Student handbook
Welcome to the online handbook for all students. This will be your go-to reference guide throughout your time in the School. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with this resource; information is arranged alphabetically within broad categories. If you can't find the information you need, contact the School Office. Our team will be happy to help.
Advice & support
- Academic Advising
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Academic Advising is an integral part of teaching and learning at Sussex. An Academic Advisor’s role is to support students’ academic progress and offer guidance or referral to appropriate specialist professional services as necessary. Students will meet their Academic Advisors regularly throughout their time at Sussex, either in person or via Microsoft Teams. Find details of your Academic Advisor on your Sussex Direct study pages. Visit the Academic Advising for the School of Engineering & Informatics Canvas site for more information.
- Referencing & academic integrity
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All students should familiarise themselves with the information about referencing styles and academic integrity on the Skills Hub here.
This subject is also covered in Academic Advising session no. 2 and in the following modules:
H1041 Professional & Managerial Skills and G5120 Professional Skills
Lecturers will indicate during lectures, the referencing style that is recommended for each coursework assignment. Information will also be disseminated where appropriate on module Canvas sites.
- Report writing guides
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Engineering students should make full use of the following resources:
- School Office
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The School Office is in Chichester 1 room C1002.
For general enquiries email ei@sussex.ac.uk or phone 01273 (67) 8195
Our reception is open Monday to Friday 09.00 to 15.00, phone lines are open 09.00 to 17.00
School Office location [PDF 1.74MB]
See also People and contacts for our School inboxes and staff details.
- Skills hub
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The University of Sussex Skills Hub will help you to develop the skills which are essential for academic study. Here you will find a wide range of resources, including expert advice and suggestions from successful Sussex students. See also the Study skills and resources section on the Student Hub.
- Student experience (Reps/Mentors/Societies)
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Student Experience Canvas Page
All information about Student Experience can be found on the Student Experience Canvas page.You can auto-enrol with this link.
Student Experience Team
The school has dedicated staff working towards making your experience the best it can be. Find out who they are and how they can help you here. You can contact the Student Experience Team about any of the topics in this section on enginf-studentexperience@sussex.ac.uk.
Student Mentors
Engineering and Design Mentors
Peer Assisted Learning (Informatics)
If you cannot access these pages, please try to auto-enrol with this link (Engineering and Design) or this link (Informatics). Please contact us on enginf-studentexperience@sussex.ac.uk if the issue persists.
Student Reps
Student Reps are responsible for representing the academic interest of students on their course/department within the schools, gathering student feedback and presenting them to schools in order to bring about positive and meaningful change.Student reps are the bridge between students and University staff. They work to represent your voice in decision making about academic issues, bringing the needs of students to the table.
Find out about reps in the school.
Find out more about the Student Rep Scheme, inlcuding what reps do, how to become a rep, and how to find your rep, on the Student's Union Website.
Socities
Learn about the Student Socieities active within the school on our canvas page. Find a list of all Student Societies on the Student's Union website.
- Support for students (University level services)
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International student support
See the International students section on the Student Hub
Student Centre
The Student Centre in the heart of Campus is the go-to place for you to access in-person information, advice and guidance services
Student Hub
Go to the Student Hub pages on the website for the latest information, news and events
Disability Advice
The Disability Advice service is a team of specialist Disability Advisors and administrators. We provide confidential information and advice to current and future students on disability-related study support and accessing disability-related funding.
Students' Union
The Students' Union advice team provides advice on University-related issues and housing for every Sussex student. If it’s not an area we cover then we can point you in the right direction to get help.
Assessment & teaching
- Accreditation
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Accreditation of Engineering courses
Accreditation of Informatics courses
- Additional requirements for accreditation - Engineering & Product Design students
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Engineering and Product Design students should note the additional assessment regulations that govern their degrees. See Threshold marking, award of compensated credit and condoned credit
Please read the information carefully and contact Catherine Warden if you need clarification: c.l.warden@sussex.ac.uk
- Assessment regulations
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Go to 'Your degree explained' on the Student Hub for an overview. The Examination and Assessment Regulations handbook provides in-depth information. Engineering and Product Design students should note the additional regulations below. If you need any clarification on these regulations, please contact Jackie Gains (Informatics) j.gains@sussex.ac.uk or Catherine Warden (Engineering & Product Design) c.l.warden@sussex.ac.uk
- Attendance
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Attendance at your taught sessions is compulsory and your attendance is monitored by the School attendance monitoring team. We expect all our students to attend at least 80% of their timetabled teaching sessions. For online delivery of teaching, your engagement with online materials will be monitored as proof of attendance.
These sessions include lectures, laboratory sessions, workshops and seminars held in person where a register is taken, or equivalent online sessions. If you are unable to attend a session, you should let the tutor for the session know in advance, if possible. They can then mark your absence as 'notified'.
If you are unable to attend teaching for 6 or more days, you should send an email to enginf-attendance@sussex.ac.uk to explain, giving details of your absence and your expected return date.
Any repeated or unexplained absences will be noted and you may be required to attend a meeting of the School Student Progress Committee, who may then recommend that you withdraw from the University, either temporarily or permanently.
For further detail, please see the Attendance, Engagement and Absence policy.
- Coursework submission support
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When and how to submit
Go to your 'Assessment Deadlines & Exam Timetable' in Sussex Direct for all submission details including the date, time, and place. Most coursework is submitted via Canvas. Follow the 'submit online' button in your timetable.
Your submission should be anonymous and identified only by your candidate number. Do not write your name anywhere on your work.
Late submission
Check your 'Assessment Deadlines & Exam Timetable' in Sussex Direct. The permissible lateness period, if any, is displayed in square brackets after the date and time for each assignment. Hover over or click this link for further information including the late penalty. Note that some types of assessment, such as presentations or group work, have a zero-lateness policy.
Submission within the 24 hour late period - 5 marks will be deducted.
Submission within the 7 day late period - 10 marks will be deducted.
Note that Canvas will show the non-penalised mark and Sussex Direct will display the penalised mark.
You can make an exceptional circumstances claim for late submission. If your claim is accepted, you can submit your assessment within the late period specified for the assessment and the late penalty will be waived.
If you are registered with Disability Advice and have reasonable adjustments, you're already entitled to an automatic late penalty waiver, where your assessment allows this. You don't need to submit an exceptional circumstances claim to request a late penalty waiver. Hover over or click the permissible lateness link to find details relating to each assessment.
You cannot normally submit after the late period has ended. An extension beyond the late period is only permitted via prior arrangement through Disability Advice.
Resubmission during the permitted late period
Before your deadline, you're allowed to submit your work multiple times. Each upload will over-write the previous one. Once the initial deadline has passed, Canvas will no longer allow you to replace a previously submitted piece of work. For help with this, see coursework support inbox section below.
Coursework support inbox
Email the Engineering and Informatics Coursework Support inbox: EngInf-courseworksupport@sussex.ac.uk if you are having difficulties with an electronic coursework submission. If appropriate, you will be guided through the e-submission error process. You must save your work to your University OneDrive account to provide evidence of a date and time stamp for your file. Work will not be accepted without this evidence.
Examples of issues with electronic submission:
- Unable to submit during permitted late period having submitted an earlier version of the file accidentally
- File size issues
- Technical problems
- Issues with Canvas
- Uploading to wrong submission point
NOTE: All students are permitted to use the e-submission error process ONLY ONCE per academic year.
- Course transfer
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Course transfer guidelines for transferring to a degree in the School of Engineering & Informatics.
- Exam information & support
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Changes to online exams
You should note the following significant, University-wide changes to computer-based exams and multiple choice question assessments for 2022-23:
- The removal of the 24-hour window. All students will now take the exam at the same time. This applies to computer-based exams and multiple choice questions.
- The computer-based exam duration will be reduced from 3 hours to 2.5 hours. (2 hours for answering questions and 30 minutes for scanning and uploading).
- The multiple choice questions exam duration will be 2 hours.
Additional time for students with reasonable adjustments will be calculated on the standard 2 hours permitted.
For computer-based exams, you are strongly encouraged to familiarise yourself with the process beforehand, including knowing what to do if you encounter a problem during the exam. These resources will help you:
Preparing to take a computer based exam
Eng/Inf Exam Download/Upload Test Site
How to scan and save your exam answers with (suggested) MS Lens scanning app: MS Lens instructions [PDF 1.04MB]
There is a dedicated inbox for exam submission problems: Enginfexamsupport@sussex.ac.uk
Students taking modules in other Schools and Departments should check for any specific instructions.
In person exams
In 2022-23 the Engineering Department will be running some in person exams. These are called unseen exams. All other exams in the School of Engineering & Informatics will be conducted online, either as computer-based exams, or as multiple choice questions. The exam type for each module will be shown in the 'Mode' column in your assessment timetable on Sussex Direct. Exam dates for autumn term modules are now published in your timetable on Sussex Direct. Assessment details for semester two modules will be added in due course.
Exams for the following modules will be in person and will take place in an exam hall:
H1029
Engineering Fluid Mechanics
H7076
Electronic Circuit & Systems Design
H1042
Engineering Mathematics 2
H7092
Dynamics of Machines & Vehicles
H6103
Electrical Power Systems
524H1
Advanced Electronic Systems
518H3
Mechanical Dynamics
826H1
Mobile Communications
You are NOT permitted to refer to notes during an in person exam. Check what to bring for an exam and know the rules you need to follow.
- Exceptional circumstances
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You can make an exceptional circumstances claim if you experience something sudden, temporary and unforeseen, which could have an impact on one of your assessments, exams or coursework.
Types of claim
There are three types of exceptional circumstances claim you can submit.
Late submission
If your claim is accepted, you can submit your assessment within the late period specified for the assessment and the late penalty will be waived.
Important: We cannot accept claims for late submission if the assessment does not have a late period attached to it.
If you have reasonable adjustments
If you are registered with Disability Advice and have reasonable adjustments, you’re already entitled to an automatic late penalty waiver where your assessment allows this. You don’t need to submit an exceptional circumstances claim to request a late penalty waiver.
We cannot approve an exceptional circumstances claim for more time beyond the late period. If you are registered as having a disability, you can request an extension beyond the late period.
If your condition fluctuates or your symptoms get worse, and this has an impact on an assessment, you can submit an exceptional circumstances claim for impairment or non-submission.
Non-submission or absence from an exam
Your School exam board will consider your claim before the formal publication of your results. The exam board may let you take an uncapped sit of the assessment at the next available opportunity.
Impairment in an assessment
Your School exam board will consider your claim before the formal publication of your results. If the mark you got for the assessment is significantly out of line with your other marks or is a fail, the exam board may let you take an uncapped sit of the assessment at the next available opportunity.
Note: if your claim for excused non-submission or excused absence is upheld, you will be given an opportunity to take a new assessment in august in the summer assessment period, see term dates. This will be a 'sit' (uncapped mark) of the re-sit mode for the module.
If your claim for impairment is upheld, you may be given a further sit opportunity in the summer assessment period, but only if your marks are considered to be significanlty out of line with your other marks, or if it is a fail mark.
All exceptional circumstances are reviewed by the exam board and outcomes are published on your module results page after the exam board has met.
Go to the exceptional circumstances section on the Student Hub for further details, including how to make a claim.
- Global Design Challenge
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Global Design Challenge (GDC) is a unique, core module for all first year students in the School of Engineering and Informatics at Sussex. You will work on solutions to real-world design problems, take part in interdisciplinary teams and increase your international perspective. It takes place during intersession week before the Spring term. Although it is a non credit-bearing module, it is a compulsory requirement of all Informatics and Engineering UG courses. If you do not pass the module, you will be required to retake it in the summer assessment period.
- Module options
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Many of our courses have optional modules. See degree courses and modules for information. Your Academic Advisor can help if you are unsure which optional modules are best for you.
Selection is done on Sussex Direct via the 'Syllabus' tab.
- Postgraduate students and direct entry to second year students will choose in September at the start of the academic year
- All other undergraduate students will choose in March of the previous academic year
It will be announced when the online selection system is live. If you have any issues accessing system, or you need to change options chosen online, contact the Department Coordinator. Note: the deadline for changing optional modules once teaching has started, is the end of week two of each term.
For Informatics, contact Jackie Gains: j.gains@sussex.ac.uk
For Engineering, contact Catherine Warden: c.l.warden@sussex.ac.uk
- Results information (what happens if I fail a module?)
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Go to: Getting your results on the Student Hub for general information.
If you fail any or all of your modules, you will be offered retakes in the summer assessment period. See term dates
If you fail a semester 1 module, you must wait until after the exam board has met in June, (July for PGT students), before your assessment timetable can be updated. This is because we need your full year's module marks before any retakes can be scheduled. Contact your Departmental Coordinator if you have any questions about your results. Engineering: Catherine Warden c.l.warden@sussex.ac.uk Informatics: Jackie Gains j.gains@sussex.ac.uk
- Term dates
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See Term dates and minimum service days
- Timetable & teaching groups
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Go to your study pages in Sussex Direct to view your timetable. Note that each week may be different as some activites such as labs, practicals and seminars will not run every week, and some sessions will start later in the term.
Requests to change teaching groups will be dealt with on an individual basis. Some groups may be full due to differing room capacities. Contact your departmental coordinator, Jackie Gains, Informatics j.gains@sussex.ac.uk or Catherine Warden, Engineering c.l.warden@sussex.ac.uk
- Zheijiang Gongshang examination & assessment regulations
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ZJSU-Sussex AI Institute UG Examination and Assessment Regulations [PDF 52.38MB]
See also:
University of Sussex and Zheijang Gongshang UG regulations 2021-22
University of Sussex and Zheijang Gongshang PG regulations 2021-22
Careers & placements
- Careers & Entrepreneurship
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Careers and Entrepreneurship has lots of resources to help you. Login to Career Hub to access jobs, events and appointments. Use their sector guides to find out more about career areas that interest you and how to gain the experience you need.
- Placements
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Find out about placements and how this could benefit you. You can register your interest for a placement and join the Placements Preparation Programme.
All new students in the School are automatically enrolled on our Canvas sites:
Each department organises events with external speakers from placement providers. The School holds an annual Placement Poster event where students returning from placement display their work and are available to chat about their experiences.
Our UG placment tutors are Dr Dmitrijs Dmitrenko (Informatics) and Dr Menguc Oner (Engineering)
Transferring on or off the placement version of your course: Please email your request to the School Office: ei@sussex.ac.uk
Postgraduate research students
- Information for PGR students
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Go to the EngInf PGR Canvas site for information and resources for current PhD students. New PhD students are automatically enrolled. The site is maintained by the School Office. Please contact us if you have any access issues: ei@sussex.ac.uk
Go to our 'For tutors' page for information about becoming a doctoral tutor.
Other information
- Computer labs & computing support
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Engineering and Informatics teaching labs provide specialist software which is not available elsewhere on campus.
Our labs are maintained by our specialist Computing Support Team.
Log-in access to computers in Chichester buildings 1 and 2 is restricted to students taking EngInf modules. Door codes for the labs can be obtained from the School Office or the Informatics Helpdesk: Chichester 1 room CI-201,
rt-informatics@sussex.ac.uk opening hours: Mon-Fri 9.30 - 12.30 and 14.30 - 17.30
A timetable of sceduled teaching will be displayed on the door of each lab. You are required to work silently if using a lab alongside students in a timetabled teaching session.
- Equipment loans
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As part of your course, some modules will require the loan of equipment/materials for projects or coursework. Some equipment is available on loan.
- Expense claims
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Out of pocket expenses: Students must complete the ‘Visitor and Student Expense Claim Form’ to get reimbursed. Guidance and the form can be found here
Please allow approximate 2 weeks for your expenses to be processed.
- ID cards & your candidate number
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You will find your candidate number on your student ID card and on your Sussex Direct study page. This is the 6-digit number that you must put on your coursework and exam submissions. Your ID card is also your library card. If you transfer to a new course with a different end-date, you will need to replace your card.
- Letters
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You can request a letter to prove your status as a student and get forms completed by the University. See Letters and Documents on the Student Hub.
- Library resources
- Meeting rooms
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Meeting rooms 1 and 2 in Chichester Foyer are available for students to use. Contact the School Office to book and to collect the key. ei@sussex.ac.uk
- Minibus hire
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The School owns a minibus that is available for our staff and students to hire for university activites.
Maximum no of passengers: 8 + driver (no special licence is needed to drive the vehicle)
The minimum age for driving the school vehicle is 21.
Drivers need to hold a valid driving licence. UK/European/International licences are accepted.The School Office will need a copy of the licence.
Drivers need to complete a Driver Declaration Form once and a Vehicle Hire Form for each hire.
To book, contact the School Office: ei@sussex.ac.uk
