Rights

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Rights ResponsibilitiesAcademic Services
Division
Sam Kingston Academic Services Officer Theresa
Pollard Academic Services Officer
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Academic Appeals and ComplaintsAcademic
Services Division
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Process and Responsibilities for Students

• Submit form to Governance and Logistics
• 30 days after receiving notification of decision
• Students Union Education Worker

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Process and Responsibilities for Students

• When can a student appeal?
• If their taught course has been terminated
• If they are unhappy with conditions imposed on
  their academic progression
• If they believe their degree classification is
  incorrect
• If they have not been awarded a qualification for
  which they registered

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Process and Responsibilities for Students
Grounds for an appeal Procedural
irregularity Error in calculating or recording
marks Manifestly unreasonable decision Evidence
of prejudice or bias on part of one or more
examiners NOT extenuating circumstances
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Process and Responsibilities for Governance and
Logistics
What happens when a student submits an
appeal? Initial screening School response
requested Students case and School response sent
to a Vice-Dean for consideration Hearing
recommended or application rejected
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Process and Responsibilities for Governance and
Logistics

• What happens at a hearing?
• 3 member Panel
• Student and School present their case
• Panel make decision
• Decision communicated to Student and School by
  post within 2 working days

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Process and Responsibilities for Governance and
Logistics
What next steps are available to dissatisfied
students? Review by Director of Academic
Services OIA
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Process and Responsibilities for Schools

• Inform students of process
• Respond to appeal in 10 days
• Hearing

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Complaints Procedure

• There are 5 steps in the Student complaints
  procedures
• Level 1 Attempt a resolution with the person
  directly concerned
• Level 2 Head of School/Service review
• Level 3 Review by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor
• Level 4 Office of the Independent Adjudicator

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Further informationwww.nottingham.ac.uk/quality
-manual/appeals/appeals.htmwww.nottingham.ac.uk/
quality-manual/appeals/complaints.htmwww.oiahe.o
rg.uk/
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Data ProtectionGovernance and Logistics
Team Academic Services Division
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The Data Protection Act 1998

• The Data Protection Act provides for the rights
  of individuals and the responsibilities of
  organisations in the handling of personal data.

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What is personal data?

• Relating to a living individual who can be
  identified from the data,
• or from the data and other information which is
  in the possession of, or is likely to come into
  the possession of the data controller.
• It includes any expression of opinion about the
  individual and any indication of the intentions
  of the data controller or any person in respect
  of the individual.

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Definitions in the Data Protection Act

• Data Subject
• the person who is the subject of the personal
  data
• Data Controller
• a legal person who determines the purposes for
  which, and the manner in which, any personal data
  are, or are to be, processed

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Definitions in the Data Protection Act

• Processing
• Obtaining, recording or holding the information
  or data or carrying out any operation or set of
  operations on the information or data including
• Organisation, adaptation or alteration of the
  information or data,
• Retrieval, consultation or use of the information
  or data by transmission, dissemination or
  otherwise making available, or
• Alignment, combination, blocking, erasure or
  destruction of the information or data
• Disclosure
• Allowing a third party to have access to personal
  data

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Eight principles of data processing

• Personal data must be
• Fairly and lawfully processed
• Processed for limited purposes
• Adequate, relevant, and not excessive
• Accurate and up to date
• Not kept longer than is necessary
• Processed in line with the rights of data
  subjects
• Secure
• Not transferred to other countries without
  adequate protection

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Sensitive personal data

• The racial or ethnic origin of the data subject
• Their political opinions
• Their religious beliefs or other beliefs of a
  similar nature
• Whether they are a member of a trade union
• Their physical or mental health or condition
• Their sexual life
• The commission or alleged commission of any
  offence, or
• Any proceedings for any offence committed or
  alleged to have been committed by them, the
  disposal of such proceedings or the sentence of
  any court in such proceedings

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Implications for the University

• All members of the University who handle
  personal information in either electronic or
  manual form are responsible for ensuring personal
  data is handled within the terms of the Data
  Protection Act.

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Requests for personal data

• Known as Subject Access Requests
• Right to all own personal data
• Individual must give proof of identity
• University allowed to charge 10 under the Act
• Have 40 calendar days from receiving request to
  reply

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Freedom of InformationAcademic Services Division
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Freedom of Information Act 2000

• The Freedom of Information Act gives the public a
  general right of access to information held by
  the University.
• The three main objectives under the Act are to
• Confirm or deny whether information held
• Communicate the information on request either
  through our Publication Scheme (see ours at
  http//www.nottingham.ac.uk/asd/FOIpublicationsche
  me.htm) or by responding to individual requests
• To advise and assist enquirers as to how to
  access information

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Requirements of a Freedom of Information
request

• A valid request must
• Be in writing (includes e-mail)
• Legible
• Identify the applicants name address/e-mail
  address
• Clearly describe the information requested
• Requests can be made to any member of the
  University, to any postal or e-mail address, at
  any time.
• IMPORTANT The applicant is not obliged to tell
  you that the request is being made under the
  terms of the Act and they are not obliged to say
  why they want the information.

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Responding to Freedom of Information requests

• Q. What do I do if I receive a request for
  information?
• If the request is for information which you
  would routinely provide, the information can be
  given as normal.
• What if the request mentions the Freedom of
  Information Act or is for information we wouldnt
  normally provide?
• If you are unsure about how to respond to a
  request for information, contact the Governance
  and Logistics Team for advice.

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Responding to Freedom of Information requests

• Freedom of Information requests must be responded
  to promptly and within 20 working days. The
  period starts the day after the request is
  received by the University.
• (Can charge for providing information in some
  circumstances, for example where a large amount
  of photocopying would be involved.)

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When NOT to disclose information

• The Act contains 24 exemptions, including
• -Information accessible by other means (s.21)
• -Personal data (s.40)
• -Prejudicing commercial interests of one or more
  parties (s.43)
• Contact Governance and Logistics for advice on
  applying exemptions in detail.
• The University can also refuse to provide
  information if dealing with the request would
  exceed the Appropriate Limit (defined as 18 hours
  of work.)

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Further Information

• University of Nottingham
• Data Protection
• http//www.nottingham.ac.uk/asd/Data20protection.
  htm.
• Freedom of Information
• http//www.nottingham.ac.uk/asd/FreedomofInformati
  on.htm.
• Information Commissioners
• Information Commissioners Website
• http//www.ico.gov.uk

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Questions?
Contacts Samantha Kingston Samantha.kingston_at_no
ttingham.ac.uk Theresa Pollard theresa.pollard_at_no
ttingham.ac.uk Data Protection
data-protection_at_nottingham.ac.uk Freedom of
Information freedom-of-information_at_nottingham.ac.
uk