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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Uni of Edinburgh not marking dissertations/final pieces of work - anyone else's DC affected?

359 replies

Iliketulips · 28/04/2023 19:16

DD heard this afternoon that her dissertation and final pieces of work are not to be marked by Uni of Edinburgh. She is absolutely devastated right now as she wanted her true degree result and feedback on hours of work. She feels her most recent work is the best, so will never know if she could have got her grade up. Moving forward she was seriously considering studying a masters abroad abroad and also working abroad, but now uncertain if that's possible as she thinks they'll wanted an athenticated degree.

OP posts:
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Xenia · 28/06/2023 11:50

It is the inconsistency which is unfair on students - some getting full marked proper degrees, some not graduating and doing pretend ceremonies with blank pieces of paper for the £9250 a year x 3 plus rents they paid, some getting delayed marking, some not sure, some doing exams not knowing if they would be marked. It is like the awful debacle over public exams in 2020 and 2021 all over again with pupils having to do masses of mocks and schools not being sure if there would be teacher assessed grades, real exams etc etc. Very unfair on this cohort.

(And just to correct my post above I meant to say FOIA does not apply to the private sector).

LIZS · 28/06/2023 14:37

for the £9250 a year x 3 plus rents they paid, some getting delayed marking, some not sure, some doing exams not knowing if they would be marked. x4 in the case of Scottish unis. Family member is getting certificate of attendance from Durham, but hopes to do a masters which requires entry grades.

MatureStudentToBeMaybe · 28/06/2023 18:31

Interesting development. QUB have reached a local interim agreement with their local UCU.
https://twitter.com/ucuatqub/status/1674004891272970242

I wonder if other universities may follow?

https://twitter.com/ucuatqub/status/1674004891272970242

LIZS · 28/06/2023 18:38

Although apparently QUB have issued some grades then rescinded them due to an admin error!

Teawaster · 29/06/2023 00:03

My son was at QUB. Supposed to graduate on Friday but final essay won't be checked on time so he should still be graduating without a classification. However at least he should have it by the end of July and has deferred graduation.
Hopefully issues are resolved in other universities soon.

PacificState · 29/06/2023 07:56

@SerafinasGoose that's interesting - or, more honestly, reads like well-informed ballast for my instinctive take that O'Grady is a tedious fool. I don't support the MAB but thoroughly agree that HE is in a mess, and I've got every sympathy with staff watching the mess unfold.

No need for you to engage with this as I understand you're fed up with the whole shebang. But I think the MAB is awful, awful tactics that will turn the public against the staff. There's a lot of sympathy out there for this graduating cohort of students who had such an appalling time of it in their freshers year. Making their graduation the fulcrum of this dispute (which is what is happening, in practice, whether or not it was the union's explicit objective) is one of the worst labour tactics I've ever seen, I think. And I'm quite old, and have seen a few.

Gettingthroughtheweek · 29/06/2023 11:25

@PacificState thank you. We just feel so powerless as parents; this should be the pinnacle of their educational achievements but instead it’s a shambles. My DS won’t even attend graduation as he says there’s no point as he has no degree. Not just no classification - no degree at all.

I do hope academics and university management alike understand the negative image this boycott is creating for UK higher education. Maybe you think that academia is really about research, but for most people it’s about students, so seeing them treated so badly throws the whole system into disrepute.

Hopefully other universities will follow QUB’s path, but if this carries on into 2024 with students not having graduated and racked up debts with no degrees to show for it, I’m sure that will feed through into lower student numbers and income in future years.

chofeshacad · 29/06/2023 17:13

Speaking as an non-striking academic, I join your anger at the behaviour of the strikers. I get the sense of grievance but holding our students hostage is wholly unjustified.

Original poster
Iliketulips · 30/06/2023 15:13

DD told me earlier that some students are going to use the graduation as a protest, ie not wear gowns, not accept handshake, cause disruption. Even though she's gutted and has had her say over this, hopefully some students won't ruin it even more with disruption inside.

OP posts:
SandyIrvin · 30/06/2023 15:30

Not wearing a gown or not accepting a hand shake or even wearing a placard around your neck seems okay to me. Setting fire to the capping bonnet (or the vice chancellor) a bit too much.

I find graduations so dull so maybe a bit of a protest would liven things up.

MatureStudentToBeMaybe · 01/07/2023 15:21

@Iliketulips is your daughter upset by the planned protests? I can see that having the graduation ceremony significantly disrupted may be yet another kick in the teeth for students who had been looking forward to it. Students do appear to be acceptable collateral damage to all sides.

The protests on twitter at other universities look to have been low key and not particularly well attended so I presume weren't that disruptive just quietly making a point (placards, sashes not shaking hands). Hopefully Edinburgh protests will be similar, though possibly higher participation.

ifonly4 · 05/07/2023 12:11

MatureStudentToBeMaybe She totally understands why they're doing it and has had her very public say (not by means of protesting).

She's guttered to leave with an unclassified degree, but doesn't want the graduation experience ruined. She tells me over 10% will protest in one form or another in the morning, and sounds like some of them could cause disruption in the graduation hall. Just hoping they're all talk. By nature of the degree they've taken, many are very passionate about making a difference and fighting for that change, so it's a group who won't go down lightly.

SandyIrvin · 05/07/2023 14:45

Maybe have a word to see if she can be moved to an earlier slot if she is bothered by others protesting. I imagine uni security will be all over anything really disruptive plus it will be all edited out of the official video. Will your DDs school have a reception for new graduates?

DD is in same school as your DD but a year behind. She got a congratulations you have successfully progressed to your your final year email this morning. However none of her semester 2 courses have been marked and no info on when they might be marked. They are just passing everyone based on 1st term results.

Gettingthroughtheweek · 05/07/2023 16:01

Does anyone know whether they can actually say they are graduates if they’ve been told their decision has been delayed - I presume not really? In which case, are they actually graduating? My DS feels there’s no point attending as it’s a sham without any degree decision at all; maybe there will be a lot of absences as well as possible protests.

SandyIrvin · 05/07/2023 18:05

It would be interesting to see if employers degree checks fail for those with decision delayed.

Most Scottish students would be due at least an Ordinary degree if they failed everything in 4th year (as you usually need enough credits for an Ordinary Degree to get progression to 4th year) so presuming they are being recorded as unclassified on the role for the moment. Those whose final classes are determined by averaging over 2 years might also know that they have an honours degree but I guess so few of the year abroads will have this certainty if they only have half this year marked.

2chocolateoranges · 05/07/2023 19:32

I just don’t understand how some universities have managed to grade each student who are graduating but others can’t!

our eldest has graduated and been given their grade and had their transcript handed to them aswell as their certificate!

it’s a disgrace for those students who haven’t had theirs, how can they graduate if they don’t know if they have passed?

MatureStudentToBeMaybe · 05/07/2023 19:43

I think some universities are panicking about reputational risk of lowering standards by awarding classifications with incomplete marks.

UCU appear to highlighting this, while being silent about any lowering standards due to decreased exam scope due to cancelled teaching.

It also depends on the MAB engagement in the department/university. I suspect it is higher in the wealthier universities as the link between increased pay and potential redundancies seems more tenuous.

Motheranddaughter · 05/07/2023 23:41

Essentially it is up to the individual departments whether they mitigate their normal marking standards or not
Such a shame for the students who are affected by all of this
I totally support any protest action they take,in fact will be disappointed if the young people in my family do not protest

CashmereDarling · 06/07/2023 07:39

Different numbers of staff are striking at different universities, so there are varying amounts of marking to catch up on/ignore/farm out.

Unis/departments with the money may have been able to find and pay external examiners to mark - from the US for example.

So that's why it's a very mixed bag across the board, each institution has to make the best decision based on their resources.

IBparent · 06/07/2023 10:28

Sorry to join in late. DD is at Cardiff and just been given a ‘pass’ with no classification. She is gutted. Crap statement from the VC stating that most will receive a classification, only a small minority won’t.. She’s a 2:1/1st borderline. Graduation on 21st of this month. What a fucking shit storm.

I have worked in education previously - secondary school, adult Ed and further Ed and do have sympathy for lecturers, but as a mum, my little girl (I know she’s a grown up but, y’ know) is broken!!

She started her degree in October 2019. Managed through Covid until her last 2 assessments in yr1. Arsed them and was told she had to resit externally so found a job and worked for a year and aced the 2 resits. Started yr2 a year after her cohort but got in with it. Did her final yr living with her friends, now all graduates doing masters or doctorates. And now this. She can’t apply for anything because all she has is a pass.

Sorry, I’m ranting at the wrong people in the wrong place but it just seems so unfair (aware I sound like a toddler).

poetryandwine · 06/07/2023 11:48

Your feelings are entirely understandable, @IBparent . I really wish parents and students would band together to go after the universities. This is the only thing that will likely bring management to the table. Lecturers are broken.

IBparent · 06/07/2023 12:39

Thanks @poetryandwine, we are both going to write emails to the VC and make it clear that our issue is not with individual Lecturers but the stance taken by the university itself. The public statement issued is all about helplines but a helpline is not going to allow her to apply for graduate roles.

We have a breakdown of units, their total score and the apportionment towards the final mark. 1 result is missing. The results up to that one exam show a solid high 2:1. She should be able to graduate with that, not a pass. It’s a ridiculous stance that Cardiff Uni have taken.

I should also point out that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a deserved pass, I am a proud owner of one of those myself. A career in engineering was never my destiny 🤣

poetryandwine · 06/07/2023 12:53

I agree she should be able to graduate with that. This is rather strange. Is it university wide policy?

Xenia · 06/07/2023 13:36

It is a pity no person or group has brought an emergency (interlocutory injunction application as nothing like a court precedent concentrates the minds of those who run universities.