Does anyone know what's happening with final year students?

[imsooverthisdrama]

So ds is in final year of a 3 year degree course . Me and dh have for a while not been convinced how much work ds has put in on his course .
Anyway lockdown happened and he says was working online so left him to it .
The last couple of weeks less and less work done till he finally admitted that recently he'd not done any work as was struggling.
I've sympathised as the situation is difficult for all but this is his final year !!.
Anyway after a talking too he said will contact uni and ask for extension but he said he's not heard anything yet.
I'm not sure what to think , will they allow this ? will they mark his work and get a degree ? I'm just so worried that ds has spent 3 years in education to not get a degree. He doesn't seam at all concerned but I am .

[Fudgewhizz]

It depends on the uni. Many have a 'safety net' policy which means that any work done (or not done) after lockdown cannot bring the marks down, only up. As for extensions etc it's just up to the individual uni. He should have had info emailed to him about all this. He also won't be the only one in this situation - I highly doubt he'll fail his degree.

[imsooverthisdrama]

Oh that's a little reassuring, I will tell him to go back and check this info , he doesn't seam to know or not telling me .

[DPotter]

I know many uni students and they all know the position their own uni has adopted. Most will have either completed the course work / open book exams required by now. My DD is the last of all her friends and she finishes next week. Think your son may just have drifted along on the 'safety net policy'.
Having said that - he is an adult, and it's up to him.

[JacobReesMogadishu]

Tell him to talk to his personal tutor, they'll be able to advise him on what that uni's policy is. Most have a safety net/no detriment policy. Extensions and extenuating circumstances are being handed out to everyone who asks for one at the uni I'm at.

[CatandtheFiddle]

He will have had a LOT of clear communication from his university, his department, and probably his tutors.

Most universities are running a "no detriment" policy - he should look at his university's website to find out what his institution is doing. Each institution will manage this a little differently, but basically most universities are saying that if students receive marks after lockdown (23 March) which are lower than marks achieved before lockdown, they won't count against the student.

And at my place there are no questions asked week or two week extensions, as well as the further possibility of deferrals of assessments until August for students with really difficult circumstances.

If you want to check for yourself, go to his university's home page you should see a link to something about COVID-19 - I know it's plastered all over my university's home page, and there are pages of FAQs and emails for contact for queries. The information will all be there & usually it's publicly available.

But he has to read his university emails!

My students keep asking e questions, and I say "We sent you an email about that" and the answer "Oh I never read my university emails"

[toffeeghirl]

My dd submitted her last piece a few weeks ago.

[DippyAvocado]

DSS has had to complete his final exams online. He'd done most of them and the last one is coming up next week. Has your DS had to do any exams?

[imsooverthisdrama]

No exams that I'm told anyway just marked on what he's done .
He's just not very forthcoming with info it's like pulling teeth .
He's a adult so what can I do ? It's quite frustrating as we are a hardworking family to see him loose motivation like this .
All good advice he's sloped off upstairs to check emails find this info .
It sounds terrible but it's like he doesn't want to tell me the truth , will he know he's failed ? .

[CatandtheFiddle]

will he know he's failed ?

Not yet - we don't have Examination Boards to decide final degree classifications until late June or early July (they are later this year than usual because. C-19)

"No detriment" means his final marks for this year will not be lower than marks he's received up to 23rd March. If he was failing before, then ...

But his overall degree classification will be an arithmetical calculation based on his university's regulations. At my place, 3rd Year (Final Year) marks are worth twice 2nd year marks - to acknowledge what we call "exit velocity" - that is, that as students learn more, their work improves. But other places do it differently. Some places look at what's called "preponderance" - the majority of modules in whichever class grade.

Again, you could probably find this information yourself - it's usually all publicly available.

[imsooverthisdrama]

Thanks @CatandtheFiddle I've had a look this afternoon .
I'm worried that he's given up because he's failed , I can't get anything out of him .
I just hope he's being honest .
What a waste if he's failed .
I'm being a worried mum but thanks for posting .

[Xenia]

He is probably pulling the wool over your eyes or is being wilfully blind. First of all go on his university's website as you can probably see loads of things about all this on there and then ask him about that.

He can also order on line a marks transcript for no charge - my son needed one for his post grad application and it was easy to get which will show the marks in every paper over the whole period.

Thirdly he will have emails he could forward to you from the university about what is happening. Eg my twins (also final year) had clear emails with deadlines for dissertations etc - the last of the 2 submitted his dissertation today and just has one essay exam left later this month. Most will have , as said above, some system whereby marks so far are "banked" and will not worsen although in the case of my twins if their dissertations are poor they could have their overall marks pulled down.

Your son sounds a bit like mine (who got a third). It was only when letters started coming to our house and he told me his problems and he asked me to go on the university system for him (some years ago) and check all his deadlines and email him with details (not something I would ever of course have done for any of my 5 children except in this exceptional case and only at his request) that it was "okay" although even then he got a third, nothing like what he should have achieved, but at least he got his BA.

[FrenchSeal]

The issue you have is that the uni is under no obligation to tell you as the parent anything at all- indeed they legally can't due to data protection.

I know at DS1's uni, they have a no detriment policy. This means that the assessments they submit now cannot lower their average- so if they were sitting on a 2:1 prior, that is the least they can get. Indeed, if they've already done substantial coursework for a particular module, that can't come down either.

This all depends though on them actually submitting something for all of their assessments. The uni have been clear that any student who does not submit anything will likely not be able to take advantage of the no detriment policy and will be dealt with on an individual basis.

[titchy]

All universities will have some sort of no detriment policy in place, and students WILL know about it.

That said, all the policies I'm aware of require the student to actually pass any remaining module component. So if he's done say an essay worth 50% of a module before covid, he has to take and pass the remaining post-covid 50%.

[titchy]

Did he pass his first and second years? If he did and has indeed failed his third year he has a couple of options. Either ask if he can leave with an exit award to recognise the first two years (a Diploma of Higher Education), or he can repeat his final year. I'd only recommend the latter if he is prepared to sort out the issues that brought him to this situation in the first place though.

HTH

[FrenchSeal]

@titchy

DS is at a Russell Group university and they have been very clear that so long as students submit something for their remaining assessments, the no detriment policy will apply. There is no requirement to pass them.

[puffinandkoala]

All universities will have some sort of no detriment policy in place, and students WILL know about it

All of them? I didn't think Reading did, for example? Hopefully the OP's son isn't there.

[titchy]

Ok but they can't just not bother with the final assessment thinking they'll keep the mark for the pre-covid essay.

[titchy]

All of them? I didn't think Reading did,

This is Reading's:
https://student.reading.ac.uk/essentials/_support-and-wellbeing/medical-and-general-health/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-and-support/exams-guidance/safety-net-and-extenuating-circumstances.aspx

[mumsiedarlingrevolta]

DS at a RG Uni
Just completed his last final today

Newcastle has a "safety net" as he calls it but he is unsure how he will be graded because as part of his degree there is an external accreditation that he gets along side his degree- for example he will be certified as an accountant by National Association of Accountants as well as his degree. (obviously it's not that but couldn't think of an example)

So lots of different scenarios at play-think you really need to try and get to the bottom of what your DS actually knows- it has been a difficult year with the strikes and the pandemic!!
but he needs to figure out where he stands now and how to go forward-what does he actually want?

[AlltheRs]

Most (if not all?) uni's have a no detriment policy running during the pandemic. If he's got into problems the best thing he can do is talk to them.
They are aware that lots of students may have difficulties trying to complete their work remotely for all sorts of reasons. I've deferred my final hand ins to the autumn exam board in the hope of still pulling it together. (I could see I didn't stand a chance with having to scrabble for survival to keep the roof over our heads, food on the table, look after dependents, and many other issues)
IME generally you can only defer if you apply to do so before teaching formally finishes, but they might just be handling things differently in the current circumstances.
If it came to it, if he hasn't had a foundation year, he could resit his third year using up the last bit of student funding he's entitled to (means no funding left for a masters)
There will be a progressions team at his uni who can tell him what options he has. He needs to talk to them and his tutors. No one can help students who don't ask for help.

[AlltheRs]

BTW I've been highly self motivated with solid 100% attendance.
Being removed from university and the energy of being around other learners and thrust backwards into what I came from, left me feeling 'axed' and now very detached, and as if everything I've done has just evaporated and I have nothing of value to present.

If it's had that effect on me I'm not suprised if many younger students are struggling. Just a thought.

[Xenia]

Allthe - I hope you can sort it out. It sounds like you have a chance to hand in the final stuff in the Autumn instead and it will be okay.

[MarchingFrogs]

means no funding left for a masters

If you mean a separate MSc / MA, the funding for that is a completely separate (and not means tested) loan, of about £11000 for 2020/21. If an integrated masters, assuming that this is the course for which the student is currently funded, then one repeat year would be covered (unless, as you say, they had already used up the 'gift' year with previous study, but even then, a repeat year should be funded if the student can prove compelling personal circumstances as the reason for needing to repeat).

The number of years that you can get a Tuition Fee Loan for is normally calculated as:

length of current course + one year – years of previous study

Even if you only attended your course for a short time, it will still count as a year of previous study.
www.ucas.com/finance/student-finance-england/going-back-uni-or-repeating-year

[AwwDontGo]

It’s good that the Unis have a no detriment policy - it must be very hard to keep motivated at home for a lot of students.

[imsooverthisdrama]

Hi thanks for the posts,
No not reading university it's in the North .
He's been in touch with uni and explained that he's struggled with lockdown etc . He is now waiting for permission to re sit the module in August so should hear this week.
At least he can re sit the work missed and get a grade .
As long as work is put in I'm happy , but we've had a good chat and he's feeling much better and motivated.
His part time job has reopened so he's gone back to work too so at least he's getting out of the house now too .