anyone know of services to ckeck essays?

shadowdragon

bitsandpieces wrote: »

You could also consider trying mind mapping software for planning (I find it useless, but lots of people say it helps).

I used to use it a lot in lesson planning/schemes of work for subjects i was delivering as a lecturer, I dont have any learning disabilities but it still helped in making sure nothing was missed. I also used to give a copy of the MM along with the SoW to my students at the start of the unit being delivered, also helped them know what was being covered.

mandragora_2

Ok, for what it's worth, I will add my tuppence-worth. There's so much pressure on schools and post-16 colleges now to get results that teachers are more inclined to spoon feed than ever before. That includes 'checking' essay drafts - which is suppposed to be 'light' and 'for guidance' but often ends up as staff pretty much redrafting the whole thing, adding notes which are then incorporated wholesale. It also used to be the case that once a piece of coursework was submitted as a 'final draft' that also was it done and finished. Not so any longer - coursework seems to be rewritten and rewritten endlessly - kids have been staying behind and coming in at weekends for the past month or so now at a local comp, teachers very much in evidence. They aren't there just to turn the lights off at the end of the evening!

Years ago, teachers took the view that if the students in front of them didn't do as well as a student from, say Aberdeen, as a result of the students' own lack of effort, then that was their lookout. Not sure that attitude is much in evidence nowadays, as teachers know they will be asked why candidate x didn't do as well as the 'data' said they should.

When you combine all these things, it's likely to end up with first year uni students being perplexed when the same amount of spoon-feeding isn't around for them any more, suddenly. It's what happens when politicians mistake 'results' for 'education'.

Oldernotwiser

mandragora wrote: »

ok, for what it's worth, i will add my tuppence-worth. There's so much pressure on schools and post-16 colleges now to get results that teachers are more inclined to spoon feed than ever before. That includes 'checking' essay drafts - which is suppposed to be 'light' and 'for guidance' but often ends up as staff pretty much redrafting the whole thing, adding notes which are then incorporated wholesale. It also used to be the case that once a piece of coursework was submitted as a 'final draft' that also was it done and finished. Not so any longer - coursework seems to be rewritten and rewritten endlessly - kids have been staying behind and coming in at weekends for the past month or so now at a local comp, teachers very much in evidence. They aren't there just to turn the light s off at the end of the evening!

Years ago, teachers took the view that if the students in front of them didn't do as well as a student from, say aberdeen, as a result of the students' own lack of effort, then that was their lookout. Not sure that attitude is much in evidence nowadays, as teachers know they will be asked why candidate x didn't do as well at the 'data' said they should.

When you combine all these things, it's likely to end up with first year uni students being perplexed when the same amount of spoon-feeding isn't around for them any more, suddenly. It's what happens when politicians mistake 'results' for 'education'.

:t:t:t:t:t

The_One_Who

mandragora wrote: »

Ok, for what it's worth, I will add my tuppence-worth. There's so much pressure on schools and post-16 colleges now to get results that teachers are more inclined to spoon feed than ever before. That includes 'checking' essay drafts - which is suppposed to be 'light' and 'for guidance' but often ends up as staff pretty much redrafting the whole thing, adding notes which are then incorporated wholesale. It also used to be the case that once a piece of coursework was submitted as a 'final draft' that also was it done and finished. Not so any longer - coursework seems to be rewritten and rewritten endlessly - kids have been staying behind and coming in at weekends for the past month or so now at a local comp, teachers very much in evidence. They aren't there just to turn the lights off at the end of the evening!

Coming from the Scottish system it always amazes me how lenient the English/Welsh system is! The very idea of coursework fascinates me, never mind the allowance of exam re-sits to better your mark.

Callum_

the_annoyed_customer wrote: »

It's called submitting drafts to the tutors as you go along. After all its what you pay them for. Its what every good student should be doing

Although you may have recieved some sucess with this method, the underlying theory is technically wrong. Your fees do not pay your tutor's wages per-se. What you pay for is the admin and support staff, or general running of the University. Your tutor (or lecturer) is actually paid for the reasearch they do and not for teaching ungrateful students.

It is a common misconception that a tutor has any obligation to give a merde about their students. They do so because they are helpful people, but it is unlikely they will take kindly to students submitting several drafts of an essay before deadline. Sometimes it works, but more often than not it won't. It might be worth a try to give drafts to a tutor but I don't agree with the attitude that extra tutorials and marking of drafts by tutors is a right deserved by all students.

The best way to improve an essay is to have a fellow student read through it and offer some advice. Or to finish the essay early and check through it a week or so later when you are not so wrapped up in the question. that way you will be much more critical of the work and hopefully improve it.

squirrelchops

Hi all,
I am coming to the end of my second year at University.

Before I hand in any assignment I thoroughly go through the marking grid that comes within every module guide to mark myself against the same criteria that the lecturer will.

To be honest I now find that I can pretty accurately judge what sort of mark I will attain within a few percent.

We had a substantial case study to write earlier this year of 5000 words. The agreement was the lecturer could look at no more than 10% of the total assignment to advise each student. Ordinarily we may go through a draft with the lecturer but that is very much us having a plan and showing our argument rather than being told the answer. Quite often the lecturer may then direct you to some other research pieces that may be of help.

I had a read of some of my first assignments in year 1 and the improvement I have made is huge. You definitley 'learn' how to write as time goes by but it does take hard work and practice.

shadowdragon

Callum_ wrote: »

Although you may have recieved some sucess with this method, the underlying theory is technically wrong. Your fees do not pay your tutor's wages per-se. What you pay for is the admin and support staff, or general running of the University. Your tutor (or lecturer) is actually paid for the reasearch they do and not for teaching ungrateful students.

Utter Bollox, There is no way you can differentiate between funding for a Uni or College like that. Each course has a per hour over head. When I was teaching a HND/C cost my college £85 per hour to run, that included my hours teaching/marking, Administration, Security, Utilities ect. This then determined the minimum number of students needed for the course to run. A course is funded in two ways. One by Course Fees the student pays and by Government funding. But its all shoved in the same pot. I wasnt paid by the Course Fees and the rest by the government funding. Its all rolled into one.

As I say Utter bollox imo.

Oldernotwiser

shadowdragon wrote: »

Utter Bollox, There is no way you can differentiate between funding for a Uni or College like that. Each course has a per hour over head. When I was teaching a HND/C cost my college £85 per hour to run, that included my hours teaching/marking, Administration, Security, Utilities ect. This then determined the minimum number of students needed for the course to run. A course is funded in two ways. One by Course Fees the student pays and by Government funding. But its all shoved in the same pot. I wasnt paid by the Course Fees and the rest by the government funding. Its all rolled into one.

As I say Utter bollox imo.

I wonder whether you were, like me, a college lecturer rather than a university lecturer involved in research? What you describe is certainly the way things work in colleges and Callum has described a very simplified version of the university system.

However, it's certainly true the teaching is not the only (and probably not the first) priority for most university lecturers. Too many students think that universities are "schools for grown ups" and have little understanding of the priorities and purpose of universities. I blame the schools for not educating their students to an understanding of the purpose of an HE system.

shadowdragon

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I wonder whether you were, like me, a college lecturer rather than a university lecturer involved in research? What you describe is certainly the way things work in colleges and Callum has described a very simplified version of the university system.

However, it's certainly true the teaching is not the only (and probably not the first) priority for most university lecturers. Too many students think that universities are "schools for grown ups" and have little understanding of the priorities and purpose of universities. I blame the schools for not educating their students to an understanding of the purpose of an HE system.

Yes I was but the HND/C is HE funded, as are the HND/Cs in a University. Simplified or not, you cannot make such a statement as its incorrect, while I understand Research creates financial rewards for a University, to say thats what pays the Lecturers Salary is Rubbish,

I am sure they have just like I had a Work Load Model and a Contract. This shows there research time/teaching time, and time allocated for Delivery/Marking/Tutorials as well as time for research. Therefore they are "Getting Payed to deliver and adminster Teaching" to students.

Oldernotwiser

shadowdragon wrote: »

I am sure they have just like I had a Work Load Model and a Contract. This shows there research time/teaching time, and time allocated for Delivery/Marking/Tutorials as well as time for research. Therefore they are "Getting Payed to deliver and adminster Teaching" to students.

I've never come across that - perhaps it's new.

It doesn't change the fact that teaching isn't the main priority for academics and students shouldn't expect it to be. (That doesn't mean that teaching should be of a poor standard, of course.)