Lack of comms from lecturer!

Voyager2002

OP, why don't you just visit the lecturer's secretary and make an appointment?

Impet_Limpet

In reply to your posts.

oldernotwiser I am not asking to be spoonfed. I have completed various OU courses/brick uni modules (I am now in second year) without asking for feedback before handing in the essay and achieved good marks. It is a REQUIREMENT of this module to have regular meetings in order for the lecturer to check student progress and give guidance on how literature searching is going (I am the only part time biomed doing this module) and for us to fill in our personal development plan. I have a feeling this is also to make sure students are getting on with it as there are no lectures or exams for this. So instead of dissecting the appropriateness of feedback and being spoonfed, appreciate that this persons hasn't even responded with "looks fine" or "yes I have received the email"

My course leader has agreed to look at it from a lay person point of view as it's quite a technical essay. For those who say this module is not important, it is to me as I want to use it as leverage to transfer to a cardiac physiologist course at another uni as I don't have A levels

I don't want to go in on another day as I work full time and don't want to use A/L just to travel 40 miles and find a lecturer.

Therefore I've decided to hand it in without feedback from my Supervisor on Saturday this week. the lecturer dosen't have a secretary, just a timetable of slots he is free none of them matched when I was free.

For those who have made suggestions thank you very much. I have made some progress as in some feedback from the course leader. My course leader has actually said there are issues with staff even getting responses recently - turns out he has accepted a new job elsewhere and will be leaving at the end of the year.

Working in academia is like working in the NHS....you certainly don't do it for the money.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Like I said, it's my experience regarding doing the job for money. Yes,lecturers have put an extra amount of effort in to get the qualifications they hold (well some of em), but they also hold down other positions in different establishments, and that's where I'm coming from regarding greed. They are that tied up with one job and another, they haven't got the time to concentrate on their paying clientelle. Let's face it Universities are a money making business, and students are the paying customers who unfortunatly ain't receiving the quality or quantity of service they are paying for.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I agree that it if it's available then it should be available to all, I just don't think that it should be available!

I think that it must be very hard to be enthusiastic with students who seem to have no interest in becoming independent learners but only want to pick tutors' brains to add a few extra marks. Soul destroying is the term that comes to mind!

It's also soul destroying for hard working students who are dealing with incompetent lecturers and uni staff whos heads are so far up their own rear ends, they can't see what problems their incomptetencey is causing.

I'm speaking from close experience here. I've been watching my partner travel miles to Uni, putting every conceivable effort in to get his degree, and yet he's dealing with useless individuals who are working for the University.

melancholly

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

They are that tied up with one job and another, they haven't got the time to concentrate on their paying clientelle.

:eek: :eek: :eek:
a student's fees go no-where near paying for their university education - that part of the university runs at a loss. their research is paid for by external bodies, not by students........

this is just exactly the attitude that shows how bad it has become in higher education - demanding students thinking that they are somehow owed any help that they demand....... it genuinely scares me how completely blinkered so many undergraduate students are about what lecturers do and what 'service' they should be given.

Martine's situation is bad and i don't want my comments to be seen as addressed to her in any way - but these kind of mis-informed comments illustrate the lazy, demanding, desperate for spoon-feeding students that have been referred to in other posts.

go and do some research on it - google should do - that is if you're capable of doing anything other than whinging and asking for it to be spelt out for you.

(vitriolic tirade over )

the_devil_made_me_do_it

melancholly wrote: »

:eek: :eek: :eek:
a student's fees go no-where near paying for their university education - that part of the university runs at a loss. their research is paid for by external bodies, not by students........

this is just exactly the attitude that shows how bad it has become in higher education - demanding students thinking that they are somehow owed any help that they demand....... it genuinely scares me how completely blinkered so many undergraduate students are about what lecturers do and what 'service' they should be given.

Martine's situation is bad and i don't want my comments to be seen as addressed to her in any way - but these kind of mis-informed comments illustrate the lazy, demanding, desperate for spoon-feeding students that have been referred to in other posts.

go and do some research on it - google should do - that is if you're capable of doing anything other than whinging and asking for it to be spelt out for you.

(vitriolic tirade over )

0oooooh, someone's spat there dummy out. Didn't think my posts would have such an effect.

Oldernotwiser

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

They are that tied up with one job and another, they haven't got the time to concentrate on their paying clientelle. Let's face it Universities are a money making business, and students are the paying customers who unfortunatly ain't receiving the quality or quantity of service they are paying for.

Teaching students is not necessarily a lecturer's major role in life. I agree with Melancholly that your attitude illustrates just what happens when students view themselves as consumers. Education is not and should never become a commodity!

Perhaps you could buy a degree from the internet; you'd probably get as much from this as you will from studying. If you pay extra they'll probably sell you a first!

chezza262

I think it comes back to the purpose of a degree argument....

I applied for some interesting, well paid jobs before uni and was turned down -not because I couldnt do the job but because I didnt have a degree. I eventually got one on the condition that I had a lower salary than originally offered! For me the degree is to lead on to better things and although my course is interesting I have no intention of taking it further and will look at vocational training instead.

For those that are at university for the experience and learning then I imagine it is easier to see the benefit of not being 'spoon fed'. It doesnt help that our GCSE and A level system fails to prepare students for further learning. It came as quite a shock to me how different the university assessments were.

I do disagree that asking for help constitues spoon feeding or laziness tho....for some it is about improving what you are doing rather than handing the same level of essay each time. Without help you will never really know whether what you did was good or bad and therefore cant improve?

kr15snw

floyd wrote: »

What about a student liason officer or failing that, head of department?

Not sure what a student liason officer actually is... but have spoken to our student rep and shes in the same position as us. Doesnt really know who to go to.

Hes the head of the department aswell The only person I can think who is higher than him would be the principal. And were worried it could come back to haunt us if we 'dob' him in (well if feels like were dobbing him in, if you get my drift)

floyd

kr15snw wrote: »

Not sure what a student liason officer actually is...

I don't think all uni's have them, basically someone who acts as an intermediate in disputes between a student and any member of staff. Its probably a role that is currently fulfilled by student union reps at many other places.

In your case, is there another member of academic staff you could speak to who may be able to guide you as to whether it is worthwhile speaking to the head honcho (principal)? Generally with matters such as this, it will be something that has been reported to them before by staff or students. Its pretty rare for people to be oblivious of what their staff get up to and what sort of reputation they have.