BA MASS COMMUNICATION & MEDIA

ARTS
STUDENTS HANDBOOK
2012-2013

Contents

Agreement Form
Introduction and welcome

4
5

SECTION 1 Queen Margaret University and AKMI Metropolitan

College Students Responsibilities
6

Matriculation
Fees
Participation
Examinations and Assessments
Plagiarism/Cheating
Referencing
Communication
Personal Academic Tutor
Academic Learning Centre
Regulations, Policies and Codes of Conduct
Extenuating Circumstances
Counselling Centre
Careers and Employability Centre

SECTION 2 The Modular Framework

The academic year

University calendar 2012-13
Key features of undergraduate programmes
o modules
o module level
Module descriptors
Key components of a module descriptor
Attendance regulations
Assessment
Reassessment

SECTION 3 Your Programme

Programme structure and supplementary information................................

Admission Criteria.
Programme management............................................................................
o Student Staff Consultative Committee..............................................
o Programme Committee.....................................................................
o The Board of Examiners...................................................................
o Joint Board of Examiners..................................................................
o Subject Group Teams.......................................................................

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o The School Board.. 36

Sources of advice/guidance......................................................................... 36
Information for students with special needs................................................. 37
International Students.................................................................................. 37
QMU& AMC Student Union ..........................................................................38
o The role and remit of the students representatives/ Elections 38
o Required time commitment of student representatives.................... 38

SECTION 4 Procedures and Regulation for your Programme

39

Criteria for assessment........................................................................ 39

Coursework style notes............................................................................42
Time of Submission.................................................................................42
Penalties for delayed submission............................................................42
Location & Process of submission...........................................................43
General regulations for all students.........................................................44
Undergraduate programmes
o assessment regulations
44
o regulations for award
44

SECTION 5 University Sources & sources of Information

45

Harvard Reference System......................................................................45

Recognition of prior learning....................................................................45
Support Services and Organisations.......................................................46
Registry Services....................................................................................46
Health and safety arrangements.............................................................47
Equal opportunities at QMU & AMC.......................................................47
Academic appeals procedure..................................................................48
Other information.48

Appendices
1. Data Protection Act 1998.........................................................................49

Agreement Form
Please complete this form and hand it in to the Programme Leader seven days from
receipt of the Handbook.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUEEN MARGARET UNIVERSITY, EDINBURGH

AKMI METROPOLITAN COLLEGE, S
BA Mass Communication & Media Arts
I have received and read the Programme Handbook.
NAME (Please print):
PROGRAMME:

YEAR:
SIGNED:
DATE:

Introduction and Welcome

Our handbook provides you with essential information about Queen Margaret University
(QMU) and AKMI Metropolitan College (AMC). We have divided the handbook into five
sections:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Your responsibilities as a student

Information about the modular structure of your programme
Information specific to your chosen programme of study
Procedures and regulations for your programme of study
University information

QMU provides a range of electronic information and throughout this handbook you will
find relevant links for further information which may be obtained from the University web
site http://www.qmu.ac.uk/ and other sources of information.
We have taken the greatest of care to try to ensure the information contained in this
Handbook is correct. We can therefore give no guarantee that it is completely free of
errors or omissions.

**Remember all the staff at QMU and AMC are here to help so
if you are not sure please ask**

SECTION 1
A Queen Margaret University and AKMI Metropolitan
College Students Responsibilities
1. The Students Responsibilities
This handbook is designed to help you get up to speed with
University life as quickly as possible. Throughout you will find
information we hope you will find useful. As a student at QMU and
AMC you have certain responsibilities to yourself, your study, your
colleagues, your community and your School.
Matriculation
As a student of QMU and AMC you are required to go through the process of
matriculation which confirms you agree to the Universitys regulations, policies and
codes of conduct. Matriculation basically means registering formally on your programme
of study.
New students are currently required to matriculate in person at AMC during induction
period. You can get this information from your programme leader during your induction
sessions. The process of matriculating to the programme and taking a matriculation
number for the Universitys records is personal. You have to refer to your programme
leader who sends the applications to QMU. The programme leader, the programme
team and the QMU head of School evaluate the candidates applications after the
successful completion of the second year of their IVT studies. An interview also takes
place through which the course leader investigates the students expectations of the
degree year programme. Candidates that are professionals or graduates from other
educational institutions or drama schools are auditioned. The enrolment period starts in
June and lasts till September every year.
ON LINE MATRICULATION http://www.qmu.ac.uk/portal/

Fees
Remember it is your responsibility to ensure your fees are paid, even if the funding is
coming from a third party. Not only the cost for attending the basic course of the
programme but also the cost for attending extra seminar courses beyond the basic
course of the programme is part of the fees.
In cases of financial difficulties please contact the Academic Advisor Marilena
Stasinopoulou msta@amc.edu.gr tel: 210 6199891 or your programme leader, who can
support you in such cases.

Participation

Benefits of student participation rather than attendance.

Participation in group activity
Participation embedded in learning and teaching and module delivery

The philosophy of the programme aims at students participation and not only at
students attendance. For this reason, learning is enhanced through group activities,
tutorials, seminars, workshops, etc even in the theoretical modules. Consequently, the
active and steady participation is an inextricable part of your attendance in this
programme of studies.
In cases of serious problems which make student unable to attend lessons, he/she has
to inform the course leader.
For more information, see the relevant paragraph on extenuating circumstances which
follows.

Examinations and Assessments

The Programme Leader will provide an examination schedule. The provision of this
information comes in two stages. The first being that examinations normally take place in
weeks 14 and 15 of each semester. The more detailed information relating to days, time
and locations of examinations is published at least 2 weeks before the examination date.
It is your responsibility to ensure you attend the required examinations for the modules
you are enrolled upon. Please ensure you find out exactly when and where your
examination takes place well in advance. Students who require provision of special
examination arrangements must inform their Programme Leader as soon as possible
and normally not later than four weeks before the first examination.
Instructions to candidates of examinations can be found at
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/qm/AZindex.htm#e
You are also required to follow the coursework submission procedures and meet the
necessary deadlines. Note that late submission of assessments will be penalised. Any
student who submits work to be assessed after the assessment submission date,
without the prior agreement of the Programme Leader and the Module Co-ordinator, or
without good or agreed cause, will have marks deducted according to the following
criteria:
if submitted, in a first diet, after the due date, but within one calendar week
(i.e. up to 6 days after submission date) a maximum mark of 40% can be
achieved for undergraduate programmes
if submitted, in a first diet, after one calendar week (i.e. 7 days or more) a
mark of 0% will be awarded
if coursework is submitted after the due date for a re-assessment a mark of
0% will be awarded.
Always check when your assessments are due for hand in and plan your work accordingly.
This is your responsibility. Do not leave all assessments until the last minute as this may
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place a lot of stress on you. You must keep a copy of all assessed work handed in.
If you are unsuccessful in any of your assessments, your reassessment arrangements
and resubmission details will be given by the Programme Leader. The resit examination
details and timetable will also be provided by the Programme Leader.

Plagiarism/Cheating
QMUs degrees and other academic awards are given in recognition of a candidates
own achievement. Plagiarism is defined as
The presentation by anyone of another persons ideas or work (in any medium,
published or unpublished) as though they were his or her own
Along with other forms of academic dishonesty such as personation, collusion,
falsification of data, computer and calculation fraud, examination room cheating and
bribery, plagiarism is considered an act of academic fraudulence and is an offence
against University discipline.
Plagiarism includes:
Inclusion in your work of more than a single phrase from another persons work
without the use of quotation marks and acknowledgement of the source of
information.
Using another persons work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of
presentation without acknowledgement.
Copying the work of another candidate, with or without that candidates knowledge or
agreement.
Prevention
All members of staff will explain to you at the start of each session that plagiarism and
academic fraud are unacceptable forms of cheating, which will be penalised severely.
Such warnings will be repeated during the session and are especially necessary where
dissertations, projects or coursework are substantial elements of the curriculum.
These warnings will be accompanied by specific advice from Subject Areas about what
constitutes plagiarism and academic fraud. For example, such advice will indicate the
distinction between legitimate and illegitimate use of acknowledged or unacknowledged
sources within that specific discipline; what is regarded as acceptable collaboration
between students undertaking joint project work.
Scrutiny of academic work should be sufficient to ensure that signs of plagiarism or
unacceptable levels of co-operation, whether intentional or not, are detected at an early
stage and brought to students attention through tutorial guidance and in some cases
perhaps by written warning.
Academic staff responsible for assessment and guidance should be aware of cultural
relativities that may affect some students approach to referencing. In providing
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guidance, staff will be expected to acknowledge cultural differences and to exercise

appropriate sensitivity.
Guidance on how to avoid plagiarism through good scholarship can be found by
following this link:- http://www.qmu.ac.uk/goodscholarship/goodscholarship.htm

Referencing
The QMU Guide to the Harvard System of Referencing
This guide has been developed to provide staff and students with a common referencing
style to work with at QMU. Some subject areas follow different referencing conventions
so it is very important that you always check the guidelines given to you by your tutors.
This guide is based on the British Standards Recommendations for references to
published materials, BS1629 and Citing and referencing published material, BS5605. It
is QMUs interpretation of the standard Harvard system of referencing. You can view (or
print out) a PDF version of this guide from:
Write and Cite: The QM Guide to the Harvard System of Referencing (190 KB)
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/lb/IFS_Harvard.htm

Communication
It is the policy of the School to develop and encourage the use of the e-mail and for
the purposes of secure and speedy communication. All students are therefore
required to regularly check and maintain their e-mail account as members of staff will
regularly use your e-mail for communication purposes.
Academic Staff
Academic staff can be contacted via telephone AMC telephone center 210- 6199891,
email or during pre arranged surgery times.
Academic Staff
Ms Magdalene Remoundou

Programme Leader
Political Scientist,
TV Director & Production Manager

Mr Stamatis Poulakidakos

Political Scientist, Lecturer

Dr Anastasia Veneti

Political Scientist, Lecturer

Ms Vally Konstantopoulou

Political Scientist, Director, Film Production Manager,

Lecturer

Mr Achilleas Karadimitriou

Communication Scientist, Lecturer

Mr Efthimis Hatzis

Film Director, Lecturer

Mr Dimitris Koutsiabasakos

Film Director, Lecturer

Ms Electra Venaki

Film & TV Editor, Lecturer

School Office
Antonis Galeos
Generally students should contact the administration team via the AMC telephone
center.
Alternatively, you can call into the School Office reception desk if you wish to speak to one
of the team face to face. The administration office staff will contact you via your email or
general updates and information will be sent by email. It is your responsibility to check your
email on a daily basis as room changes, updates etc will be posted here regularly.
In the School Office reception desk, you can be informed for any administrative issue or
you can arrange a meeting with your programme leader or one of your tutors for dates
and hours that are not the given.
You can also contact your programme leader, the reception desk, the students advisors
and tutors via e-mails. You have to check your e-mail inbox regularly in order to get
informed of the programme leaders, tutors and Secretarys replies and announcements.
It is your responsibility to check tour e-mail daily.
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Administrative Staff
Magdalene Remoundou Programme Leader
Antonis Galeos Academic Advisor
Marilena Stasinopoulou Academic Advisor
Students
Students should contact their peers via email or telephone.
Change of address/personal details
If you have a change of home and/or term time address or personal details inform your
Programme Leader and the School office reception desk.

Personal Academic Tutor

Every student is allocated a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) for their time at QMU and
AMC. Your PAT is there to help you throughout your period of study at AKMI. It is your
responsibility to:

To respond promptly to requests from their PAT for a meeting and to bring any
agreed notes or information to those meetings
To respect the times which the PAT has said they will be available
To keep the PAT informed of circumstances that may have an effect on their
studies

Please go to the Quality Website for further information Personal Academic Tutors role:
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/pm/default.htm

Academic Learning Centre

The Academic Learning Center is a unique friendly student-centered service that
provides an intellectually stimulating approach to developmental instruction and general
academic assistance to students who need extra help with their studies. At Athens
Metropolitan College, students are expected to perform well and thrive in an
intellectually demanding environment. Hence, the Academic Learning Centre is
designed to assist those students who lag behind in certain skills and need help in
attaining academic excellence.
The Academic Learning Centre offers assistance to students in many and multifaceted
learning tasks, including:

improving academic writing skills

improving study skills
understanding research projects and research procedures
one on one paper consultation
academic honesty
plagiarism, paraphrasing and citation

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Individual and small group tutoring is available to currently enrolled Athens Metropolitan
College by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled for one hour per day, and
a student may receive up to 2 hours of tutoring per week.
Students may seek academic assistance on their own, or will need to attend tutoring
sessions upon the request of their teachers, personal tutors and course leaders.

Regulations, Policies and Codes of Conduct

None of us like to get bogged down in regulations, policies and codes of conduct but it is
your responsibility to ensure you have an understanding of how these can affect you
and what you must do if you start to run into difficulties or need to speak to someone
about personal problems that are, or may affect your performance.
The institutions regulations can be found on the Quality web site:
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/gr/default.htm
Here you will find regulations relating to: Admission and Registration, Assessment and
examinations; Academic appeals; Board of Examiners
and Codes of conduct relating to: Student discipline; Complaint procedure; Equal
Opportunity Policy

Extenuating Circumstances
Of equal importance is the following link which will take you to our extenuating
circumstances guidelines
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/Guidelines%20on%20Ext
%20%20Circumstances%20Revised%200506%20(2).doc
It is accepted that, from time to time, circumstances beyond your control may affect
your ability to undertake assessment on time, or may affect your performance in
assessment. It is also recognised that assessment periods can be stressful. However,
you need to be able to plan and manage your time and workload, to meet deadlines, to
cope with a certain level of stress, and to manage their University studies alongside
other responsibilities in life. It is also essential to recognise that illnesses and difficult life
events do occur, and that it is a normal part of life to have to manage these and continue
with work or study.
Extenuating circumstances are defined as:
circumstances beyond the students control which either prevent the student from
submitting a piece of course work or sitting an examination, or cause the student to
perform less well in his or her course work or examinations than he or she might
otherwise have been expected to do (on the basis of other work).

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The following cannot be considered as "extenuating circumstances":

completing coursework too late and missing deadlines because of computer;

difficulties, or transport difficulties;
general pressure of work;
having more than one examination on the same day or on consecutive days
(unless the student was already suffering from illness or injury)
missing an examination due to misreading the timetable or oversleeping;
losing work not backed up on computer disk, or failure of a floppy disk/CD Rom;
theft of home computer students are expected to make a back up copy of all
work on, which should be stored separately from the computer.
failure to make alternative travel plans when disruptions were advised in
advance;
a short-term problem or illness which has occurred during the year and which is
deemed not to have had an overall effect on the students performance;
Insufficient computers/printers to do the work ;

If you know you will be unable to meet the deadline for coursework, or attend an
examination due to circumstances beyond your control you should submit a
completed Extenuating Circumstances Claim form, along with supporting evidence,
to your Programme Leader in good time, so that the potential implications can be
considered. The Extenuating Circumstances Claim Form may be collected from the
Programme Leader Office or can be downloaded via the following link:
www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/ext%20circumstances%20form.doc
Alternatively, arrangements will be made to post or email a copy of the form where you
are unable to travel to the University for valid reason [e.g. illness, residence at a
distance, work commitments].
In the case of course work, a request for an extension should also be submitted if required,
normally before and no later than the date the coursework assignment was due.
We recommend you take some time to familiarise yourself with the range of important
and essential information available via this link.
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/qm/default.htm

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COUNSELLING CENTRE
Mission Statement
The AKMI Metropolitan College Counselling Centre aims to optimise the well-being of
students by providing them with support and with the opportunity to examine the issues
which prevent them from maximising their full potential.
Counselling Centre
The AKMI Metropolitan College Counselling Centre aspires to certain standards and
goals, including:
Having qualified psychologists and counsellors who are committed to ongoing
professional development
Ensuring that the services provided operate within ethical guidelines and specific
codes of behaviour for psychologists and counsellors
Maintaining a professional focus that is free of bias and discrimination
Establishing sound student feedback procedures in order to improve the type of
support services offered
Aims
The Counselling Centre aims to offer students:
Free, voluntary and confidential counselling
The opportunity to receive support and advice from trained professionals
Opportunities to attend structured group settings over a variety of counselling related
themes and topics
Counselling Centre Services
The Counselling Centre offers individual support and advice to students who are faced
with personal problems - for example anxiety, stress, depression, eating disorders and
bereavement. The Counselling Centre can also help students with other issues such as
family problems, relationship problems, making difficult decisions or choices and
problems adjusting to academic life and academic demands.
Who is the service for?
The services of the Counselling Centre are available to all registered students of AKMI
Metropolitan College
Confidentiality
Any information that students provide to staff at the Counselling Centre will be kept
strictly confidential and will not be revealed to any third parties, unless there is reason to
believe that the student or others may be at risk.
Appointments
Students wishing to make an appointment can complete and submit an appointment
request card, located outside the counselling centre. The counselling centre staff will
contact students as soon as possible in order to schedule a meeting. Alternatively, in
cases of emergency, students can call the counselling centre.

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CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CENTRE

The Careers and Employability Centre aims to provide high quality information, advice and
guidance to AKMI Metropolitan College students and graduates. We are committed to
delivering this in a professional, impartial and accessible way and aim to equip our students
and graduates with the skills and knowledge to effectively choose and manage their
careers.
Our Mission
Our purpose is to increase AMC students' & graduates confidence and abilities to
construct meaningful careers. We do this by delivering career development and job
search support to help AMC students & graduates build success on their own terms.
What we offer
As a user of the Careers and Employability Centre you can expect guidance and support
to help you:

Make realistic decisions about your next steps.

Explore comprehensive information about occupations, employers, postgraduate
training and vacancies.
Understand and assess the available opportunities.
Assess your own potential.
Choose wisely from all the options open to you.
Make and implement an agreed plan of action.

The Careers and Employability Centre offers information, advice and guidance in
the following ways:
DROP-IN SERVICE
1) Deciding what help you need
A Career Consultant will spend a few minutes with you to clarify your current stage of
career planning and give guidance on how we can best help you to move forward.
Where confidential matters arise, or where a student indicates a need for privacy, a
private room will be used.
2) Providing the most appropriate help
Beyond your initial guidance meeting the Consultant may:

Provide some relevant information or direct you to self help materials.

Make an appointment with a Career Consultant, to discuss your career plans
in more depth.
Make an appointment with a Career Consultant to help you to find further
relevant information or to give advice on applications and interviews.

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WORKSHOPS, TALKS, PRESENTATIONS

They are one or two hours in length and can help you clarify your career questions,
connect with other students who share the same concerns and build lifelong skills.
These sessions address specific aspects of the process of looking for work or deciding
on career options. Topics covered by our workshops, talks and presentations include:

You and Your Career Options.

Career Choice and Your Personality.
Postgraduate study and ways of funding it.
Finding Work!
Job Researching on the Internet.
CV and Cover Letter.
Interview Techniques.
Workplace Etiquette.
Young entrepreneurship.
How to Find Summer Work.
How to Find Part-Time Work.

VACANCIES
The Careers and Employability Centre has details of placements, internships and
permanent vacancies of relevance to our students and graduates. The Vacancy
database is updated regularly with information notified to us direct from employers.
Guidance which is:
Free, impartial, and focused on the individual.
Unbiased towards particular education, training or employment.
Confidential within the Careers and Employability Centre.
Guidance and assistance from staff who:
Treat you with respect.
Treat all members of the diverse College community with fairness at all times.
Are trained and experienced in the area of work in which they are involved.
Are aware of developments in education, training and employment and can
advise you appropriately.
Are part of wide network of experts who will collaborate to ensure the best
possible help.

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SECTION 2
THE MODULAR FRAMEWORK

2. The Modular Framework

The academic year
The academic year is split into two semesters. Normally, students would undertake half
of the required modules in the first semester and the other half in the second.
Undergraduate study is based on modules which are credit rated. A 10 credit module is
based on 100 student hours of work and a 20 credit rating module is based on 200
student hours of work (including assessment).
A student must complete 120 credit points at each level of the course

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University Calendar of Key Dates 2012/13

Week
Beginning
1 October 2012
8
15
22
29
5
November
2012
12

Week
number
0
1
2
3
4
5

19

Hand in the 1st assignment-Script of Film & Media Production/ Hand in 1st Assignment
-Oral presentation of On Line- Journalism
Hand in the 1st assignment Data Report of Research Project

26
3
December
2012
10

8
9

Hand in the 1st assignment Essay of Film & Media in the Public Sphere
Hand in 1st assignment written report of Computer Assisted Information Management

10

Students receive feedback on the 1st assignment - Script of Film & Media Production &
Oral presentation of On Line- Journalism/

17

11

24
31 December
2012
7

Students receive feedback on the 1st assignments of Research Project- Film & Media in the
Public Sphere / AMC closes Friday, 22 nd December 2012/ Hand in the 1st assignment
-Essay of Media Culture & Society
CHRISTMAS VACATION
CHRISTMAS VACATION

12

14

13

21

14

28

15

AMC re-opens Monday, 9 January 2012-Semester I continues.

Submission of the final assignment of the Research Project / Students receive feedback
on the 1st assignment of Media Culture & Society
Submission of first Assignment of New Technologies in the Post Production
Submission of the final assignment Essay of Computer Assisted Information Management
**EXAMS**
Submission of 2nd assignment of Film & Media Production & viva voce of Media Culture &
Society
SEMESTER 1 ENDS 3RD FEBRUARY 2012. Exams written of Film & Media in the Public
Sphere/ Submission of the final assignment Report & its digital application of On LineJournalism

4
February
2013
11

18
25
4 March 2013
11
18

2
3
4
5
6

25

31
7 April 2013
14

8
9
10

21
29

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Induction 1 5 October 2012

8th October 2012 - SEMESTER 1 STARTS [STANDARD DATE COURSES]

Free week
Students receive feedback on 2nd assignment of Film & Media Production/ on first
assignment of New Technologies in the Post Production & on the final assignment of On
Line-Journalism
SEMESTER 2 STARTS

Monday 18th of March, AMC Closed (Bank Holiday)

Monday 25th of March, AMC Closed (Bank Holiday) Submission of the 1st
assignment oral presentation of Regulation Schemes in Film & Media Market

Students receive feedback on 1st assignment of Regulation Schemes in Film & Media
Market
AMC closes for Easter Holiday-EASTER VACATION
Thursday 1st of May, AMC Closed (Bank Holiday)
EASTER VACATION

6 May 2013
13
20

12
13

27

14

3 June 2013

15

Submission of the final assignment -Project Essay of Media Planning

Submission of the final assignments- final project of Film & Media Production
/Submission of the final project of New Technologies in the Post Production /
Semester 2 ends Exams: Final written exam Regulation Schemes in Film & Media Market/
Submission of the assignment-final project of New Technologies Applications in Mass

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Media
10
17
24
1 July 2013
8

Exam board dates to be confirmed

Key Features of Undergraduate Programmes

Modules
Each standard module normally contributes either 10 or 20 credits towards your degree,
and full-time undergraduate programmes contain study that equates to 120 credits per
year. This is usually, but not always broken down into 60 credits worth of study in
semester 1 and 60 credits worth of study in semester 2. An undergraduate degree
comprises of 360 credits where a degree with honours comprises 480 credits. There are
regulations about the number of credits that you need to achieve to be allowed to
progress from one year to the next (see link of QMU Assessment Regulations).
There are some exceptions to the standard module size, for example final year
dissertations or projects and, on some programmes, supervised work experience.
These can be greater than the standard module size, but must be in multiples of 10
credits. A module coordinator administers each module, but this may not be the person
who actually teaches the module. If you experience problems relating to a particular
module you should discuss these first of all with the lecturer concerned.
Module level
There are four levels of study within undergraduate degree programmes. Module levels
are normally equivalent to the year of study in a conventional full-time degree or
Honours degree programme, i.e. level 7 is equivalent to the first year of study, level 8 to
the second year of study, and so on. However, in some cases students will have
combinations of different levels of modules in each year of study.
The University is a party to the SCOTCATS Tariff
The tariff for Undergraduate programmes is :
Certificate of Higher Education120 credit points at SCQF Level 7
Diploma of Higher Education +120 credit points at SCQF Level 8
Degree
+120 credit points at SCQF Level 9
Degree with Honours
+120 credit points at SCQF Level 10

Module descriptors
The syllabus content, information about assessments and other important details about
a module are contained in the module descriptor. You can receive all the module
descriptors via the School Office Administration; if you require further information please
do no hesitate to contact either the module coordinator or PAT.

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Key components of a module descriptor.

Module number
This identifies the module and ensures the correct module descriptor is being used.
Module title
This will normally be short and descriptive, giving a clear idea of the content of the
module.
Semester and mode of Study
This lets you know when the module runs and if it delivered and available to both full
and/or part time students.
Credit Rating
This shows how many credits you will achieve if you successfully pass this module.
Normally this would be either 10 or 20 but can sometimes be as much as 40 for large
projects.
Module coordinator
This gives the name of the member of staff who is responsible for the administration of
the module (but is not necessarily the person who will teach the module).
Module Team
This gives you the names of the teaching team, who may or may not include the module
coordinator.
Prerequisite
This indicates if you are required to take and successfully complete a module before
enrolling this one.
Aims
This is where the module coordinator outlines the aims of the module and identifies how
these aims are to be achieved.
Learning Outcomes
Here the module coordinator describes what you should know or be able to do upon
successful completion of the module.
Learning Experiences
This lists the learning experiences the student will engage with and includes an
indication as to the workload involved. Normally a 10 credit module requires 100 hours
and a 20 credit module 200 hours of work to obtain a successful outcome.
Various types of work/learning may be specified.
Lectures: large classes led by a lecturer. The purpose of lectures is to introduce/develop
new concepts and to demonstrate their applications. Most lecturers will provide student
with notes whereas others will expect you to take notes during the lecture. It is always
worth finding time at the end of each week to go through the weeks lecture notes to
consolidate the material you were taught. Students may record lectures where appropriate;
however students will be expected to speak with the lecturer in advance.
20

Tutorials/Seminars: smaller group sessions in which students participate in group

discussion and may be asked to present a paper, or lead the discussion. In tutorials you
have the opportunity to ask about anything that you did not understand in lectures, or to
practise or discuss examples of material covered in lectures. Most tutors require you to
prepare something in advance. Tutorials and their advance preparation are vital to
University learning.
Practical: workshops led by lecturers or demonstrators in which you learn practical
skills.
Supervised assessment: formal assessments which require attendance at specified
times and which are supervised normally examinations.
Student centred learning: work undertaken independently within the scope of the
module, for example reading on the subject, using computers/library facilities, thinking,
writing, and revising.
Other: this covers forms of learning such as networked learning via the World Wide
Web, or other computer learning packages.
Assessment pattern
This section tells you what is involved in assessing the module and includes the
indicative length of written work, and the relative weighting (%) which each assessed
element carries
Content
This is a brief summary telling the reader what the module is about.
Main Texts
Here the module coordinator will identify indicative key texts
Please note that students are required to supply their own working materials (for
example pen drives). Lecturers will advise students about what they have to buy.

21

Attendance Regulations
1.1 Undergraduate full-time students are expected to register on twelve 10-credit
modules, or equivalent, in any one academic year. They may, with the approval of the
programme's admission tutor, register on ten, eleven, thirteen or fourteen. They may
with the additional approval of their funding body register for eight.
1.2 Undergraduate students studying seven or fewer 10-credit modules, or equivalent,
will be governed by such of the University regulations as affect part-time students.
1.3 Students are required to inform their Programme/Subject Leader or Year Tutor of:
a. proposed absence, in advance;
b. absence because of illness, completing the University certificate specifying the cause
of absence;
c. absence due to illness covering periods of assessments of over 6 days with a medical
certificate. If the above information is not passed to the Programme/Subject Leader or
Year Tutor, the Programme Committee/Board of Study may require the student to
withdraw.

Assessment
The duration of the studies in BA in Mass Communication and Media Arts is one full time
academic year or two academic years for part time delivery. At the end of the year, a
Board of Examiners takes place.
An award will be conferred upon satisfaction of the following conditions:
the candidate was a registered student of the University at the time of his

or her assessment and has fulfilled all financial obligations to the University
and AMC;
the candidate has completed a programme approved by the University as

leading to the award being recommended;

the award has been recommended by a Board of Examiners convened,
constituted and acting under regulations approved by Senate.

Methods of students assessment

As the main focus of the course is student centred learning, the principles that
underlie module assessment methods are:

Assessment is part of the learning process and a means of

confirming learning outcomes

Assessment is a means of providing feedback to students,

lecturers and employers

Assessment confirms that students have acquired the necessary

skills and knowledge or offers insight into learning problems so that action can
be taken to achieve appropriate improvements

Assessment provides students with a sense of achievement and

22

motivation to develop further skills and knowledge as well as to transfer these

skills and knowledge to situations in life and work

Assessment provides present and future employers with evidence

/ confirmation of students achievements, skills and knowledge.
Students are assessed on the basis of their progress in written essays and exams, oral
presentations, critical analysis, reports on their projects and in the final projects (blogs,
film and TV programmes productions, which are recorded in audio-visual digital format).
The method of assessment and its weighting are contained in the Module Descriptor of
each module.
Assessment of a module
To pass an undergraduate module, a student must obtain at least 40% overall, and at
least 30% in each component of assessment as specified in the module descriptor. This
regulation applies to the first attempt at the module only.
Student progression from one level of the programme to the next is at the discretion of
the Board of Examiners taking into account students performance in all modules and
the amount of academic credit accrued during the year.

Reassessment
Reassessment is permitted in order to allow a student to make good an initial failure.
This affords the student an opportunity to demonstrate the standard required to pass
modules, and ultimately to gain an award.
The Board of Examiners may at its discretion allow an undergraduate student to be
reassessed in up to eight taught modules (equivalent to 80 credits) in any one academic
year. The Board of Examiners may at its discretion allow a postgraduate student to be
re-assessed in up to four taught modules during the course of their studies.
The Board of Examiners shall decide on the form of the reassessment (e.g. written
examination, viva voce, or an additional assignment), taking into account the nature of
the failed module and the nature of the failure. This may differ from the format of the
first assessment and need not be the same for all students provided equity of
experience is maintained. The Board of Examiners can allow for full or partial
reassessment of the components as appropriate.
A student, who is reassessed for a module failure in an undergraduate module, where
there are no clear extenuating circumstances, shall be awarded no more than 40% on
passing the re-assessment.
Please refer to Section 4 for detailed information in relation to assessment submission.
An assessment schedule for each semester will be provided by the Programme
Leader. This gives you a clear picture of when each assessment is due and allows
you to plan your workload appropriately.
Make sure that you read the Assessment Regulations carefully, particularly in
relation to late submissions.
If you are given Criteria for Assessment for general written assignments (essays or
23

reports) or for a specific assessment within a module, read these carefully as they
indicate the criteria that staff will use when marking that assessment.
Tutorial participation is important in all modules, but for certain modules it
contributes substantially to the learning outcomes and is therefore formally assessed,
contributing to your overall mark for the module.
Ensure that you follow the Coursework Submission Procedures (and Coursework
Style Notes).
Please refer to the University Calendar of Key Dates towards the beginning of this
section to find out which weeks your assessments will take place. Times, dates and
locations for examinations will be available on the Programme Leader Office.

24

SECTION 3
YOUR PROGRAMME
3. Your Programme
This section provides you with important information about your programme
of study: what's covered and what you are expected to achieve
academically by undertaking this programme. Information is also provided
about the relevant committees for the programme which have responsibility
for managing the programme and making decisions about your
assessment.
PART
Programme Structure and Supplementary Information
1
2
3
4

Awarding Institution
Teaching Institution
Professional body accreditation
Final Award
Subsidiary exit awards
Programme Title
UCAS code (or other coding system if
relevant)
SCQF Level
Mode of delivery and duration
Date of validation/review

5
6
7
8
9

Queen Margaret University

AKMI Metropolitan College
N/A
BA
Mass Communication & Media Arts
9
FT 1year PT 2 years
28-05-2012

10. Educational Aims of the programme

The Educational aims of the programme are to produce graduates who are able:

To provide a high quality academic and vocational qualification that will meet the needs
and challenges of the profession.
To integrate theoretical knowledge and vocational competencies relative to journalism
and film directing, using all the new technologies of their professions.
To offer students the opportunity to study mass media related issues from a number of
different perspectives and disciplines.
To develop in students the capacity for critical, analytical and independent thinking in
order to help them become more effective problem solvers in their particular field of
interest.
To meet the challenges of employment (including self-employment) in a society in which
the cultural, communications and media industries play an increasingly central role

11. Benchmark statements/professional and statutory body requirements covered by the

programme
QAA Benchmark Statement for Media, Culture and Communication

25

12. Learning Outcomes of the Programme

The aim of the programme is to offer students a BA in Mass Communication and Media
Arts, a high quality academic and vocational qualification, which focuses on the modern
technological applications and meets the needs and challenges of the profession in
Greece and in E.E.C. in general. It will be carried out through extensive tuition and
practical application, as well as reinforcement of independent study.
The aims are:
To provide a high quality academic and vocational qualification that will meet the
needs and challenges of the profession.
To integrate theoretical knowledge and vocational competencies relative to
journalism and film directing, using all the new technologies of their professions.
To offer students the opportunity to study mass media related issues from a number
of different perspectives and disciplines.
To develop in students the capacity for critical, analytical and independent thinking in
order to help them become more effective problem solvers in their particular field of
interest.
On completion of the programme, graduates should be able to :
Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the conceptual and theoretical bases of the
academic disciplines within the mass media in relation to journalism and film directing.
Apply the assimilated theory to the critical analysis of a diverse array of data and
research in journalism and directing and the relevant problems arising as well as policies
employed.
Present and discuss, in both oral and written forms, the complexities of mass media,
demonstrating their in depth learning and competence.
Prove their skills of effective self-management, and show initiative and responsibility
in relation to their own learning whether individually or in groups.
Understand the multi-disciplinary nature of mass media through the enhancement of
the ability to analyse related issues from a number of different perspectives and
disciplines.
Achieve an appropriate degree of competence and awareness of a range of
information technology applications.
Demonstrate an awareness of ethical considerations and standards in the pursuit
and application of their professions.
Possess and acquire new knowledge necessary to perform effectively in their chosen
careers. This includes their ability to easily transfer from conventional media to the new
ones and the general acquisition of transferable skills.
The programme adheres to the QAA benchmarks concerning the Media Film and
Cultural Studies 2008 regarding the development of generic and specialist skills of the
students that are to be acquired through the learning outcomes, the educational
methods and the student progress assessment methods.
The programme assumes a level of intellectual maturity developed through degree
studies together with a level of social maturity gained through life experience. The key
elements in the approach to teaching and learning (and development and delivery of the
programme according to the aims and objectives set by the programme team) are:
26

 an emphasis on student-centered learning i.e. The modules include both in their

teaching and their projects and assessments oral presentations, group discussion,
writing newspaper articles, reflective diaries, learning journals, independent projects, self
evaluations, peer evaluation, computer assisted learning, choice in subjects for
study/projects. The process of the completion of the Media project of the Film Directing
strand comprises almost all the afore-mentioned educational methods. The strand
Journalism asks also for the creation of a blog, the selection of a topic, its analysis and
oral presentation for the modules Media Culture & Society, as well as Regulation
Schemes in Film & Media Market
an emphasis on inquiry based learning methodologies e.g. the process for the
creation of a Research project, based upon initial samples and examples which are
presented in the classroom, forming the foundation for queries that need to be furnished
with answers and get resolved.
the integration of specialist subject areas in the media with appropriate contributions
by various media market representatives
the integration of academic learning and research and an applied, vocational outlook
so as to allow a critical evaluation of working methods and tools.
In the third year of studies, the core modules combine the scientific theories of Mass
Media and Communications with the practice of Media arts, and its interrelation with
society, media politics, law and the art of communication and advertisement.
Students are familiarized with the research methods relating to the Mass Media.
Concerning the two strands of the programme, students participate in laboratory courses
according to their specialization and are interns in TV & Film production companies, TV
channels, newspapers, magazines, radio stations, internet, theatres. Students can also
participate in special seminars.
Core Modules for both programmes

Credit Points

Research Project
Media Culture & Society
Film & Media in the Public Sphere
Media Planning
Regulation Schemes in Film & Media Market
New Technologies Applications in Mass Media

10
10
10
10
10
10

Strand I: Film and Television Directing Modules

Film & Media Production

20

New Technologies in the Post Production

20

Internship in a film / TV production company or television channel

20

Strand II: Journalism Modules

Computer-assisted information management

20

27

On line Journalism

20

Internship in a printed or electronic journal.

20

The aim of all modules is to improve the students skills and qualifications in order
to enhance and understand the disciplines of Mass Media on practice. Therefore
they are supported throughout by professional directors and students on other
programmes. This third year of study builds on the previous two years of the IVT
Diploma.
Internship programme
Students placements are arranged during the end of semester winter of the third
year for the journalism strand and during the beginning of semester winter for the
direction strand. These periods have been chosen so as to allow students to
attain valuable working experience prior the start of their career. The responsible
employers who supervise the students:
Report the progress and attendance of students during their internship.
Communicate regularly with the AMC academic supervisors
Students at the end of their internships have to hand in a self-evaluation report
based on particular self-evaluation forms.
Internships usually comprise a combination of research, writing and skills
acquisition, relative to the programme needs and the aims that are set by the
intern. During internship, given the fact that the work on placement is the basis for
the final assignments of the students prior their graduation, the academic
supervisors are available to offer advice and guidance. Each student who
participates in the internship programme receives a completion certificate.
Internship is not paid and is an obligatory module of 20 credit units which is
graded.

28

Programme structure & Assessment Schedule

Tables of Aggregated Modules
Top Up Year programme BA in Mass Communication & Media Arts
Core
Modules
Module
Research
Project
Media Culture
& Society

Semester

Film & Media

in the Public
Sphere

Credits

Winter

10

Winter

10

Winter

10

Module
Media
Planning
Regulation
Schemes in
Film & Media
Market
New
Technologies
Applications in
Mass Media

Semester

Module

Semester

Credits

Spring

10

Spring

10

Spring

10

Strand 1 Modules:
Journalism
Module
Computer -assisted
Journalism &
Information
Management

Semester

On line-journalism

Credits

Winter

20

Winter

20

Internship

Credits

Spring

20

Strand 2 Modules:
Film & Television
Directing
Module
Film and Media
Production

Semester

Credits

Year Long

New technologies in
the Post-Production

Module

10

Semester

Credits

Year Long

10

Year Long

10

10
Year Long

Internship

Winter

Core Modules
60

20
Strand 1:
Journalism

60

Strand 2: Film &

Television Directing

60

29

Total

Credits

for
Top
Up
Yea
r/
Stra
nd:
120

Assessment Schedule
3rd Degree Year
Core Module for both
programmes
Research Project

Credits
10

Media Culture &

Society

10

Film & Media in the

Public Sphere

10

Media Planning
10
Regulation Schemes in
Film & Media Market

New Technologies
Applications in Mass
Media

10

10

Assessment
1st Assignment (30%) Data Report
/Week 7
2ndAssignment (70%) Final Essay
1500-2000 words/ Week 12
1st Assignment (70%) Essay 15002000 words/Week 11
2nd Assignment (30%) Viva voce
5-8min./Week 14
1st Assignment 1 (50%) Essay
2000-2500 words/Week 8
2nd Assignment (50%) Final written
Exam 3hrs/ End of Semester
Assignment 1 (100%) Final
Project- Essay 2000-2500 words/
Week 13 2nd Semester
1st Assignment (30%) Oral
presentation/Week 7
2nd Assignment (70%) Final
Written Exam/ End of Second
Semester
Assignment 1 (100%) Final
Project Essay1500-2000 words
and its digital application/ End of
Second Semester

30

Strand I: Film
and TV
Directing
Modules
Film & Media
Production

20

New Technologies in
the Post Production

20

Internship in a Film TV
production company or
TV channel
Strand II: Journalism
Modules

20

On line Journalism
20

Computer assisted
information
management

20

Internship in a
Placement of printing or
electronic journalism

20

1st Assignment (20%) Written

Project /Week 6 1st semester
2nd Assignment (20%) 2nd written
project with its digital
application /Week 14
3rd Assignment (60%) Final project
including journal/ Week 14 of
2ndsemester
1st Assignment (30%) Written
Report /Week 13 1st semester
2nd Assignment (70%) Final
project with 2nd written report /
Week 14 of 2ndsemester
3 Self Evaluation Reports (100%)
TBA in agreement with
supervisors

1st Assignment (30%) Oral

presentation/Week 6
2nd Assignment (70%) Final
Written Report with its digital
application/Week 15
1st Assignment (30%) Written
Report 1000-1500 words/Week 9
2nd Assignment (70%) Final
Written Essay 2000-2500/ Week
13
3 Self Evaluation Reports (100%)
TBA in agreement with
supervisors

31

Admission Criteria
Age on entry
Candidates must be at least 19 years of age in the year of entry. This is the age of
graduation from IVT studies.
Minimum Entry Requirements
The entry requirements for the BA in MASS COMMUNICATION & MEDIA ARTS are as
follows:
1. Graduation (Lyceum) certificate with a total mark no less than 10 in the 020 mark scale
2. Successful completion of the two-year IVT AKMI Journalism or Film & TV
Directing Course (Media Department. All students who have successfully
completed the two-year IVT AKMI Journalism or Film & TV Directing
Course can enter the BA in Mass Communication & Media Arts
programme).
3. Interview with the Programme Leader and a member of the Course
Committee.
4. Completion of an application form that is to be subsequently assessed by
the Departments Course Committee.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
All other candidates who do not come from IVT studies, like professionals without
undergraduate studies or other special cases, will be evaluated by the Programme
Leader and the members of the Course Committee.
The following candidates are also eligible for admission to the course:
University graduates
Transfers from Institutes of Post-Secondary and Higher Education offering similar
specialisations.
Professional journalists, directors, cameramen, editors with at least a three-year
experience in their profession.
It is stressed however that all final decisions for entry to the programme of a candidate
with professional experience and/or prior learning is taken by QMU. All other
qualifications will be mapped against the SCQF framework and QMU standards of the
division of Media, Communication and Performing Arts and as such will be dealt with on
a case by case basis with credit being given if relevant.

32

Programme Management
The BA in Mass Communication & Media Arts will be administered by the Dean of
School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management:
Dean: Dr Christine Bovis Cnossen
Head of Subject, Media Communication and Performing Arts and Senior Lecturer, Film
and Media : Dr Richard Butt.
Programme Leader
The Programme Leader is Magdalene Remoundou Political Scientist & TV Director and
Production Manager AKMI Metropolitan College, Athens
Module Co-ordinators
Each module is administered by a Module Co-ordinator through liaison with the
Programme Leader. Module Co-ordinators will be supported by external visiting lecturers
with expertise in the subject areas.
Personal Academic Tutors
You will be allocated to a member of staff for ongoing academic support. The role of the
Personal Academic Tutor is to:
Discuss and advise on modules, assessment extensions, problems with
organising workload
Offer adaptive strategies and dealing with academic problems or other student
difficulties including absences
Liaise the Board of Examiners, programme committee or support staff on behalf
of the student as required
Provide records of documentation (tutorial forms, letters relating to progress
through programme, extenuating circumstances) relating to students to School
Office for storage with student file
Offer advice on career issues related to own professional expertise and provide
references.
All programmes of the University have a number of committees responsible for
managing their operation and making decisions about students' academic performance,
these are:
Student Staff Consultative Committee
The Programme Committee
The School Board
Boards of Examiners
Joint Board of Examiners

Student Staff Consultative Committees

A Student Staff Consultative Committee operates for each programme of study to
provide a forum for students and staff to have constructive discussion about the
programme in general terms such as the demands of the programme on students, and
future and possible developments. It considers any matters directly related to the
programme and to report or make recommendations as felt necessary to the
Programme Committee. The membership of the Committee is drawn from staff teaching
33

on the programme and student representatives with more students than staff. The
student membership should cover the main subject areas and activities of the
programme. The Student/Staff Committee will be chaired by one of the student
representatives, whereas a member of staff will act as secretary.
Each academic year there are 3 scheduled meetings of the Student Staff Consultative
Committee (1 in the middle of each semester and 1 after the first exam period) in order
to review the educational procedures followed so far and find solutions to possible
students difficulties. If there is a case of an urgent issue which needs to be immediately
resolved then an extra meeting takes place. The minutes of these meetings are attached
in the Annual Monitoring Report to be discussed in the Board of Examiners at the end of
the academic year.
Minutes from this Committee are presented to the Programme Committee for
discussion/review and action.

The Programme Committee

The Programme Committee is the major decision-making body and is the forum for
policy concerning conduct, review and development of the programme and students. It
exercises the overall academic and operational responsibility for the programme and its
development within defined policies, procedures and regulations. This Committee is
responsible for maintaining and enhancing the academic standards of the programme
through monitoring and evaluation of the aims, objectives and structure of the
programme and to ensure the establishment and development of mechanisms to ensure
student feedback is available in a timely manner. Additionally this Committee reviews
academic regulations, admissions policy statements, assessment instruments and the
development of teaching and learning methods.
It is responsible to ensure that the programme is resourced to agreed levels by
recommendations to, and negotiations with, the Dean of School, and the Deans of any
contributing Schools and that the programme delivery is effectively managed. This
includes such detail as time-tabling, access to teaching rooms, access to specialist
facilities. It will monitor student admission, student progress and evaluate the provision
of student counselling and welfare provision as well as being responsible for the formal
submission of the necessary documentation for the approval, accreditation or
assessment of the programme to the appropriate professional and accreditation bodies,
in line with the Universitys established procedures.
The Programme Committee for the BA in Mass Communication and Media Arts will be
chaired by the Programme Leader. Its membership includes all full-time academic staff
who teaches or assesses on the course and student representation from each year of
the course. The chairperson may invite any non-member to attend a meeting and
participate in the discussions.
Minutes from this Committee are presented to the School Board.

Boards of Examiners
Boards of Examiners are responsible for making decisions about students' performance
including decisions about progression and award. Analytically, it is responsible for
agreeing the level of performance for each student on each module under consideration,
confirming marks for modules and deciding whether a student should be awarded a
pass or fail in any module within their jurisdiction and the mechanisms for re-assessment
especially in cases of extenuating circumstances. The Board reviews the students'
whole performance across all the modules and makes decisions. The Board, in reaching
34

its decisions, is guided by the Universitys academic regulations and, exceptionally, any
programme specific regulations approved at the time of validation and laid out in the
definitive programme document.
The Board of Examiners is chaired by the QMU Head of Subject appointed by the
Senate.
Normally, there are at least two meetings of the Board of Examiners each year, one at
the end of Semester 2 and the other after the re-examinations prior the beginning of the
new academic year in order to decide on the students performance in the reexaminations.

Joint Board of Examiners

After the completion of each academic year and prior to the beginning of the new
academic year, a Joint Board of Examiners takes place which thoroughly analyses the
Annual Monitoring Report, a document written by the Programme Leader with the
participation of the programme team where needed. The AMR consists of a review of
the academic year that has just been completed, a report by the Programme Leader as
a reply to the External Examiners report, which refers to the progress of the course
according to the Exam Board, the minutes of the Student and Staff Consultative
Committee meetings as well as a table with the issues that have to be resolved and the
kind of action that will be taken. During this Board, final decisions are taken and start to
get materialized by the responsible QMU Committees.
The Head of School (convener), the Programme Leader, the Programme Team and the
External Examiner take part in the Joint Board of Studies.

Subject Group Team

Each Programme belongs to a Subject Group. The Programme Leader, within this group
is responsible for the day-to-day running of the programme. The Subject Group is
responsible for the overall management of the Programmes within its grouping. The
programme BA in Mass Communication & Media Arts belongs to the QMU School of
Social Sciences, Media & Communication. The programme leader and the programme
committee refer and report to the QMU Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Media &
Communication.

35

The School Board

Programme Leader
Magdalene Remoundou mremoundou@amc.edu.gr
Module Leaders and members of the teaching team
CORE MODULES
Research Project

MODULE COORDINATOR
Dr Anastasia Veneti

Media Culture & Society

Dr Anastasia Veneti

MODULE TEAM

Film & Media in the Public Mr Stamatis Poulakidakos

Sphere
Dr Anastasia Veneti
Media Planning
New Technologies
Applications In Mass Media

Ms Vasiliki (Vally)
Konstantopoulou

Regulation Schemes in Film Mr Stamatis Poulakidakos

& Media Market
Internship
Magdalene Remoundou
STRAND
JOURNALISM
MODULE MODULE TEAM
MODULES
COORDINATOR
Computer-assisted
Achilleas Karadimitriou
information management
Achilleas Karadimitriou
On line Journalism
STRAND FILM & TV MODULE COORDINATOR MODULE TEAM
DIRECTING MODULES
Film & Media Production
Efthimios Hatzis
Dimitris Koutsiabasakos
New technologies in the Electra Venaki
Post-Production

Sources of advice/guidance
If you have any queries about a particular module you should discuss these with the
Module Coordinator concerned. If you have queries relating to the programme you
should speak to your Programme Leader. If you need general advice about University
procedures you should contact you Personal Academic Tutor. Your Personal Academic
Tutor is there to advise you throughout your time at University and you should get to
know him/her well. If you experience difficulties of a personal or practical/financial
nature, you can discuss these with your Tutor, or you can seek help from a wide variety
of University counselling support services

36

Please follow this link to find out what your Personal Academic Tutor can do for you:
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/pm/default.htm

Information for Students with Special Needs

QMU and AMC are committed to equality of opportunity and believes in a culture of
diversity and inclusion. We offer flexible educational programmes to suit many different
groups of students.
We aim to offer an accessible curriculum, which can be adapted to meet individual
needs in an environment where consideration is given to enabling everyone to
participate in all aspects of academic and social life.
All Schools have a Disabled Students Co-ordinator to look after the interests of particular
students. Full details of services available are provided in the University Student Diary
or via the Student Services Website which can be found at;http://www.qmu.ac.uk/prospective_students/student_services/disability.htm
If a student, as a result of a disability, is unable through special needs to be assessed by
the prescribed method for the module, the Programme Committee/Subject Panel/Board
of Studies may determine alternative assessment methods, bearing in mind the need to
assess the student on equal terms with other students. The Board of Examiners will
ratify any such decisions. Variations may include the following:
1. an extension of the normal registration period for completing an award
2. extra time being allowed for assessments
3. alternative or modified assessments
4. use of scribes in assessments
5. use of viva voce assessment
6. use of appropriate aids (such as word processor, Brailler, tape-recorder,
large print scripts etc.)
Extra time will be allocated in examinations for students with disabilities and students
whose special circumstances may affect their performance. In both cases students
must submit certification to attest their eligibility. Unless otherwise specified in the
certification, such students will be allocated 25% extra time. Students should normally
submit requests for extra time to Programme Leaders at least six weeks before each
diet of examinations.
Disabled candidates are dealt and evaluated according to their situation in order to enter
the programme. AMC does not support every disability in the new programmes that are
about to be materialised until the programmes became stable and the administrative and
teaching staff be properly educated in order to handle disabilities effectively.

International Students
The University provides support for International Students. Additionally, you might want
to contact the School Office for help and guidance. The entry requirements are the same
as for all the students but you also have to provide a certificate showing your adequate
knowledge of the Greek Language.
37

If you require any further help regarding your course please contact your Programme
Leader or PAT. They will be pleased to help you to settle comfortably into your new
environment.
All international students whose first language is not Greek should note that for time
limited assessments (examinations) you are allowed an extra 25% of time at any Level 1
or Level 2 examination. This will be built into the assessment programme for you unless
specifically excluded by a module.
In addition you may take a language-only dictionary into any examination.

QMU and AMC Student Union

The Students Union is the representative, campaigning and recreational body of the
students at AMC, it aims to provide a safe and friendly environment with which to
enhance the student experience at AMC. The Students Union is run by students for
students, who are all elected each year in October to represent students.
The role and remit of the Student Representative
The Student Representative is responsible for his/her particular year of study of her/his
own programme. The Student Representative has two functions the first is to consult
with the students on the programme to get their ideas and note any concerns they may
have about any aspect of their education and to represent the ideas and the concerns of
students on the programme at the appropriate fora:
Staff Student Consultative Committees
Programme Boards
Elections
Programme Leaders are normally expected to open nominations for programme
representatives within the first two weeks of semester 1, but of course the programme
will be able to change its representative at a later date if it so wishes.
Required time commitment of Student Representatives
Representatives must commit sufficient time to prepare for and attend at least three
Student Staff Consultative Committee meetings and three Programme Committee
meetings per academic year. They should also allow a few minutes each week/fortnight
to get the views of students on the programme and to feed back information to them
from other bodies.

38

SECTION 4
PROCEDURES
PROGRAMME

AND

REGULATIONS

FOR

YOUR

4. Procedures and Regulations for Assessment & Award

This section is designed to provide you with important information about the assessment
procedures and regulations for your programme. It is really important that you read and
understand this section as you will have to be familiar with the standards set for
presentation and content of assessed work and the rules which govern your academic
progress.

Criteria for Assessment

Each module has a separate criteria for assessment which you will be given along with
the assessment itself. However, here is the University guidance to give you the general
idea of what is expected.
Assessment is primarily a matter of academic judgement, and the computational
structure is designed to facilitate consistent judgements. A students overall performance
on an undergraduate module will be given marks within one of seven grades as follows:
Grade

Mark

70%
above

B
C
D
E
F
G

Interpretation

and an
outstanding
performance
exceptionally able
60 69.9% very
good
performance
50 59.9% average
performance
40 49.9% satisfactory
performance
30 39.9% fail
20 29.9% poor fail
19.9%
or bad fail
below

Corresponding level in an Hons

degree classification
first class
upper second
lower second
third class
fail
fail
fail

39

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS LEVEL3

First
Covers all aspects of the
question.

Upper Second
Covers most aspects of the
question.

Lower Second
May not address
some major aspects
of the question.

Third
Fails to address a
number of major
aspects of the
question.

Fail
Addresses
relatively few of
the major aspects
of the question.
May be too short.

Knowledge
of
relevant material

Evidence
of
extensive
independent
reading
including books and recent
journal articles (in addition to
suggested readings).

Evidence of independent
reading including books
and journal articles.

Answer based mainly

on lecture material.

Some
relevant
information
from
lectures.

Little evidence of
relevant
knowledge. May
cite
personal
anecdote.

Accuracy

All the material is accurate.

There are no major factual

errors.

There may be some

minor factual errors.

Relevance

All the material is directly

relevant.

Almost all the material is

directly relevant.

Some of the material

may not be directly
relevant.

There may be
many
major
factual errors.
Little
of
the
material is directly
relevant.

All points expressed clearly

and succinctly.

Most points expressed

clearly and succinctly.

Some points may not

be expressed clearly.

There may be
some major factual
errors.
Much
of
the
material may not
be
directly
relevant.
Not always clear
what
was
intended.

Excellent (possibly original)

organisation of the material.
Shows excellent appreciation
of
the
strengths
and
weaknesses
of
theories,
methodologies and empirical
evidence and their interplay.
May show knowledge of the
historical development of the
field.

Very clear organisation of

material.
Shows good appreciation of
the
strengths
and
weaknesses of theories,
methodologies
and
empirical evidence and
their interplay.
Perhaps
some indication of the
history of the area.

Clear organisation of
material.
Makes some attempt
to evaluate theories,
methodologies
and
empirical
evidence
and to justify claims.

Some organisation
of the material
Assertion with little
concern
for
evidence.

Little
structure
apparent.
Assertion without
concern
for
evidence.

Coverage
question

of

Clarity
expression

the

of

Organisation
Evaluation
of
theory,
methodology
and/or
empirical
evidence.

Often difficult to
discern what was
intended.

Bad Fail
Addresses none
of the major
aspects of the
question.
Probably
too
short.
Almost
no
relevant
knowledge.
May rely on
personal
anecdote.
Little
or
no
factual accuracy
Answers
a
totally different
question to that
set.
Hardly
ever
possible
to
discern
what
was intended
No
structure
apparent
Assertion
without evidence

Personal
Contribution

May present own (possibly

novel) view of the material,
perhaps integrating evidence
from or drawing parallels with
other areas of the discipline.
May
make
insightful
predictions about the future
development of the area.

May present own view of

the
material,
perhaps
integrating evidence from or
drawing parallels with other
areas of the discipline. May
make sensible predictions
about
the
future
development of the area.

May make some

attempt to present
own view of the
material
showing
some concern for its
justification.

May make some

attempt to present
own view of the
material but with
little concern for its
justification.

May present own

view
of
the
material
but
without
any
attempt to justify
it.

May present a
personal
view
that is irrelevant
to the question.

41

Coursework style notes

Written assignments should be written in Arial or Times New Roman 12 and justified.
Bibliography and sources should follow the Harvard Referencing System, as
mentioned above. Do not forget to insert page numbers. The attachments follow the
Bibliography.
New students get informed prior the beginning of the new academic year of the course
work submission procedures, the importance of deadlines, their contact with their tutors
during the preparation of their assignments and the penalties that they may have in
cases of inexcusably late submission.

Time of Submission
The above table (pg 17) provide information about Submission periods for each
assignment. Specific dates of submission for each module will be announced by either
the module leaders or the course leader at the start of each semester.

Penalties for delayed submission

Again, dedication to QMU assessment regulations is of great importance. You should
always submit your assignment and participate in written and practical assessment on
time. In cases where you face a significant problem impeding your assessment
participation/submission you should contact your course leader as soon as possible and
refer to the extenuating circumstances paragraph in this handbook (Section 1, pg12).
Any student who submits work to be assessed after the assessment submission date,
without the prior agreement of the Programme Leader and the Module Co-ordinator, or
without good or agreed cause, will have marks deducted according to the following
criteria:
if submitted, in a first diet, after the due date but within one calendar week (i.e.
up to 6 days after submission date) a maximum mark of 40% can be achieved
for undergraduate programmes and a maximum mark of 50% for postgraduate
programmes
if submitted, in a first diet, after one calendar week (i.e. 7 days or more) a
mark of 0% will be awarded
if coursework is submitted after the due date for a re-assessment a mark of 0% will be
awarded.
Moreover, as you can see in the tables above written assignments have a word limit.
Teaching staff does not encourage you to compose enormous essays in order to obtain
a good grade but rather clear and concise pieces of written work. Penalties for writing
essays outside the word limitation are presented below:
A piece of written work which exceeds the specified word limit by 10% or more will
receive a maximum mark of 40%.

In each piece of written work where a word limit is identified, students are required to
include and clearly state the total number of words used. The number of words
counted should include all the text, references and quotations used in the text, but
should exclude abstracts, supplements to the text, diagrams, appendices, reference
lists and bibliographies

Location and process of Submission

Written assignments will be submitted to either the school office or course leader at the
arranged day and time. Late submission will be penalised (see the previous paragraph).
You should always provide 1 hard copy and 1 electronic copy. During the submission of
your written assignment, you should complete a blind marking form with your personal
data which will be the cover page of your assignment. There are cases when the
coursework cannot be blind marked

43

General Regulations
The University has a set of approved regulations which apply to all programmes and set
out the criteria for gaining an award of the University, the criteria for progression on a
programme and standards for assessment in a module. Links to the relevant extracts from
the University Regulations are provided below, for further information please see the
current Regulations held on the Quality web site:
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/gr/default.htm
AMC follows QMU rules and regulations. Nevertheless, AMC has set specific regulations
for BA in Mass Communication and Media Arts. These regulations are stated throughout
this document.
Significant specific regulations concern attendance regulations (see participation
paragraph in section 1 of this document), participation etc. You are strongly advised to read
this document thoroughly and contact staff members for any enquiry.

Assessment Regulations
Assessment regulations
The full detailed assessment regulations can be found at
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/pr/Assessment%20quick%20guide%20(UG).pdf
assessment regulations:
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/AssessmentRegulations.doc
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/gr/default.htm#regs

Research Ethics Guidelines Procedures and Regulations

Regarding the rules of conduct of students when they collaborate with the public in
external or internal locations towards the completion of their projects, AMC adheres
strictly to all the regulations on security, safety, confidentiality, and ethics as delineated
by QMU in the relevant link in every procedure implicating research and interviews.
Students are obliged to follow the ascribed procedure and complete specific forms which
will be handed out in bilingual versions by the BA in Mass Communication & Media arts
administration. The modules that ask for the particular procedure are: Research Project,
and possibly Film & Media Production, if a specific project included interviews or the use
of external participants.
,
projects ,
,
AMC QMU. (
Link).
BA in Mass
Communication & Media arts,
. projects
44

 Research Project, Film & Media Production

project .
Revised ethics procedures
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/Revised%20Ethics%20Guidelines%20Oct
%202010.doc
Ethical Approval Form
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/New%20Ethical%20Approval%20Form
%20Oct10.doc
Notification of Changes Form
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/ethics%20notification%20form.doc

Regulations for Award

Undergraduate awards of the University
Regulations pertaining to Undergraduate awards of the University are available under
Section 8 at the following link
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/Awards%20Dec08.doc

45

SECTION 5
UNIVERSITY SERVICES & SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
5. University Services and Sources of Information for all Students
This section is designed to provide you with information about central
University services and resources, which are available to support your
learning and your experience as a University student.
It includes
information about the main services, contact numbers and sources of
further information.

Harvard Reference System

What is the Harvard system?
In academic writing you have to credit every source of information and ideas that you
have used. There are several different methods for doing this. The Harvard System is
one way of citing references in your assignments and giving the sources of those
references.
You can find a Write and Cite Guide on the QMU Library website which can be found
at http://www.qmu.ac.uk/lb/information/Guides/harvard_ref_guide.pdf

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Some students come to QMU & AMC with a range of prior learning and experience. We
dont want to waste your time teaching you about things you already know therefore
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a way to apply for partial or full exemption from
having to undertake a module. RPL describes the use of prior learning, either as a
formative tool as part of personal development or as a summative tool for the award of
credit. The learning may have taken place either as part of a formal educational course
or as part of an informal life or work experience outside formal educational settings. This
acknowledges that there may be a stage of discussion, reflection and formative
assignments, prior to any formal application for the accreditation of prior learning.
The final decision for entry to the programme of a candidate with professional
experience and/or prior learning is taken by QMU. All other qualifications will be mapped
against the SCQF framework and QMU standards of the division of Media,
Communication and Performing Arts and as such will be dealt with on a case by case
basis with credit being given if relevant.
For the RPL form please click on the following link:http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/Form%20APL2%202007.doc
46

Support Services and Organisations

Student Support Services
We do this by providing professional services, through the development of innovative
projects, and by working with other colleagues and the Student Union to provide support
for all aspects of student life.
AKMI Metropolitan College provides you the support and help you might need during
your studies for the smooth operation of the educational procedures. Ultimate goal of
the continual student support is the provision of high quality studies which are according
to the modern pedagogic and professional advances as well as your stay in a friendly
environment.
Our services can be grouped into four main areas:

Information and Guidance

Student Transition and Skills Development

Careers and Employment

Registry
The Registry has a critical role in the administration of academic and student services
within Queen Margaret University & AKMI Metropolitan College.
The Registry of AMC follows the procedures of QMU Registry since the educational
procedures and the regulations are common and apply to both institutions.
Staff of the Registry aim to provide an efficient, effective and professional service to the
various client groups to whom they provide information, advice and support.
The Admissions function provides prospective and current students, academic staff and
senior management with appropriate and up-to-date information on all aspects relating to
entry requirements and admissions' procedures and processes, national and local student
application trends, access and hardship arrangements, and matriculation procedures.
Staff are responsible for statistical returns to external bodies, and for the provision of
management information and performance indicators.
The Records Administration function provides advice to students, academic staff and
senior management on all aspects relating to examinations, Boards of Examiners,
External Examiners, statistical returns to external bodies, management information and
performance indicators, tuition fee liability, Graduation, course and module records,
student academic programmes and student academic transcripts.
The Quality Enhancement Unit is concerned with advising academic staff and senior
management on all aspects relating to quality assurance and enhancement. Staff plan
and organise validation, review and accreditation events, support key academic
committees such as the Quality Assurance Agency. The Quality Enhancement Unit is
47

also responsible for overseeing the University's system for External Examiners and for
monitoring adherence to the University's academic policy and procedures.
The Administration of the AMC is responsible for the proper application of the above
regulations and procedures. To achieve this goal, the administrative staff and the
programme leaders are in constant communication with the responsible QMU staff. The
QMU department that is responsible for the information, development and progress of
the educational qualifications and skills of the teaching staff includes in its educational
activities the teaching staff of QMU programmes that are materialized by AMC. Life Long
Learning seminars are organized by QMU in Athens having as a goal to educate
educators by sending QMU educators. Similar seminars are also organized by AMC for
the education and information of its teaching staff in general.
Additionally, the Quality Enhancement Unit co-ordinates research degree activity in the
University by providing a central administrative function to enable, enhance and facilitate
effective research degree procedures. Key activities include administration of all
University research degrees and the provision of pro-active policy advice and support to
our
research
population.
You
can
find
the
QEU
website
at:
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/gr/default.htm
Staff of the Registry develop and implement policy and procedures in relation to all of
the above.

Health & Safety Arrangements

Adherence to the safety practices laid down by the University and your School is
required by all students within the School.
AKMI Metropolitan College is supervised by the Greek Ministry of Education and is
obliged to follow all the fire safety regulations that the Greek legislation defines for the
buildings of Greek Educational institutions. The Greek legislation regularly checks on the
proper fire safety procedures. Educational institutions buildings follow the construction
regulations that are related to the students safety in cases of emergency and immediate
evacuation of the building. Furthermore, the educational institutions buildings in Greece
have to be anti seismic.
There are first aid kits in certain areas of the buildings. Please, ask the secretary of the
building you are.

Equal Opportunities at QMU & MC

QMU welcomes diversity amongst its students, staff, applicants and visitors, recognising
the particular contributions to the achievement of the institution's mission that can be
made by individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. The institution
is committed to ensuring that all of its activities are governed by principles of equality of
opportunities.
AMC which follows the QMU guidance and practice for the programmes that are
originated by QMU is about to enhance its educational provisions in the near future in
order to provide education to any interested. Since this issue needs to be carefully
handled, AMC is under the preparative procedures in order to support students with
48

disabilities. ur programmes can be attended by students with dyslexia, a problem that

AMC can handle due to its long experience.

Academic Appeals Procedure

With the best processes and systems in place things can still go wrong. To ensure you
get every opportunity to appeal QMU and AMC have set up an Academic Appeals
Procedure. A student has the right to appeal in certain circumstances if he or she is
unhappy about an assessment or examination result.
The appeal may be in respect of any decision of the Board of Examiners that affects the
students grade or progress. Those hearing the appeal will not attempt to re-examine
the student, nor to appraise the professional judgement of the examiners, but will
consider whether or not the decision of the Board of Examiners was fair, and whether or
not all relevant factors were taken into account. You can find full information relating to
the Academic Appeals Procedure at:
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/Academic%20Appeals%20Procedure
%20Update%20June%202010.doc

Other Information
This handbook has a lot of information within it and provides links to a huge range of
electronic information. Please remember the staff at QMU and AMC are here to help. To
access the Registry of QMU website please click on the following link:
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/registry/. To access the current assessment regulations please
click on the following link http://www.qmu.ac.uk/quality/documents/assregs09.PDF

49

Appendix 1

Data Protection Act 1998

Introduction
The University needs to keep certain personal data, for example about its staff and
students, to fulfil its purpose and to meet its legal obligations to funding bodies and
government. In holding personal data the University must comply with the Data
Protection Act 1998 & the Greek Law 2472/1997. The 1998 Act contains eight Data
Protection Principles with which the University must comply at all times when processing
personal data.
Data Protection Principles
Personal data must:
1. be obtained and processed fairly and lawfully and shall not be processed unless
certain conditions are met.
2. be obtained for a specified and lawful purpose and shall not be processed in any
manner incompatible with that purpose.
3. be adequate, relevant and not excessive for those purposes.
4. be accurate and kept up to date.
5. not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose.
6. be processed in accordance with the data subject's rights.
7. be kept secure from unauthorised access, accidental loss or destruction.
8. not be transferred to a country outside the European Economic Area, unless that
country has equivalent levels of protection for personal data.
The University and all its staff who process or use personal information must ensure that
they follow these Data Protection Principles at all times. In order to ensure that this
happens, the University has developed this Data Protection Policy
You can find more guidance on University procedures in compliance with the Act at:
http://www.qmu.ac.uk/foi/docs/Data%20Protection%20Policy.doc

50