to expect better service than this

[friedafinn]

I started a post graduate qualification, taught online, on Monday. I completed the first two activities by 10am (short ones) and posted the required entry in my online journal.

It's still not been looked at by my tutor let alone commented on. AIBU to expect better service than this for the high fees that I am paying?

@SueEllenMishke

The OP reminds me of a student I once had who calculated how much they were apparently paying me an hour 🙄

I had one of these, too!

Said student seemed to be under the impression that I only taught one class, and did nothing but faff about in my office "researching for my book" in between times.

Said student seemed to be under the impression that I only taught one class, and did nothing but faff about in my office "researching for my book" in between times.

Oh yes that sounds familiar. We are contracted to have one research day a week. I make it clear to my students that I will only check emails once a day on those days and only respond to urgent issues. I'm really responsive on the other 4 days. He complained because that was his chosen study day and he expected me to me available all day to answers his questions.

I'm amazed at how defensive you are all being. Academia must be a very insecure place to be these days.

Anyway I have no further need of this thread so I'll leave you to it.

But what are you going to do to enforce your unreasonable expectations, OP?

When so many people have the same reaction to your words and tone, it's worth considering if that may be due to your words and tone rather than them all happening to be defensive about a particular subject. Just a thought.

@friedafinn

Ah the "I haven't been told what I wanted to hear so I'm going to flounce off" move.

@youvegottenminuteslynn

When so many people have the same reaction to your words and tone, it's worth considering if that may be due to your words and tone rather than them all happening to be defensive about a particular subject. Just a thought.

This. 100%

There was an opportunity for you to understand how this all works behind the scenes but your misplaced entitlement prevented that.

I've said this to you under a different username before @SueEllenMishke but your username is my favourite ever. And has prompted my decision on what to binge watch today

[quote UrAWizHarry]@friedafinn

Ah the "I haven't been told what I wanted to hear so I'm going to flounce off" move.

[/quote]
Totally agree with this.
OP, YABVU

@SueEllenMishke

Said student seemed to be under the impression that I only taught one class, and did nothing but faff about in my office "researching for my book" in between times.

Oh yes that sounds familiar. We are contracted to have one research day a week. I make it clear to my students that I will only check emails once a day on those days and only respond to urgent issues. I'm really responsive on the other 4 days. He complained because that was his chosen study day and he expected me to me available all day to answers his questions.

Have we both been faced with the same student, or is there more than one?! It reached a point with this particular chap that even popping to grab a coffee from the canteen "proved" that I wasn't busy enough.

OP, no one is insecure or defensive. We're explaining how it works. Your particular lecturer probably has plenty of other classes and work commitments to be dealing with. As you've said, this particular piece of work isn't even graded. We aren't an online automated bot service.

If you're unclear on marking procedure for your module, look it up or ask...but given your attitude here, I don't think you'll like the answer!

@youvegottenminuteslynn

I've said this to you under a different username before *@SueEllenMishke* but your username is my favourite ever. And has prompted my decision on what to binge watch today

Excellent call! It's my go to when I'm feeling stressed... i never get bored of it!

Enjoy!

Have we both been faced with the same student, or is there more than one?! It reached a point with this particular chap that even popping to grab a coffee from the canteen "proved" that I wasn't busy enough.

Scary thought!
My student said it was my own fault for being so accommodating and nice. He felt this encouraged students to expect 24/7 support.

We are paying for it and we are customers, it's no different from paying for a place at private school, a plumber or an electrician, they are all services and we can expect a decent service. You are not listening to me!

Many students I have taught with the same attitude remain unhappy throughout. It could block your success. It will certainly block your enjoymenty of the access to education you are paying for.

I too have been told how much a student was paying for me... not hos parents note... and he remained unfulfilled at the end of the course. No reminders that this wasn't school, that he could fail, would fail if he didn't buck his own ideas and behaviour up! He did fail - the only one on about 5 years to do so!

It's nothing to do with academic insecurity, nor is it defensiveness. We see a lot of it - it was one of the reasons I left lecturing. I taught adults as I wanted to teach those who wanted to learn. No spoon feeding and no box tickers...

But I see OP has gone. Not happy with this free service either!

Wow, OP, YABVU. I’m not an academic or in academia at all, but I wouldn’t expect a piece to be marked/ returned in four working days. That’s completely unreasonable. I find it hard to believe you’re doing an MSc, actually, you are so unreasonable.

Why did you bother to ask the question "AIBU?" if you didn't want others opinions? How utterly pointless.

I don’t know honestly if you are reasonable or not. We never had comments or grades on any lesson work assigned when I did my MSc or MBA. We only got graded on the major projects and exams.

Any online discussion notes after a module that we submitted was just a tick in the box of “class participation”. Never got comments back or anything.

I’d contact your tutor and just ask what the standard procedure is. Different universities do things differently.

@friedafinn

I'm amazed at how defensive you are all being. Academia must be a very insecure place to be these days.

Anyway I have no further need of this thread so I'll leave you to it.

What did you need the thread for? Validation?

And you accuse us of being insecure! 😆

@PlanDeRaccordement

I don’t know honestly if you are reasonable or not. We never had comments or grades on any lesson work assigned when I did my MSc or MBA. We only got graded on the major projects and exams.

Any online discussion notes after a module that we submitted was just a tick in the box of “class participation”. Never got comments back or anything.

I’d contact your tutor and just ask what the standard procedure is. Different universities do things differently.

Also, if this is two very short pieces with no marks attached about how much students already know about the subject area, it’s quite possibly primarily for teaching staff to get some idea of base levels of knowledge in their students to aid in how to pitch subsequent material — in that case, I wouldn’t expect substantive commentary.

I'd be surprised if it's anything other than a formative piece of work. It's unlikely that they would set work that had to formally assessed on the first day!

@GallowsHumour
Yes. The OP isn’t clear whether her “online journal” entry is meant to be tracked by the professor and tutor as simply a tick for completion. So no commentary back needed. Or secondly, if it’s something where feedback is only given if you’ve written something really really bad such that you really are not going to pass the course. Or thirdly, if it is something where a comment is due back.

I just find the third scenario of a “pat on the head” to be possible but not probable. I just can’t recall getting anything other than grades for major projects/papers or exams at the masters level. Even for my BS, we never submitted homework or notes as we completed modules. It was always assumed that if you want to do well, you’ll do the work and the proof is in your graded projects/papers/exams.

How silly and immature you are OP, I laughed when you said you were not prepared to wait. What are you going to do about it?
My daughter done a masters in a year, got the directors prize for excellance, she was a single parent and working, even though shattered she did not behave like you.
I am afraid you are very entitled.

@friedafinn

I'm amazed at how defensive you are all being. Academia must be a very insecure place to be these days.

Anyway I have no further need of this thread so I'll leave you to it.

Ooooh, get you

“Many students I have taught with the same attitude remain unhappy throughout. It could block your success. It will certainly block your enjoymenty of the access to education you are paying for.”

This 100%

Although, I’m very tempted to start abruptly taking myself off email threads and leaving meetings with “Anyway, I have no further need of this” so thanks for that OP

@PerpetualStudent

Although, I’m very tempted to start abruptly taking myself off email threads and leaving meetings with “Anyway, I have no further need of this” so thanks for that OP

That’s a lovely idea. Though I also like your (accidental) coinage of ‘enjoymenty’ which I’m going to steal. I will flounce out of Zoom meetings hissing ‘I’m getting no ENJOYMENTY out of this!’

This thread is reminding me of the time an undergraduate flipped his lid because Blackboard froze in the middle of a lecture and the lecturer had to call IT to fix it, and this guy livetweeted the VC the amount of his fees he had calculated he was owed as a refund for 15 minutes of a lecture. (Based on, from what I remember, £9000 and whatever fees divided by his annual contact hours...)