Blended Learning Calendar Change FAQs

The new academic calendar will come into effect for all new students (except top-ups) from May 2022 intake onwards.  

• Current Year 1 will start on your academic anniversary (e.g. if you started your foundation course in Sept 21, you would start year 1 on the new calendar in Sept 22). 
• Current year 2 students moving into their final year (year 3) will remain on the current calendar until they finish their studies. 
• Current postgraduate students will also remain on their current calendar until they finish their studies. 

This change is being made to provide a better learning experience for all students and to increase your chances of success.

All courses will be included in the new calendar change, but not all students will be affected – depending on their original enrolment date, stage they have reached in their studies and the duration of their course (See the Student groups listed under the first question above).

Your weekly timetable (2 four hour sessions over 2 days) will remain the same, you will just study for longer per study block (10 weeks instead of 6). 

The current 6-week calendar will no longer be available as an option for blended learning once your class reaches its intake anniversary and moves to the new calendar.

Yes – but changing study mode is likely to impact on your student funding so please ensure you talk this over with student support before deciding.

You will move to the new calendar along with the class from your original intake so are likely to continue your studies with the same group of people for the remainder of our course. There may be a few additional students who may join from other classes as the year progresses.

Yes! Provided you meet the credit requirements to progress between each level of your course, for most students the graduation date should not be affected by the calendar change. We will be in touch with more information as and when you move over to the new calendar to confirm.

Not necessarily, it will be whoever is most suited to deliver the module running at the time.

Both modules will be studied simultaneously, one module will be studied on one day and one on the 2nd day. The content of the modules will complement each other and provide a more well-rounded learning experience. 

You will still cover the same content and number of modules across the duration of your course.

You will submit your assignments in week 10 (outside of the teaching blocks).

Yes, both assignments will be submitted at the same time.

The 4th study block includes an enrichment programme, which has been developed to give you access to a range of activities to complement your course.

This is mandatory and will provide you with access to guest lecturers, career support and insight and experience in your chosen subject area.  

The rules for student finance and our academic regulations mean that there are a maximum number of credits you are permitted to achieve / study for per academic year which means that currently you will not be able to finish your degree quicker. The 4th block enrichment programme has been designed to complement your course and studies here at Arden, giving you access to additional support and benefits to optimise this period and enhance your experience and career prospects.

A one-off extended induction schedule is being built by the Enrichment Working Group, giving students multiple options for sessions run by Academic Skills Tutors, coaches, academic and career teams. More details will be provided on this soon.

If you are progressing from foundation to year 1 or year 2 to 3 you will join the new calendar in May 22 and not April 22 now. If you are progressing from year 2 to year 3 (your final year) you will stay on the current calendar and re-join in April 22.

Students will normally be expected to re-work their referred submission and hand in on Week 6 @2pm of the following teaching block (this is the same for non-submissions).

If you need to resit modules 5 or 6 then you can do this in the 4th block. Students who also have unresolved mitigations, appeals or UP cases can also use this submission point. 

If a resit student is completing a TCA (Time Controlled Assessment), has returned from a Leave of Absence, or has received a UPB/UPC on their first attempt, they will be required to complete a new assessment paper. 

You will submit your assignments in week 10 (outside of the teaching blocks).Yes, both assignments will be submitted at the same time. 

TCA's will be scheduled in week 10 and are set by Registry for Monday/Tuesday and/or Thursday/Friday – leaving Wednesday for any assessment submission due. 

Resit TCA's will be scheduled in week 6 to align with all resit submissions and are set by Registry for Monday/Tuesday and/or Thursday/Friday – leaving Wednesday for any resit assessment due. 

If you are in a re-take position, we advise contacting Student Finance to determine whether you are eligible for a ‘gift year’ of funding. If your ‘gift year’ is approved your payments will remain on your original intake that was confirmed to you by Student Finance England when you first enrolled on your course. 

These will work in exactly the same way, STE’s will be up to 1 week and you will get a new submission date in the next study block for mitigations.

Yes, modules are linked within each study block so mitigation could impact on both modules, your student support team will be able to guide you on the best option for you if you need to apply for mitigation.

Provided you meet the credit requirements to progress between each level on your course your graduation date for most students should not be affected by the calendar change. We will be in touch with more information as and when you move over to the new calendar to confirm. 

Once you are ready to return, our student support and registry teams will contact you and let you know next steps in terms of restarting your studies. We want to move students over to the new calendar as soon as possible so will aim to align it with the new start dates. 

If you go on a Leave of Absence all Student Finance payments are placed on hold (tuition fee and maintenance). Once you are ready to return to your studies, our Student Finance Support Team notify Student Finance England, and your payments are reinstated. You will remain on your original intake and Student Finance will re-adjust your payments accordingly and notify you. We will confirm your Registration and Attendance based on your original intake which means your payments will remain the same. 

There will be no change to course fees as a result of the calendar change.

Your student finance will not be affected by the calendar change as you will still study for the same number of credits in each year across the 4 teaching blocks.

Your payment dates will also remain the same as your original intake. For example, if you were due to return in April and are now returning in May instead, your finance payments will still align to the original April dates. You must continue to re-apply as an April student for as long as you study with Arden.  

You can apply for funding from Arden subject to eligibility, you can access this via Blackbuillion, a digital platform packed full of resources to help you be financially sustainable whilst at university. There are student loan repayment calculators, budgeting tools, advice on hot topics like cryptocurrency and tips for saving. It’s definitely worth checking out!

To sign up just head over to www.blackbullion.com and make sure to use your Arden email address, that way you can access all the Arden specific features including the financial support bursaries.

If you are in a push back position and likely to re-take modules, we advise contacting Student Finance to determine whether you are eligible for a ‘gift year’ of funding. If your ‘gift year’ is approved your payments will remain on your original intake that was confirmed to you by Student Finance England when you first enrolled on your course. We will confirm your Registration and Attendance based on your original intake which means your payments will remain the same.

For any additional queries please email studentfinancequeries@arden.ac.uk

Your payments will remain the same, for more information on payment plans and what this means for you please see our payment plan page here.

You will continue to receive support from your lecturers, Centre teams, Coaches, Academic Skills tutors, and our inclusion team to support you through these changes.

If you do want to speak to a member of the team about these changes and what it means for you, we will also be holding drop-in sessions in Study Centres and online for you to join and get further information. These will be held on dates outlined below and more information on how you can join these will be sent shortly.