HUNDREDS of people have signed a petition calling for a no detriment policy at University of South Wales (USW).

A ‘no detriment’ policy acts as a safety net to ensure students obtain at least their average grade so far; it means that the grade students currently have is the lowest they can achieve.

USW – which has campuses in Newport, Glyntaff, Treforest, and Cardiff – had a no-detriment policy for the academic year (2019/2020) due to the sudden impact of coronavirus on students and their studies.

This was a national measure, with many UK universities implementing the policy.

As the coronavirus pandemic has continued into the new academic year (2020-2021), a student has launched a petition asking USW to introduce the policy again.

19-year-old Dan Barrington, who is studying Pro Policing at USW’s Glyntaff campus, said: “I’ve seen similar petitions for other universities; I wanted to fight a case.

“Personally, I have no complaints about my experience – but people in my class have more responsibilities such as children and jobs – and I wanted to reduce the assessment burden for others.

“I know some students are anxious and I wanted the conversation to be had; someone needed to speak out.

“It’s no good to look back in a few years on what we should have done; this is happening right now, and it needs to be addressed.”

IN OTHER NEWS:

More than 600 people have signed Mr Barrington’s petition, which is available here.

A spokesperson for USW said: “We recognise that some students may have concerns given the current situation.

“Our learning, teaching and assessment methods were adapted ahead of this academic year to enable flexible provision that could be delivered remotely when necessary, in response to the ongoing pandemic.

“We have also put some additional measures in place that allow for further alterations to be made to assessments where necessary, and for individuals to apply for extenuating circumstances.

“We are currently working through whether any further amendments need to be made to our approach to assessments and marks this year, while upholding academic standards and the integrity of our awards in line with regulatory bodies, and will update students directly as soon as possible, as any decisions are made.”