Student Experience FAQS

Information and resources for your academic journey at Swansea University

Academic Life - Swansea University

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Join your Students' Union for 2 weeks of making memories that will last a lifetime. We’ve got festivals, parties, and beach trips to ensure you start University the way you mean to go on.

Click here for the full freshers week events!

During the Freshers Fayre, there will be a number of talks given by Campus Life. Please see the timetable below:

Wednesday 28th September 2022 & Thursday 29th September 2022

The University term is now underway, but we recognise that some students are still continuing to arrive with us in Swansea.

Please be aware that if you do not enrol online and start your taught content after teaching has begun, you will be required to catch up with any missed content via Canvas. Please also make use of the lecturer’s office hours, including those of your Academic Mentor to help you settle into the department.

Swansea University permits late enrolment up until a specified date. If you have not completed the online enrolment process before this date, there is no guarantee that the Faculty will allow enrolment. Each application for late enrolment is considered on a case by case basis.

If you cannot arrive before the above date, you may need to defer your studies until the next academic year. To discuss the options that may be available to you, please contact the Student Experience team at Studentsupport-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk

If you require advice or guidance with your visa, please contact myunihub@swansea.ac.uk

For more details of the process for late enrolment, please visit the following webpage - Enrolment and Induction - Swansea University

Enrolment deadline is by the first day of teaching. Enrolment may be extended up to two weeks after that. 

After the extended enrolment period a student needs to submit a permission to enrol form and if they have not enrolled four weeks after the start of teaching then they will be withdrawn.’

When you start the course, during your first few weeks, you will be allocated an academic mentor who will be your point of contact from your programme team. Your academic mentor will arrange meetings with you, either individually, or in a group on a regular basis. They will be accessible via email and in person. It is important that you keep in touch with your academic mentor, as they will be able to support you with a range of queries throughout your studies including; sign posting to pastoral support, academic guidance, references, guidance on placements and employability and much more. If you are unsure who your academic mentor is, please email Studentexperience-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk for information.

How do I access my timetable?

The Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science use three timetabling systems- Celcat and Publish and Open Timetable

Information on your timetables can be found via this link

You can also get a calendar link/subscription feed from CELCAT, which can be synchronised to your mobile phone or other electronic device - please visit CelCat timetabler.   

If you would like to access your course timetable via a feed to the calendar facility on your smart-phone and/or tablet, please follow the instructions below:

• You will need to visit CelCat timetabler  
• Start typing in the Group name e.g. “Nursing (S20) SU Adult”
• Once the group you want is displayed click on it to select it and then click the button “Add Group”
• Then click “Get Feed” button and a box will appear with your calendar feed URL
• Copy or make a note of this URL as you will need it to add the feed to your device.
• For instructions on configuring your device, please click here.

You will be taught in an asynchronous way which means that you will have some online taught content (which will include live online Zoom sessions, pre-recorded sessions, narrated powerpoint and Sway sessions, online drop in sessions, online group work etc.

With regards to onsite teaching, there will be a requirement for students who are enrolled on a professional programme to complete clinical skills sessions onsite to ensure that you have the necessary training before you go out on your placements. For traditional programmes there might be an opportunity for some face to face teaching later on in the academic year but this will be dependant on the guidance that we are receiving from the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales. This will all be clarified within your timetable, which you will access at the start of each Semester. Please ensure that you check this to see how you will be taught and if you have any queries about your timetable, please contact Studentsupport-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk

Students in the Department of Psychology:

The Psychology timetable can be accessed via Publish. To log into this system, you will need to know your Swansea University username and password, and once you have successfully logged into the system, you should be able to view your personal timetable. If you have any queries regarding the use of Publish then please contact the Resources, Organisation and Management team at Studentsupport-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk

There are no specific dates set for the release of new timetables, but it is likely that they will be released in late September. Once the timetables are finalised, they will be released via Publish.

All students have access to an Assessment planner. This can be found on the relevant programme Hub on Canvas. There are tabs for each cohort (I.e. S20 Psychology). You should familiaise yourself with this planner for all upcoming assessments throughout the academic year. All scheduled assessments will be published on this planner (I.e. presentations, assignment submissions, OSCES, exams).

If you are studying on a Psychology or Public Health programme, for exams that are taking place during the January or May-June assessment period, these dates/times and locations will be published by the exams office. You will see the period that these exams will take place in on the assessment planner, but your specific exam dates will be published on your student intranet account ahead of this. Please contact Assessment-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk for any queries relating to this.

You can contact the assessments team on their live chat if you have any assessments related queries:

This will depend on your programme of study. For all Psychology and Public Health, Policy and Social Sciences students, your exam timetable will be prepared by the central exams office and released to students ahead of the examination period. You can access this via your student Intranet account.

If you are studying in the Nursing department or the department of Interprofessional Health Studies then your examination dates will be included in the assessment planner that is accessible on Canvas under your course hub. This is prepared and updated by the Assessments, Progression and Awards team.

The School of Health and Social Care have a zero-tolerance policy for late work, so unfortunately, if you submit your work late without having an approved extension or deferral, you will be awarded a mark of zero. The Assessments team will be in contact with specific dates for any presentations, practical assessments or exams that are organised by the School.

If you have extenuating circumstances, please take a look at the short video below explaining the School's extenuation process. You can view the School extenuation policy on Canvas, as well as all FAQS about extenuation. You can also view the University policy here: https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/academic-life/academic-regulations/aqs-policies/policy-on-extenuating-circumstances/

 You can apply for an extension of up to 7 days from the original assessment date, or, for a deferral to the second submission date (uncapped) on any assessments (including exams, OSCEs, presentations and coursework).

To apply for an extension or a deferral, please download the request form from the Canvas Hub mentioned above and email this to Extenuation-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk no later than 7 days after the original assessment date, or before the assessment is due. You will require evidence to apply for extenuation, contact the team if you need more guidance on this.

The School has two different attendance systems, due to the different programmes that are taught across the College.

Psychology, UG and PG Public Health, Osteopathy, Certificate in Maternity Care:

 It is important that you ensure you are attending all taught sessions. These may be online or in person, but you still need to ensure that you are engaging with the taught content. When on campus, make sure that you are swiping your student card at the start of all lectures.

Your attendance is monitored and if the School are concerned about your attendance, or notice that you have not attended within a 2-week period, you will be escalated. In some cases, this can lead to withdrawal from the programme. The Student Experience team will get in touch to discuss this and to check that everything is ok. If you cannot attend sessions due to illness, or have genuine reasons for any absences, it is important to make the School aware. The student experience team cannot authorise absences, but if an absence is going to be over 2 weeks, let us know. We would require your consent to record this information. Please email Studentsupport-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk if you have any concerns about attendance and want to discuss how the School can support you to be able to attend.
You can also watch the short video on the School hub on ‘The Attendance Swipe System’. 

Nursing, Midwifery, Paramedics, EMT, Social Work, Healthcare Sciences:

If you are on a commissioned programme (listed above), your programme has a requirement for you to complete a certain number of hours in order to allow you to qualify at the end of your course. This specific requirement can be found in your Programme Handbook (available on your Canvas Programme Hub). You must attend both the taught and practical components of your programme.  If you are unable to attend any session (taught or placement), you need to make the placements team aware by emailing Placement-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk and completing an absence form. They can then ensure that your record is updated with your consent. You can view your absence report by logging into the student intranet and viewing your absence report. If you notice any discrepancies, please let the Student Experience team know.

If you misplace you student ID card then you will need to replace this as soon as possible to allow you to continue swiping into all lectures. To replace your ID card you will need to visit the customer service team who are based in the Library. There is a £5 replacement fee for any lost cards.

If you are studying on one of the commissioned programmes, you will need to sign a register for every taught session that you attend, as well as swiping your student card. The registers need to be returned to the Student Experience team in Glyndwr 150 at the end of each week. If registers are not returned, then you will receive absences. It is therefore important to nominate someone to do this (a subject rep usually). You will also need to collect your registers from the same office.

It is important that you swipe your student card, as we can then cross check this against the registers if there are discrepancies.  If you are in receipt of a HEIW bursary, you are required to have no more than 60 days absence, otherwise you will be automatically suspended until the next cohort returns.

Whilst on clinical placement, you will need to complete a timesheet. This again ensures that your hours are properly recorded and needs to be returned to the Placement-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk team to process.

You will have scheduled Listening Forums throughout the academic year, this will be an opportunity for you to feedback to your Programme Team.

Every year the University runs Student Experience Surveys in order to gather your feedback on your University experience and how this can be improved.

We use your feedback to help develop courses and facilities at Swansea and improve the student experience. Each School creates an action plan of changes to make from student’s feedback.

We run Student-Staff forums throughout the year, which reps are invite to and we co-chair these with your School Reps

To ensure we make valuable changes at Swansea University, we need to hear your views.

We want to hear from you. The student voice is important to the School and we work in partnership with our Subject and School reps daily. We have managed to make many changes based on student feedback over the last few years. Make sure that you find out who your subject rep is by visiting Canvas Hub. You can always contact your School reps with any issues that you wish to raise. If you are interested in becoming a subject rep, you can email the Studentexperience-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk and we can advise you about the process.

The Student Rep system is a partnership between the Students’ Union and University.

Every year, over 400 Student Reps are elected to work closely with the Students’ Union Education Officer to ensure that students interests, voices and opinions are represented across the University.

It is a Rep’s job to listen, collate and communicate the views of the students in their cohorts. Reps work with the University to take active ownership of the learning experience, provide constructive feedback and help make a different to how their courses and departments are run. This enables students to take a more active role in their learning experience and makes sure Swansea University continues to be an amazing place to study.

Reps can also participate in campaigns run by the Students’ Union Education Officer or run their own campaign to make a positive impact on their School and University.

You will also be asked to attend the School Student-Staff Forum. This takes place on a termly basis and this meeting gives all reps the opportunity to provide feedback to the School. This is co-chaired by the School reps.

You can find out more about the Student Rep system and how you can get involved by visiting the Students’ Union website.

Unitu is YOUR student voice platform. It’s a safe online space where students, Reps and staff can collectively raise, discuss and resolve both academic and more general experience issues, give praise, ask questions or post constructive feedback anonymously.

It allows the University to respond to and act on feedback in real time to ensure you have the best possible student experience with us here at Swansea.

You will automatically get acccess via your student number once you have enrolled, then dead over to the Unitu website to activate your account and start interacting with the platform.

You can even download Unitu to your personal devices, making it quick and easy for you to give your feedback or praise in real time?

Download from the Apple App Store or Get it on Google Play

All taught modules will provide you with the opportunity to provide feedback on your learning experience. There will be a mid-module evaluation for most taught modules, in addition to an ‘end of module’ evaluation. You can access this via your Canvas home page. We would encourage students to provide feedback that will help to improve the contents of that module.

If you undertake clinical placements as part of your programme, you will be sent a placement evaluation (which is anonymous) electronically at the end of each placement. It is important to complete this, as this helps the School to ensure that placements are effective and to take student feedback on board.

All T&C’s & FAQS relating to the NHS Bursaries for Commissioned programmes can be found on your Canvas Hub within ‘NHS Bursary & Travel Information’. You can also email bursary-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk if you have any queries about payments (relating only to HEIW funded commissioned programmes – Healthcare Sciences, Nursing, Midwifery, Paramedic Science, Occupational Therapy, Operating Dpt. Practitioner, MSc Nursing, Physician Associates & GEM).

If you are studying on one of the following programmes; Nursing, Paramedic Science, Midwifery, Healthcare Sciences, MOsteopathy- you will be able to access your placement information via your student intranet. When you login (here), you can view your placement details. This will be updated approximately 4 weeks before your placement. The placements team work to this timeline, but there are sometimes cases outside of their control which mean that you will not have your placement details until closer to the start date.

If you are studying on one of the programmes above, your timetables are available via Celcat. You will be able to access your group timetable and your placement blocks/days will be available on Celcat. You can also view the ‘Year Planner’ for your programme and cohort, which is available on your programme hub on Canvas. 

You will need to contact your placement provider. The details will be available on your intranet and they will arrange this specifically with you.

You will need to complete a timesheet, available for your programme on your programme Hub on Canvas. This needs to be completed and signed by yourself and your placement mentor. You must submit this at the end of each placement block to Placement-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk 

If any days are missed during placement, you need to contact your placement area, as well as to notify them of this absence. This will be added to your absence report, which you can view via the student intranet.

If you are on a commissioned programme and in receipt of a HEIW bursary, you are entitled to excess travel expenses that cover your travel from your term time address to your placement area. ‘Excess’ relates to the difference between your normal daily commute to University compared with your normal daily commute whilst on placement. This is only if you have not received placement accommodation for the duration of your placement. You must keep all receipts of travel and submit this, along with your timesheets to Placement-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk  at the end of each placement block. This is then submitted to the finance team, who will process this.

If you are on a commissioned programme and you are in receipt of a HEIW bursary, if your placement is over 60 minutes away, you are entitled to placement accommodation. The placements team can arrange this for you. The application form can be found on the Canvas Hub (within placements information). It is important that you complete all information on this, as we will then place you as appropriately as possible. Alternatively, you can source your own accommodation and pay for this up front. You would then be able to reclaim the money at the end of the placement. Again, you would need to keep all receipts and submit this, along with your timesheet to the placements team. This will then be passed onto the Finance team to process. The accommodation can cost can be no more than £65 per night in line with the terms and conditions (subject to review for the 22/23 academic year).

If you are a Nursing student, Midwifery students or HealthCare Science student, then you will be provided with three sets of uniforms when you arrive at Swansea University. These uniforms will cover your time at Swansea University.

If your uniform no longer fits then you can purchase a new set by contacting  Placement-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk There is a charge of £10 per item.

Canvas is Swansea University’s digital learning platform where all lecture notes and reading materials are available. Programme or School specific information may also be released via Canvas, so it is important that you familiarise yourself with this platform at the start of your studies.

Assessments will often need to be submitted via a Turnitin portal which can be access via Canvas. The Assessments, Progression and Awards team will be on hand to guide you through the submission process ahead of your first deadline.

You access Canvas via the following link: https://canvas.swansea.ac.uk/

Note that Swansea University purchased Canvas in 2020, so this is a relatively new system for both staff and students. Prior to Canvas, the University were using Blackboard, so if you hear any reference to Blackboard, please remember that this is now Canvas!

If there is a problem with your Canvas account please contact the Student Experience Team at Studentexperience-medicinehealthlifescience@swansea.ac.uk

Guidance on connecting to Eduroam can be found here.

If you require further assistance, please visit the helpdesk in the Library.

Depending on the programme that you are studying on, there will different software packages that you will need to access. These include;

– SPSS, Endnote, Zoom, SafeMedicate. Your programme will make you aware of any specific software that you need access to (if you are off campus) and the College IT team will be able to support you with any queries that you have. Please visit the University website and the ISS help desk, which can be accessed via the University website for specific IT related queries.

Once enrolled, all students with a Swansea University account will have a Microsoft Office Package and therefore, you do not need to buy this as you will have access. For guidance on how to access this, please visit the website here:

https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/it-services/

All lecture notes and additional reading material can be found on Canvas.

Students are expected to view lecture, workshop or seminar materials before and after all timetabled sessions. These resources are designed to inform the learning process.

Lecture notes should be available on Canvas at least 24 hours before the scheduled session. However, sometimes this is not always possible due to the material that is being delivered, and the strict copyright regulations that we must abide by. If for any reason specific course content cannot be uploaded to Canvas, your lecturer will notify you of this and offer you an alternative way to view the content.

The School handbook can be found on canvas HUB. This is where you can find information for all School students, including an outline of the support that is available to you and an overview of the policies and procedures that must be adhered.

Programme-specific handbooks can be found on Canvas under your dedicated programme hub. This includes information that is relevant to your programme of study.

Most communication that is released by the School will be sent to you via your student email account. Your email address will include your six or seven digit student number, for example 123456@swansea.ac.uk.

Please ensure that you check your student email account daily so that you do not miss any key information.