Daughter struggling at uni - needs academic help

[MakeMineALarge1]

So not really an AIBU, but asking for help.
When I was at uni (6 years ago) and when I did my post grad course (2 years ago) I had an abundance of help from the lecturers etc. Each essay could be seen up to 3 times to ensure all students were on the right tract, this help was available to all.
Now my dd 20 is at at Uni and she is saying lecturers aren't allowed to see any written work, they can only discuss idea's and plans etc.
So where can she go for help, I have offered to proof read any essays and have aked to see the feedback etc to see if I can help her, but of course " I know nothing"!
Please help me, help her.

A lot, I think, depends on which Uni and which course. When I did a post-grad we were allowed to submit assignment drafts. My DD wasn't and, like yours, could only submit plans.

Can she speak to her course tutor? Is it a particular area she is struggling with (academic writing, actually putting together a coherent assignment plan)?

I'm an academic. What discipline is she in?

If you want to chat on DM, I'm happy to.

I think she needs to go and chat with an academic/lecturer/teacher to discuss her plans/arguments etc. They can't look at written work but she can verbally communicate her stuff to them and they can offer guidance.

She should swap proof reading with friends.

It was the same when I was at uni 10 years ago - you couldn’t submit drafts to a lecturer or tutor, but you could discuss it with them.

I suggest she makes her meetings with her tutors very targeted; she needs to tell them what, particularly, she needs guidance with. They can’t read a draft, but if she knows structuring her argument is what she struggles with then she can go to them with an outline and ask them to discuss that with her. That should steer her in the right direction, and give her the confidence to produce the work itself.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel In principle this is a good idea but every year we have numerous cases of students getting done for plagiarism because they've proof read each others' work then borrowed things from each others' essays. It's not deliberate cheating and it's actually a good way to learn but it gets flagged up by the system, they get called to a meeting, and they risk their marks seriously suffering.

She should have a course tutor? If she’s really struggling, she should go to the module leader for each course. Emailing a request for help would be best so that there is proof. I’m not sure she’s totally correct that they can’t see written work. Is that one off the cuff comment that somebody has said that she’s blown up? I have a sister at Uni and I find that what she says and the actual reality of things are often different things!
What is she struggling with in particular? Is she attending all of the lectures? Is she allocating enough time to each piece of work?

Perhaps the course may not be for her - she needs to read journals and read relevant literature to help herself improve her academic writing.

Her tutor would normally be the first port of call. Has she had a discussion with him/her about the specifics of where she's struggling?

In addition most universities will have an Academic Support office or similar, which may provide workshops to help students with their essay writing skills and/or the transition (academically speaking) from high school to university. Or her student union rep should be able to signpost her to resources that could help.

If it's less of an academic issue per se but perhaps other stresses or pressures are affecting her ability to think independently as is required at university, then there should be a student welfare office/rep/adviser.

There is usually a wealth of different routes to help - but she has to want to seek that help herself.

Err. I know that I was at uni a million years ago but of course tutors didn’t look at drafts.

Your experience seems very unusual to me.

She should discuss with others on her course and then do the work and will get feedback on the actual finished work

Is she actually struggling eg failing essays or just not finding it easy or not doing as well as she thinks she should do?

Depending on the actual problem depends what she needs to do

Actually reading your op again does she actually need help? Or is it that you think she needs it because your uni set up was so different

You could give each essay in for review 3 times before the final draft? Blimey, that seems really very odd.

I was at university 15 years odd ago now and we could speak to lecturers etc and ask specific stuff, but certainly couldn't get essays looked at.

Is she struggling or do you just assume she needs help?

I’m doing a postgrad course (distance learning) and on some modules we feel lucky if the lecturer responds to a query... they don’t seem to look at anything except your submitted assignment.

I did my undergrad a long time ago and even then they didn’t look at drafts or plans... you just got on with it.

Your experience seems very odd OP

Most universities will have a ‘study skills’ dept/team who are focussed on specifically supporting students to develop these skills. Has she been to the library and looked at the website?

Has your DD actually asked for help, OP? You are offering it but don't actually mention her asking. She may be happy with her University experience.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.
Maybe my experience was unusual, but I certainly remembering sitting down with the lecturers with my draft and discussing it/changing it.

DIRTYDENNIS - I will DM you if thats ok.

I think what it is her flat mates are all doing better, ie she has just got her results back and she's got 55% - she wanted a better mark - now she's got it into her head everyone in the whole world is doing better than her (she is a bit dramatic)
I have suggested the library for study skills and sitting down with her personal tutor.

I have told her there will be an abundance of help available but she has to seek it, and just sitting in the library is not studying per se - she has to seek the help, review the feedback she is getting etc and work on that.

We submitted final Essay no drafts or discussions, that was 30 years ago!

MakeMine my daughter is struggling in her first year at uni too. I suspect she is dyslexic but not enough to appear on any educational radar and she refuses to get tested even though I think it would help her enormously. She does fine in the verbal or physical stuff (doing a sports therapy degree) but its the written assignments and exams she struggles with, especially the exams.

Yep, no problem. Just drop me an DM

It depends on the uni OP. I’m currently studying and the only way we’re allowed to get even our essay plans looked at is if we have a learning support plan in place for a disability that specifically highlights this as an adjustment. Your daughter may need to speak to her wellbeing team if she thinks she needs this. Another option is study skills in the library.

Is she in her first year?

The first year is more about making sure everyone is on the same page knowledge wise, learning how to write projects/essays/reports etc before hitting 2nd year where marks start to count.

That said, if she is first year, she must be near the end? Has she not asked for assistance/feedback before now?

She is at the end of 2nd year.

Ok. So she’s not doing as well as she wanted.

So she needs to carefully read the feedback on the essay and understand what to do better. More independent thought, wider reading around the reading list, critical assessment etc.

There should be feedback, even if only a couple of lines, which she can work on. Only if there is no comment should she approach tutor for advice.

A massive part of university is independent work and academic study. She will be expected to work out how to improve herself.

Your experience is very very unusual so it’s important not to have that as a benchmark to compare.

Hi I am doing PhD so I will give some advice.

There are certain things your daughter needs in an essay regardless of discipline (I believe).

1. a structure that has an introduction, middle and conclusion. Usually in the introduction (for management subjects anyways) you will introduce the topic area and clearly state what this essay aims to examine/discuss/evaluate etc. It is also good to provide an brief overview of what the essay will individually examine with the one topic.
2. It is very important to spend the right amount of time reading academic peer reviewed journal articles and critiquing these into your own words within the essay. When I was teaching first years last semester, the students always used websites as there references but it is best to used journal articles.
3. Most times a lecturer will provide an essay topic and then signpost these student towards topics discussed in class that should be mentioned in the essay but from my experience, students do not do this that much. For example, if a student is supposed to evaluate PESTEL, it is rarely done and more time is spent going outside the sand box of the essay question.
4. Make sure you are answering the essay question! This is very important. An essay question may ask you to evaluate a model or concept in regards to a business but it important that you do not forget about the model/concept and just provide an essay on HSBC.
5. Provide a conclusion that summarises the main points in the essay.

When I was an undergrad, my lecturers never read my work. However, I progressed and improved the quality of my writing my making mistakes and getting feedback on my assignments. If the written feedback was not enough for me, I would directly meet the lecturer and ask for a detailed explanation of what I am doing wrong or what I could do better. Feedback is very important. A first year students work is never going to be perfect first time. Your daughter will likely have little idea of what to do and the requirements are very different from school. However, she is only going to learn by trying for herself and independently looking at other essay examples or structures of how to do an essay. Over time when she gets her marks back, she can ask for feedback and improve that way.