We are calling for University of Dundee to follow in the footsteps of other top UK universities, such as Oxford, Warwick, Exeter, Edinburgh and many more, to implement a “safety net” policy for the second semester of the academic year 2019/2020.

This past year of our university education has been heavily impacted by strikes and now COVID-19, meaning that we have had severely limited access to teaching and resources.

The purpose of the safety net is to protect the grades that students have worked so hard to achieve. Students still have to participate in end of year assessments, but provided that they obtain the pass mark of 40%, their average will remain the same as (or higher than) the average already attained. If students achieve higher than their current average in further assessments then they retain the potential to improve their final mark.

A poll launched by some students has highlighted how the current no-detriment policies adopted by University of Dundee is considered inadequate. The poll collected over 800 responses in less than a week, with feedback indicating that students across all the Schools believe the current no-detriment policy should be enhanced. 90% of respondents stated their wish to have a safety net incorporated into the no-detriment policy.

This petition is asking University of Dundee to take into account these extraordinary and unprecedented conditions with the introduction of a safety net into the no-detriment policy. Many students will be struggling to study in an environment that does not allow them to demonstrate their full potential, with some being negatively impacted by mental or physical illness during this difficult time.
Introduction of a safety net will align Dundee with other premier universities in the UK, enabling Graduates to compete in a level playing field in their future careers.

Note: this petition is based on the format of others that achieved their goal, resulting in the introduction of a safety net in universities across the UK.

References:
University of Warwick: https://warwick.ac.uk/students/news/newsevents/summer_exams_2020_update-27-march-intermediate-final/

Link to the petition for UoW: https://www.change.org/p/stuart-croft-no-detriment-policy-for-warwick-uni-exams?recruiter=false&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=bbd84a40-7020-11ea-aeff-77c0db4d8fb8&utm_content=fht-21147101-en-gb:v10&fbclid=IwAR0JPlzuO74nB4RWYkIr8hF3FgcK2ljKpMbOWrBAK-NaDtewuZ9fZS-KdU8

University of Newcastle: https://www.nusu.co.uk/news/article/6013/Updates-on-Safety-Net-on-summer-assessments/

University of Oxford: https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/regulations/safety-net?wssl=1

University of Liverpool: https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2020/03/30/covid-19-safety-net-for-overall-marks-introduced/

University of Edinburgh: https://thetab.com/uk/edinburgh/2020/03/26/breaking-no-remaining-exams-assessments-can-negatively-impact-your-course-grades-for-this-semester-65113

University of Exeter: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/media/universityofexeter/coronavirus/No_Detriment_Policy_UoE-03-04-20.pdf