Not marking the exams

[Elvanseshortage]

I am a VL. Due to a mix up and miscommunication I found out on December 14th I was supposed to be marking some exam papers over Christmas. Strictly speaking it is in my contract, but it's a bit vague and nobody mentioned it at all until the papers appeared in my inbox. After a polite complaint about the short notice I agreed to do them and asked for the marking key. I didn't get one until the 15th (students did the exam on the 7th). I started marking on the 16th and found that the key was wrong in several sections. I emailed the module leader who wrote the key on the 16th and haven't had a reply. She is also hourly paid covering maternity leave and has never answered my emails during the whole of the course. I don't hold out much hope that she will answer now.

I am about to have visitors arrive for Christmas (I am hosting) and am going to be really busy. That's why I tried to get the marking done quickly. Right now I feel like saying I can't do them at all. I am so poorly paid and I don't want to have to do them on my lap (my desk is the guest room) very early in the morning/late at night because of somebody else's disorganisation. To be sensible, perhaps I should just ask for an extension until she replies. But I'm annoyed.

What should I do?

I'm not in accademia so can't help really but in industry I would write and send an email saying that you are still waiting for the resources to do the work and have already requested them. You are on anual leave from x date to y date and if the key is returned to you by b date you aim to have the marking done by c date. Then cc in the relevant person overseeing the whole course.

You can't mark them right now if the key is wrong. You can ony update clearly with what you will be able to acheieve when you have the correct resources. If someone cares they will sort it.

Thanks for your reply @WannabeMathematician. We don't have annual leave. We just have to get the work done. That's how things work in hourly paid academia.
What you say makes sense though, to negotiate a new deadline. TBH I just don't want to do it at all anymore as it will mean doing it over Christmas whatever happens, and I have another lot of marking starting on January 4th. I guess I am asking if it's reasonable to say I won't be doing it at all.

I don't know if you can't say that you can't do it all, given that it's in your contract and I'm not sure what the norms are. That's why I suggested pushing back against the implied timeline. Is the university in shut down over Christmas? That might give you more leverage.

So perhaps you need to seperate out what are the norms of your working conditions and what you actually contractually obliged to do?

I do admit I say this as someone who didn't carry on in accedemia so I understand that it's difficult for me to image. But I have had to deal with lots people coming out of it and having to explain that they can push back and that disorganisation on someone else's part is not an emergency on theirs!

Marking is generally in VL contracts - the hourly rate (supposedly) covers that time. So you probably do need to do the marking. However, I think you'd be reasonable to say that as you have visitors and no space, you can't start on the work until 2nd January.

But really try not to load this onto another hourly paid lecturer: it's above her pay grade. She's probably under the same pressures as you.

Escalate to the Director of Education of your department.

Try to word your email so you don't land the module convenor in the shit - hourly-paid people should not be convening modules, but this is the state of UK HE (one of the best exports we have, but not because of government support ...)

Say that the key for the exam materials is incorrect, and the time you'd set aside for marking is past, and that you are now on annual leave until 2nd Jan. Ask that the correct materials be with you then, and give the Director of Ed a reasonable time for your delivery of marking - if you went at it for 2 8 hour days, would that clear it? You'd be able to offer delivery of marking for 5th January, which is pretty reasonable actually.

We have a 3 week turnaround at my place, including 1st & 2nd marking, and administration of marks, before they're released to students (which I think is institutional bullying) but bank holidays etc don't count, so you'd still be only a few days over the 21 working days.

Good luck! This is the state of UK HE, folks.

I guess I am asking if it's reasonable to say I won't be doing it at all.

Frankly, I'm not sure that is reasonable, if it's in your contract. But obviously your department is under-resourced.

@WickDittington thanks so much for your reply. I know what you say is reasonable, but I am not feeling very reasonable myself. If I get an extension to the marking deadline I will then end up with two lots of marking at the same time(some more coming on Jan. 4th) while I still have visitors staying. I guess I just have to stay calm and do it later. I want to tell them to stuff it. It's a last straw moment. Not really anybody's fault.

This is frustrating, OP, but I don’t think you can get out of a contractual obligation unless you are prepared to quit academia.

I like @WickDittington ‘s approach. There is some tension between trying to word your email so you don’t land the convenor in the shit and revealing that the answer key is wrong. But you must do the latter, as tactfully as possible, because that’s screwed up your timings. I think that as long as your email is factual and professional and comes from a problem solving orientation, this plan will work.

I am sorry if that isn’t what you want to hear.

What a pain! How badly and in what way is the marking scheme wrong? Are there sections that you could mark for now and then go back later to the affected sections with the corrected key? Or does the format of the exam make that too complicated?

Check your assessment policy and email the Head of Dept and inform them of the issues and when you estimate you will be able to have the marking done by. The policy will state the turnaround times and it should be in student handbook or vle, when students should have grades by.

Temporary staff should not be leading modules for this reason. Ridiculous the state we are in.

I think it would be reasonable to flag to the VL and someone more senior that you're still waiting for the corrected key, if you get it by X you can complete the marking by Y, but you are not able to access your work over Christmas due to your holiday plans, so if not recieved by X then it will take you Z days from either the date (W) you're available to restart work, or the date you get the key, if it's after W.

(yes I ran out of letters...)

Ridiculous the state we are in.

Indeed @Mumteedum