Repeating 2nd Year Due to Compromised Learning in Lockdown

[Charliesunnysky10]

My son is a second year university student who had a brilliant first year, achieving firsts in semesters 1 and 2 (he didn't have a 3rd in year 1 so wasn't affected so much in his first year. Lockdown then meant he had to stay at his digs which is a tiny room, because he is on the minimum maintenance loan.
He battled to keep his scores high, despite being lonely and not allowed to come home to see us, or visit the gym, which had helped to lift his spirits. The lack of face to face interaction and regular visits into the university has made it so difficult for him to study.

He has to sleep, study and have down time in the same tiny 14 x 10' space, and it's a big difference from the regularity of going into uni to work with face to face contact and peers to bounce off.

He is struggling now, going from a first in T1 to a second in T2 and he says not expected even to scrape a second in T3. He says he's disappointed with the work in his portfolio because it's not up to the standard he was achieving when enriched by visiting uni, and face to face tutoring.

The isolation is making it difficult to find inspiration and energy to produce the high standard he achieved in his first year and given that he stammers, he needs a stellar portfolio to have a chance at impressing employers versus other applicants whose portfolio wasn't compromised by lockdown and lack of support.

He is talking of re taking the year and has contacted SFE to ask if this can be done.

Anybody else going through this or have experience?

I'm really concerned about him - he's kept it together for so long but broke down this weekend. He finds it difficult to seek help.

No experience to offer but wanted to say how sad I am for him. This past year has been so tough for students.

Given that he was doing so well in first year, I expect he will get back to that standard. for him.

There could be a number of things going on here. I would not advise repeating the year.

In many disciplines, and pre-COVID, this drop from 1st to 2nd year isn't unusual. It happens a lot.

2nd year is the first year where the grades received count towards the final degree class. There is a step up in the demands of the work, and the standard required.

1st year is an easing-in year, where marking is (at least in my broad field) often about encouragement and development.

Grades in 3rd year are often weighted as worth more than grades in 2nd year - to reward what we call "exit velocity." The reasonable assumption that a student will know more & should be able to demonstrate learning at a higher standard than in 2nd year.

Most universities are doing some complex statistics around the marks of students studying under COVID conditions. My place is doing a fairly complex, cohort & module-based series of comparisons, to check whether marks this year for cohort groups eg the median, mean and standard deviations in a module are affected. If they are, then module marks will be revised upward (although I doubt downward!).

This won't be done at the level of individual students, but module groups, and year groups. However, individual students may find their marks moderated.

But I'm also finding your description of your DC's life a bit odd - In the first term (Autumn term - September to December) universities were dong as much in person teaching as they could manage in terns of COVID security and safety and social distancing. And it's always been OK to go for a walk with one other person. In Autumn term, the 'Rule of 6" prevailed - he didn't have to be stuck in his room, as you describe. That sounds as though he had no friends, or was overreacting to lockdown conditions.

Not all universities managed in person teaching in the autumn term. DD has had precisely 1 hour of F2F teaching since starting last October.

Charlie there was an article on resitting the year in today's Observer. The big issue seems to be that the student still has to pay their fees and take out another year of student loans for the repeated year.

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/apr/18/rise-in-students-asking-to-repeat-year-after-campus-shutdowns

[quote Hoghgyni]Not all universities managed in person teaching in the autumn term. DD has had precisely 1 hour of F2F teaching since starting last October.

Charlie there was an article on resitting the year in today's Observer. The big issue seems to be that the student still has to pay their fees and take out another year of student loans for the repeated year.

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/apr/18/rise-in-students-asking-to-repeat-year-after-campus-shutdowns[/quote]
Thanks for linking me to that article. Very useful. I'm going to read this now.

@MeltsAway

There could be a number of things going on here. I would not advise repeating the year.

In many disciplines, and pre-COVID, this drop from 1st to 2nd year isn't unusual. It happens a lot.

2nd year is the first year where the grades received count towards the final degree class. There is a step up in the demands of the work, and the standard required.

1st year is an easing-in year, where marking is (at least in my broad field) often about encouragement and development.

Grades in 3rd year are often weighted as worth more than grades in 2nd year - to reward what we call "exit velocity." The reasonable assumption that a student will know more & should be able to demonstrate learning at a higher standard than in 2nd year.

Most universities are doing some complex statistics around the marks of students studying under COVID conditions. My place is doing a fairly complex, cohort & module-based series of comparisons, to check whether marks this year for cohort groups eg the median, mean and standard deviations in a module are affected. If they are, then module marks will be revised upward (although I doubt downward!).

This won't be done at the level of individual students, but module groups, and year groups. However, individual students may find their marks moderated.

But I'm also finding your description of your DC's life a bit odd - In the first term (Autumn term - September to December) universities were dong as much in person teaching as they could manage in terns of COVID security and safety and social distancing. And it's always been OK to go for a walk with one other person. In Autumn term, the 'Rule of 6" prevailed - he didn't have to be stuck in his room, as you describe. That sounds as though he had no friends, or was overreacting to lockdown conditions.

That's really helpful and constructive.

He's reclusive by nature due to his stammer, but the pre covid months he really came out of his shell, going out with friends because that was what everyone was doing. He even joined a few groups. But once they were locked down he withdrew. Started sleeping during the day, working through the night, never seeing daylight, going 24 hours without sleep because no fresh air or exercise made it difficult to fall asleep. He is haunted by insomnia. It all fell apart and he is not the to type to seek help - those with low mood often don't even recognise it.

He just feels this term's work in particular is of a poor standard and wants to rectifying it by resitting the year. I pointed out the better earlier grades and he said he could improve on those also (He is something of a perfectionist because he feels his voice lets him down).

I want him to reach out to the uni and ask them to critique his work, to support him in improving it. He says they delivered the tutorials but he just felt so uninspired and lacking energy he couldn't find the right words to put in the reports - he found the big lectures very inspiring with students shouting out and questioning things - he had good ideas and wanted to show people. He wrote lots of things down and looked them up. He said it's just silence in his head now; no words.

I understand why he feels he will do better with face to face teaching and learning in groups again.

It's a big undertaking though. I don't even know SFE will let him.

There wouldn't be a problem with funding through SFE, we're he to need to repeat a year (assuming that the first yearbofvthis course was his first year of undergraduate study). Whetherbor not he repeats a year would depend on the university; normally, he would have to fail the year (including any resits) before repeating it, I think, not just not do as well as he thinks he should have, but still passing. Has he discussed his options with anyone at the university?

@MarchingFrogs

There wouldn't be a problem with funding through SFE, we're he to need to repeat a year (assuming that the first yearbofvthis course was his first year of undergraduate study). Whetherbor not he repeats a year would depend on the university; normally, he would have to fail the year (including any resits) before repeating it, I think, not just not do as well as he thinks he should have, but still passing. Has he discussed his options with anyone at the university?

No, he is waiting to see how this term comes out. He has tasks to complete which count towards grades at the end of this month and mid May. But because he's on a downward spiral he's not inspired and doesn't have the energy. I want him to reach out for support and advice but be won't because he's embarrassed about his stammer, and I think a bit of typical late teen stubbornness. When it was going well, in the easier first year, everyone was doing well and he was on a roll. But 2 of his friends left in the first term last year because they couldn't carry on in Lockdown. They left the house and may resit the second year, so I think this sways him in favour of doing the same. It's a win/win for him. He gets to stay with them AND improve his scores with face to face teaching again.

He just feels this term's work in particular is of a poor standard and wants to rectifying it by resitting the year. I pointed out the better earlier grades and he said he could improve on those also (He is something of a perfectionist because he feels his voice lets him down).

He really really really needs to talk to his student counselling service.

He may think he's a perfectionist, and this is a good thing, but it's actually dysfunctional and self-sabotaging. He needs to be given strategies to set reasonable & achievable goals, and adjust his thinking to reasonable goals & ambitions. Although a counsellor would phrase this rather less directly!

His behaviour is disordered; repeating the year is not going to help ultimately. He will take himself with him, in that repeating, if you see what I mean. Going back to in person teaching might help, but the underlying issue is his attitude and approach to his work & achievement.

The stammer is something else as well - but really, it's not the huge disadvantage it's become in his mind. He's using it as a reason - but it's becoming self-sabotaging.

So you know, low marks/failure might be the opportunity for some personal development. A person cannot live their entire life with the thinking your DS is exhibiting.

He needs to study & learn for the sake of what he's learning, NOT the grades. Marks are just a number - they are not worth investing in as a sense of self-validation

Sorry, I feel I'm shouting & being very direct (a tutor or counsellor would be gentler in person and directly with your DS), but I see this so often, and it can ultimately be really self-defeating.

Long story short: he may feel that the solution is to repeat the year but he'll still be the same person doing it. His issues are about his unbalanced sense of self worth via grades.

This is not healthy - he needs some advice & therapeutic health expertise.

Most student unions & their associated clubs & societies are working as hard as they can to offer some online activities for students. See if you can encourage him to get involved.

He needs to develop a much more physically healthy lifestyle:

• sleep hygiene
• regular outdoor exercise - go for a walk
• socialising with friends/other students, even if just online
• eating properly: protein, hydration (lots of water & eggs or chicken breasts! )

If I were his personal tutor, I'd be giving him the triage number of our wellbeing service, and referring him on to our faculty welfare adviser.

Repeating a year won't actually fix his problems: he needs to re-learn his attitude to himself.

But look, it's absolutely typical of the changes we all go through in our late teens/early 20s. A lot of child developmental psychologists talk about a 'second adolescence' at this time. University is an opportunity to learn about yourself and how you tick - but also to recognise when you're developing dysfunctional practices and thought patterns.

@MeltsAway

He just feels this term's work in particular is of a poor standard and wants to rectifying it by resitting the year. I pointed out the better earlier grades and he said he could improve on those also (He is something of a perfectionist because he feels his voice lets him down).

He really really really needs to talk to his student counselling service.

He may think he's a perfectionist, and this is a good thing, but it's actually dysfunctional and self-sabotaging. He needs to be given strategies to set reasonable & achievable goals, and adjust his thinking to reasonable goals & ambitions. Although a counsellor would phrase this rather less directly!

His behaviour is disordered; repeating the year is not going to help ultimately. He will take himself with him, in that repeating, if you see what I mean. Going back to in person teaching might help, but the underlying issue is his attitude and approach to his work & achievement.

The stammer is something else as well - but really, it's not the huge disadvantage it's become in his mind. He's using it as a reason - but it's becoming self-sabotaging.

So you know, low marks/failure might be the opportunity for some personal development. A person cannot live their entire life with the thinking your DS is exhibiting.

He needs to study & learn for the sake of what he's learning, NOT the grades. Marks are just a number - they are not worth investing in as a sense of self-validation

Sorry, I feel I'm shouting & being very direct (a tutor or counsellor would be gentler in person and directly with your DS), but I see this so often, and it can ultimately be really self-defeating.

Long story short: he may feel that the solution is to repeat the year but he'll still be the same person doing it. His issues are about his unbalanced sense of self worth via grades.

This is not healthy - he needs some advice & therapeutic health expertise.

Most student unions & their associated clubs & societies are working as hard as they can to offer some online activities for students. See if you can encourage him to get involved.

He needs to develop a much more physically healthy lifestyle:

• sleep hygiene
• regular outdoor exercise - go for a walk
• socialising with friends/other students, even if just online
• eating properly: protein, hydration (lots of water & eggs or chicken breasts! )

If I were his personal tutor, I'd be giving him the triage number of our wellbeing service, and referring him on to our faculty welfare adviser.

Repeating a year won't actually fix his problems: he needs to re-learn his attitude to himself.

But look, it's absolutely typical of the changes we all go through in our late teens/early 20s. A lot of child developmental psychologists talk about a 'second adolescence' at this time. University is an opportunity to learn about yourself and how you tick - but also to recognise when you're developing dysfunctional practices and thought patterns.

This is absolute gold.

Thank you so SO much. There is masses of valuable content in here and we will get to work.

I had a chat with him this morning. He said grades DO matter to employers, his aren't good enough this year. It's too late to pull it round and he'd rather drop out altogether if they won't let him resit the second year. The uni quite rightly won't talk to me. It has to come from him, and he won't ask for support and guidance.

But I'm expected to support him another year financially.

He really really shouldn't do anything without first consulting his personal tutor, or a tutor in his modules, as well as student counselling or wellbeing.

Can't stress this enough.

To me, it sounds as though he's fixated on one thing as his problem, whereas his issues are much more about his approach to his work and his life. I find it highly unlikely that employers will be interested in marks for individual modules. That information is not recorded on a degree anyway - it's the overall grade - First, upper Second, etc etc. Individual module marks will show on a transcript BUT so will a repeated year. Transcripts show everything - fails, defers, repeats.

I would worry that he's pinning all his hopes on repeating, when actually, there are more fundamental issues. You know, it's like the situation when someone decides their life will improve if they move, or change jobs - but they're taking themselves with them ...

He should also ask his tutor for information about how the COVID-effect is being monitored & mitigated for. And seek mitigation and help. Engage with his tutors and support staff.

He has excellent grounds for mitigation etc, because of isolation and mental ill-health in lockdown.

He really needs to explore all these options before repeating a year. The repeated year will show on his transcript. For me, I"d be looking at that quizzically - whereas if he keeps going and recoups his grades in 3rd year, then he has a story to tell about overcoming the difficulties of lockdown & isolation.

What he's doing is not all that unusual - many of us all do it - make up feasible and apparently virtuous sounding strategies - which are actually self-sabotaging & avoidant. He's projecting his problems onto the situation (and his stammer???). But I think that the situation is just showing up more deep-lying issues about his attitude to himself and his learning.

I'm not disputing that lockdown has been a challenge for students (I know it has from the number of students I've taught this year), but universities are aware of that & have lots of support for students. In addition, most universities are implementing processes to ensure that the marks of this whole cohort are comparable overall to previous cohorts (my place is comparing cohort marks over the last 5 years I think). Again, at my place there are ad lib. extensions, no questions asked, and ramped up student support.

But in the end, you & he may have to have a conversation about paying for this. Can you insist he talks to academic staff he feels comfortable with, and student support/counselling services? I know lockdown isolation is tough, but most students are more or less coping - he's clearly not ...

Good luck

This sounds a bit like my sister, who did repeat her year, and it just went downhill further from there. Not saying your son would be the same, but MeltsAway 's advice makes so much sense when thinking about my sister...

He says he just wants to get back into Uni and learn as part of a group again. The isolation was tough on him and 2 close friends dropped out. He says the months of lockdown were bad and he didn't do himself justice. He had hoped to be back able to go to uni in May but now they are saying October. He's so disappointed.

Many universities do not allow students to retake modules which they have already taken and achieved a mark for. They only allow "retakes" for modules that were failed at the first or second attempts. So he may not be able to improve his grades.

@Mxflamingnoravera

Many universities do not allow students to retake modules which they have already taken and achieved a mark for. They only allow "retakes" for modules that were failed at the first or second attempts. So he may not be able to improve his grades.

And this is why I'm urging him to take the sound advice I've been given on here to SPEAK to his personal tutor or a faculty member he feels comfortable with.

But he refuses because he thinks they will talk him out of it.

I have tried to reason with him that if he is strong-willed, he will not be moved. And he mist have the correct information to move forward.

But he says I'm stressing him out and undermining him.

I want to go directly to his uni and tell them what he plans to do, but if that's not undermining him, I don't know what is.

Help!!!!

Yes I agree, he NEEDS to talk to his personal tutor. I realise you know this OP! They won't "talk him out" of anything - they'll want to help him make the best decision.

Can I ask gently, how come he wasn’t allowed to come home? Most students went home?

Get onto the university's website and look for their academic regulations. Find and highlight the part about retaking modules already taken and send it to him with another strongly worded message that he must speak with his personal tutor urgently. If he is not allowed to retake then they will simply tell him no- there is nothing he can do to to change their regulations.

Which uni is it? I will look up the regs for you if you like and PM you a link.

@Silverfly

Yes I agree, he NEEDS to talk to his personal tutor. I realise you know this OP! They won't "talk him out" of anything - they'll want to help him make the best decision.

He is dead-set that the only thing he wants to do is re sit the second year.

@Bluntness100

Can I ask gently, how come he wasn’t allowed to come home? Most students went home?

He lives in private rented with 4 other lads on the same programming course, so had a 'family' of his own. Then 2 left the course in September. But he likes his independence, and he has a big tech set up with 3 screens for his games programming and didn't want to move it all. Plus, he'd be paying for rent, regardless as its not uni accomodation. I didn't push it because I wanted him to maintain his independence, and be with people his own age (housemate bubble), and we'd struggle to fit his big set up in his old room now too.

@Mxflamingnoravera

Which uni is it? I will look up the regs for you if you like and PM you a link.

It's Staffordshire.

And you're an absolute star! Thank you x

You cannot resit assessment components that you have already passed in order to get a better mark is what he is likely to be told. He can dig in his heels all he likes but they will not budge. He can appeal but unless there is a procedural error somewhere they are not going to let him. So you can probably ease off and let him find out for himself.

Ok on it now :)

He actually really dislikes it when I'm reasoning with him, I suspect because it doesn't fit his narrative, and it's unsettling to hear sound reasoning when it's not what you want to do. He's 20 next month and I can have some really grown up convos over managing Brexit and cooking Broccoli. But not this. It's a real sore point.