Anyone work/know about Higher Ed? What's a framework award?

[cheapskatemum]

DS1 has been told he might be able to continue at his Uni if he transfers to a Framework Award course. I have no idea what this is, except that it's generic and as the Uni website is password protected and staff there point out that he's 18 & they can't discuss his course with me because of data protection, I thought I'd turn to Mumsnet for info! It's hard, because I appreciate that, at 18, he's an adult, but since DH & I are financing his degree (in Business Management), we want to make sure it's value for money - surely some irony there. Is this a qualification worth having, in your opinion - anyone?

Thanks for your response, Euphemia. He's only in his second term, so there haven't been many modules. I gather from a friend who's been at uni more recently than I, that a Framework Award course is like an Access course. He passed A'levels to get onto the BAHons. I guess I'll have to wait till he gets home so we can discuss it. Then he can use his password to unlock the codes which tell us how well or otherwise he's done in exams/assignments.

Yes, he's had that letter! At Anglia Ruskin they call it an Awards Board. It's all very different to when I was at school & university: then you got one chance at your A' levels, but could resit university module exams if you failed them. Now it's the opposite - resit your A levels till you're blue in the face, but one blip and you're out once you get into university.
Instead of coming home to discuss it, he's gone to different friends' houses in order to stay away as long as possible. I feel totally impotent, but am very grateful for your help.

Finally got somewhere. The Chair of the Awards Board, who wrote the letter, phoned me from her sick bed and wasn't so strung up about the data protection act that she couldn't tell me anything. He hadn't submitted the assignments by the deadline. Seems they've got really tough on this - no second chances. SO typical of DS1 he has to test boundaries and as a result, always ends up learning the hard way! The Framework Award doesn't sound too bad though, it's still a BA Honours degree, just in general Business, rather than Business Management. Also, the Student Advisor can talk to me as long as I either attend a meeting with him alongside my son, or DS1 sends him written permission.

In the uni where I work a late submission can only ever get the minimum pass mark, no matter how brilliant it is, so if he continues to submit late his progression into subsequent years would be questioned at the end of year examination board.

If, in future, your son has a valid reason for being late (eg. illness) he could request an extension to deadline from the module tutor but would have to do this BEFORE the submission is due, not retrospectively. In this instance his work would be marked as if it had been submitted on time and be graded according to content, rather than given a bare pass. (Obviously I'm speaking from the perspective of a single institution, but most universitities offer extensions to deadline or accept mitigating circumstances on production of evidence.)

In first year students should have a personal tutor (or pastoral tutor) for their course. Sounds like that's the person your son should go and talk to.

If he is at Anglia Ruskin and has not submitted at all, under the regulations he can be discontinued.

If, following advice from a member of University or Students' Union Advice Service staff, he submitted only a coversheet or a coversheet and piece of paper, then there may be some hope of him staying on his original course although this is not by any means guaranteed.

Either way, he needs to go and talk to the Students' Union Advice Service as soon as possible. This is NOT the same as his Faculty Student Adviser. He must contact the SU within 20 working days of the date on his awards board letter if he is to have any hope of being able to appeal. He can find contact details for the SU Advice Service at www.angliastudent.com. There is an SU Advice Service office in both Cambridge and Chelmsford but if he is studying at a partner college, the SU Advisers can give telephone advice

The SU Advisers are very helpful and knowledgeable and can talk him through all his options - they are independent from the University and will give him completely impartial advice.

Thank you so much - to me you don't sound like Averylazymum at all! He is going to see a Students' Union Advisor on Wednesday, but that was about a welfare matter that may or may not be affecting the academic side of things - sorry to be vague but it is his personal

sorry he just walked in! It is his personal business. From the Awards Board letter, it sounded as if it's the Course Student Advisor that he needs to speak to about the results/which course he continues on. He still hasn't got back to us (phoned again on Fri 4th).
Woollyideas - there isn't a personal tutor, that would have been really useful as I know mine was when I was at Uni.

He does need to speak to his Faculty Adviser, but the SU Advisers deal with people in his position daily and work closely with the Faculty Advisers, so when he gets to the SU tomorrow tell him he must mention his discontinuation letter.

He does have a personal tutor (all ARU students do), and he can find it on his e vision account. Hope he gets on ok.

Thanks again AVLM, I'll suggest he has a look online. I'm joining DS1 for his meeting with the Faculty Student Adviser tomorrow afternoon, so he can fill me in on how it went with the SU Adviser.

Hmmm, beginning to smell a rat. DS1 came home & told me that while I was at aqua aerobics, the Student Adviser phoned to say he was too busy to see us on Wednesday. Now DS1 is seeing SU adviser Fri am, then I'm joining him to meet with Faculty Adviser in the afternoon. The difficulty is that, now he knows the Faculty Adviser won't speak to me without his say so, or him being there, it gives DS1 space to duck & dive.