Support Office, saying what you missed and why. This form should then be handed in to the Student Support Office. If you are absent for 5 or more days then you must hand in a medical certificate with the above form signed by a GP or health professional. If your absence occurs at the same time as a deadline for handing in assessed work then you must negotiate a later submission deadline with the module leader. For illness during the exam period, see below.

MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES

Most illness and other issues which result in only a few days absence should be be dealt with as described in the previous paragraph.

There are two situations where mitigating circumstances may apply:

i) Illness or other exceptional circumstances which result in missing an assessment such as an exam. Any student who misses an exam or part of an exam due to illness or other exceptional circumstances, or whose performance was impaired by illness or other exceptional circumstances, should make relevant information available immediately to the Departmental Examinations Representative, Dr Ian O’Neil (extn. 43485, ion@liverpool.ac.uk). Please note that the University Regulations for the Conduct of Examinations stipulate that students must report any such circumstances within five working days of the examination in writing. The letter must be accompanied by a valid medical certificate or other report.

NB: Failure to read the examination timetable correctly or through inadequate time management or other similar failings are not regarded by the University as mitigating circumstances for missing an examination.

ii) Personal or family issues or conditions or circumstances which affect a student's performance across the whole or part of an academic year. If a student considers that their performance is (or likely to be) affected by such things then they should fill in a Mitigating Circumstance Form attaching to it corroborating evidence such as a medical certificate from a GP or other health professional. Prior to filling in a Mitigating Circumstance Form a student should discuss it with the Year 2 Coordinator or the Senior Tutor, Dr Jon Iggo. In general mitigating circumstances only apply to the current academic year.

The Mitigating Circumstances Committee meets after each exam period (January, May/June & August) to consider each application for mitigating circumstances. If a case is accepted then possible outcomes include: first time status at the next sitting of the exam, noted for graduation & restart the year with first time status.

UNIVERSITY DOCUMENTS

If you need to consult University documents about assessment, complaints, conduct, plagiarism, progression, suspension, transferring to another programme, or withdrawing from your studies see this link.

CHEMISTRY PROGRAMMES

MCHEM

BSc

PROGRAMME STRUCTURES

F102 (MCHEM) Chemistry, FZ61 (MCHEM) Chemistry with Research in Industry – Year 2

FZBF (MCHEM) Medicinal Chemistry with Pharmacology, FZB2 Medicinal Chemistry (BSc) – Year 2

F1F3 (MCHEM) Chemistry with Nanotechnology – Year 2

F100 (BSc) Chemistry, F108 (BSc) Chemical Sciences, FZ11 (BSc) Chemistry with a Year in Industry – Year 2

Programmes with Optional Modules

For those students with a choice of module, the Department recommends that, if possible, you take a chemistry module from the list below as these will reinforce other chemistry modules that you will study.

However, if you are interested in taking subsid modules given by Departments that are not listed below, e.g. History, Psychology, Philosophy etc. this is perfectly acceptable but depends on you finding a suitable module in the area of your choice. It must also fit your timetable. It can take quite some time to find such modules and to obtain approval from the subsid Department. The recommended procedure is to register now for the relevant number of option modules selected from the lists below so that you are registered for 120 credits. Later, before the start of each semester, when you have found a suitable module and it it is approved by the subsid Department and it fits your timetable you can fill in a change of module form.

Option A Modules

¹ Contact Dr Helen Aspinall if you are considering this module.

Subsidiary Modules

Modules from outside the Department (timetable permitting):

² It will not be known until September 2015 whether there are any places available on this module.