Contents

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This section includes general terms that apply to BU registered students. Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of this student agreement also apply to BU registered students, including students studying BU franchised programmes at Partner Colleges.

9. BU and student obligations

9.1When you start your studies at BU, you will become part of a diverse community of students and staff from a wide range of backgrounds. We are committed to developing an inclusive environment, where all who study and work at BU are treated with dignity and respect and are given the opportunity to achieve their potential irrespective of their background and we expect all students to behave in a manner that supports this. Bullying, harassment or victimisation of any sort, including through social media, will not be tolerated and allegations of this nature will be considered under the Student Disciplinary Procedure (see paragraph 18). If you wish to discuss any equality matters please contact AskBU at [email protected] or find out more about the BU commitment by visiting www.bournemouth.ac.uk/about/professional-services/equality-diversity.

9.2 If you are involved in confidential research or consultancy work, you must not disclose any confidential information unless you have written consent from BU.

9.3 If you are undertaking a research degree, you must comply with the Code of Practice for Research Degrees and the Research Ethics Code of Practice Policy and Procedure (see www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information, under Research). Breaches of these Codes may result in action under the Academic Offences Policy and Procedure for Taught Awards or the Research Misconduct: Policy and Procedure. See paragraphs 20 and 21 for more information about academic offences and research misconduct.

9.4 If you are processing personal data (data relating to identifiable living individuals) for the purposes of research or learning you must use this data only for the purposes of that activity. You must follow instructions or procedures notified to you by BU staff and relevant requirements of the documents referred to in paragraph 9.3. You must store the data securely and not share it without permission. This applies to any use, storage, sharing or other action you take in relation to personal data. It is your responsibility to be aware of relevant requirements and restrictions in relation to any personal data you are processing. If you are deciding the scope of your own research, e.g. as a postgraduate researcher, you have a particular responsibility to ensure that data protection compliance is taken into account in the planning and execution of your research and to seek advice and support from BU if necessary.

9.5 International student visa holders: If you are studying at BU on a student visa where BU has sponsored you through issuance of a CAS, you need to ensure that you remain compliant with the conditions of your visa at all times. Any breach of the conditions of your visa are extremely serious and will be dealt with under the student disciplinary policy. BU are obliged to report any suspected breaches of visa conditions to the UKVI under the terms of our sponsorship license which could lead to cancellation of your visa and suspension from your studies. Please ensure that you read the immigration handbook (see https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/students/help-advice/important-information, under International students)

10. Health, safety and security

10.1 BU has a wealth of support for your wellbeing and further information (including how to register with a local GP and the location of the campus medical centre) can be found on our website www.bournemouth.ac.uk/students/health-wellbeing.

If you need further advice on where to go to for help please contact AskBU ([email protected]) who will be able to signpost you to the right service and advise on how to access it.

10.2 You must report any accident, incident or near-miss you are involved in on campus via our ‘Online Accident & Incident Reporting Tool’ (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/student/accident-report). You must tell your Faculty as soon as possible if you suffer any illness or other circumstance that means that you are unable to attend scheduled academic events, or that may affect your academic performance. If you have a serious contagious disease you should tell us as soon as possible and not attend until you have been told that it is safe to return. See www.bournemouth.ac.uk/student/contagious-diseases for more information.

10.3 We take additional steps as appropriate to safeguard students who are potentially vulnerable, such as those under 18, students with disabilities and new and expectant mothers. More information about relevant policies is available at: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/students/help-advice/important-information/safeguarding-vulnerable-groups

10.4 Guidance about support for sexual assault, harassment, hate crime or incident, and how to report this, is available at www.bournemouth.ac.uk/students/help-advice/safety-personal-security/sexual-assault-harassment-prevention-support

10.5 You must comply with any instructions given by BU about health and safety and fire safety (for more information see www.bournemouth.ac.uk/student/personal-safety). In particular, you must:

  • Follow the Fire Evacuation procedures including evacuating a building promptly on hearing the fire alarm, and obeying instructions given by staff
  • Alert a member of BU staff as early as possible if you are unable to follow Fire Evacuation procedures (either on a temporary or permanent basis) – you will be supported to complete a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan
  • Not tamper with, move or cover any fire equipment including: extinguishers, smoke/heat sensors and alarms. Tampering with, or removing, fire and health & safety equipment is breaking the law, and will attract a financial penalty and under certain circumstances can lead to criminal prosecution. This includes unlawfully setting off alarms and extinguishers, covering or tampering with smoke/heat detectors and propping open fire doors without prior approval from a BU staff member
  • Wear suitable overalls, ear/eye protection or protective clothing as directed by staff
  • Comply with any measures BU has determined to be necessary to appropriately manage risks associated with any infectious disease and/or fulfil public health guidance, such as any requirements regarding physical distancing or personal hygiene
  • Ensure that a risk assessment is carried out where it is relevant to your activities and ensure that you comply with all control measures required under the assessment.

10.6 You must not smoke or use electronic cigarettes or vaping devices in BU buildings, at entrances to our buildings or within five metres of our buildings. You must not smoke or vape in any vehicles owned, hired or operated by or on behalf of BU. You also must not smoke or use electronic cigarettes or vaping devices in any public area that is substantially enclosed (including any areas covered by canopies and the bus shelters)

10.7 Please be aware of security at all times. If you become aware of an intruder at BU, or someone acting in a suspicious manner, you should report the matter immediately either directly to our Estates Security staff, or via our emergency number (+44 (0)1202 962222 if calling from your mobile/external phone, 222 if calling from an internal BU phone). Security incidents (including theft etc.), should also be reported via our ‘Online Accident & Incident Reporting Tool (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/student/accident-report).

10.8 You are responsible for and must look after any equipment or property that we allocate to you or authorise you to use. You may need to pay for repair or replacement if items are damaged, lost or stolen. We will give you further information when we provide equipment.

10.9 We reserve the right to question and/or search you or to examine any articles in your possession if there is good cause to do so

10.10 All vehicle users (including e-vehicle users, e-schooters and cyclists) at BU must comply with traffic signs and notices and with instructions. We have rules for car parks and cycle facilities (see Parking Terms & Conditions: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/students/services-campus/parking). To ensure that campuses remain safe for all users, bikes, scooters, skateboards and other micromobility vehicles are not to be used on shared pedestrian pathways. Please observe signage on campus advising where students should dismount. For more information, see the Movements on Campus Policy on the Travel & Transport webpages: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/about/sustainability/travel-transport.

10.11 We may take action under the Student Disciplinary Procedure (see paragraph 18) if you do not comply with the above rules on health, safety, fire and security.

11. Services

11.1 Library and learning resources. All enrolled students are entitled to be members of the Library and must comply with the Library rules and policies: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/student/library-rules. If you do not comply with the Library rules and policies, we may apply sanctions under those documents. We may take action under the Student Disciplinary Procedure (see paragraph 18). See also paragraph 26.7 for more information about sanctions.11.2 Information, computing and technology.

When copying copyright materials you must comply with the law. Brief guidance is displayed near each Library photocopier and further information is available at: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/student/copyright

11.2 Information, computing, and technology. As authorised users, all students have access to BU computers and telecommunications networks, facilities, resources, and services used or provided by BU, including telephone, wireless and Internet services. We call these our IT resources. Unless other specific rules apply, when using BU’s IT resources you must follow BU’s Information Security Policy scheme. This means you must comply with the:

Our IT resources are only available to those we authorise to use them. So, you must not share your BU login and password with anyone, including allowing third parties access to them. To protect our network, you must:

  • Not connect any hardware to our physical network, download any software to BU provided hardware, unless you have specific permission from BU IT Services or make unauthorised changes to BU provided/managed hardware device configurations that lessen or disable any security configuration or tooling; and
  • Apply security updates and use security tools and measures as required by IT Services and BU Information Security Policy whenever you log into BU systems (whether on a personal or BU device). This will include providing contact details or other information as necessary for authentication or password reset measures.

Further rules or restrictions apply to some of our IT resources and services for licensing or other reasons. For example:

  • BU access to the Internet is via the Joint Academic Network (JANET). You must be aware of and comply with the JANET Acceptable Use Policy https://community.ja.net/library/acceptable-use-policy
  • BU access to the Internet must not be used to buy or sell any goods or services commercially; or to promote your or a third party’s business. You may, however promote official BU and SUBU clubs and societies following the Social Media Policy here: (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information, under Conduct and welfare)
  • We may have licensed resources on terms that only allow use for educational purposes, and not for personal or commercial use. If you are intending to use any resources for a purpose not directly required for your study, you must check whether any restrictions apply and comply with any guidance we give you
  • If you choose to use BU’s Laptop Loan scheme, the rules of that scheme will apply as well as the general rules; and will override anything to the contrary in the general rules
  • You must comply with any further reasonable rules or procedures we bring to your attention.

If you do not comply with BU’s Information policies (including as set out in paragraph 11.2), we may apply sanctions, and we may stop you accessing resources. Breaches may also result in action under the Student Disciplinary Procedure (see paragraph 18).

11.3 ID cards: When you enrol, you will get an ID card. You must carry this card when you are at BU, and show it to authorised representatives of BU if they ask for it. You may need to use the card to use some facilities or services. The card is for your use only. If you lose your card or it is stolen, you must report it to AskBU or to the Library immediately, so that we can block the number to prevent its misuse (call AskBU on +44 (0)1202 969696, or email [email protected], call the library on +44 (0)1202 965959 or email [email protected]). We will charge you for a replacement card.

12. Placements

12.1 Placements for Health and Social Work. Students on regulated professional courses can find information about compulsory integrated practice learning placement periods in the course information on our website (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/courses). Students on healthcare professional courses will receive information with your offer.

Healthcare placements are arranged with placement providers in healthcare Trusts and in the private and voluntary sector. Social Work placements are organised by the Practice Learning Advisers in the Programme Team. Placements will be split over several placement providers and locations. See our Placements: Policy and Procedure (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information, under Placements for more information). Healthcare placements take place within a wide range of locations within Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire, and on occasion outside of these areas in order to provide the necessary breadth of experience. You may have to travel some distance from Bournemouth to reach your placement and you may therefore need to find short-term secondary accommodation for your time in placement.

For some healthcare professional courses, NHS Student Services may be available to help with associated costs via the Learning Support Fund: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/learning-support-fund. Please note this is not available for international students.

If you are allocated to a practice placement locality/area, we will make every effort to ensure you have the majority of your practice experience within that area. However we cannot guarantee this and reserve the right to change it with limited notice should the need arise. A change of placement area cannot be guaranteed even where there are exceptional circumstances, as no alternative placement may be available.

12.2 Placements for other undergraduate students. All undergraduate, full-time, first degrees will include an opportunity to undertake a placement with the exception of ESFA funded apprenticeship programmes, which require the apprentice to be employed. . If your course includes a compulsory placement, there is information in the course information on our website (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/courses). You are responsible for finding and applying for placements. Your Faculty will support you with this, see our Placements: Policy and Procedure (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information, under Placements).

If you undertake a sandwich degree, you will have to pay a reduced tuition fee for the academic year that you are on your placement. The fees for the placement year are much lower than normal tuition fees. More information about tuition fees for your course is in the course information on our website (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/courses) and we send you information with your offer letter. There is more general information about fees and charges and how to pay them in Section 5 (Fees and charges).

If your course includes a compulsory placement and you have not been able to arrange a placement, we may offer you a place on another course for which you are qualified, make changes to the normal syllabus, or require you to defer your course for a year. We will not have any liability to you for the effect of these changes if we need to make them because you have not arranged a placement.

International students must comply with their visa requirements when arranging placements. You must check with us before you arrange a placement and you must comply with reporting and other requirements. There may be restrictions on the hours you can work or the length of your placement. See www.bournemouth.ac.uk/students/help-advice/international-students/immigration-visas, under International Students. If you do not comply with your visa requirements, we will need to report this to the Home Office and withdraw you from your course. See paragraph 28 (Financial arrangements on withdrawal, suspension or other interruption) for more information about fees, refunds and access to funding if you are withdrawn.

13. Course changes after you register

13.1 A list of the core and optional units that may be available for your course is in the course information on our website (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/courses) and in the Student Handbook which will be made available to you when you enrol. We do not guarantee that an optional unit will always run or be available to all students. Your choice of units may be restricted by factors such as timetabling, staffing or facilities, or the number of places on the unit or external circumstances, such as any general public health measures in place.

13.2 The paragraphs below cover changes which BU decides to make for reasons other than Events Outside Our Control (such Events are covered in paragraph 29).

13.3 It is important that we can update or amend courses. We do this to make sure that the curriculum, teaching and learning methods and forms of assessment are up to date, to maintain academic standards and enhance the quality of learning opportunities for students.

  • We formally review our courses periodically under the Programme Approval, Review and Closure: Policy and Procedure (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/importantinformation, under Course Changes)
  • We may also make changes under the Programme and Unit Modifications: Policy and Procedure (see www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information, under Course Changes). These changes will not alter the nature, focus or purpose of the course
  • We may also need to make changes to other information that we have given to you, including to this student agreement.

13.4 We will normally make changes only if the overall effect is either neutral or advantageous to students. Negative changes may sometimes be unavoidable because of unforeseen issues such as staff availability, student numbers or the availability of other resources. We will seek to minimise the impact of the changes on students and any negative impact on student experience. Please also note paragraph 29 (Events outside our control).

13.5 Updates to a course following a formal review or under the modifications procedure will usually apply only to new intakes of students. However, in some circumstances, changes may affect current students. If a proposed change does affect current students, and is a material change to information that we give you when you enrol or to the Code of Practice for Research Degrees, we will consult the affected students under the procedure in paragraph 13.6. Examples of material changes are:

  • A change of award or course title
  • A change in the aims or outcomes of a course
  • A change in the place of delivery
  • A change to the overall programme assessment methods or learning and teaching methods (we will not normally consult students about changes to information that was marked as indicative).

13.6 If a proposed material change will affect current students as described in paragraph 13.5, we will inform the affected students and normally we will not implement the change for current students unless we obtain the explicit agreement of more than 50% of the affected students. We will make reasonable efforts to obtain student support for the changes and we will inform the affected students if we implement the changes.

13.7 If we make a material change to your course with the support of other students for reasons other than an Event Outside Our Control (see paragraph 29), or we make a material change to information given to you, and in either case you did not agree to the change and it causes you exceptional hardship, we will consider whether it is appropriate to take further steps to reduce the adverse effects for you. There may be limits or conditions on any offer that we make to you.

13.8 In some cases, we will review a course because we are considering closing it for future intakes. If we decide to close a course, we will make sure that appropriate arrangements are in place until current students have completed the course. If this is not possible (for example where an interruption of study has caused a delay in a student being able to complete the course) we will make arrangements for the transfer of students to another suitable course. We will manage and maintain academic quality and standards and provide appropriate learning opportunities. Please see our Student Protection Plan and Refund and Compensation Policy for more information (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information).

14. Intellectual property (IP)

14.1 We do not automatically take ownership of intellectual property that you create as part of your studies or your research. However, in some circumstances, we will need you to transfer intellectual property to BU or a third party. This will sometimes be necessary before you can participate in a specific project, for example if a third party is funding research or other work.

14.2 Teaching and learning materials such as lecture notes, slides, hand-outs, recorded lectures and electronic resources are provided to you only for your own private study purposes. You must not use them for any other purpose, share them with anyone else who is not on your course or make them public (including by uploading them to an internet site or social media platform) without prior confirmation from us that your proposed use is authorised or permitted by the owner or licensee of the legal rights in the materials.

14.3 See the Intellectual Property Policy for more information (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information, under Intellectual Property).

15. Complaints

15.1 If you have a complaint about us, please follow the procedure in our Student Complaints: Policy and Procedure (see www.bournemouth.ac.uk/importantinformation, under Complaints).

15.2 The Student Complaints: Policy and Procedure applies to complaints about courses, services or facilities provided by BU. It does not apply to matters dealt with separately such as:

  • Academic appeals about examinations or assessments (see paragraph 22 (Academic Appeals))
  • Allegations of harassment by a member of the BU community (see the Student Disciplinary Procedure, www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information, under Conduct and Welfare).

15.3 If you are studying at a Partner College, you must follow BU’s complaints procedures unless you have been notified when you enrol that the Partner College’s complaints procedure must be followed in the first instance.

15.4 You should raise complaints about BU’s policies or procedures through the student representative system (administered by the Students’ Union) and through course, Faculty or university committees. You should raise academic matters about the content or delivery of units or courses through Course Representatives or with staff in your Faculty.

15.5 It may not be possible to investigate or act on anonymous complaints and we will only do so in exceptional circumstances.

15.6 We will not investigate a complaint made on your behalf by a third party unless you have appointed the third party as your representative to manage the complaint on your behalf. Anyone involved in a complaint can be supported or represented by a third party (but not normally a legal adviser) at each stage. See the Third Party Involvement: Procedure (www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information, under Complaints) for more information. You can also contact SUBU Advice (+44 (0)1202 965779 or email [email protected]).

15.7 The Student Complaints: Policy and Procedure has three stages; early resolution, a formal stage and a review stage. You can only ask for a review once you have completed the formal stage. Most complaints can be resolved by an informal discussion with an appropriate member of staff through early resolution. You should complain to the Faculty/professional service/Partner College directly.

15.8 Complaints procedure: formal stage: If a complaint is not resolved informally, you should complain within 28 working days of the incident occuring. You should complete the Student Complaints Form (see www.bournemouth.ac.uk/important-information, under Complaints) and send this to the Faculty or professional service. Except in exceptional circumstances, we will not consider a complaint that you make later than this. You must provide evidence, which should be as detailed as possible, to enable the Faculty/ professional service/ Partner College to investigate. Contact details are available on the website. The Faculty or professional service will investigate each complaint and liaise with the Partner College as necessary, and respond, normally within 20 working days of receipt. The Faculty or professional service will tell you about any delay and keep you informed of progress.

15.9 Complaints procedure: review stage: If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you may request a review by sending the relevant form to [email protected] within ten working days of the date of the formal stage response. We will normally write to you with our response within 20 working days of receipt of your complaint form. We will tell you if there is a delay and keep you informed of progress.

15.10 Complaint to the OIA: If you are not satisfied after completing the Student Complaints Policy and Procedure, you can complain to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (the OIA). You must have completed all the stages of our complaints procedure first and the OIA will not look at all complaints (for more information see www.oiahe.org.uk).

15.11 Complaint to the ESFA: If you are enrolled on Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funded apprenticeship provision, you may also raise concerns with the ESFA by contacting their helpdesk on 08000 150 600 or [email protected].