HE Student Charter

Introduction

Our Student Charter outlines the expectations from the British Academy of Jewellery (BAJ) and our HE students. We will expect all staff and students to contribute to a supportive learning environment and work in line with our values.

Our values

To achieve success as a student you need to fully engage with your course. You should participate in all timetabled sessions whether virtual or face-to-face, carry out self-directed and group study as needed, and organise yourself to make sure that you can meet all assessment deadlines.

We also recommend that you initiate and join student clubs and societies to meet friends, create networks, increase your skills and keep fit and well. 

We know that many students have to work or have family commitments, but we ask that you do your best to balance these to prioritise your study. Talk to your Tutor or Student Support if you need advice about this. 

If you’re a full-time student, you will need to study at least 21 hours each week and should not normally do more than 15 hours of paid work each week. If you’re a part-time student you should commit to the time you have set aside for your studies. 

By the end of your studies at BAJ we aim to ensure our graduates have academic and personal success by attaining the following attributes; resilience, academic and professional development, a global perspective, clarity of communication and purpose, information and skill expertise, intellectual autonomy and enquiry and adaptability.

Code of Conduct for students

• 1. As a student of BAJ, we expect you to behave in a responsible manner that allows us to foster a community of freedom and mutual respect. You are an ambassador of BAJ and as such we require you to help support the good relationships between BAJ and its local communities. We also have a duty to ensure that we meet your expectations and provide a community whose foundations are built on courtesy and consideration where difference is valued and diversity respected. Expectations are clearly outlined in your Student Charter. 
• 2. Misconduct is defined as behaviour whereby you damage BAJ’s reputation by any deliberate, negligent or reckless act or statement that enters the public domain. It also includes behaviour that is deemed to be violent, offensive and illegal which will encompass both acts against the person or property. Please visit baj.ac.uk/policies-procedures/ to view the HE Student Disciplinary Policy and Code of Conduct.
• 3. We may treat the following as misconduct:
  • (a) If you disrupt, or interfere with, our academic, administrative, social or other activities, whether on Academy premises or elsewhere such as during a work placement.
  • (b) If you obstruct or interfere with the work, duties or activities of any governor, student, member of staff or other employee or authorised visitor to any of BAJ campuses.
  • (c) If your behaviour is violent, indecent, disorderly, threatening or offensive, or if you use this kind of language while on our premises or while involved in any activity linked to the Academy. 
  • (d) If you act fraudulently, deceptively or dishonestly towards us or our staff or in connection with holding any office in BAJ or in relation to being our student. This will include details pertaining to qualifications and/or information provided during the Admission process.
  • (e) If you do anything which is likely to injure anyone or damage our premises and contravenes health and safety guidance such as fire evacuation procedures.
  • (f) If you harass any student, member of staff, employee or any visitor of any of BAJ campuses for any reason. 
  • (g) If you break our code of practice on the freedom of speech or any of our rules or regulations. Please visit baj.ac.uk/policies-procedures/ to view the HE Freedom of Speech and External Speakers Policy and Process. 
  • (h) If you are dishonest in any way when it comes to academic assessments and examinations.
  • (i) If you damage our property or the property of other members of the BAJ community, whether deliberately or recklessly. This includes taking property. 
  • (j) If you misuse our premises or items of property, including IT systems.
  • (k) If you take part in a criminal offence that:
    • (i) Takes place on our premises, or at an event we control.
    • (ii) Affects or concerns other members of our community. 
    • (iii) Damages our name.
    • (iv) Is treated as misconduct under the terms of this code, or 
    • (v) is one of dishonesty if you hold a responsible position in BAJ. 
    • (vi) If you do anything which affects our reputation.
    • (vii) If you fail to give your name and other relevant details to us if it is reasonable for us to ask for that information.
    • (viii) If you fail to display your BAJ ID badge at all times whilst on BAJ premises.
    • (ix) If you fail to keep to a previously imposed penalty under this code.
    • (x) If you use social media or electronic communication in any way that causes offence, is illegal and/or damages the reputation of the BAJ or its stakeholders.

1. Our standards

We aim to provide you with the best possible experience. To make sure we achieve this, we’ve set standards for the service you can expect from us. Please note our ethos of partnership working between students and academic and support staff remains unchanged.

We will:

• Treat you fairly with dignity, courtesy and respect.
• Respond to  your enquiry within five working days and update you regularly on progress. 
• Provide a private area where we can discuss any confidential enquiry. 
• Tell you how you can give us your views on the services we provide. 
• Arrange appointments at times we both agree on, and tell you in good time, wherever possible, if we cannot keep an appointment. 
• Do our best to sort out any problems as quickly as possible. 
• Treat you fairly with dignity, courtesy and respect. 
• Respond to with your enquiry within five working days and update you regularly on progress. 
• Provide a private area where we can discuss any confidential enquiry. 
• Tell you how you can give us your views on the services we provide. 
• Arrange appointments at times we both agree on, and tell you in good time, wherever possible, if we cannot keep an appointment. 
• Do our best to sort out any problems as quickly as possible. 

We have set standards for our staff but we also expect you to:

• Behave respectfully on Campus and within local communities. 
• Tell us if you have a disability, learning difficulty, health conditions or any other special circumstances that may impact your studies so we can discuss the relevant support you can access. 
• Tell us if you are unhappy with any of the aspect of the service you receive.
• Use all our communication systems, including social media, responsibly, professionally and in a way that will not damage your or the institution’s reputation.

Communicating with each other

We will:

• Make sure that when we communicate with you we are always clear, respectful and accurate. 
• Make sure there is a dedicated student service team who can answer all communications in timely manner during our published office hours.
• Provide access to our online services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether you’re on or off campus. 
• Meet you within ten minutes of agreed meeting times. 
• Adapt practices wherever possible to arrange virtual meetings if required.

We expect you to:

• Make sure that you’re always clear and respectful and include your student identification number (PICS) when you communicate with us. 
• Make sure that you keep your username and password for our systems secure – change your password regularly and never give it to anyone else. 
• Report any faults or problems as soon as you can, and give us as much detail as possible to help us find a solution. 
• Access all communication methods daily and reply where necessary to communication within five working days. 
• Meet us within ten minutes of agreed meeting times.

Our main ways of communicating with you

Email and postal

We will:

• Only send messages to your student email account that are to do with your student experience and academic journey. We therefore need you to ensure that you can receive these communications.
• At times we will contact you via post.

We expect to:

• Use your student email system and your student identification number when you contact us.
• Check your email account on a daily basis as this is our main way of keeping you informed.
• It is your responsibility to notify us of any changes in details or circumstances.

PICS for students starting in September 2023

Your grades and progress are recorded on PICS. We use PICS to check your personal and course details, as well as view your results. 

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Canvas

Our VLE is where you will access online information relating to your studies, including course and module guidance, documents and teaching notes as well as blogs, surveys, announcements and discussion boards.

We will:

• Provide access to our VLE.
• Make sure that online course material associated with a module/unit is available to you when you commence your course.
• Provide a range of learning and teaching approaches supported by a well-equipped learning environment and give you access to our VLE for every module/unit you register on.
• Make all appropriate information available on the VLE.

Starting/continuing your studies

We know starting a new course or a new academic year can be daunting. By following any instructions sent to you and contacting us if you have any questions, you will soon settle into your studies and Academy life.

We will:

• Welcome you and organise a programme of activities to help you prepare for your studies.
• Send you information on how to register and enrol for your course. This needs to be completed each academic year that you study with us.
• Give you access to your course information and other important documents, including this Student Charter (all HE Students), Assessment Regulations and the BAJ Rules, Regulations and Procedures for Students. These will all be located on the BAJ website: baj.ac.uk/policies-procedures/. All HE students will find details on how to access relevant policies and procedures in their course handbooks. Students must ensure that they are reviewing the appropriate regulations e.g. those students studying higher nationals will access Pearson’s regulations.

We expect you to:

• Attend induction and undertake enrolment prior to your first day and provide the documentation we ask for. 
• Start the course at the correct time – or tell us if you’re going to miss the start date for any reason. 
• Provide extra information as part of your registration when we ask you to do so. 
• Read any information we give you, including our regulations, to help prepare you for your studies.

2. Your academic development

We will provide you with a high-quality learning environment led by professional staff who have an active interest in your subject area and take part in academic activity, industrial updating and research. We will also provide an education that includes principles, values, and practices of protecting the environment for the future.

Due to COVID-19, we have had to amend and adapt some of our teaching and learning processes. In 23/24 our intention is to deliver a blended approach which is a combination of face-to-face and online learning. Additional training will be provided during induction and tutorial to enable you to adapt.

Learning and teaching

We know starting a new course or a new academic year can be daunting. By following any instructions sent to you and contacting us if you have any questions, you will soon settle into your studies and Academy life.

We will:

• Publish specific details of the hours of expected teaching and the amount of self-directed learning (studying, research and non- lecture-based activities) you will be expected to carry out for each module/unit.
• Tell you as quickly as possible if we have to move or cancel a class at short notice. 
• Only postpone or cancel classes in exceptional circumstances and make arrangements within seven working days to cover missed learning. 
• Use the most appropriate means for example email, phone, social media or classroom door, to tell you the time and location of any re-scheduled class. 
• Offer you alternative contact details if the person you’re trying to speak to is unavailable and how to contact them. 
• Provide, by the beginning of the first week of teaching, an up-to-date reading resource list for each of your modules/units. 
• Upload any resources at least 24 hours prior to a lecture or seminar and/or on a regular basis.

We expect you to:

• Take part in all activities that are part of your course including seminar tasks, online learning tasks, field trips, placements, group work and guest lectures. 
• Discussions and debates in class need to be approached in the same objective manner as your academic submissions. 
• Turn music players off during classes and use any personal computer, tablet or mobile phone only for class-related activities while in class. If you have a specific need, please advise your lecturers in advance. 
• Use our VLE and the other forms of technology we provide to help you with your studies in a professional manner which is in accordance with our student behaviour code of conduct. At the end of this document, you will see a good practice guide to learning and participating in sessions online. 
• Online sessions will be recorded to enable all of you to access them. This in no way infringes your right to privacy as these will only be used for educational purposes between BAJ and students. You should therefore not edit, adapt or in other way alter the content and share outside of the stated parameters and organisation. 
• Report any unavoidable absences as soon as possible. 
• Only take up employment that does not affect your studies or prevent you from going to classes.

Attendance

To make sure you and your fellow students get the most out of your course, we ask you to participate in all timetabled lectures, seminars and other activities that are part of your learning.

We will:

• Monitor your attendance (either online or face-to-face) at timetabled classes and contact you if you do not attend. 
• Start classes within two minutes of the scheduled time and teach for the full time of the class. It should be noted that due to COVID-19 we have had to introduce staggered start times which may impact the duration of some sessions. 
• Reserve the right to refuse entry to students who are more than fifteen minutes late for class.
• Address persistent lateness with you.

We expect you to:

• Attend every session that is part of your course and arrive on time. 
• Prepare well and arrive on time for classes and stay for the whole of the teaching session. 
• Not come into class if you’re more than fifteen minutes late unless you have made a prior arrangement with your lecturer and respect other students privacy if they are arriving after fifteen minutes. 
• Use the fifteen-minute late rule only when needed and not to turn up late regularly. 
• Not to take holidays during the academic term; that includes re-sit periods. 
• Details of dates can be found on Canvas (VLE).

Timetabling

We will:

• Give you access to your personal timetable two weeks before teaching starts if you’re a returning student unless unforeseen circumstances (e.g. COVID-19) require us to adapt practice to ensure safe study and working for the benefit of all. 
• Tell you if we have to make any changes to your timetable by emailing or writing to you. 
• Schedule all teaching activities between 9am and 9pm Monday to Friday, but wherever possible before 6pm (certain groups may be taught outside of these hours) Some specialist field trips/events/exhibitions may need to be scheduled at the weekend.

We expect you to:

• Make sure your timetable includes all the modules/units you should be studying. 
• Contact us if you have a question about your timetable or if something appears to be missing or incorrect. 
• Go to the classes listed on your timetable. 
• Contact us by the end of your first week of teaching if you want to change seminar or tutorial groups (where a choice of group is available). 
• Choose your optional modules/units when we ask you to if this is applicable to your course.

Assessment

We will:

• Provide, by the beginning of the first week of teaching, current module guidance with all the information you need for each module. 
• Provide by week four, module assessment type, the deadlines for these tasks, initial guidance, and the required format. In exceptional circumstances we may be required to further adapt your assignment (e.g. COVID-19). 
• Provide you with advice and information on how to submit an assignment, including but not limited to; good academic practice, ethics and conduct of research, late submission and extensions. 
• Use published assessment criteria and marking standards on all assignments to make sure marking is fair and consistent. 
• Ensure online systems, such as Turnitin, are available to students at least one week prior to any deadlines. 
• Give you feedback on all of your assignments within 20 working days of the assignment deadline, and within 30 working days in the case of your major project. 
• Give feedback for those with amended deadlines (i.e. those students with extensions and mitigations) within KU or awarding body regulations (e.g. Pearson for higher national provision). 
• Provide you with formative and summative feedback. 
• Publish a detailed exam timetable at least four weeks before your first examination. 
• Tell you when your results will be published on your PICS account or Canvas account. 
• Make sure that if you’re a student with a disability, learning difficulty or health condition we provide extra support as appropriate, if you have informed us and provided us with appropriate documentation (e.g. statement or medical note) of your needs prior to the assessment period.

We expect you to:

• Take part in all forms of assessment relating to your course. 
• Give proper consideration of ethical issues to strengthen your research, by familiarising yourself with our research ethical approval requirements and obtain ethical approval. 
• Make sure that you have understood all assessment information including deadlines, exam dates, and how you should present and hand in your assignments. 
• Be aware of the academic rules relating to your studies and complete all assessments in your own words, and keep to the guidance on good academic practice. 
• Understand academic integrity and use sessions and online resources available to keep to this. 
• Present your written work in a word-processed format and include all appropriate references correctly and hand in assignments in a plastic wallet. It should be noted that during COVID-19 adaptations, assessment submission is currently online. Clear details are provided on the BAJ website. 
• Arrive prepared for any assessment or examination at least ten minutes before the start time. This relates to both face-to-face and any virtual assessments and examinations. 
• If you arrive after the stated start time or unprepared you will be refused entry to an assessment (i.e. for presentations). Arriving late for other students, assessments is not acceptable, and you will need to wait until their assessment is over to enter the room. 
• Know you are allowed to enter up to fifteen minutes late for an exam or test, but no extra time will be given. 
• Use the feedback you receive on your work to improve in future assignments. 
• Submit any claim for mitigation within five working days of the assignment deadline or exam date. You can submit a claim for mitigation if you think your performance in any assessment was affected by unexpected circumstances. The limited number of unforeseen or unexpected circumstances for which you may claim mitigation are explained clearly in the awarding body Academic Regulations (e.g. KU or Pearson). 
• Retain your assignment submission receipt (hard copy or electronic) and copies of written work until your marks have been confirmed by the assessment panel or panels. 
• Please note Academic Regulations are reviewed on an annual basis and it is expected that you familiarise yourself with them each year.

3. Dignity and your environment

To make sure everyone’s experience is a positive one, we will:

• Provide a high-quality, challenging and stimulating experience.
• Challenge any unacceptable or disruptive behaviour in class. 
• Take action to support you if you report experiencing any form of disrespect, harassment, or bullying.

We expect you to:

• Actively take part in all aspects of your learning experience for the benefit of you and your fellow students. This is particularly important when you are engaged in group projects.
• Show respect at all times for fellow students, staff and members of our community whether in person or online. 
• Show respect for the environment and shared spaces by using litter bins and recycling facilities and only smoke, eat and drink in designated areas. 
• Arrive on time for classes and stay for the whole of the teaching session (arriving late or leaving early is unprofessional, impolite and disrespectful to other students and members of staff). 
• Wear your ID badge at all times, around your neck, where students and staff can see it. This ensures a safe, secure environment for all. If you fail to do this there will be disciplinary penalties.
• Respect individuality and diversity and have concern for the environment. 
• Abide by the safe working and learning adjustments we are required to introduce due to COVID-19. These are in place to protect students, staff and the wider community.

4. Supporting your learning experience

Academy Library and Learning Resource Centre (LRC)

BAJ students benefit from online databases of eBooks and electronic journals.

Other databases tailored to your degree course are provided by BAJ and links to these can be found in your library guide and module reading lists available from the left-hand menu bar in Canvas. To access these databases, you will need to use your BAJ login name and password when prompted.

We will:

• Provide 24-hour access to the digital library most of the time. 
• Have at least one copy of every item on your recommended reading list in stock. 
• Endeavour to make returned items available for borrowing within two hours when Library staff are on duty. 
• Provide advice and support through one-to-one or group sessions, self-help guides, online support and face-to-face contact. 
• Give five working days’ notice of any planned disruption to services.

We expect you to:

• Treat our staff with courtesy and respect. 
• Check BAJ’s website regularly for service information and updates. 
• Ask for help when you need it, by email, phone or in person. 
• Buy key texts where these are set out in module guidance. 
• Play your part in keeping the library tidy and clean. 
• Use and respect designated zones for the specified purpose only, and take care not to disturb others. 
• Return any items in good condition and by the deadlines set or fine will be incurred.

5. IT Support

Our Information Technology Services that you will use while studying with us are provided and maintained by Cardonet.

We will:

• Provide and maintain online services making them available 24 hours a day, seven days a week (except during planned maintenance and unexpected failure) including PICS, and Canvas.
• Provide computers for you to use, including Wi-Fi access to our online services and access to the internet. 
• Supply support for teaching and learning, including modern, high-quality audio-visual facilities, in our classrooms. 
• Announce any planned maintenance of our services via the VLE in good time and no less than five working days before beginning the work. 
• Deal with problems relating to these services, to ensure timely restoration of normal service.

We expect you to:

• Remember your username and password, keep it secure and change it regularly. 
• Report any issues you have with the Canvas VLE to your Course Leader. 

Student Support

For all students studying with BAJ in London and regional campuses, our Student Support Services offer information, advice, guidance and support for all welfare, pastoral and academic queries for all HE Students studying with BAJ. They also act as a referral service for external agencies such as Student Loans Company, and wellbeing services:

We will:

• Provide a welcoming, helpful, non-judgemental and professional service. 
• Offer guidance and support when applying for intermissions, mitigations and extensions. They will also advise you of any effects this will have on your finances and course. 
• Widely publicise up-to-date information about the range of advisory services we provide and the ways you can access these. 
• If needed, refer you to specialist in-house services or organisations outside our institution.

We expect you to:

• Treat our staff politely and with respect. 
• Provide us with all relevant information and documents we need to help us meet your needs or deal with your circumstances.
• Tell us as soon as possible if you have any personal requirements that we will need to make adjustments for. 
• Attend appointments you have arranged with us, or let us know beforehand if you’re not able to be there.

6. Your student voice

Feedback

We always welcome your views on the student experience that we provide and value your feedback, whether it’s good or bad. Tell us about small problems so we can deal with them before they become big problems. Please also let us know what you enjoy so we can do more of it.

There are a number of ways in which you can make your voice heard.

Course feedback

We are committed to providing you with an excellent experience and we use your feedback to influence the decisions we make.

We will:

• Give you regular opportunities to comment on your course. 
• Listen and respond to your feedback. 
• Involve you in the decision-making process.
• Provide you with actions taken following your feedback.

We expect you to:

• Provide feedback at any point and complete module/unit evaluation surveys. 
• Complete student experience surveys such as the National Student Survey (NSS) and Graduate Outcomes. 
• Use your student voice to help make policy and changes throughout your time with us.

Your course representatives (Student Representatives)

Every course has elected Student Representatives who make sure that your comments and any issues on your course are raised with your teaching staff. Their role is to represent the views of the group and support individuals by signposting where information and guidance can be found.

We will:

• Hold elections for your course representatives no later than teaching week four and meet the expectations agreed upon in the “Higher Education Course Representative Guide”.
• Provide relevant training which will allow Reps to support your cohort constructively and democratically.
• Help you to feedback and make improvements to your experience by supporting the Representation system.

We expect you to:

• Participate in all Student Rep elections.
• Know who your representatives are and give them feedback on your experience.
• If you are a Student Rep undertake the relevant training.
• Let us know about any issues you’re having using informal mechanisms first. If you have an issue you wish to raise in a more formal way, we have two procedures you can use. It is important you understand which procedure to use and speak to either the Student Officer or Student Support Team in applying these.

The Academic Appeals Procedure

If you think there was maladministration in the way an assessment was carried out, you should use the academic appeals process, as set out in the academic regulations, or approach the Student Officer or Student Support. All relevant documents for both KU and Pearson students can be found at baj.ac.uk/policies-procedures/.

Student Complaints Procedure

If you’re not satisfied with our facilities or services, or you want to complain about an individual, you should use our Student Complaints Procedure. The Student Complaints Procedure is published on our website and all relevant documents for students studying with BAJ can be found at baj.ac.uk/policies-procedures/. 

Complaints are handled in the following ways and must adhere to the process outlined below

1. Informal resolution.
2. Stage 1 complaint.
3. Stage 2 complaint submitted if dissatisfied with the outcome from Stage 1.
4. Resolution by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) when all internal procedures have been undertaken by the student.

We will:

• Take all concerns and complaints seriously and deal with them constructively, confidentially and with fairness and consistency.
• Provide advice and information on how procedures work, and encourage you to ask for help from the Student Officer.
• Not treat you differently from other students because you have been involved in any procedure.
• Keep to the deadlines in each procedure.
• Amend our practice if complaint trends are identified and share information with our governing body who will require action to be taken.

We expect you to:

• Be aware of our Rules, Regulations and Procedures for Students (KU) and the Higher Education Academic and Assessment Regulation Policy (Pearson).
• Be aware of and follow our codes of conduct for students.
• Try to sort out any problems with the person who is directly involved, or with the support of the Student Officer.
• Use the ways of giving us feedback explained earlier in the ‘feedback’ section before using the formal complaints procedure, and use the Student Complaints Procedure fully before trying to involve any outside organisations.
• Be reasonable in your response to any action we take to sort out the problem.
• Follow the line of communication as detailed in the student communication diagram.

Student Disciplinary Procedure

We can use our student discipline procedure if we have to take action against you because we believe that you have broken our codes of conduct or breached this Student Charter, this is available in the BAJ Rules, Regulations and Procedures available at baj.ac.uk/policies-procedures/.

Fees and other funding

We realise you will want to know what your tuition fees are and whether there are any other costs associated with your course. You will also want to know if there’s any other funding to help you.

We will:

• Publish our standard tuition fees on our website at least six months before the start of the academic year.
• Help you understand our tuition fees and bursaries and provide advice on how to apply for any other financial support you may be able to get throughout your course.
• Tell you about any extra costs, for example costs for course materials, at the start of your course (we will publish any other costs, such as library fines, photocopying costs and printing costs via our website).
• Acknowledge that we’ve received finance related questions within five working days.

We expect you to:

• Make all the financial arrangements you need with anyone who’s funding your course, such as your employer or the Student Loans Company, before your course starts and pay when due.
• Supply evidence that your course will be funded either by Student Finance, an employer, yourself or complete a Direct Debit mandate before commencement of your course.
• Tell us as soon as possible if you or whoever is funding your course is having problems paying your tuition fees or any other costs.
• Keep to any agreement you have made with us about paying your fees.
• Clear any debts you still owe prior to graduation or arrange a payment plan with our finance team, or you will be liable for referral to external debt collectors.

7. Completing your course

We will:

• Your final certificate and transcript will be posted to your home address, as set out on PICS within eight weeks of the relevant awards board as specified by the awarding body.
• For HN students, post your final certificate to your home address, as set out on ProMonitor, within five working days of receiving them from the accrediting body.

We expect you to:

• Make sure your home address on PICS is correct before you finish your course.
• Keep in touch. You’re now a valued, lifelong member of our Alumni Network. Make sure we have your preferred email address so we can stay in touch.

Keeping our promises to you

We consult with our students and staff when we write our Student Charter and we review it every two years. We would like to know what you think of our Charter, how we’re doing in keeping our promises, or if we could be clearer about our expectations.

If you have any suggestions or would like to comment on the Charter please contact us: HEStudentServices@baj.ac.uk.

8. Best practice for online learning

We would ask all students to view the “Best Practice for Online Delivery” guide (available on our website and via Canvas) that outlines good practice and behaviour expected of everyone when using online learning tools and classrooms. 

Inappropriate behaviour and conduct will be addressed in the same way as any incident that would take place in any classroom in a face-to-face delivery situation.