Another path- the first year ......

[chopc]

Apologies if I didn't tag anyone. Hopefully have inckueded all current posters

Chopc - Durham-History
@jano69 -Durham -History
@OnTheBenchOfDoom -Durham - Computer science
@Majaso12 -Imperial - Biochemistry
@bendmeoverbackwards -Bristol- History
@Pumpkintopf -Imperial -Physics
@ChimneyPot -Brown (US) - Open
@Stillcrikey -Bristol -MML
@Tenpastseven - Bristol -modern languages
@Longtimenewsee - Durham - Chemistry
@MidLifeCrisis007 - Durham -History
@BigWoollyJumpers - Exeter- History
@SeasonFinale -Bristol- History
@Notagardener LSE
@Revengeofthepangolins UCL - History
@raspberryrippleicecream ? -Maths
@derekthe1adyhamster Birmingham- Computer Science
@Vargas -Durham -Geography
@AvocadoPlant Exeter -History

@BenchOfCompany that does sound off, how are they supposed to know where they went wrong/how to improve, without any sight of their marked scripts or some feedback?

Do you think there might have been a problem with the teaching for that module if there's a few of them in the same boat?

@BenchOfCompany. when ds2 was at Exeter, there was a problem with one exam and an email was sent out saying they had identified a problem with the results and an unusually high number hadn’t done well and it was going to be moderated. Ds said someone got 0. Not sure how u can get that! He passed it but didn’t do anywhere near how he thought he did, but a lot didn’t pass. It was a January exam and he had to wait until his final results came out in July to find out the moderated mark. He then found out, it was moderated up 20%. He said the teaching was awful for that module. I think he could get feedback but it wasn’t very detailed at all. They shouldn’t be refusing feedback I wouldn’t think. Would the moderation have already taken place before results were given out? Assume so if they’re saying some have to retake.

Dh tested positive on Friday and has been in bed since. Ds2 is in the lab doing his masters, saying he has symptoms. Really worried now, cos he said he has so much to do for his project that needs to be finished by the end of July so he can write it up. He thinks it will cause a problem now. His supervisor is off for 2 weeks and given him instructions on what to do every day and is working with a PhD student.

@Majaso12 nooo, your poor household, especially Ds trying to get his master's lab work done. I hope everyone has a very mild case and recovers quickly.

Re the feedback, I do understand the scripts bit, but this isn't just the exam it is all the coursework stuff they had to do too. The feedback is mixed with some good but some not and in one case just the peer reviews. One person said no "X" when there was and another person said X was very clear and easy to navigate but no tutor picking up on one person clearly not looking properly. Another was losing 5 marks for his video not having a title but no title was mentioned, it just said do a video and walk us through your program.

"Justification partly meaningful but not fully convincing" but no example given of what would be a good one or which bit was meaningful. They are often told where they went wrong but no details on how to improve. Even down to past papers given for revision but no mark scheme and no idea if you are remotely right. This isn't maths you can google for obvious reasons of cheating but complex maths. How are they meant to learn from that? Until they get the grade distribution they won't know how everyone has done. At the moment it is just group chat stuff.

Frustrating as a parent, very disappointing for Ds who wants to improve that grade. If no joy from module people then he will be asking his personal tutor.

@BenchOfCompany I completely emphasise. DS1 (3rd year) does electrical engineering (not Durham)and there doesn't always seem to be great support. I don't expect them to be given the answers but a bit of guidance wouldn't go a miss. They also don't get given the mark schemes for past papers, which I don't understand at all. They were penalised in their project presentation because they went over the required time but this was due to the lecturer interrupting with questions, instead of waiting to the end 🙄He failed an exam in Jan by 3% and we are waiting to see if the marks will all be moderated up because apparently many of them struggled and the teaching was very poor but he won't hear until he get's the final results for the summer exams.

But on a positive note DS2 just got his 1st year results back and has smashed a 1st!😀

• empathise

@BenchOfCompany How frustrating for your DS. But congratulations to him on such great results at the end of the first year.

@Majaso12 - sorry to hear you have Covid in the family hoping everyone recovers quickly.

@AvocadoPlant. Thanks. Hoping I won’t get it but I’ve definitely been put at a lot of risk. Picking dd up Saturday and ds2’s graduation was meant to be Friday.

@BenchOfCompany. As your ds has done so well in all his exams, is his overall mark still good even though it’s been brought down by one module? Still disappointing for him though. I don’t like group work or peer marking. Ds2 has had bad experiences of those.

Really disappointing to hear so many examples of poor quality teaching/feedback. I expected more of these high tariff institutions.

@Majaso12 Ds was shocked when he realised that the peer reviews were the entirety of the feedback for one element. Each person had to review 4 other pieces of work. Even when it was glaring that a student commented that Ds hadn't included an element of the assignment when he clearly had as another student referenced it. The piece was apparently marked by the tutor and your feedback was also marked but again no details of how you did, no mark given out to let you know if you review well or not.

I will be honest there have been other elements that I have found head scratching ie a tutorial where everyone sits there wondering what the hell they are all talking about but then a lecture after it that explains it all. Apparently they were seeing if you could just do degree level maths without actually being taught it. 🙄

There is a lot of talk in the group chat about how unhappy they all are with it. I think it is scary for those who did fail who now have to resit without knowing why they failed so may well fail again. It would seem that Ds was one of the few who passed all modules. The strike did affect one module and they were tested on the content they weren't taught, but they were given the slides to learn from. Ds did struggle with that part.

I was hoping parents on here could say whether their child had feedback and told how to improve if relevant. I needed to know if it is a Durham thing or not as Ds2 has just finished his GCSEs today (finally) and is looking ahead to uni.

@BenchOfCompany
dd requested and had a face to face meeting with her academic advisor in Durham (a few days ago) to discuss a slightly odd module result ( it was just odd compared to the others) . She ( and we!) couldn’t believe there would be no feedback given (how can they improve!)
Anyway.. it was v useful and it put her mind at rest so might be an idea for your Ds

@Longtimenewsee that is incredibly helpful, thank you. Ds has started to draft an email to his academic adviser because he wants to know where he went wrong. These are the modules they build on in second year so he is puzzled why one module is so low compared to all the others. Even the module they were told was the hardest he got 77%.

@BenchOfCompany DD got her results back from Exeter, with fairly detailed feedback, so for her, a good thing. She did well, but not her hoped for 1st. For example, her three final exams, all got the same mid 60's marks. They all said her essays were fabulous, detailed and interesting to read. However, they were not in the format wanted!! DD is a little confused by that, and will need further explanation, because, you know, that IS important going forward, but generally, yes, the feedback was detailed.

@BigWoollyJumpers sounds like she is very good at essays though, hopefully it will just be a little tweak that means she earns more marks. Yes "forward feedback" seems to be the buzz word for constructive discussion on how to improve going forward.

We have been slightly derailed this morning. Ds full of hayfever and awake since 4am with it. I went shopping, came back and heard him coughing. I said when did the cough start and he said about half an hour ago. Gave him a covid test and the positive came up immediately. Shit. He was in London at a gig on Saturday and then on the tube and train on Sunday. We think it is probably the gig as his mate has now tested positive. Ds just feels like he has a cold, his mate is bedridden. He crawled out of bed to do the test once he knew Ds tested positive.

We are all negative but I think that may change later this week. I have just had to cancel my evening plans. Arse.

@jano69 I missed your news about your ds, huge congratulation to him, a fantastic achievement!

A week on I hope your covid symptoms have passed and you are now negative.

We have covid news too unfortunately - dh was on a business trip to Canada last week, he got back on Saturday afternoon. He was a bit sneezy/cold-y yesterday so did a test this morning - positive. We are supposed to be going to Rome for a wedding on Sunday. He will obviously isolate now but we were together at the weekend (including the cinema), just hope I don't get it too.

Dd has been coming and going - home from Bristol last week for a few days, then off to Edinburgh for a city break with friends over the weekend. She got back late last night. I THINK she is planning on going back to Bristol soon for drama rehearsals (Edinburgh fringe thing). Then she has an inter-railing trip planned for late July.

Nice to hear from you @calculatorqueen and glad your ds is happy. That's all we want from them isn't it? Dd feels (and I agree) that she's really landed on her feet at Bristol, she's been very happy. And slightly relieved when she hears about the workload at Oxford. There's no way she would have had time for all her extra curricular activities with those weekly essays.

Goes to show, very often things turn out ok in the end.

I agree @Pumpkintopf it's very poor. And we're paying £9K/year for this!

We are all negative but I think that may change later this week. I have just had to cancel my evening plans. Arse

Same here @BenchOfCompany dh and I were supposed to be going to a comedy show this evening. Just waiting to hear if they can re-sell our tickets. The show is sold out so hoping.

We are off on holiday this week..... I am just hoping we stay Covid clear, and that we don't catch anything at the airport. We are planning to wear masks in the airport, we will probably be a laughing stock, but rather that than arriving on holiday with Covid. Seems to be so much around again at the moment. DD1 and DD2 are both working up to the holiday, so fingers crossed for them too.

We actually all had something "weird" last week, a general feeling unwell, absolutely shattered, sleeping for hours, slight temps. No-one tested positive, but you do wonder......

Hope everyone currently ill gets better quickly and can get on with enjoying the summer.

Hope you all stay covid free @BigWoollyJumpers where are you off to on holiday?

I've avoided covid for so long it was only a matter of time before one of us got it. I made a celebratory cake for Ds2 finishing his GCSE exams so I am comforting myself with chocolate cake. It is sickly but somehow I keep nibbling away at the slice I cut myself.

We are on holiday shortly so hopefully all clear before then. Yes to mask wearing, I would too on a plane.

Sardinia, our happy place. We go down south, in the middle of nowhere, to avoid the crowds. We are very much a holiday for relaxation family. We might occasionally rouse ourselves to do go see something interesting, but when it is so hot, we much prefer reading in the shade, sitting beside the Meditteranean, and watching the boats go by 😁

That sounds like bliss @BigWoollyJumpers I love a relaxing beach/pool holiday. We're off to Tenerife in August but only the 4 of us. Dd2 (my Bristol dd) can't come as she'll be doing National Youth Theatre then. We do have a holiday to Mexico at Christmas though (fingers crossed, we already changed the dates twice!).

I don’t think ds2 got much feedback from Exeter and referencing was always guess work which one they wanted as it was different for different pieces of work. Once he got feedback for a report which took so long and would have been useful, but was after it had been submitted. All lectures were online last year and often not good quality and he didn’t have any labs. When he emailed about lectures he had questions on for an exam, he often didn’t get a reply. He did have a few issues at Exeter.

So much Covid about now! We’re meant to be going on a cruise at the beginning of August and staying in Rome for a couple of days before. It was originally booked for 2020. Hope we get to go! We have to have Covid tests in Rome to be able to get on the cruise so hope we don’t catch anything on the plane. Also hope the flight doesn’t get cancelled. I had Covid 6 months ago and don’t think I’ve caught it this time from the others so far.

Eeek so much Covid amongst our families, hope you all dodge it. I am on Day 8 now and feeling tickety-boo. Just waiting for a negative result before I roam out into my post covid world. Husband so far hasn't caught it off me.

Sorry to hear of disappointments in terms of markings and feedback. DD was quite happy with her first year results and feedback (Durham History).

Hope everyone gets off on their holidays as planned. We are sticking with good old Cornwall but may try to book a short break abroad in October.

So annoyed with DD’s accommodation. I rang a couple of weeks ago asking if dd could have a bit longer as we have a long way to travel and we have ds2’s graduation on the 1st in the afternoon and dd has an in person lab until 5 pm. I was told they’d let her stay an extra 2 hours. I phoned back to check today and they said they have 30 on a list and she’s not on there, but get dd to email and they’ll email her halls and should be fine and she said they give a bit of leeway anyway. Dd emailed and they said she has to email the warden (not what they said to me on the phone). Dd got email back saying ‘we do not accommodate late stays as cleaners need to get in to clean in the morning for Summer guests. We suggest you wait outside for your parents or put your belongings in the hall entrance but we do not take responsibility for any damage’. Really don’t feel up to leaving at 6.30 am on Saturday to get her with the week we’ve had.