To refuse to give my students feedback

[WiseBlankie]

Hi all!

I'm a university teacher. Every year I teach the same course in the second semester. I'll keep it vague, but basically the students are asked to design a rudimentary study, run it and write up the results. The official deadline for their report is in June. If they miss that deadline (or fail), they have three additional chances to hand it in during the following academic year (in September, November and January).

Anyway, the final meetings of this course take the form of tutorials: the students bring their designs-in-progress to class, we discuss them and I give feedback. The students who are diligent about this usually pass without issue. Unfortunately, many students skip these sessions or show up without having done any work, usually because they've already decided to opt for one of the later deadlines and postpone the whole assignment. What happens is that I then get lots of emails around this time of year to ask if I can give them feedback on their designs. Reading their work and responding to these emails takes up a lot of time, whereas during the tutorials I often sit there twiddling my thumbs because only a handful students bother to show up, and there is no work to discuss.

Anyway, I have started replying that if they had wanted feedback on their designs, they should have showed up for tutorials and done their homework, and that they're always welcome to retake the course.

My colleague thinks I am too harsh and that students are postponing assignments because they're overwhelmed. I do get this, and am willing to make exceptions for students who have had to deal with illness or personal problems, but right now I think there's this general attitude that only their own schedule matters. I am busy too, and teaching other courses at the moment. AIBU?

Can you not just run one more feedback session/tutorial before the other deadlines and then not reply to any emails?

It depends. Did you warn them all at the start and what would happen if they didn't engage with the tutorials? I mean a clear warning not something added on to the end of a session when they were gathering their stuff together and trying to figure out where they needed to be next.

I could, but it would be extra work for me (planning it, booking a classroom, being there) and I wouldn't get paid for it. I also think it would only encourage all students to ignore the official deadline.

Did you give a date after which feedback will not be given? It should be contained within the assignment information. If you didn’t and it’s still within the course period, you should provide feedback. If you did, you point to the information and decline (unless there is an extenuating factor).

I think unless you have said up front that the tutorials are their one and only chance for feedback, you cannot ethically only offer feedback to the students working towards the earliest deadline.

By having four deadlines several months apart that they can “opt” for, you have created the situation where you are allowing students to choose one of the four deadlines depending on their individual timetables and course loads.

The students working towards the later deadlines would be less likely to have anything for you to give them feedback on. So I can see why they’d skip a tutorial that they are not ready for.

In addition, I think it is unfair to limit all students to only one feedback session over the entirety of this project, especially if a student is struggling with it.

Personally, I would have one deadline and one chance to apply for an extension due to personal circumstances- like SEN, illness, death in family, etc. Feedback should be offered throughout at the student’s request.

In my school it would depend on the circumstances of their deferral - they would need the same opportunities for feedback as the ones on the regular schedule. So should they have taken the initial chance or is that all tied up in the deferral.

As you know, students can do no wrong. This year, I'd give brief feedback by email or organise an online drop in session (it can be hard for resit students to physically get to campus for a class). Next year set out in black and white in your module and assignment details exactly when feedback will be available and clearly state no other feedback will be available.

It is made very clear that these tutorials are their opportunity to receive feedback on their designs. They have not been explicitly warned that I would not give them feedback individually later on if they made the decision not to show up, but in my opinion this is implied. I am not a private tutor.

Get rid of the 3 later deadlines

Its a stupid way to structure it anyway, the lack of clear deadline simply encourages procrastination.

Can you make the tutorials compulsory? Absolutely put it in writing that feedback is only available in these and they can only apply for extensions in exceptional circumstances.

It is ridiculous that you have to treat them like young children rather than adults.

OP likely has no say over that.

They have not been explicitly warned that I would not give them feedback individually later on if they made the decision not to show up, but in my opinion this is implied.

Its not. The three later deadlines create a lot of confusion.

I think either you need to make a very clear announcement to everyone in the class that they only have one opportunity to receive feedback which is x tutorial.

But tbh I do think this is harsh. Not every student will feel able to approach you about difficulties they are having in managing things, want to talk about those things or they may not even fully understand them themselves to be able to articulate it. For example someone could be overwhelmed/ anxious/depressed but still be convinced they are just lazy which isn't accurate. I don't see how you can differentiate.

I wouldn't run more tutorials but I'd maybe provide set dates in line with the resubmission dates where you can be sent work to review via zoom or email and provide feedback that way. It might give you (and them) more structure to the workload but it means they're getting more than one opportunity.

How is it implied? Every University level lecturer I know offers individual feedback.

Why are there so many additional deadlines? I have two degrees and have never come across that. Extensions in exceptional circumstances or retakes if someone fails, yes. But I’ve never started a module and been given four different deadlines upfront. That seems very odd. If you are giving your students four opportunities to hand in their work then of course they will choose the one that best suits them. If your workload means you aren’t available to give feedback throughout the entire time period then just have one deadline at the end of the module.

I think I should emphasise that the official deadline is in June. The other deadlines are resit opportunities. The assumption is that all students hand in their work in June, and those who fail to pass, have a further 3 chances.

The system allows them 4 times to hand it in, but you're only available/prepared to work to one of them. Either the system needs to change or you need to be explicitly clear that they only have one chance for feedback. Right now students are being punished for making a choice they are entitled to make but that you don't agree with and they are not fully informed about.

That means that the ones who have yet to submit are resit or exceptional circumstances students. It does sound like they should have the chance for feedback.

I'd organise a mop up tutorial, it will ultimately be less work than working by email.

This is not my choice. It's university policy. All students should have 3 chances to resit an exam or resubmit an assignment if they fail the first time.

You should probably emphasise this to your students…

Ok, but by your system the students that fail get no additional feedback between failing and resit deadline. It seems you are setting them up to keep failing.

Also, many students can’t speak up or are spoken over in tutorials conducted with the entire class, so even if they attend, they leave without the feedback they need.

Record the session and send them a copy? Emphasise that if they don't come to sessions you can't give one to one feedback as it's extra attention on them which is unfair to others who did attend. Circulate notes and the recording of the session and have one follow up by teams/zoom which can include those that missed it. Otherwise you should tell them come to the sessions if you want this feedback.

YANBU. The later deadlines are resit opportunities. The teaching for the module is finished.

I would only give feedback to those who have handed in and failed to make the pass mark at that stage, or students with EC that hadn't had the initial opportunity for feedback.

With some people, you literally have to spell out your expectations and be clear because they don’t pick up on the implication. Just communicate and set one main deadline, then if students struggle to meet that due to emergencies or other mitigating circumstances, they can apply for an extension. By doing it your way, you are giving them an option of three deadlines spaced out very far apart. A lot of students will pick the later option simply because they think ‘’ oh, sod that, I will just worry about it later’’. It’s a very odd way of doing things, IMO.

I of course give feedback to everyone who hands something in, and am also available to expand on that feedback if they have questions. My issue is with the students who do not participate or hand anything in at all.

I work at a university. I think what you’re doing is correct. There’s one opportunity for feedback. The other deadlines are resits and follow a different procedure which does not include feedback.

It may need to be more explicit / stated repeatedly .. shouldn’t have to be but students may not read all documents carefully. I should say I teach international students, so we take care to make sure communication is clear and understood.