Breaking Down MAB and the Emergency Regulations

As you might already be aware, the University and College Union (UCU) has called for Action Short of Strike since 20 April 2023, which includes a marking and assessment boycott (MAB).

As a response, the University has issued some emergency regulations to address the issue of graduating and progression being impacted.

We recognise this may be a scary time for you as a student, and it might not be clear exactly what is going on, so we’re here to break it down for you:

What is a marking and assessment boycott?

A marking and assessment boycott (MAB) covers all marking and assessment processes that contribute to summative assessment decisions for students. This means UCU members taking part in MAB have stopped undertaking all summative marking and associated assessment duties. In more simple terms, they are currently not marking any exams, coursework, presentations, etc.

The boycott is planned to continue until either the disputes are settled, UCU decides to call off the boycott, or the current industrial action ballot mandate ends (this is at the end of September, six months after the industrial action ballot closed).

Why is it happening?

The marking and assessment boycott is part of the ongoing industrial action from the UCU in relation to the pay and working conditions dispute. They feel that the boycott is their last resort in being able to encourage universities to engage in their dispute.

As a student body, you mandated the Students’ Union to support industrial action in our preferendum at the start of Term Three. We released a number of articles at the time informing you about the pay and working conditions dispute and a separate pension dispute which has since been resolved after proposals were agreed with employers. You can also check out the UCU website for more information. 

What is the University’s response?

As a result of MAB, the University has released a set of emergency regulations, which will help determine module marks and outcomes as soon as possible. The University has also delayed the release of undergraduate results to Wednesday 5 July, where they will stagger the release throughout the day for finalists and non-finalists.

• If you are a finalist, your results will be released at 10am.
• If you are a second-year, third-year or fourth-year non-finalist, your results will be released at 12pm (midday).
• If you are a first-year, your results will be released at 2pm.

If you are a Foundation Year or Postgraduate student, your results will be released as planned. Final-year students are encouraged to still plan to attend your graduation ceremony.

Understanding the regulations

The emergency regulations have been produced by the University, but what this looks like in practice will differ between Schools as the structure of assessments and the learning outcomes are different. This means that Schools and Departments can use academic judgment to apply the regulations in the way that works best for each course. Therefore, if you have any concerns about your outcomes, then you should reach out to your School in the first instance. The regulations are also designed to prioritise final-year students to ensure graduations are able to go ahead.

The University has assured us that the regulations they have produced are consistent with the QAA (The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) and have been signed off by the Principal External Examiner. This means they have undergone quality assurance processes that make sure the regulations are in line with external practices.

However, we also recognise that the impact of the boycott and regulations will still be significant for some students. Understanding what the regulations mean for you may be challenging, so we’ve explained some key terms for you:

• Academic judgment - this refers to when a judgment is made about a matter where only the opinion of an academic expert is sufficient. This allows Schools to utilise the University regulations, but academic judgment means they can use their expertise to determine how they might scale a module or issue an allowed outcome.
• Allowed outcome - this is where the assessment board were not able to give a % mark on a module due to unmarked work but have ‘allowed’ a pass based on the fact they feel the learning outcomes of the course have been met elsewhere. This is decided via the academic judgment of the School’s Progression and Award board.
• Scaling - where an assessment or module marks are adjusted (up or down) for an entire cohort, or group of similarly affected students, to ensure that the academic standards achieved by students are equivalent to previous years. In the context of the emergency regulations, this means assessments completed earlier in the year may count for more of your degree than originally planned where the learning outcomes of the course have clearly been met.

The regulations of the University have set out the criteria for progression and graduation, which will include how many modules you need to pass or have allowed.

How does this impact you?

There is no straightforward answer here. Essentially, the impact will be different depending on what School you are from and how your assessments are currently scaled, etc. That means that some students will likely not be impacted by the regulations, but others will be. Also, it is uncertain how large the impact will be as exam boards are just starting to meet. Schools should start to issue comms soon to provide information and assurances to students as they start to understand more about how the emergency regulations will impact each specific Department.

Over the next few weeks, the University’s priority is to ensure that progression and graduations are impacted as little as possible. At the Students’ Union, we will make sure that we continue to represent students' best interests and remain in contact with the University to understand how we can help in limiting the impact. Where there are any further developments, we will ensure students are informed as soon as possible.

What support is available to you?

• If you have questions about the emergency regulations that the University has released, you can email student-administration@rhul.ac.uk.
• If you are concerned that the industrial action will impact your studies, get in touch with your School as they can provide more specific information on how the regulations may impact your work.
• If you have further concerns about the industrial action, you can also email industrialaction@royalholloway.ac.uk.
• If your wellbeing has been affected as a result of this difficult time, then please reach out to the University’s Wellbeing department at wellbeing@rhul.ac.uk.
• The appeals and complaints process has not changed, so reach out to our Advice Centre for any support in navigating this.