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

[Iliketulips]

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.

Very much blaming the Industrial action rather than their (inadequate imo) response.

It would be interesting to know numbers of final year students who have received an unclassified result.

Thanks for the link, @IBparent

I agree with everything you say. They are correct that an individual uni cannot negotiate, but the unis as a whole, or even a significant portion of them - particularly the RGs including Cardiff - could make this happen.

My non scientific observation based on talking to friends with DC at different universities is that the marking boycott is hitting students at the richer Russell group universities while students at smaller - probably poorer - universities are quietly getting on and graduating as usual. This means there’s no incentive for those poorer universities to make a movement on pay, especially those who are in the teachers pension scheme which is raising teaching pay costs by a further 5% already on top of the 5% pay award.

A sector wide pay system doesn’t seem to make much sense when the institutions are so different. And it’s our DC who are pawns in the middle. They’re sympathetic now to their teachers, but soon they’ll leave and go out into the wider world where they will probably feel more like victims than partners in what is fundamentally someone else’s industrial dispute.

Another with a DC graduating next week with concerns of disruptions during graduation. Sounds like some are getting quite heated on chats. DD doesn't want to rock the boat too much, as she's concerned about what a future employer might find on social media about her.

Four years of hard work and an unclassified degree, very sad. This was announced on the day her dissertation was due in and instead of spending time tweaking it, she was in tears. Had to then go on and complete two essays, never knowing if they'd be marked.

Looks like the first Edinburgh degree protests have occurred.

https://twitter.com/katemdavo/status/1676978364983267332

The earlier graduations appeared to pass without note.

https://twitter.com/ucuedinburgh/status/1678821824820310019

Maybe some progress? I note the timing of the talks is 12 weeks after the industrial action started, a duration i think has some meaning in terms of unfair dismissal protection. However I'm not sure if all boycotters have been boycotting since the first day, and mass sackings is probably a lot less feasible than a 12% payrise!

@Iliketulips protests seem to be picking up at the Ed Graduations. If your DD goes on twitter she will see what happened at LLC and ECA graduations today. Expect protests to be greater at SPS Graduations.

SandyIrvin Apparently the VC's speech was disrupted yesterday and at one ceremony students got a banner onto stage. Unfortunately, we're attending the SPS graduation - last we heard over 10% due to protest.

We attended the LLC ceremony yesterday and I think the student protests were very neatly done and didn’t feel they were disruptive. Individuals’ choices on whether to ignore VC and walk, wear sashes, doff etc. were respected. The student rep’s speech expressed the sentiment of the room. It’s good the VC is doing the ceremonies himself but he has no charisma and reading out almost verbatim the email that was sent round last week was a poor choice.

Agree what I saw in the news looked to be well done. I liked the orgsnised chanting of "pay your staff".

About 25% protested in terms of sashes, letters left on lecture, banners, refused doffing and a moment of all students stamping feet and jeering, but went off ok. Vice Chancellor didn't dare show his face though.

Sadly some foreign students losing places now as they don't qualify for visa, but losing places at their next stage of education, arranged grad schemes and job offers.

Another worried parent here with DD ‘graduating’ next week with no idea of her degree classification. She has 3 job offers, 2 of which are dependant on her achieving a certain classification. The difference in salary between her preferred job and the job which isn’t conditional is £17k. I hope that employers would be understanding, but on top of huge debt she in now facing a serious financial disadvantage if her work isn’t marked and she is awarded a lower class of degree than she actually might have got.

Does anyone have any experience of how this might pan out, or any employers who could advise what your grad recruiters would do in the absence of a degree classification?

I would get her to ring the preferred job, explain she is really keen and ask them to take her anyway (and if necessary on a conditional basis, probation ended on notice if eventual degree is inadequate). Employers like initiative and to be kept in the loop IME.

Thank you malt. Unfortunately that could lead to her having no job at all. If she only had 1 job offer I’d encourage it but since she has 3 she would have to turn down the other 2 to start in the preferred job but be at risk of losing her position if the degree result she ultimately gets is not what the employer wanted.
I guess all she can do is reach out and explain the situation and hope they’re understanding.

A lot of the large graduate recruiters have already publicly stated that they will stand by their offers regardless . If it’s a firm of accountants or lawyers in particular she should contact them. The one thing she shouldn’t do is nothing or take the lower offer just because if this.

Sounds like employers are on the ball. I’m still really concerned though that if dream employer says they’ll take her conditional on the degree ultimately being the class they have specified she will have to turn down the others. If her degree isn’t good enough surely the firms she’s turned down have no obligation to then take her? (And why would they after she’s rejected them?). Am I over complicating it all? She’s quite calm!

Yes you are over complicating it , the employers are not stupid . Is it conditional on a first or a 2:1 ?

I would explain to the higher paid employer (and NOT take the £17k lower job)
I would also write to the university's head office by special delivery letter saying she will lose [ add salary from higher paid job] if does not have the degree and the employer withdraws offer andthat this best offer is £17k more than the one that is not depending on her result and that you will fully hold them liable for the £40k annual salary (or whatever the sum of the higher offer) if she is not awarded the degree in time and the offer is withdrawn and she fully reserves her rights to all claims against the university.

The Competition and Markets Authority have bee very clear that students are consumers and protected by consumer law and I am not so sure universities can claim this is outside their hands if they could just pay double time to other lecturers who aren't on strike and might be prepared to do that marking etc. although we not helped by this week's court jugment that part of recent employment law re. covering work of those striking is "unlawful".

Is her preferred employer a small one? DD had an interview with one last week who seemed really unsure about lack of a degree as she hadn't heard about marking boycott - small business along way from Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Uni itself is not allowing students to progress on to Masters courses without their degree classification

Thank you Xenia that’s good advice which we may tweak to be a bit less “legal” but nevertheless make the situation clear. And thanks also cyclamen and Iliketulips for your replies. I think she/we just need to ride the storm, and what will be will be. It just feels like the whole uni thing has been shit from start to finish. The kids deserved a break after covid and didn’t need this.

And maltravers!

I am not so sure universities can claim this is outside their hands if they could just pay double time to other lecturers not on strike

There is some naivety evident here with the assumption that universities can “just pay” other lecturers not on strike. To do that, they will have to find individuals who are: ‘A’ willing to do it, and ‘B’ suitably qualified/experienced enough to mark a specific piece of work.

Oak I know and in some obscure subjects that university m ay have no one who is not on strike who knows the subject. However that will not be the case for every subject some of which are fairly generic at under graduate level

However that will not be the case for every subject some of which are fairly generic at under graduate level

That really isn’t the case. In stem subjects, at least. Especially when you get to the third and fourth years, which will be the case with the students affected.