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.

The anger is due to direct impact on their children. If their child needed medical treatment or was at school the anger would be directed towards those "professionals".

Of course everyone will have varying opinions on whether the strikes are fully merited.

I support most if the strikes happening right now.
however, this boycott feels very different. It has much more far reaching implications for students and their future. It’s not just a handful of missed days of study - which they’ve already been through with university staff strikes. This is a long term boycott of marking work that has taken weeks and months of time to complete, affecting their final grade after 3-4 years of study. Even if they eventually get it marked for some students this will be too late - jib and future opportunities missed as a result of the boycott. It just doesn’t feel right to me.

I hope universities do figure out a way to lessen the impact on final year students. Its all very well calculating credits and whatever else but not marking dissertations etc is a disgrace- especially after the rough ride this cohort have had due to covid etc. Releasing actual results and upgrading is all very well but some grad schemes and further study or whatever else relies on grade bandings they might lose out before it's recalllibrated (if if ever is).

It'punishing students who are being forced into more debt than ever for something out of their control, abhorrent and no wonder studying here is losing its appeal to many. I'd be furious.

@Qilin so you feel this is different to other strikes because of the impact it may have? But what about for example someone dying as a result of the strikes by doctors or ambulance workers?

Again, just to clarify, I'm not striking myself. Just trying to explore the rights and wrongs.

@NoTouch exactly.

People are dying anyway from an underfunded and understaffed NHS, although elective surgeries are sadly being cancelled the cover on wards is actually probably ironically better than on other days. It costs trusts a fuck ton of money though which is a bigger issue than patient safety which is in the toilet anyway. I actually think not marking the work of students like this is the most abhorrent and I'm many will reconsider whether to bother with university in the future let alone support this particular action.

Can anyone with kids at Edinburgh University confirm whether teaching is now face to face (and if hybrid what percentage is online)? I emailed the relevant department (a while ago) which my kid is looking at but no response…

I must confess I am beginning to have concerns about Edinburgh - delays in offers/rejections when you’re applying, concerns over their approach to protecting free speech and now this over marking dissertations 😬.

Yes, this. One way or another those students will get their grade and their degree, it is unimaginable that any university would run the risk of that not happening.

I agree with peridot1
I think whoever came up with this idea as a strike measurement should not be involved in education at any level. To lay this level of uncertainty and stress on students and risk their futures at this stage is a really dreadful thing to do.

I am a teacher and think this is a dereliction of duty of care by the lecturers involved. This is also impacting my DD at a different uni. Although she’s in the 2nd year she is losing all motivation. So much strike action since the start of the year, assignments put up late, lecturers don’t respond at all to emails. A few odd lectures put up on line and that’s it. And now an email to say no marking, but they still have to complete the work. She has worked so hard and thinks she’s improved throughout the year but will now be given marks based on what? Her first year? University is such an expensive undertaking these days for her and for families. I’m gutted for them.

I see that some vice chancellors seem to be threatening to dock wages of those involved in the no marking action, but I’m not sure which unis are involved.

I see that some vice chancellors seem to be threatening to dock wages of those involved in the no marking action, but I’m not sure which unis are involved

All of them! A few are docking 20%, most 50% and some 100%.

@HowManySunflowers - like @Qilin i too support the other strikes. And I know university staff have been striking already. But this feels different. It seems very mean-spirited. It’s targeting some students not all students. It’s targeting them at a very stressful time. It could very well impact their entire futures. Even when NHS staff strike there is still cover. Most people find ways around transport strikes. So whilst obviously they are still disruptive they aren’t having the same impact on a particular cohort.

I wonder this exact same thing.

If any strike directly affects your child whether it be doctors, nurses, teachers then it would annoy me too however hospitals always have to have a basic amount of staff on shift. Also if my child needed surgery and no doctor was available to oversee it then I’d be angry too.

my children have worked hard at school and university throughout a pandemic, as have their friends, they have suffered socially and emotionally and to have their final exams and dissertation that they have worked their arses off to complete potentially not marked is a slap in the face .

This strike sends out the wrong message and makes them wonder why work hard to achieve your degree when it’s not marked?

As a strike tool, a MAB is the only one which strikes at the Governance of the University, and the only one which puts pressure on management. To date, VCs have been happy to save on the wage bill and not care about the impact on students when lecturers have carried out teaching strikes. The UCU has taken years in this current dispute to call for a MAB. It really is time and let's hope it succeeds in finally making Universities take their responsibility to their employees seriously.

Nevermind the students that are collateral damage, it's bloody horrible. Strikes are of course intended to cause disruption, but to cause these delays and this additional stress to students is disgusting.

I'd say that the impact on students is not actually very serious, as eventually marks and degrees will be awarded. But it puts the University under considerable pressure and in a potentially very difficult situation 8n the coming weeks l. Which is good, and long overdue.

Of course it affects students, you put hours and hours, months and months even into your final submissions and it's tense waiting for the results anyway let alone with a delay. What kind of message does it send to them as well, I'd be surprised if many supported action in this form.

Interesting question about 'the message it sends to students'. The only ones I can think of are either pretty neutral (sometimes gratification is deferred; things are affected by what else is going on in your world), or positive (some people are willing to fight against the sort of exploitative employment practices like casualisation of jobs and pay inequality, including gender pay gaps, that will affect them too.)

Genuine question - are the people on this thread who are angry with the university lecturers also angry about the striking doctors, nurses and teachers? Or do they see this as different somehow?

I see it as different. Refusing to mark is an f* you to the culmination of three years studying, from those who have guided you including some who have had a pastoral role.

Doctors' and nurses' strikes are unpalatable but the NHS is still quite rightly treasured. It is open to all and we are all invested in it.

One is an essential life and death service and one is seen as increasingly optional. One we all pay for as an 'insurance' and one saddles the consumer with debt for many, many years. I'm not saying society has got it right but higher education is now seen as the purchase of an individual.

This advice has come to them via UCEA. With those threatening to dock 100% of pay for partial performance, the line they are taking is that any work done alongside the marking and assessment boycott is voluntary.

The legal position seems to be that if they intend to stick to this line they are expected to tell all involved staff to go home and instruct them not to continue working. The 'voluntary' line seems to have been trotted out to circumvent this.

Imposing the penalties will be logistically difficult, as universities will need to figure out on an individual basis exactly who is doing what, and this might not become apparent until marks fail to be presented at the formal subject assessment boards.

It's also possible that some local branches will ballot their members for full strike action to coincide with the boards, should universities continue to hold this line.

A resolution is entirely within the hands of VCs. A comment upthread makes a fair point: complaints about this issue should be channeled directly to them.

It puts line managers like me (and my immediate line manager who chairs the exam board) under considerable pressure. But I can’t do anything about pay and wider conditions and I’m not sure that it affects the VC that much. He’s many, many steps removed from unhappy students and staff.

It's the entire sector that's in disarray - and specific disciplines are bearing the majority of the brunt on this - not just Edinburgh.

Imposing the penalties will be logistically difficult, as universities will need to figure out on an individual basis exactly who is doing what, and this might not become apparent until marks fail to be presented at the formal subject assessment boards.

It'll be exactly the same way as for the strikes - self declaration: Are you taking part in the MAB between these dates.

My university’s idea of declaring “in a timely manner” is by the time of the exam board. Nine weeks after the boycott starts.

Another here with one upset DC. I'm absolutely gutted for her. She feels her dissertation and latest pieces of work are her best, has spent many hours researching books, interviewing, having meltdowns and pulling it all together. Then not to get a mark (no matter what it is) and feedback. Her supervisor was due to mark her dissertation and has read some of it. Not sure what others do, but it's a shame they can't give a brief assessment and some kind of mark on what they've already seen if nothing else.

In think DD just needs space today, but she isn't answering her phone. Luckily I can see she's been online and her friends have our number.