1. portaltest.bham.ac.uk Log into … Log in using the portaltest login
Click on the birms.testing tab
Select link in BIRMS Coordinated Session Test B8 channel

2. Welcome everybody!

3. End of Session Processing Module Recommendations & ARTs UG/GT
2015/16
Module Recommendations & ARTs UG/GT
Refresher
Looking at
Module Recommendations & ARTs
UG & GT programmes
Refresher, so we are assuming some prior BIRMS End of Session knowledge
MAIN
SUPP
PGT DISS

4. Vicki Phillips Su Read Introductions
Vicki Phillips – Head of Taught Student Administration or TSA
Su Read – from the BIRMS Team in TSA

5. Session Outline Welcome Module Recommendations ARTS Objectives
Introductions
Module Recommendations
Theory & demonstrations
Hands-on activities
ARTS
As this is a Refresher session, theory won’t be in-depth and detailed
Handouts will provide the detail you need whilst processing
Activities and hands-on practice later in the session

6. Objectives
To be able to calculate and make manual adjustments to module recommendations
To be able to calculate, manually amend and release ARTS
Our objectives for the session are quite simple and straightforward
To understand how to identify and resolve errors

7. Overview of BIRMS EoS Your BIRMS processing Marks processing
End of Session ARTs
Release of ARTs
Students view their marks in Online Results
Taught Student Administration (TSA)
Run Student Data audit
Degree congregation booklet checking
Produce Transcripts and Certificates
Graduation
Brief overview of the whole End of Session process
What you do
What TSA do
Culminating in the progression and graduation of your students

8. Transcripts & Certificates
Big Picture …
Online Student Marks
Student Experience
Ability to graduate
Student Satisfaction
To give you a bit of context …
This is how your End of Session processing will impact on your students and their experience
Transcripts & Certificates

9. BIRMS is your friend… Top Tips! BIRMS does a lot of the hard work
BIRMS is programmed to UoB regulations
Always press the ‘Calculate’ buttons
If problems arise always press
ART G will now auto-calculate for you (for UG programmes!)
Remember to press
when Exam Board approved
We know … it’s a bit cheesy!
BUT … particularly for the UG taught administrators, BIRMS really does do a lot of the heavy lifting for you
If there’s a ‘Calculate’ button, press it!
Make sure you always press the [Display Errors] button for more information
ART G auto-calculates for UG programmes – little bit less manual labour for you!
If in doubt, press [Save]! Always save before you [Return] or [Exit] in BIRMS just to be sure
When you have Exam Board approval, [Release Decisions and Marks]

10. Module Recommendations

11. [Calculate Mark] and recommendation This is ready to be released
[Calculate Recommendation] would be used in two instances:
For zero credit Pass/Fail modules, alpha marks are entered directly into ME05, and you can calculate the recommendation from the mark
If you change the auto-calculated mark in ME05, you can re-calculate the recommendation
This is ready to be released
[Calculate Mark] …
no need to [Calculate Recommendation]

12. Module Recommendations
Modules will have different recommendations in BIRMS depending on whether a student has:
Passed the module
Failed the module
A further attempt at the module

13. Which Module Recommendation?
Use the Module Recommendation Quick Guide to remind you of the key points about each recommendation
Extenuating Circumstances:
When a student has Extenuating Circumstances (EC’s) approved and has a further attempt at a module as a first sit:
The module recommendation auto-calculation will not know to take the EC into account.  
You will need to select the appropriate module recommendation, one of:  
ME = Supplementary (Sit) in the same academic year (centrally-timetabled examination required)
M = Supplementary (Sit) in the same academic year (centrally-timetabled examination NOT required)
MI = Sit Internally (in the next academic year) – attend teaching sessions and pay fees
MX = Sit Externally (in the next academic year) – only sit exam or submit coursework
MB = Substitute the module as a first sit (in the next academic year)
Make sure you use the appropriate EC recommendation:
the student’s registration for their sit must be created in the correct academic year and assessment period, and that depends on the recommendation you choose;
some recommendations may require the student to repeat teaching and pay fees accordingly – you must ensure that these recommendations are applied correctly, as any errors have far-reaching consequences.

14. Which Module Recommendation?
… or use the Module Recommendation Detailed Guide for additional information, detailed descriptions and health warnings!
If you have any queries about the actions of a particular recommendation that the quick guide doesn’t address, consult the detailed guide – you’ll find the answers to most of your questions there

15. To demonstrate … How to calculate Module Recommendations
How to change Module Recommendations
Recommendations for Extenuating Circumstances
MRADemoGroup1
11042 – Calc in ME05
& change SE – SU
23451 – EC – SU – M
Error
No Top Level component mark
Module 13939
Student
Attempt calc in ME05 – [Display Errors]
[RollUp] in ME04
Calc in ME05
How to deal with errors

16. ANY QUESTIONS ?

17. Tasks 1-3 – Module Recommendations
Task 1 in your workbook – hands up Yes or No (5 mins)
Task 2 in your workbook – work individually or buddy up into pairs or small groups – you’ve got 5 minutes then we’ll shout out answers (5 mins + 2 mins)
Task 3 in your workbook – work individually or buddy up into pairs or small groups – you’ve got 5 minutes then we’ll shout out answers (5 mins + 2 mins)
Approx 20 mins total

18. Dealing with errors
A Supplementary Assessment needs to be set up for this Module.
This error will be generated if a module recommendation of SE is selected but a supplementary assessment has not been set up in Banner.
If a centrally timetabled resit examination is required, please contact Taught Student Administration who will set up the supplementary assessment in Banner.
If a centrally-timetabled resit is not required, you should select the SU module recommendation.
We already looked at dealing with an error during the demonstrations – where a module had no marks for top-level components
Has anybody seen this error before? Have you ever had to deal with it?
TSA and the BIRMS Team get asked about this error a lot, so we thought we would use this as another example:
The assessment listings circulated by the Exams Office in January are the assessments that are set up in Banner
Does the supplementary examination need to be scheduled via the Exams Office? They will set it up in Banner – SE recommendation
If the supplementary assessment is an exam or other assessment managed only by the School – SU recommendation

19. BREAK

20. ARTS

21. Reminder - an ART is … ‘ART’ stands for Academic Review Type
An ART may be understood as:
A progress decision;
An Exam Board recommendation; or
A code representing the progression and award recommendation made by a Board of Examiners.
Each ART affects a student’s record differently
You need to understand the actions of each ART and how/when to apply them

22. Reminders …
ART G auto-calculates for most UG students TSA senior staff can unrelease a previously released ART or degree classification so it can be recalculated Part-time and non-standard programmes use some different ARTs – often they will not auto-calculate, as there is more flexibility in the programme rules This affects GT programmes particularly
ART G auto-calculates for most UG students
TSA senior staff can unrelease a previously released ART or degree classification so it can be recalculated
Note that the same ART cannot then be recalculated or manually reapplied and released
Part-time and non-standard programmes use some different ARTs – often they will not auto-calculate, as there is more flexibility in the programme rules
Particularly GT programmes, though other non-standard programmes will be affected
Existing non-standard programmes usually have bespoke Exam Board procedures agreed with TSA
If you work on a non-standard programme (maybe a new one?) where bespoke ARTs and Exam Board procedures haven’t been mapped, contact TSA for advice

23. Which ART do I use?
Use the UG and GT ART Quick Guide to remind you of the key points about each ART

24. ART Quick Guides ART code Some of the key actions of the ART
The ART can be used in these assessment periods
Use the ART for students who meet all these criteria

25. Which ART do I use?
… or use the UG and GT ART Detailed Guides for additional information, detailed descriptions and health warnings!

26. [Display Errors] Button
The [Display Errors] button is there to help explain problems with the EoS data.
The BIRMS guides hold a list of the commonly encountered errors with advice on how to address them.
TSA staff are on hand to advise and support throughout the process.
[Display Errors] button will enable when there is more error information available than is displayed

27. To demonstrate … How to calculate ARTs How to amend ARTs
How to amend a released mark
DemoGroup3 – 6 x UG students final yr standard prog
3 x students will have ART B calculated
3 x students where the ART B will not calculate will have the following errors:
Student has not attempted sufficient credits
Student has not achieved sufficient credits
Student has not achieved sufficient credits at LH
(single-use – release ARTs)
ARTAError Group
At least one failed mark and module recommendation that is not P (Pass)
Select and save ART A
Try releasing the ART A to demonstrate the error
ARTBNoLeavingDate
Enter marks and calculate degree classification in PGT Dissertation Period
Try and release the ART B to demonstrate the error
Mark corrections – demo 2 types:
Module 21212, Student Amend module mark, tick ‘Correction Approved’ and press [Save].
Module 21212, Student Amend component mark(s), tick ‘Correction Approved’ and press [Calculate Mark].
How to deal with errors

28. ANY QUESTIONS ?

29. Tasks 4-7 – ARTs

30. Dealing with errors
This student cannot proceed with an ART A to the following year of the programme because at least one of their modules has not been passed.
Check whether the marks and module recommendations for the failed module(s) are correct. If not, amend the marks and module recommendations. If the student now has module recommendations of P or PE for all their modules, you will be able to release the ART A.
If the marks and module recommendations are correct and the student has not passed all their modules, you will need to select a different ART.

31. Dealing with errors
A Date of Leaving must be entered for the ART to be released
If you have calculated or selected:
ART B
ART F
ART G
ART U
and there is no date in the Date of Leaving field, you will need to enter the date in order for the ART to be released.

32. BIRMS deadlines: Main Main Assessment Period:
Inputting of all Marks & Recommendations
Wednesday 8 June 2016
Release of Marks & ARTs
Monday 20 June 2016
The deadline for the release of marks and ARTs, especially for UG students, is not flexible – we are all severely constrained by the short period of processing time between these deadlines and the degree congregations the students hope graduate at
Some deadlines will differ for non-standard programmes, although the final release of marks and ARTs for a student wishing to graduate at particular degree congregations must adhere to the same deadline

33. BIRMS deadlines: Supplementary
Supplementary Assessment Period:
Inputting of all Marks & Recommendations
Tuesday 6 September 2016
Release of Marks & ARTs
Monday 12 September 2016

34. BIRMS deadlines: PGT Diss
PGT Dissertation Assessment Period:
Release of Marks & ARTs
Friday 28 October 2016

35. Check out the EoS website

36. You said We did You Said We Did
Separate sessions for new and established staff would be better
We have introduced separate introductory and refresher sessions for our 2016 training
More hands on approach would be preferred
Hands on elements of the training have been increased where appropriate
Quizzes are great, but would prefer them after the session content is delivered, not at the start of the session
We have continued to include quizzes but moved them to later on in the training sessions
Vary timing of sessions to enable part time staff to attend
We have scheduled sessions that run more than once during AM and PM slots where possible
Like the cakes and chocolate!
Don’t worry! These are still provided

37. Thank you for attending …
… and good luck with End of Session!
We would really appreciate your feedback