Dealing with BIRMS End of Session errors

A released ART or degree classification has been reopened and reprocessed for the Main assessment period, but reassessment recommendations for module marks have not opened the Supplementary assessment period for BIRMS Marks Entry.

To reprocess recommendations in BIRMS for affected students in the Main assessment period to register them on modules in the Supplementary period:

• Go to ME05 Calculate/Amend Module Marks page in BIRMS Marks Entry for the affected student/module;
• Tick Correction Approved checkbox and press the [Save] button to re-release the module mark and recommendation.

The Supplementary period for that student/module should now be accessible.

The component structure in BIRMS is inactive in Component Manager, so:

• Check the component structure by eye or press [Check Component Structure] to ensure that it is correctly structured to activate;
• Tick the ‘Important Information’ checkbox and [Activate Component Structure].

The component marks import file is invalid in one or more of the following ways:

• Has an invalid format (not .CSV);
• The header fields - the cells containing the descriptors ‘Assessment Period’, ‘Term’, ‘Component’, ‘Student ID’, ‘Mark’ and ‘Lock’ - have been moved or contain extraneous data (not matching the format of import files created from BIRMS Marks Entry);
• The data fields – the cells where component codes, component descriptions, student ID numbers, marks and locked Y/N - contain invalid data. NB: In this case, ‘invalid’ refers to something that BIRMS isn’t expecting, and can’t read or recognise.

Using a downloaded template import file from BIRMS Marks Entry for the erroring component(s) for comparison if necessary, check:

That the file is in .CSV format – if not, you should be able to Save As to create a csv version;

• That the header fields are located correctly in the file, and that extraneous data has not been added to them – these fields function as signposts for BIRMS indicating the nature of each element of data, so if they not located correctly or there are extra characters, BIRMS won’t be able to recognise the headers, read what the data is and where it should be placed during import;
• That the data fields are located correctly in the file, and that the data entered can be read by BIRMS
• Component codes must be correct and in the appropriate format (5 digit module code and suffixes denoting their place in the component structure), with no extraneous data;
• Component descriptions must match the descriptions in Component Manager which also display in Marks Entry – any different or extraneous data will render the description unreadable by BIRMS;
• Student ID numbers must be correct, with no extraneous data (such as names, etc);
• Marks must be in the appropriate numeric format (no alpha marks for components), and must have a valid value (no minus values, for instance), with no extraneous data;
• The BIRMS-readable values in the ‘Lock’ column can only be either ‘Y’ (yes – lock)  or ‘N’ (no – don’t lock).
• Make sure that only students who are registered on the module are included in the import file.

Email the Curriculum Management Team (curriculummanagement@contacts.bham.ac.uk) – they will be able to check Degree Attributes and CRN codes to resolve the issue.

In Banner, taught modules have a Schedule Type of Z, whereas dissertation modules have a Schedule Type of X – this distinguishes between the module types, and controls the Assessment Period within which marks may be entered for the module.

If this status is incorrect:

1. Remove any student registrations on the module in the current academic year;
2. Contact the Curriculum Management Team (curriculummanagement@contacts.bham.ac.uk) and request that the module’s Schedule Type be amended;
3. Re-register students for the module once it has been confirmed that the Schedule Type has been amended.

This occurs where specific Extenuating Circumstances recommendations (M, ME, MI or MX) are applied to a module mark for second/third attempts at an assessment, but their relationship with the recommendation from the previous assessment period creates an error.

Check any previous recommendations for the module to ensure that the recommendation you select is appropriate for the situation and the assessment period, i.e:

• MX cannot be applied in the Supplementary period following an SU in the Main period – look at the Main and Supplementary circumstances for the student to ascertain which scenario is correct ...
  • The Main period SU is incorrect (maybe there were there EC’s agreed but not reflected), in which case the SU should be corrected to M, so the Supplementary period MX can stand
  • The Main period SU is correct, so the Supplementary period MX (which would create a ‘sit’ in the next academic year) can’t apply as the Supplementary assessment is a second (capped) attempt – a more appropriate Supplementary recommendation in this case would be RS

Either:

• apply a different ART (possibly ART J or ART K);
• or if this is a flexible PGT programme and additional programme years need to be set up, contact Taught Student Administration.

This error will occur when a student has had an ART E in the Main Assessment Period (which has transferred them onto a new programme in the next academic year) and you are trying to release an ART E in the Supplementary Period.

Please contact Taught Student Administration who will update the student’s degree record so that the ART can be released.

Student’s registration status (e.g. Never Arrived, Leave of Absence,  Leaver) will prevent you applying an ART.

NB: You should be able to apply an ART W for a student with Leave of Absence status.

If the student's status is incorrect, contact Taught Student Administration.

If you need to amend the default Date of Leaving for an ART B, ART F, ART G or ART U, please enter the date in the correct format, e.g. 22-JUN-15.

If you have calculated or selected an ART B, F, G or U and there is no date in the Date of Leaving field, you will need to enter the date in order for the ART to be released.

Outside of the standard Main, Supplementary and PGT Dissertation Periods, this is normally the date of the Board of Examiners meeting at which the Exam Board decision was ratified.

1. Check whether the marks and module recommendations are correct. If not, amend the marks and module recommendations, then recalculate the ART.
2. If the student now has module recommendations of P or PE for all their non-excluded modules, you will be able to release the ART A.
3. If the marks and module recommendations are correct, you will need to select a different ART.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks to identify the missing mark – you should then be able to process the missing mark and recalculate the ART.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks to identify the missing module recommendation – you should then be able to process the missing recommendation and recalculate the ART.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks to identify the missing mark and/or module recommendation – you should then be able to process the missing mark and/or recommendation and recalculate the ART.

Students on PGT programmes can use pre-awarded credit towards their degree subject to a maximum of two thirds of the total number of credits.

If this total is exceeded, the degree classification will not calculate – contact Taught Student Administration.

Refer to the ATAS FAQ in the 'ARTs processing' section of the End of Session FAQs.

Refer to the ATAS FAQ in the 'ARTs processing section of the End of Session FAQs.

In order to release an ART W (Release Marks), the student must have at least one unreleased mark in the assessment period in which the ART is being released.

This error will occur when you try and release a module recommendation of RS, RP, MI or MX for a module that isn’t active in the next academic year:

• For RS or MX – contact the Curriculum Management Team (curriculummanagement@contacts.bham.ac.uk) who will activate the module for the next academic year;
• For MI or RP – find out whether the module should be running in the next academic year – contact the Curriculum Management Team (curriculummanagement@contacts.bham.ac.uk) to reactivate the module for the next academic year if appropriate;
• Use SB or MB if the module will not run in the next academic year, substituting the appropriate module; if there is no substitute module available, contact the Curriculum Management Team (curriculummanagement@contacts.bham.ac.uk).

If the LA (Leave of Absence) status is incorrect, please contact Taught Student Administration.

In order for the dissertation mark and ART to be released in the PGT Dissertation Period, all marks in the Main and Supplementary Assessment Periods must have been released.

Click on the [M] button to identify marks without a release date.

If a previous ART was released that has locked the Assessment Period so you cannot release these marks, contact Taught Student Administration.

No End of Session processing can be done until the Hold is lifted.

(00XXXX = next academic year)

This usually occurs in the Supplementary and/or PGT Dissertation assessment period where the student is already pre-registered on the module for the next academic year.

There are multiple scenarios you may encounter:

• Where the student has no existing marks for the module in the next academic year:
  1. Drop the module registration from the student for the next academic year in BIRMS Module Registration.
  2. Try to release the ART again.
     
     
• Where the student has marks present for the module in the next academic year, but those marks are not yet released:
  1. Remove the student's unreleased marks in the next academic year for the module in BIRMS Marks Entry.
  2. Drop the module registration from the student’s next academic year in BIRMS Module Registration.
  3. Try to release the ART again.
     
     
• Where the student has released marks present for the module in the next academic year, contact the BIRMS Team.

This usually means that the student is registered on the wrong Year Abroad module code or codes.

To enable the processing of the existing numeric overall module mark:

• the module(s) will have a component structure
• at least one top-level component mark must have been present for the module

However, alpha overall module marks cannot be processed for modules which have an existing component structure, so the correct Year Abroad module for the student in this instance would be a module/modules with no component structure, for which alpha overall module marks may be processed.

If the student is registered on the wrong module code:

1. Take note of the recommendation for the existing modules in ME05
2. Contact TSA to request that they:
   • drop the Year Abroad module registrations for the student
   • register them on the correct modules
   • and reopen the ART from the Year Abroad academic year in which the modules were processed
3. Once you’ve received confirmation from TSA that this has been completed, process the alpha marks and recommendations for the student for their Year Abroad modules and release them with an ART W in BIRMS.

However, in other cases where this error is generated, the module code/codes the student is registered on may originally have been created with the intention of processing for alpha marks, but a component structure may have been added erroneously.

If this is the case for this student:

1. Contact the Curriculum Management Team to request a new module or new modules be created – do not create component structures
2. Contact TSA to request that they:
   • drop the existing Year Abroad module registration(s) for the student
   • register them on the new Year Abroad module(s)
   • and reopen the ART from the Year Abroad academic year in which the modules were processed
3. Once you’ve received confirmation from TSA that this has been completed, process the alpha marks and recommendations for the student for their Year Abroad modules and release them with an ART W in BIRMS

This is the inverse of the previous error message, though it is also a case of the student being registered on the wrong Year Abroad module code or codes.

There will be no component structure or component marks present if the student currently has an alpha mark. However, there must be a component structure and at least one top-level component mark present for the module to enable processing of a numeric overall module mark.

In this instance, the correct Year Abroad module for the student would be a module with a component structure, as a numeric overall module mark is required.

To resolve this error:

1. Contact TSA to request that they:
   • drop the Year Abroad module registrations for the student
   • register them on the correct modules
   • and reopen the ART from the Year Abroad academic year in which the modules were processed
2. Once you’ve received confirmation from TSA that this has been completed, process the numeric marks and recommendations for the student for their Year Abroad modules and release them with an ART W

Where Year Abroad modules are failed (and 100 credits have not been achieved for the Year Abroad), and the student has not already been transferred onto the non-Year Abroad variant of the programme, this error message will display in the BIRMS End of Session error page ES05 – you can access this page when the [Display Errors] button enables and is selected.

To resolve this error:

1. Contact TSA to request a transfer (NB: a transfer form is not required in these instances)
2. Provide TSA with the code of the non-Year Abroad variant of the programme that the student should be transferred to
3. Once you’ve received confirmation from TSA that the transfer has been processed, exclude the Year Abroad module or modules in ME05 - ensure that both Main and Supplementary marks are excluded, where appropriate
4. Calculate the degree classification for the student

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

1. For programmes with a year in industry or year abroad, particularly UG Masters programmes, some data has to be recorded in Banner for fees and HESA purposes in ways which can lead to issues auto-calculating, generating this error.
   
   If your programme fits this criteria, contact Taught Student Administration - they will be able to temporarily amend the appropriate Banner fields to enable auto-calculation.
   
   
2. If your programme does not fall into this criteria or the issue has not been resolved, the student may have been permitted to take modules at a higher level (e.g. a Level I module during Year 1), which is not being taken into account during calculation.
   
   BIRMS will allow you to amend the stage of the module in Marks Entry page ME05 so that it is credited to the correct stage when the degree classification is calculated.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

1. For programmes with a year in industry or year abroad, particularly UG Masters programmes, some data has to be recorded in Banner for fees and HESA purposes in ways which can lead to issues auto-calculating, generating this error.
   
   If your programme fits this criteria, contact Taught Student Administration - they will be able to temporarily amend the appropriate Banner fields to enable auto-calculation.
   
   
2. Alternatively, if your programme does not fall into this criteria or the issue has not been resolved, the student may have been permitted to take modules at a higher level (e.g. a Level H module during Year 2), which is not being taken into account during calculation.
   
   BIRMS will allow you to amend the stage of the module in Marks Entry page ME05 so that it is credited to the correct stage when the degree classification is calculated.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors

Click on the [M] button to view the student’s module registrations and marks.

There is guidance available on resolving common degree classification calculation errors.

If you believe that the degree classification should calculate for this student, contact Taught Student Administration.

In order to calculate a student’s degree classification, students need to be registered on a programme year that is set up as either G (Graduatable) or F (Final) year in Banner – contact Taught Student Administration.

The Total Required Credits for each programme need to be set up in Banner – contact the Curriculum Management Team (curriculummanagement@contacts.bham.ac.uk).