Every year, a Student Handbook is produced to include all the information students may need on academic procedures, teams they may need to contact, and the way things work in their department, school or centre (department).
Each department publishes a Student Handbook tailored to their specific processes, facilities and teaching, with a separate Handbook created for undergraduate and postgraduate study.
The Student Handbooks contain a wealth of information and are essential guides for students, so it is important that they are updated each year to ensure the information, processes and policies are still accurate.
The annual update of Student Handbooks is a complex process requiring input and review from across the entire University to include central and departmental professional services teams, University of Essex Campus Services (UECS) teams, the Students’ Union, and academic staff from every department.
The Quality and Academic Development team manage the annual update to Student Handbooks, consulting with all teams and individuals to make the relevant changes and submitting the final copy for publication on the University website.
The annual update to Student Handbooks is separated into two stages. The first stage involves updates from central professional services teams to content that affects all students. Each year, the timeline for updates, including specific deadlines, will be circulated in the Spring Term, although final stage one updates are submitted following the final Senate of the year (usually early July). This content is then checked and dispersed to departments to submit their changes (usually by end of August / early September). Final versions should be published by mid-September, ready for the start of term.
All Student Handbooks are made publicly available for students to access via the Student Directory.
Departments may print hard-copy versions of the Student Handbooks, and should always may copies available to students that require a hard-copy. Departments should consult with the Faculty Dean to decide whether to print. If so, how many copies are appropriate for the department with consideration of student numbers and the University’s Sustainability Sub-strategy.