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.

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.

I'm guessing that you did nursing or something similar?

Back in pre history when I did my undergraduate degree the only essay we would get any help with looking at was the dissertation.
Actually my MA wasn't much different.
If essays are getting looked at three times before they are submitted I am truly surprised.
Students are paying for access to education not to have someone write their essays for them, the world of work beckons after this.
(Oh god, I sound like my grandmother!)

I agree that SPaG, correct grammar, punctuation, sentence and paragraph structure should have been taught at school. It is a he fault of the curriculum changes and change in expectation, that now means far too many people are going to university unable to construct a clear, well thought out essay, using correct English.

My essays were mine alone and were corrected by my tutor, so I needed to take on board the advice given to improve my work. There were no drafts; we were expected to research the topic and complete the essay, taking note of the notes to ensure they improved over time.

Are there any academic skills tutors she could make an appointment with?

As an academic I won't look at full drafts but will look at a plan or very small section of an assignment and will only look at this once. However, my tutees can have numerous appointments where we can discuss the subject etc but I wouldn't be looking at work as part of these tutorials.

Reallybadidea I did yes.

Getting significant amounts of formative feedback seems to be very much the norm within nursing education in the UK. It's very unusual to get this in other degrees.

Agree with suggestions to look in detail at the feedback - sometimes students can take it a bit personally and be unwilling to admit that they have missed the mark.
Secondly, whatever the subject, do a decent amount of reading before starting the essay - that way she can see how other authors structure their arguments. It's really only through reading that you can learn to write well, IMO. Learning to write well is a skill - once you have it you will never do a bad piece of work again, as long as you allow enough time. It can take a while to learn though - it didn't click with me until my Masters, when I suddenly went from scoring 55 in everything to getting over 75 (luckily my first degree wasn't examined mainly on essays!). Suddenly I just knew what a good piece of work looked like. Many colleagues have been towards the end of their PhD before it clicked.
However, even bad writing can score ok if the necessary information is there - so again, reading enough and thinking about what the question is asking are really important.

Academic here. The course I teach has approx 300 students in Year One. It would be impossible to offer to look at full essay drafts as there isn't the time - or the staff but that's another issue.... The student needs to arrange to see the tutor in office hours with a list of questions regarding her issues.

@Gth1234
so what on earth do you get for your 9K a year?

YAWN.

The money universities get hasn't increased since fees increased, it just comes from a different place.

Yes and many of them won't ever pay the 9 grand back anyway...

What is she studying? as what makes a good essay can be quite subject specific. For example, I studied psychology and writing and critiquing scientific research, carrying out your own research and writing it up in a scientific way will be completely different to writing an arts essay. It really helps to go on Amazon or go to the library, and searching for books that help with academic writing, specifically for her subject.

I'm an academic as well. She can go and see the person who marked it for feedback on how to improve. She should also be able to look at the marking grid to see where she's lost marks.

For most students in year 2 getting around 55% it's often the amount of critical analysis they need to increase.

She can arrange tutorials and go in with a plan of action outlining her intentions, the academics can then guide her on this. Tbh your DD is old enough to seek out help herself, there is plenty out there within Uni and other student support groups.

You've given her excellent advice OP - I like to work in my university library & at the moment it's rammed - but the kids seem to be doing an awful lot of FB messaging & the like.

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)

55% is an absolutely fine mark. It's a solid 2, ii, and demonstrates that she's keeping up with the work, with room to improve. It's pretty average - so not failing. And if she "wanted" a better mark, then she needed to put in the work.

Also - it's worth remembering that "Comparison is the thief of joy."

She needs to take the initiative and see her personal tutor, or her tutors on her modules. But she needs to prepare for this. And also realise that (in the UK at least) academics are starting on huge marking loads, to be done by the end of May ...

So she should not go in and moan about 55% as "failing" - it will irritate the very people from whom she seeks help.

She should also not go in and just say "I don't know what to do" or variations on that plaint.

She needs to be specific about what extra advice she seeks. And she should do the work beforehand - a plan, a list of what she's read so far, and some specific questions about the specific assignment for which she's seeking help.

But a warning: if she's not taken up opportunities to do formative work (ie opportunities to submit trial essays or the like for feedback, but no marks), or tutors' office hours during the term, or extra revision sessions (I always offer those), or been noticeably absent, or noticeably not done the reading for seminars, then she may be reaping what she sows. A tutor may try to guide her, but if she hasn't done the work, there's not much we can do.

I think I missed a page but just in case...

Most universities have a Royal Literary Fund Fellow who will help with essay writing etc.

The Manchester website Academic Phrasebank Is aimed at international students but is invaluable for those losing marks because their writing is not in the correct academic manner

The money universities get hasn't increased since fees increased, it just comes from a different place

And it's not actually quite enough to pay the full cost of educating any degree-level student. What overseas students pay is a far better guide to real costs.

I am also at the end of second year and things are hard but it kind of goes without saying that you wouldn't be able to get feedback on an assignment before submitting it. You can ask lecturers and staff questions of how to structure and ask specific questions on bits you don't understand but it wouldn't make sense to send drafts for feedback before you submit surely?
I have an additional learning need so I am given study support tutor hours but even then they only help with time management/structure.
I would advise your DD to make a note of the bits she is stuck with and speak to her tutor about them, but in order to get better grades maybe she just needs to put a lot more time in. It is a hard transition from school i feel as every step is spoon fed

Thank you, the link to the Manchester Academic Phrasebank is great, wish I knew about that when I was doing my course.

Thank you all, I suspect that although she is seeking help, she isn't seeking the right sort of help and either expecting too much of herself or not working hard or smart enough in the right areas.

If she's at the end of second year, how does her latest mark compare to previous ones? Is it a one-off or is she always scoring in the 50s?

As a teaching assistant (who would do a lot of the marking) I was always happy to meet students to discuss the feedback they received and how to improve going forward. I think that getting further feedback on previous work and applying those lessons to future work will be much more valuable to her in the long-term rather than holding her hand through future assignments.

Yep, that too @Upzadaizy

It would be worth your daughter looking at the marking scheme for her subject which should be on the University website.That describes the characteristics expected for each grade for written work. So for example: what you expect to see in a solid 2:2 or 2:1 assignment. That tells you what is being looked for at each level and may give some hints as to what needs to be improved.

All HE providers need to offer support throughout the student journey and that includes academic support (though obviously independent thought and work are essential). As well as help from academic and pastoral staff, student representatives can be helpful as they meet regularly with staff and will be able to offer advice from a student's perspective.