UCD School of English Drama Film Scoil an Bhéarla, na Drámaíochta agus na Scannánaíochta UCD

Academic Support Officer

Being unsuccessful in a module is a common occurrence for most students at least once in their Undergraduate career and there are ways to remediate your grade in order to minimise the affect to your over all Grade Point Average (GPA).

The School of English, Drama and Film provides support for students needing to remediate the grade of an unsuccessful module through the Academic Support Officer.

The Academic Support Officer (ASO) for the School of English, Drama and Film will be your primary point of contact in relation to the resit/repeat process. The ASO is available to provide academic advice to assist you in successfully remediating the unsuccessful module. In relation to resits, the ASO will distribute resit essay assignments (if applicable), mediate with module coordinators (if necessary), and work with you on approaches to revising for resit exams. For repeats, the ASO is available for consultation on any academic matters which you may want to discuss in order to help complete your repeat module successfully. Students receiving an IX for any modules will also work with the ASO in the completion of incomplete module components. 

The current ASO is Dr. Mark Ronan. He will be your primary point of contact for all issues related to resits, repeats, and IX circumstances, the details of which are outlined below.

Contact:mark.ronan@ucd.ie

Office Hours: Wednesday 1:00-3:00 and Friday 12:00-4:00.

Information on Resits, Repeats and Extenuating Circumstances (IX)

  • Resit: If you fail a module that is not being taught in the following trimester you may be offered a resit opportunity such as an in-trimester assessment or exam. You will not need to reattend the module, and the resit will have a Pass/Fail grade. If you pass, your grade point will be capped at 2.0. To see if a module offers a resit, use the Course Search to find it and look at the “What happens if I fail?” section of the module descriptor. For more information on UCD Resits/Repeats, please see: https://www.ucd.ie/students/registration/repeatsresits/.

  • Repeat: If you fail a module you may be able to repeat it the next time it is taught. You will normally be expected to attend the lectures/tutorials and do any continuous assessment and/or exams. If you pass, your grade point will be capped at 2.0. To see if a module offers a repeat opportunity, use the Course Search to find it and look at the “What happens if I fail?” section of the module descriptor. For more information on UCD Resits/Repeats, please see: https://www.ucd.ie/students/registration/repeatsresits/.

  • IX Grade: If you have not completed a module due to extenuating circumstances (which must be reviewed/ approved by the Programme Examination Board), you will be awarded an IX grade. This occurs when you have been unable to satisfactorily complete any component(s) of assessment, or, when you provide medical/other certification that verifies an incapacitating illness or circumstance which prevented you from so doing. You must complete the component(s) of assessment (or equivalent assignments) set by the School within two trimesters of the initial attempt. When you complete these assessments within the prescribed time, you will be awarded the final aggregate grade and the full grade point associated with that grade, along with the associated credit (provided the final grade is a passing grade). For an explanation of the UCD Grade Scales, please see: https://www.ucd.ie/registry/staff/registryservices/assessment/examsandgrading/gradingguide/

If you are facing such issues, and are a student in the School of English, Drama and Film, Dr. Ronan can offer the following assistance

  • General Questions and Answers. Dr. Ronan will be available by email to answer any questions you may have about an unsuccessful module or assignment, and to advise you about opportunities for remediation. If necessary, he will also direct you to and/or mediate with the appropriate staff member in relation to your query and your circumstances. He will distribute resit assignments (if applicable), mediate with module coordinators (if necessary), and work with you on approaches to revising for resit exams.

  • Mentoring Sessions. Dr. Ronan will be available for practical, one-to-one mentoring sessions to discuss previous submission and writing problems, as well as individual assignments, in a way that is bespoke to you and your needs. Office hours are Tuesday 11:30-1 and Friday 2:30-4, and such meetings must be organised with Dr. Ronan via email in advance. He will also help you to set and accomplish smaller, manageable goals and discuss coping strategies for dealing with heavy workloads to ensure that assignments are completed on time. Dr. Ronan will talk you through the process of finalising, and submitting your assignment.

  • Group Workshops. In conjunction with module coordinators from the School of English, Drama and Film, Dr. Ronan will provide occasional 1-hour online group workshops throughout the trimester on such topics as essay writing, editing, close reading, thesis formation, MLA referencing, and exam preparation. If you would like to register for any of these workshops or sessions, please email Dr. Ronan directly.


For more information on UCD Resits/Repeats see http://www.ucd.ie/students/resitsrepeats.html

For an explanation of the Grade Point Average see http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/asug/assessmentgradingandexaminers/