Dear Students,
I received the Letter to Students from Minister of State for Universities Michelle Donelan MP earlier in the week; I mentioned this at Chapel on Tuesday. This was a general letter written to Students in every higher education institution in England and not specifically to Students at Spurgeon’s College. You will see from the latter that the Minister seeks to address a range of matters, particularly affecting Students during lockdown who are in university halls of residence. I would encourage you to read the Minister’s letter.
Kind regards
Philip McCormack,
Principal
Student Staff Liaison Meeting
The next Staff Student Liaison Committee meeting is planned for Mon 16 November at 4.15pm.
More information can be found here
Saturday 10th October is World Mental Health Day. At Spurgeon’s we will be providing opportunity to reflect on Mental Health matters on Monday 23rd November (during Reading and Reflection Week). In the meantime some excellent resources are available online to correspond with World Mental Health Day: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health
NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS
Spurgeon’s College has a Learning Support Department which focuses on enabling students with particular learning needs and difficulties to reach their full potential.
It is staffed by a part-time Learning Support Co-Ordinator, who works with teaching staff to provide support to those students who are identified as needing it most. The Co-Ordinator is assisted by a small team of volunteers who work according to guidelines agreed by the College.
We are looking for additional volunteers to enable us to maintain and expand the service we can offer to students. Volunteers are not expected to be proof-readers, but to work with students in such a way that they can take ownership of their learning and understand how to manage their studies and present assignments effectively in written form. Support can be offered in a variety of ways, for example, through scheduled one-to-one tutorials, drop-in sessions or group workshops. We are particularly keen on hearing from people who can offer students guidance about how technology can help them with their written work.
We would welcome expressions of interest from anyone who is willing and able to give approximately two hours a week during the teaching semesters, which run from late September to mid-January and mid-February to late May. Ideally you would be able in future to come into college to meet students face-to-face, but for at least the first half of 2020-21 nearly all of our teaching is taking place online, so the media used would be email or Zoom.
We would be glad to hear from anyone who has any experience/training in
• working with students who have learning needs such as dyslexia
• teaching English as a foreign or additional language
• helping students whose mental or physical health affects their learning
• working with any students in an HE or FE context.
However, you do not need to have such experience/training to be able to offer real help to our students. All you need is a good grasp of the expectations of academic writing, willingness to spend time to understand an individual student’s needs, and the ability to relate to them in a practically supportive way.
Volunteers are invited to the meetings of the Learning Support Committee which are held two or three times a year, and we encourage them to share in the development of our work in this way.
If you would be interested in exploring whether the role of Learning Support Volunteer might be for you, please contact the Chair of the Learning Support Committee, Dr Debra Reid (d.reid@spurgeons.ac.uk) and we will be very happy to have an informal conversation with you.
We look forward to welcoming all our continuing students back to College this month. Learning, teaching and studying is very different in a digital environment and we know that you will have questions about how it is all going to work. The senior management team of Philip, Helen, Simon and Stephen will be doing a live broadcast on YouTube on Wednesday 23rd September from 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. in which we will briefly introduce aspects of the new academic year to you and try to answer any questions you may have. To help us do this as efficiently as possible, please submit any questions to Sophie Ellis (s.ellis@spurgeons.ac.uk) if possible by 5 p.m. on Friday 18th so that we can focus on the key issues you would like to raise.
The link to join the session is https://youtu.be/q2hNrVT51YM and a recording of the session will continue to be available for two weeks in case you are unable to join us at this time.
MESSAGE FOR ALL THEOLOGY STUDENTS
In line with the latest guidance from the University of Manchester, an amendment has been made to the No Disadvantage policy which relates to the regulations for Master’s degrees. An extra bullet point has been added to paragraph 5:
As an exception to the degree regulations, resubmissions will be allowed for failed work in all 120 credits of the taught part of Master’s programmes, rather than the maximum of 60 credits currently allowed.
The updated version of the policy can be found here
Student Engagement with Assignment Feedback: Action Plan
All students who met the semester 2 assignment submission deadline date have now have received their marks and the feedback. We strongly encourage all students to read tutors’ comments on their assignments very carefully and then use the Student Engagement with Assignment Feedback: Action Plan template to consolidate the learning points contained within the feedback received. Students who have received a mark below 45% (Undergraduate) and 55% (Postgraduate) for any assignment will be contacted by Debra (Undergraduate) or Joshua (Postgraduate) in order to talk through their Action Plan. Other students are encouraged to contact their pastoral tutors to discuss their Feedback Action Plan if they would find this helpful. Please bear in mind that tutors will be taking some holiday leave during the summer period so some delay in responding to you may occur.
Dear students and staff
As you will be aware the College has indicated that the 2020-2021 academic year will look different to normal as a result of Covid19.
As a consequence of the new situation, the College has put together a Digital Education Framework document.
This framework was drafted by college staff following live consultation with groups of students on 15 and 22 June 2020 and input from various staff members. It reflects guidance from regulatory bodies, in particular the Office for Students, Public Health England, the Quality Assurance Agency, and the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body. It has been informed by discussions about the development of good practice in digital education facilitated by professional sector bodies, in particular Independent Higher Education and Advance HE. This final version reflects the recent consultation among all staff and students between 8 and 15 July, during which comments were received from six people.
Please take time to read this document as it sets out some parameters and expectations for staff and students on our various programme as we go into another semester during which our courses will be taught digitally.
Thank you.
We would like to draw your attention to the selection of resources and events that are available on the Baptist Union website: https://www.baptist.org.uk/Groups/310669/Racial_Justice_Issues.aspx
Student Announcement New Academic Year 2020-21 - 01/06/2020
22/05/2020
New material on Library Page
There is a new series of videos on the Moodle Library page that demonstrate how to find material for an assignments online. It is located under this tab:
Video Training Course - Using Online Resources
Amendments to the Referencing Guidelines during COVID-19 Restrictions
In light of the unfolding events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Spurgeon’s College has agreed to relax certain portions of the College’s referencing policies. This is intended to address potential difficulties with correctly referencing online sources, such as e-journals, e-books, and the Perlego collection.
The amendments to our referencing guidelines are as follows:
1) Where possible, students should continue to follow the Spurgeon’s College Referencing Guidelines (https://www.spurgeons.ac.uk/referencing-guidelines/). However, until further notice, students may use any recognised academic citation style with footnotes (e.g. MHRA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.). Students will not incur a penalty for not following the Referencing Guidelines in their footnotes/bibliographies, on condition they use the other recognised referencing style consistently throughout their assignment.
2) Where specific page information is unavailable or uncertain (i.e. e-books, Perlego) the student should make reference to the chapter which contains their citation.
Example: Michael R. Watts, The Dissenters Volume III: The Crisis and Conscience of Nonconformity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015), Chapter 3.
3) Students can cite scanned copies of printed material (e.g. copies scanned by the librarian, articles from http://theologyontheweb.org.uk/, https://archive.org/, as print sources, eliminating the requirement of providing URL links in their footnotes/bibliographies.
Example: John H. Y. Briggs, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon and the Baptist Denomination in Nineteenth Century Britain,” Baptist Quarterly 31, no. 5 (January 1986): 228.
Students should still aim to include all the relevant information for their sources, and would benefit as always from using citation software such as Zotero. Nevertheless, the teaching staff are aware that some leniency is appropriate in these extraordinary circumstances.
Please note that the usual strict prohibitions against plagiarism (and self-plagiarism) continue to apply, so you must continue to ensure that you record all your sources accurately and fully.
These amendments to the referencing policy will remain in place until further notice.
University of Manchester students
Spurgeon’s Diploma in Ministerial Formation students
Spurgeon’s Award in Theology students
Please see the ‘no disadvantage’ policy which we are implementing for all students in these groups this summer: it can be found here
In line with most higher education institutions, and following the guidance of the University of Manchester, we are adopting this policy in order to ensure that no student is hindered in their academic progression or attainment by the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have any queries about this policy which are not answered in the ‘FAQ’ section at the end, please speak to your pastoral tutor in the first instance. The Registry will be in touch with all students affected with the relevant details about the calculation of their individual marks; please do not contact Registry yourself, otherwise they will be overloaded. A video will be posted here over the next few days explaining the key principles.
1. Take regular screen breaks.
2. Some suggest the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, direct your gaze toward something at least 20 feet away from you, and do this for at least 20 seconds).
3. Reduce your screen brightness (your screen should not be to light or too dark but find the best balance for you).
4.
Look at the settings on your individual device/s
as some have inbuilt modes for reducing glare, such as night time modes, or
reading modes.
5. Check your environment. Try to work in a well-lit space but make sure there are no reflections on your screen.
6. Keep the screen an arm's length away.
7. Don’t forget to blink regularly! This sounds obvious but people tend to stare at the screen intently, which can cause screen fatigue and dry eyes.
8. Invest in kit such as glare reducing glasses or a blue light blocking screen protector where necessary.
9. Try to minimise screen time by avoiding non-essential screen related activities where you can.
Following the briefing 16 March 2020 by the Prime Minister, regarding guidance in addressing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Principal and Heads of Departments took the decision to stop physical lectures in the College and to transition to an online delivery of its theological programmes. Information for counselling students is being processed.
As you know the College has invested significantly in its online capability and the decision to transition from the traditional blend of a face-to-face approach and online to a purely online mode has been made easier because we are confident that quality learning will continue albeit in a different mode.
Students will be familiar with Panopto and our online platform Moodle. The transition to a purely online provision will take a little time to work out practically in every detail; we ask students to be patient. Tutors will continue to be accessible via email and are exploring ways of establishing online forums. Details will follow shortly. It is important to note, however, that the mode may be different depending on the level and nature of each unit.
If students have a question please follow these guidelines:
· Questions on a specific unit - contact the unit tutor;
· General queries can be directed to pastoral group tutor;
· Ministerial questions should be addressed to Simon Jones and Linda Campbell.
We know that the Student Body are always keen to participate in the life of the College and have done so in a wide range of formal and informal ways. During this pandemic crisis, we are keen to let students know that they may raise questions through their student reps. Sadly, however, the current situation is such that the Staff Student Liaison Committee has had to be postponed until a later date.
It is the intention of the senior leadership in the College that Pastoral Groups will continue. This will happen in due course via Zoom. Pastoral tutors will be in touch to make arrangements with students in their groups.
Unfortunately the College library will be closed to students from today (17 March 2020). The College is, however, working on substantially enhancing its online resources for students. For example:
· The College is actively working on arranging accounts for all theological students with Perlego, a digital online library focusing on the delivery of academic, professional and non-fiction eBooks. See https://www.perlego.com/
The College will send students details when it has completed the arrangements.
· Staff will be working on aligning unit reading lists with known electronic resources. The augmented lists will be available as soon as possible via Moodle.
· Critical passages from key books will be scanned and loaded to Moodle (this will take time so students will need to be patient)
The senior management of the College has taken the decision that books that are on loan will not accrue fines, they will automatically be renewed. Students will be required, however, to return borrowed books when the library reopens to students.
The College will work towards the existing assignment deadlines. Therefore students are asked to note that:
· The normal process for seeking extensions will apply
· All students should aim to complete their studies as planned
The situation created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is unprecedented in modern history. Christians, however can take comfort and encouragement from the belief that our Heavenly Father is the Lord of history. By God’s grace we will face the challenge posed by coronavirus and come through this trial with renewed confidence in the one who said that he ‘will never leave you or forsake you’ (Deut 31:6).
New Library Fines Policy
The Learning Resources Committee have agreed a new Library Fines Policy. As of the beginning of March 2020 overdue books will attract a fine of 10p per day until a maximum of £1.50 per book is reached. The maximum payable fine at any one time is capped at £5.00. If you have a legitimate reason why you cannot return or renew your books before they become overdue, or need help in renewing them remotely, please contact the Librarian as soon as you realise that there is a problem. All outstanding fines up to the beginning of March have been cancelled.
The MyCirqa Reader app [Insert MyCirqa Logo – attached – here]
With MyCirqa, Library users can see at a glance current loans, overdues, charges, messages, reservations and items ready for collection, as well as being able to renew their books.
It is available to download for iPhone and Android from the app store (or wherever you get your apps). Once downloaded, you will need to configure the app when using it for the first time, selecting "Spurgeon's College" from the list provided. Login using your Library No. and PIN. If you don't have a PIN, please contact the Librarian who will issue you with one.
ASSIGNMENTS SUBMITTED IN ERROR
Please take every care to submit the correct version of your assignments in the correct place. The College has a Protocol for Wrongly Submitted Assignments which allows for wrongly submitted assignments to be replaced in certain cases. If you think you may have uploaded the wrong assignment, or version of an assignment, you need to inform Joanna Zaplotna (moodle@spurgeons.ac.uk) and Katie Walsh (registry@spurgeons.ac.uk) immediately; they will consult and facilitate this as appropriate. If the tutor has already begun to mark the assignment it will not be possible to remove and replace it. Please bear in mind that if you inform us after 4 p.m. your message may not be picked up until the next working day, while the tutor may have begun to mark the original submission in the meantime.
The Protocol also states that if you submit in error on the day of your deadline, and are permitted to have the submission removed and replaced, the correct essay must be submitted no more than 24 hours after the assignment deadline has passed. Otherwise it will be counted as late.
EXTENSIONS FOR MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES
Students who believe that for good cause (e.g. current or recent illness) they may not be able to submit their work by the set deadline are strongly encouraged to apply for an extension in good time before the deadline, rather than leaving it till the last minute. Although ‘retrospective’ extensions may be granted in cases where the Special Cases Committee recognize that it would have been very difficult to request an extension in time, please remember that extensions are not automatically granted, and the default position if you have not submitted work by the deadline and not been granted an extension is that marks will be deducted for lateness. The Extension Request Form is found on the home page of Moodle.
For more details on what counts as ‘good cause’ for the granting of an extension see the College’s Extensions Policy
According to the University of Manchester’s new regulations ( Late Work Regulations – University of Manchester late submissions will have marks automatically deducted by 10 marks per day of lateness. Any late resubmitted work (i.e. work that the Progression and Awards Board has allowed the student to resubmit after failure on the first attempt, and comes in after the deadline set for the resubmission) will automatically receive a mark of zero.
We are keen to collect some feedback from students on how the system is working for you. Please take a few minutes to complete this short feedback form which will help us to make continued improvements to the system.
Thanks for your participation.
COVER SHEETS – University of Manchester Programmes and Spurgeon’s Award
Following some confusion about the phrase ‘recognized statement of learning need’ on the cover sheets, a revised cover sheet for Levels 4 and 5 can be found as a Word document here and one for Levels 6 and 7 here. Please use these from now on; you will not be penalised if you have already submitted work with the previous one.
The new cover sheet clarifies ‘recognized statement of learning need’ with the question Does the College have an assessment from an educational psychologist which was done after the age of 16 which confirms that you are dyslexic and/or dyspraxic?
The reason for this question is that such students (and only such students) are eligible for special assessment arrangements according to Disability Statement and Learning Support Guidelines . If you are not sure whether the College does have such an assessment, or would like to enquire about arranging one, please speak to Sally Marvin, our Learning Support Co-Ordinator (s.marvin@spurgeons.ac.uk)
