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Original poster

Uni dissertation problem

78 replies

BellissimoGecko · 26/02/2025 18:04

Dd in third year, doing joint honours, decided to do full dissertation (options were full diss or half diss + another module).

After a couple of weeks DD decided to change to a half diss. The system allowed her to change, and she checked with her diss supervisor that she could change, plus another staff member. They all said she could change.

Five weeks later, she's told that she can't change to a half dissertation as she's doing joint honours.

Dd is distraught as she has spent three weeks doing new module and has now lost five weeks of diss reading time. She had a meeting with the heads of both subjects, who were v sorry that dd had been told wrong info/been allowed to change diss options, and they said it will be v hard for her to catch up now.

Where does dd stand now? I want her to complain now and ask for some lenience in marks as this situation is not of her making and the same has happened to other students. Dd doesn't want to complain more in case her diss supervisor is prejudiced against her.

Dd has been told she can have a 2.5-week extension and will still be able to graduate in summer. If she has a longer extension, she will have to graduate in winter, and she doesn't want that.

Anyone in HE - can you advise me/dd? I'm cross that dd has been wrongly advised. This situation is not her fault. She's concerned that it will affect her final degree - the dissertation is 40% of the mark.

Thank you!

OP posts:
DisforDarkChocolate · 26/02/2025 19:22

Loads of people I knew didn't start their dissertation for months. She will be fine.

Bobbybobbins · 26/02/2025 19:23

It is rubbish for her but she has made the right decision and has a slight extension. Good for her for being resilient.

Talulahalula · 26/02/2025 19:29

Complain. And check what the grounds for appeal are if her grade for the dissertation is lower than her other grades. There is usually a ground of unfair or defective procedure or similar. But note, appealing will delay her graduation.

Re the exam board, if the graduation is in the summer, the exam board will be at the latest 3-4 weeks before this; the August exam board won’t help as that would be then a December graduation. Presuming graduations are in early July and not September here.
If she has lost three weeks, she needs a three week extension.

Talulahalula · 26/02/2025 19:29

DisforDarkChocolate · 26/02/2025 19:22

Loads of people I knew didn't start their dissertation for months. She will be fine.

Not the point.

Original poster
BellissimoGecko · 26/02/2025 19:32

Tumbleweed44 · 26/02/2025 18:57

But is it actually 3 weeks or 5 weeks? You’ve not answered my question?

Edited

She's missed out on five weeks.

OP posts:
Ramblingaway · 26/02/2025 19:33

What about handing in after the shorter extension and applying for mitigating/extenuating circumstances as well. In our institute that would give the board of examiners the option to discount the dissertation mark if it brings down ger degree average and classification. Not sure it it exists in all institutions but worth checking.

Original poster
BellissimoGecko · 26/02/2025 19:33

DisforDarkChocolate · 26/02/2025 19:22

Loads of people I knew didn't start their dissertation for months. She will be fine.

Irrelevant. Dd is v organised. She did start on time. Other students have now had five weeks more than she has.

OP posts:
Original poster
BellissimoGecko · 26/02/2025 19:40

Ramblingaway · 26/02/2025 19:33

What about handing in after the shorter extension and applying for mitigating/extenuating circumstances as well. In our institute that would give the board of examiners the option to discount the dissertation mark if it brings down ger degree average and classification. Not sure it it exists in all institutions but worth checking.

Thank you.

OP posts:
Tumbleweed44 · 26/02/2025 19:52

BellissimoGecko · 26/02/2025 19:32

She's missed out on five weeks.

Show quote history

She started her module 2 weeks after changing and did this for 3 weeks?

Original poster
BellissimoGecko · 26/02/2025 20:00

Not sure why you're banging on about the number of weeks, @Tumbleweed44.

Dd is five weeks behind. The module didn't start until two weeks after she decided to change her dissertation. 3+2=5

OP posts:
LIZS · 26/02/2025 20:13

But she presumably has started her dissertation. Unless she has changed title she has done the work towards it in part at least, so can spend the time she would have spent on the module plus extension to top it up.

RichardMarxisinnocent · 26/02/2025 20:19

LIZS · 26/02/2025 20:13

But she presumably has started her dissertation. Unless she has changed title she has done the work towards it in part at least, so can spend the time she would have spent on the module plus extension to top it up.

This is what's confusing me. Assuming the dissertation title is the same, she presumably started work on it during the 2 weeks she was planning to do a full dissertation. And in the 5 weeks from deciding to switch to half and being told that wasn't possible, she surely did some reading for the dissertation? She didn't just completely stop working on it for 5 weeks? So how has she lost 5 weeks? I clearly don't understand how these things work.

crankytoes · 26/02/2025 20:20

@BellissimoGecko

A fair playing ground. The same time she would have had to prepare if the uni hadn't fucked up.
How would this be done? Im not disagreeing with you. I just want to know what your thoughts are on how it could be done if there are not enough weeks left to allow a 5 week extension. Or do you think there might be enough weeks left?

crankytoes · 26/02/2025 20:22

Tumbleweed44 · 26/02/2025 18:57

But is it actually 3 weeks or 5 weeks? You’ve not answered my question?

Edited

It's 5 weeks

Talulahalula · 26/02/2025 20:23

Ramblingaway · 26/02/2025 19:33

What about handing in after the shorter extension and applying for mitigating/extenuating circumstances as well. In our institute that would give the board of examiners the option to discount the dissertation mark if it brings down ger degree average and classification. Not sure it it exists in all institutions but worth checking.

this is an interesting suggestion but if the dissertation is a compulsory part of the degree, then I am not sure whether the grade can actually be set aside. I suppose theoretically if the student needs to achieve a minimum of a C, for example, in the dissertation for their degree, and that is achieved, but their average is an A, the condition of achieving a C is met, and then the claim for affected performance could be considered and the C for the dissertation set aside. But I don’t know; I guess it would depend on the regulations of the institution.
(And we would not give both an extension for mitigating circumstances where I am and also consider a claim for affected performance due to said circumstances. It would be one or the other).

crankytoes · 26/02/2025 20:23

@Tumbleweed44

She started her module 2 weeks after changing and did this for 3 weeks?
Yes. Why are you finding this so hard to grasp and why are you like a dog with a bone

fortyfifty · 26/02/2025 20:25

It's difficult to understand the timescale from your post OP

She worked for 2 weeks on a full diss. Then changed to do another .module and a half diss. Then 5 weeks later she was told she'd have to do a full diss?

Did she have to change the question/focus of the dissertation when she changed from a full to a half?

I'm perplexed that they only got their dissertation questions approved after Christmas. Is this common in universities? What were students doing between september and Christmas?

ACynicalDad · 26/02/2025 20:26

I think the intensity tends to ramp up prior to deadline so losing a few early weeks is not catastrophic, might just focus her mind earlier.

MonkeyHair · 26/02/2025 20:29

But your dd was always doing a dissertation, it was just the length that varied, so the dissertation module would have started after Xmas I assume (in my uni it would span a longer period) so essentially she has lost no dissertation time just wasted 3 weeks on another module. The dissertation should still have being worked on regardless.

The turnaround times from boards to graduations are so tight that not much of an extension would be able to be given. I think, although unfortunate, the uni are offering all they can.

Be mindful that any appeal, complaints, use of mitigating circumstances will most likely mean that she will miss summer graduation.

CerealPosterHere · 26/02/2025 20:30

There is definitely an argument that in the early weeks if she thought she was doing a half dissertation not a full one she would still have been in the literature searching stage for the majority of that?? Or has she now changed her topic entirely? If not then a lot of her work in those early weeks will still be valid.

MayaPinion · 26/02/2025 20:31

If she’s been doing her half diss she’ll have already done lots of the reading - can she can continue with the same topic then she’s just expanding it. The 2.5 weeks seems reasonable. She can complain but all that’ll do will delay her graduation. I presume this is the difference between a 5k count and a 10k word count? I wouldn’t sweat this. Loads of my undergrads have barely started and the module started in September. They can’t mark leniently - they can only mark what is in front of them. I’d tell her to crack on and seek as much support as she can access.

Blushingm · 26/02/2025 20:35

@BellissimoGecko She's missed out on five weeks.,

But she's been offer a 2.5 week extension? So it's only actually 2.5 weeks?

Blushingm · 26/02/2025 20:37

And surely if she was doing a full, then a half then back to a full it was all the same thing just the final work count differed?

craigth162 · 26/02/2025 20:41

What do you want the uni to do? They can't change what's happened

Lampzade · 26/02/2025 20:43

craigth162 · 26/02/2025 20:41

What do you want the uni to do? They can't change what's happened

That is what I was going to ask
The OP doesn’t seem happy with the alternatives , so what exactly does she want the university to do?

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