Frequently asked questions

For specific questions about a module contact the module convenor or tutor, who is listed on the module description webpage.

Your academic Supervisor will be able to help you with any general queries or concerns.

Contact details for all staff in the Department can on their individual profiles in our staff pages. In addition, a list of staff surgery hours and be found on our staff availability page.

Your supervisor is the person who looks after you pastorally for the full length of your degree.

Lecturers, who may be part-time or sessional, teach you for the length of a module.

You may feel as if you are doing the teaching of two full degrees, in terms of contact hours, rather than two halves. The level of assessment in the other department may well be less than that for single subject students in that department. You will also have a supervisor in each department.

Electronic copies are available to download from the page below:

• Handbook, forms, and documents.

These are collections of photocopies of reading materials that the module convenor feels are essential for the study of that particular module. Not every module convenor has a photocopy pack produced. You will be advised by email if there is a photocopy pack available for the modules you are studying and how much the pack costs.

Website

Frequent updates are made to the web pages for current students. Particularly check the links for Handbooks, Forms and Documents:

• Information for current undergraduates

Pigeonholes

Pigeonholes are located in our reception area. These will be used for some Departmental communications and the return of work. You will also need to check your college pigeonholes where other University communications and your external post will be delivered.

Feedback on assessment

There is a separate leaflet rack in our reception area which will be used to return feedback on assessments. This is only available for two weeks from the time that your tutor emails you that it is ready and then it is destroyed – so do remember to collect it!

Email

Email must be checked every day (eg Lecture cancellations). It can be checked off-campus online or, if you prefer, it can be redirected from your University account  to your personal email account.

• York webmail
• My IT account from IT Services

It would help the department if students modified their photograph viewing permissions. This is just for identification purposes. Please give consent for departmental staff to view your photograph by ticking the box indicating "All staff in my department(s)".

• Manage your university photograph

e:Vision is a secure online portal shows all the data related to you which is held on within the University data systems. You can use it to see what modules you are registerered for and (eventually) your module results.

• SITS e:Vision portal

It is your responsibility to keep all your contact details up to date.  It is important that you do this for all addresses provided in your Registration Document. No one else will change these details, and it is vital that they are up to date so that you are contactable. In particular, please ensure that your mobile telephone number is current.

You can use the following link to update your contact details:

• SITS e:Vision

Yes. This is a simple process. You should discuss it with your supervisor and then see Rachel O'Brien (rachel.obrien@york.ac.uk) in the General Office to get the form processed.

Please refer to the Student Representation section of your handbook. Your cohort will need a representative. If you would be interested, let Rachel O'Brien know.

Whether “hidden” or otherwise, if you have previously had help in another academic institution, please contact Rachel O'Brien.

 

Equally, if you become immobile or unable to study in the normal way during your degree, even if it is not going to be permanent, also contact Rachel O'Brien.

The E-Lab can be found in room V/B/023 which is situated off the covered walkway that links Market Square (where Nisa is) and the lake.

If you do not have the access code, please contact Rachel O'Brien (rachel.obrien@york.ac.uk). 

For security purposes, it is important that you do not give your access to anyone else. Unfortunately, anyone found doing so will have to be barred from using the facility.

Other than when it is booked out for teaching purposes, you can use the E-Lab at any time.

However, because you can use this facility outside normal working hours, please read the Sheet entitled “Student Responsibilities” on the noticeboard. These regulations have been put in place for your personal security.

Only members of our Department and the Centre for English Language Teaching can use this facility. 

If you are aware of other people using the E-Lab, please let Rachel O'Brien know.

To verify what modules you are enrolled in, check on e:Vision. Also check your route code.

• SITS e:Vision

If you need to change a module, complete the module change and withdrawal form. This form is accessible from the leaflet rack in the reception area or online.

These forms should be completed before the end of week three of the term in which the module is taught. It is unlikely you will need to do this in your first year, but may be necessary for subsequent years.

• Handbook, forms, and documents

Your route code is used to identify your programme of study. This replaces the UCAS code (eg Q302) which you have used to refer to your degree program so far.

Single subject

• UB
  The first two letters indicate you are an undergraduate studying a BA degree
• ELA (or other letters)
  The next three letters represent your degree. The options include:
  • LIN
    Linguistics
  • ELA
    English language
  • FRE
    French language
  • GER
    German language
  • SPA
    Spanish language
  • FGR
    French and German languages
  • FSP
    French and Spanish languages
• S
  The sixth letter indicates a single subject degree
• LIN
  The seventh through ninth letters indicate that you are studying in the Department of Linguistics
• 3 or 4
  Finally, the numeral at the end indicates a degree length of either three or four years

Combined subject

• UB
  Undergraduate studying a BA degree
• ENG
  Where the next letter is a W this is the major degree
• A  or W
  An A indicates an equal degree. A W indicates a major/minor degree.
• LIN
  The previous letter is a W this is the minor degree
• 3 or 4
  Degree length of either three or four years

Subjects

• ENG
  English and Related Literature
• PHI
  Philosophy
• HIS
  History
• MAT
  Mathematics

You can access your timetable through e:Vision. After logging in, you will find a link that says "Timetable"; this will take you directly to your personalised timetable.

• SITS e:Vision
  

Please refer to the section on ‘Attendance at and Absence from teaching’ in your Handbook.

As soon as is possible, email the Lecturer/Tutor for the teaching session you missed and copy your Supervisor and rachel.obrien@york.ac.uk into the email. Get notes from Lecturer/Tutor at beginning of the next class.

You must report your sickness by email to the lecturer/tutor for the module(s) you are missing teaching. Also copy in your supervisor and register your illness through your e:Vision account.

Please see the guidance on sickness self-certification here.

Special needs

If you have any special needs, whether permanent or temporary, please see Rachel O'Brien about them as soon as you are aware that they could affect an assessment. The earlier you do this, the more the Department can help you in your studies.

Overseas students

If you are an overseas student, you must attend the training session put on by the Examinations Office in Week 10.

Identification

You must take your University Card or one of the following forms of photo ID to all closed examinations. Please be aware that failure to do so could result in a mark of zero for that exam.

• University card
• passport
• photo driving licence
• EC ID card

Saturday examinations

Be prepared for examinations taking place on Saturdays.

• Information for students
  from the Examinations and Graduation Office 

University Ordinances and Regulations state the following:

5.3.2 Closed examinations

Attendance at all University closed examinations (and collection times for open examinations) is compulsory and any candidate who fails to present himself/herself for an examination at the time and place published by the Registrar and Secretary, except when prevented from doing so by illness or other good cause, will be deemed to have failed in that part of the assessment. Misreading of the examination time-table will not be regarded as 'good cause'.

 

If you do not fulfil the criteria for attendance and/or fail any examination you will not be able to progress to your second year. This has happened to students in this department in recent years.

Exams take place in Week 1 of Term 2, and in Weeks 5-7 of Term 3. In addition, resit week is in the middle of August. This is important for progression to the second year, so you will need to be available in York. You must therefore be on campus for Monday of Week 1 of each term.

This is usually the third week of August. You must make sure that you are in York for that week. The consequences of not attending a resit examination have permanent damaging effects on your final degree, and may result in your not being able to progress to the next year. 

Students have failed exams because they were travelling back, not been able to travel back to York in August or said that they did not know. In all these cases they failed the module. The consequences of failing a module are set out in your Handbook.

If you fail a module in some cases it can be compensated by your other module marks otherwise you will have to be reassessed. If you are not eligible for compensation or you fail the reassessment and this occurs before your final year, you will be sent down from the University.

No, dictionaries are not permitted in any examination.

Please refer to the sections on Academic Integrity and Academic Misconduct in your handbook. See also the University’s Academic Intergirity training website.

It is a University requirement that all first year undergraduate students take a course in academic intergrity. This will equip you to avoid inadvertently plagiarising in any assessments (coursework, essays and exams). All students must successfully complete the training in order to progress beyond the first year of their degree. You will be directed how and when to take the training module during the first year.

• The fire alarms are tested weekly in every building – make sure you know what they sound like
• Practice evacuation drills take place at least annually for every building
• If you discover a fire just get out and collect at the designated assembly point, far enough away to be safe from flying debris
• Do not attempt to use fire extinguishers unless you have had University training
• Make sure you know primary and secondary escape routes for the area you are in
• Make sure you know the location of assembly point for the area you are in
• Please report fire hazards
• Fire risk assessments are revisited annually

If there is an accident or ‘near miss’ you must report it. If in doubt see Rachel O'Brien.

1. Your supervisor
   If you do not feel totally comfortable with your supervisor, email Rachel O'Brien asking to change.
2. The Open Door Team
   https://www.york.ac.uk/students/health/help/
   student-hub@york.ac.uk
3. Marianne McNeill, Acting Department Manager - (marianne.mcneill@york.ac.uk) – will also be happy to help in any way she can.
4. Other people, including:
   • The Junior Common Room
   • Porters
   • College secretary
   • Provost to your college