MISSION
Venmorak College of Law and Further Education aims is to achieve and sustain excellence in every area of its teaching and research, maintaining and developing its position as a world class college, and enriching the international, national, and regional communities through the fruits of its the skills of its graduates. In support of this aim, the college will. provide the facilities and support for its staff to pursue innovative research, by responding to developments in the intellectual environment and society at large, and by forging close links with the wider academic world, the professions, industry, and commerce;
promote challenging and rigorous teaching which benefits from a fruitful interaction with the research environment, facilitating the exchange of ideas through tutorials and small-group learning and exploiting the collage’s resources , to equip its graduates to play their part at a national and international level; maintain and make best use of the advantages of its departments, where members’ intellectual and personal development is fostered within a stimulating, multidisciplinary academic community, and academic life is strengthened through the provision of high-quality support services; attract students of the highest caliber, from the UK and internationally, to its undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education courses, widening access by actively seeking applications from students from diverse backgrounds and extending further, the many and varied opportunities for life-long learning offered in the Venmorak college of law and Further Education region and more widely.
LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COLLEGES MISSION
1.1 Venmorak College of Law and Further Education commitment to excellence in teaching and research, and to making the fruits of that teaching and research as widely available as possible, are reflected in its Corporate Plan, which stresses:
(i) ‘The college’s continuing aim (is) to attract students of the highest caliber, from the UK and internationally, to its undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education courses, widening access by actively seeking applications from students from diverse backgrounds.
(ii) The basis of the learning and teaching policy is to maintain and make best use of the advantages of the college’s strong research base where intellectual and personal development is fostered within a stimulating multi-disciplinary academic community, and academic life is strengthened through the provision of high-quality services.
1.2 The strategies by which this policy will be effected include:
(i) The active involvement through joint appointments between the college and other internationally eminent bodies in high levels of graduate and undergraduate teaching which will continue to put teachers’ own learning to use in enhancing the learning of the students that they teach.
(ii) The promotion of independent and resource-based learning, particularly through tutorial and small group teaching that is responsive to the needs of each student and promotes his or her critical faculties and ability to identify and appraise relevant sources.
(iii) The use in teaching and research of the college’s unique resources
1.3 Specific and targeted developments in relation to the learning and teaching strategy include:
• Widening Participation
• Undergraduate education
• Graduate education
• Lifelong Learning
• Arrangements for quality assurance and enhancement
• Staffing structures and policies
• ICT strategic framework
2. Widening Participation
2.1 In relation to learning and teaching, there are 4 strands to the widening participation strategy. The first strand, relating to undergraduate admissions, can be summarised from the College’s Widening Participation Strategy. The college seeks:
(i) To admit the best applicants irrespective of their social, regional, ethnic, or educational background, solely on the basis of academic ability and potential.
(ii) To encourage and support applications to the College from groups which are currently under represented, attempting to remove barriers, real or perceived, which serve to deter students from applying.
(iii) To demonstrate the open, attractive and affordable nature of College to potential applicants, their parents and teachers;
(iv) To ensure that its selection procedures, while rigorous, are also thorough, transparent, and fair. While continuing to encourage students to apply, but actual selection will continue to be carefully focused on individual merit.
2.2 The second strand reflects the growing success in attracting applications and successful candidates from non-standard backgrounds and from currently under-represented group divisions.
2.3 The third element relates to the consideration of learning and teaching issues arising out of the requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act. Much that is required is already in place as current practice, but the structured requirements of the legislation will involve more systematic training and identification of appropriate responses and provision.
2.4 Fourthly, the College, through its Department for Continuing Education, lays considerable emphasis on widening the opportunities for access to higher education, at all levels and all ages. Provision includes a wide range of part-time accredited and non-accredited courses, including foundation programmes, free-standing undergraduate and diplomas, and graduate degrees. Some students find in their chosen programmes individual enrichment, some their first chance of higher education study, and some the opportunity to change direction, acquiring subjects and skills new to them.
ARRAGENENT FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE
3.1 Bodies with a specific focus on quality assurance are the Educational Policy and assurance Committee, the divisions and Continuing Education and faculties/departments. All divisions, faculties, departments and academic services have structures for monitoring and reviewing the quality of their provision. The revised learning and teaching strategy reflects the priorities accepted by all these bodies
(i) There continues to be full and appropriate use of input to the monitoring of the quality of teaching provision and of the standards attained by students, through the involvement of suitably qualified internal members of divisional review teams, and through the work of internal examiners.
(ii) There are full and appropriate mechanisms for student representation and feedback (including the use of course experience questionnaires), ensuring that students are involved in discussion of major developments in the learning and teaching strategy of individual units, and at divisional level.
(iii) There are appropriate, transparent and readily available mechanisms within faculties/departments for making and resolving complaints and appeals, in addition to the access of all members of at any stage to management.
(iv) There are appropriate sources of information on the web and/or in hard copy to ensure that all students have access to information on the content, expectations, requirements, and stages of progression associated with their course.
(v) There are routine points of reflection on key aspects of learning and teaching, e.g. admissions, examinations, course structure, embedded in the procedures of all units.
3.2 The methods of monitoring college teaching provision are co-coordinated via the Academic board.
3.3 The college maintains an environment where ‘appropriately directed intellectual interaction and creative dialogue with students’ can flourish remains central to the collegiate University’s learning and teaching strategy.
GRIEVIANCE.COMPLAINTS AND DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
• If a student has a complaint that student should raise the complaint in writing or orally with the Head of Department who must respond promptly.
• The Head of Department normally responds with in (2) working days.
• if the student is not satisfied with the means of resolution used by the HOD the student may wish to complain to the Principal of the college.
• if the Complaint regards the Head of Department the student may make a complaint in writing to the principal.
• The principal normally responds to the complaints within 3 day of receipt depending on the urgency of the matter.
DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
The college has adopted disciplinary rules and procedures witch are necessary to set standards in order to ensure that high standards are adhered to.
INFORMAL WARNINGS (MINOR BREACHES)
Where a student commits a disciplinary breach such as;
• Failure to achieve the required standard of work
• Poor time keeping
• Class disruption
• Lateness
It is the duty of the teacher in charge of the subject area to issue informal warnings which may be oral .A record will be kept by the HOD.
DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS (GROSS AND REPETITIVE)
• Where misconduct is Gross and repetitive and persistent and student fails to observe informal warnings a formal disciplinary hearing will be held.
EXAMPLES OF GROSS AND REPETITIVE
1. Failure to observe informal warning
2. Assault and battery
3. Theft
4. Being unfit due to the influence of alcohol/drugs or other intoxicating substances
5. Deliberate damage to the college’s property
6. Threatening, abusive or obscene language to a fellow student or a member of staff
7. Conduct likely to bring a college in disrepute e.g. plagiarism
8. Racist and sexist behavior
• The Disciplinary panel will consist of the Disciplinary Committee and the Head of Department.
• Students will be informed in writing that he or she is allowed to have external representation.
• The nature of breach will be notified to the student in writing three weeks before the hearing.
• The student will be informed of the decision of the disciplinary committee in writing and what course of action will be taken.
FORMAL WARNINGS
This will take the form of writing setting out the Action that the College wishes to pursue and the reasons for the specified course of action. The warning will set out the consequences should misconduct be repeated.
SUSPENSION FROM COURSE
The college reserves the right after taking the above mentioned course of action to suspend the student from classes.
APPEALS
If the student is dissatisfied with the decision of the disciplinary committee he or she may make an appeal within 28 days to the committee. The decision of the appeal will be confirmed in writing with in two weeks of receipt.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Students are expected to:-
a) Understand and comply with the college’s regulation for students
b) Study diligently
C) Attend lectures and classes as required
D) Hand in work on time
E) Keep tutorial appointments
F) Notify lecturer of difficulties that my be barrier to non compliance
G) Take full advantage of the wide range of extra curricular opportunities.
D) Acceptance of the offer of admission is deemed to imply willingness to conform to regulations.
STUDENT REGULATIONS
1. All registered students of the college are subjected to the provisions of these regulations for students, the college academic regulations, the regulations of the college as appropriate and future regulations
2. Any student whose tuition fees has not been paid in full will not be allowed to proceed to the next year of the course and may be required to withdraw. If any fees or charges are still unpaid at the time the student enters for the last examination the award will not be conferred. And no certificate in respect of the award will be issued, until the debt has been in full.
3. Student disciplinary offences of a non academic nature are dealt with under a code of procedure agreed by the college and approved by the council. In cases of serious offences this may involve the suspension and or expulsion of the student from the college. Student must not engage in any conduct which causes harm or unreasonable disturbance to students, staff neighbor or visitors to the college or damage to any property of the college or a student or engage in any activities or behavior which is likely to bring the college in disrepute.
4. A student who contacts a contagious or infectious disease may be required to present a medical certificate acceptable to the health service, indicating freedom from infection before resuming attendance at the college.
5. A student who is required to withdraw has a right to appeal against the withdrawal decision but not against the result the result of medical assessment on which the decision s based. The student may, however, request that a second medical assessment be obtained from a medical practitioner approved by the college health service.
6. Students who make use of the college’s computing facilities are required to familiarise them selves with and to abide by the college information system security policy and codes of practice of the college.
7. Computer misuse will be regarded as a serious offence and will be dealt with under the college’s code of practice or where appropriate, under the provisions of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
8. All students must familiarise themselves and comply with the college’s policy on student derived Intellectual property rights.
9. Students must notify the college immediately of any changes in their Home or lodging addresses.