While the University has had a procedure in place to assist students whose progress may be impacted by adverse circumstances, applications have increased significantly in recent years, leading to a growing administrative burden on staff.  A lack of standardisation across Schools also resulted in an inconsistent experience for students, at what could already be a stressful time for them.

In collaboration with colleagues in Education and Student Services who are implementing a new exceptional circumstances procedure and Assessment Support Hub for students, the Digital Transformation Team has developed digital processes to simplify how students can apply for adjustments and mitigations.  Following a pilot by four Schools earlier this year, the new processes for exceptional circumstances and ISSA-related adjustments are being launched across the University in September 2023.  As well as streamlining tasks for staff and students, the new system will provide a central location for handling requests, allowing students to easily upload any evidence and see the status of their application.

The new Exceptional Circumstances processes have been launched along with the Assessment Support Hub, developed by Education and Student Services.  The Assessment Support Hub is a one-stop-shop for information and support for assessments at Queen's, developed following a comprehensive review of how we support students experiencing difficulties, led by Jenny Brown (Quality Assurance and Regulations Manager).  

The new processes launch on 18 September 2023.