Final year project, no supervision

[Projectneg]

My DD is in her final year at Oxbridge and has to do a project which, along with exams, will lead to a pass/fail grade in her masters (STEM). I’m keeping details vague for obvious reasons.

Her supervisor changed halfway through the project. Since the change, DD has been trying to meet the new supervisor but any meeting keeps being put off and now the supervisor is proposing to meet her for the first time next week, just a week before the deadline for the (very substantial) project. The supervisor is elsewhere, hasn’t seen a word of DD’s work and the meeting would, in any case, be virtual.

DD has been working very hard and, under the previous supervisor, was getting good feedback. But she’s anxious about whether she’s still on the right track.

I can sense rising panic in DD and I don’t blame her. I can’t believe that the supervisor thinks this is at all acceptable: if she (the supervisor) hasn’t got time, why doesn’t she pass it on to someone else?

Every year, a number of students fail so it’s not a case of the project getting nodded through. I can’t quite believe that DD is being left to sink or swim like this. What can she do?

Only undergraduates have a DoS, and the Senior Tutor largely is responsible for the undergraduate teaching. So if the OP’s DC is effectively doing a 4-year course with a Part III year she will have a Dos; but if she is doing a separate Master’s, then it will be the departmental course organiser who needs to help (graduates have a graduate tutor in college, but they are more for financial and pastoral help than help with departmental supervision).

I thought it was clear this is an integrated masters, therefore an undergrad issue.

Yes that’s right @Hillarious.

Regardless, I’m thankful for everyone’s help. There seems to be some progress… and DD still has a lot to do.

DD had a meeting with her so-called supervisor today. Supervisor said she wouldn’t read the report until it was finished. Asked DD when it would be finished. DD said “by the deadline” (which is next week). Supervisor seemed surprised by this new info. So back to square one. DD is expected to plough on alone with absolutely no guidance.

I suggested DD go back to the project coordinator. Apparently they aren’t working today because it’s a bank holiday. I was under the impression that bank hols didn’t count in Oxbridge during term time.

This is beyond a joke.

Can you get a hold of the module materials? There should be an expected amount of contact time set down eg X hours over Y weeks. In many places only a percentage of the final outcome would be read. Usually a draft of this would be made available in advance to the supervisor. So it’s hard to tell if the new supervisor is being unreasonable here. Did they provide feedback within the conversation? Supervision meetings should have notes (but not usually as detailed as minutes).

DD needs a copy of the module guidance. Perhaps a discussions with the Senior Tutor or Director of Studies about reasonable expectations of the supervisor, if this is not already in writing.

I have never heard of a supervisor declining to provide guidance all term and think most at Oxford would find it unacceptable. But I cannot say that I know for sure.

Best wishes to DD

If DD has a DoS then now is the time to get him/her involved so that someone else can potentially look at the project before submission.

(FWIW, some people’s contracts have bank holidays in and some don’t - it depends on the exact type of contract and when the person was appointed, especially admin or academic-related staff. Scheduled university teaching goes on during bank holidays - eg lectures or seminars - but individual staff can take bank holidays as annual leave or not arrange 1-1 supervisions on them, esp if they have children who need childcare.)

Spoke to DD at some length. There is a possibility that the new “supervisor” will also be examining the project so DD needs to be highly diplomatic, especially in terms of complaining about her to her DOS.

It turns out that DD has recently had a report from the previous supervisor. She shared it with us and it’s very positive, so I think she will be ok. I’m just aghast that she’s been cast adrift like this.

@TreesToday she did have weekly meetings up until the end of the spring term with her previous supervisor. But the new one doesn’t seem to be clued up to any of the systems (eg being unaware of the deadline) so is completely uninterested in how much input she should be providing. New supervisor is very senior and very busy but also a specialist in this niche area so I suppose that’s why she got lumbered with a student she clearly didn’t want.

No-one who’s supervised a project in any way should normally be examining it (this would be highly unusual and simply wouldn’t happen in any faculty in my School either at u/grad or grad level); but I’m not in a STEM field.

Your DD shouldn’t worry too much about complaining, but should definitely contact the DoS and explain diplomatically that the supervisor seems extremely busy and that she doesn’t seem to be able to get the supervisor to read the project in advance of the deadline, and could the DoS advise.

DH is STEM-ish and says that he has been one of two examiners for a thesis/dissertation he’s supervised so I think it does happen. But yes I will strongly suggest DD contacts her DOS for advice.

I’m surprised - that wouldn’t be possible in my field: we have formal mechanisms set up that prevent anyone from examining work they have supervised on!

—But yes, it’s the DoS’s job to sort out situations like this, so DD needs to let them know asap.

In my STEM subject and University, projects/dissertations are always marked by the supervisor and then second marked by the programme director. Only the supervisor really knows what lab and analytical equipment was used, which imploded, had to be re-calibrated or whatever. Sometimes a project doesn't work because it is innovative experimental stuff, but if written up well a negative outcome will go down just as well as a positive one.

Yes, it definitely does happen in STEM. Very common in several fields, so don’t worry about that.

I agree DD shouldn’t ruffle feathers, but mostly because she will feel calmer going into the presentation (if she doesn’t get an extension) that way. The large majority of worry that lecturers will let personal feelings affect assessments is unfounded. The DoS will know this so I am glad they will be meeting.

However with the positive report from the end of Spring Term that was based on weekly meetings until then, it seems likely that she may actually be in pretty good shape.

Final year projects for a whole cohort will be marked and moderated, especially where it's a matter of a team of markers. At my place, we do a bench-marking exercise for these, where we all read 3 projects/dissertations and compare notes. We then use that discussion to guide us in reading the 20 or so dissertations we each read (cohort of around 80). These will then be moderated - we use the supervisor as moderator, and someone who hasn't supervised the student for first marking. Any uncertainties, the module convenor is a third eye. Our External Examiner always samples dissertations. So it's feasible a student's final year project could be looked at 4 times, each time by an expert.

In that process, any tutor personal "bias" (which is pretty rare actually - we're expert professionals) would not survive!