Any university lecturers here?

poet123

Op read the above and really take it onboard, it is excellent advice.

Do you use overlays on written work and change of background colour on the the PC?

Have you had a lot of support previously?

I ask because sometimes that support means that you achieve but if you become reliant on it there can be a negative aspect to it as well. The best support gives you strategies to cope it doesn't just provide a safety net to pick up your errors. It is also about knowing when to pull back and be there in the background but allow the student to feel their feet and find their own level. Some colleges are better than others at this aspect of support.

duchy

First of all stop worrying
What you are going through is extraordinarily common and many students end up dropping out because they don't have the confidence to admit they aren't sure how it all works.
Technically I'm currently a first year too (although I have studied at uni before and not finished so I do have some experience of the weird ways of achademics) and one of the things I said to a fellow student who was having similar issues to you is " The first year is the year you learn HOW they want things and learn their language-This is the year to make your mistakes - you only need 40% to pass and so long as you pass it doesn't matter at what level as it doesn't count towards your final degree classification.....so chill. Go talk to your personal tutor as well as your disability tutor. They will have heard it all before.

As for making mistakes ...... I've made a horrendous one . I accidently submitted a rough draft of an essay (basically just the introduction) instead of the full essay !! I am furious with myself -but as my lecturer said "You'll still pass the course so long as you get reasonable marks" and I've now sent her the full version for her to give me feedback so I'll know whether it was any good or not . I could beat myself up -or I could learn from it (and I'll never make that mistake again with e submissions)and move on. I've not had the mark yet but I'm expecting something like 10% - the only other marked piece so far was 69% so it is going to look really odd -but I'll just have to pick up the rest . These mistakes happen and they are OK so long as you do it in the first year.

With regard to referencing -My uni runs regular workshops on all sorts of things from better essay writing to how to reference etc. I'm sure yours will too either formally or informally -Ask at your student resource centre if nothing is advertised -I want to ask which uni you are at - but I'm sure you don't want to say but if I can help at all even if it's just someone to vent at - feel free to PM me.

Luckylucy

Thanks everyone,

I waiting to see the disability supervisor now. I got a 56% in that assignment so it wasn't an awful grade and the actual essay had good feedback it was just the referencing which was 15% of the grade

I had support at college but only 1hour support session once a week to proof read and talk through what I'd done the week before. I also had coloured overlays for work which I don't have yet at Uni.

Had two more assignments back for a module today, 63% and 56% again because I spent too much time on the essay question?! :eek:

I think I must see things too literally. :rotfl:

~Chameleon~

Have you claimed for DSA from student finance yet to help pay for any extra help and equipment you may need whilst studying at university?

poet123

Luckylucy wrote: »

Thanks everyone,

I waiting to see the disability supervisor now. I got a 56% in that assignment so it wasn't an awful grade and the actual essay had good feedback it was just the referencing which was 15% of the grade

I had support at college but only 1hour support session once a week to proof read and talk through what I'd done the week before. I also had coloured overlays for work which I don't have yet at Uni.

Had two more assignments back for a module today, 63% and 56% again because I spent too much time on the essay question?! :eek:

I think I must see things too literally. :rotfl:

Actually, those are good grades. It is a steep learning curve and managing to get 56% when you hadn't got the hang of referencing is good going.

Certainly that should spur you on, I bet if you ask around you scored higher than many. Well done.

Mr_Toad

valk_scot wrote: »

I asked my OH about this as he's a lecturer. He says yes, the bolded text means five separate sources, not multiple quotes from the same two sources. He does comment that this could be made clearer but that in first year at university it's better to go for either overkill or clarification if you're not sure what the assignment requires. And that it's better to learn this in your first term than when you submit something that counts towards your degree classification. A lot of first term work is designed to hone up your writing and research skills rather than learning the subject content after all and it could be argued that you've definitely learned something really useful here.


There should be "learning to Learn" and "Learning to Write" modules available for first year students in most unis, either face to face or on line. Learning how to present your work is one of the hardest things for new students, it's a big jump between school and uni in this respect. But you will lose marks hand over fist if you don't learn how to answer the question in the format required when submitting work, OH says that at least half his students regularly lose marks over this sort of thing and in quite significant amounts, and that's including the post-grads too. He says if in doubt, ASK, do not assume, your lecturer might privately think you're a numpty but that's better than being an even bigger numpty by not asking, putting in a sub standard bit of work and losing significant marks for something important.

Getting it right is very important. I commented on a thread in the Techie forum about a laptop for Uni. One thing I mentioned was getting the correct software i.e. Microsoft Word if required. Others were saying save money and get Libre Office as it's free.

My daughter did this and as I pointed out on the other forum her essay was formatted and looked exactly as it should in Libre Office and then saved in Word format. However, when opened in Word the formatting was slightly off and she lost marks. In the end it was easier to get MS Word and know it was going to be correct.

It all depends on the lecturer but they don't mess about. If they want it in MS Word, double spaced and printed in yellow on blue paper than that's what you have to do. One of her friends had an essay returned, unread and unmarked, simply because it wasn't double spaced. This caused her to miss a deadline which also cost marks.

It was pointed out to her that, yes it was harsh, but it was meant to be to reinforce the lesson that Uni isn't school and you should do exactly what you are asked to do.

Don't beat yourself up, take it on board and move on. Lesson learned.

easy

Luckylucy wrote: »

I also had coloured overlays for work which I don't have yet at Uni.

sooo .... you have gone through a whole term at uni without any overlays .. are you expecting the university to provide them ??

Look, I accept that I don't know a whole lot about dyslexia, but I do have a physical disability, and have always accepted that it's MY responsibility to make sure that I get hold of any resources I need to be able to do what I need to do in life.

It took me 20 seconds to find this source of overlays. I know they cost money, but I'm assuming you don't need very many. Why haven't you bought yourself one or two ? For you to do your work they are just as essential as a pen or a PC surely ??

Look, I'm sorry that you have been so upset by your mark on this piece of work, but you do need to learn this.
1. Marks on work done over the course are meant to guide you, to help you do better when it comes to exams. Learn, do better next time ... and for goodness sake, don't cry !! you are supposed to be a grown-up now
2. if you don't understand something BEFORE you start a piece of work, go back to your tutor and ask. That isn't pathetic, it's the mature thing to do. Your tutor is paid to teach and guide you, as long as he sees you are TRYING to do well he'll be happy to help
3. If you don't understand how you got the mark you did, go back to your tutor and ask. Again, it's mature to do so. You are not a child any more, behave like an adult - your tutors will think better of you if you do.

Finally - if you need some help because of your disability then remember that YOU should do what you can for yourself. I know that in these days of 'equality' there are supposed to be folk at the universities to help sort stuff out for those who have special requirements - but there might only be one or 2 staff doing that for many students with a HUGE variety of needs. So either do what you can to solve problems for yourself, and where you can't then POLITELY make sure you don't get put on the bottom of the pile by those staff (if you see what I mean).

I was at university 30 years ago, when 'disabled students' were very rare indeed. I had to solve most of the difficulties I had for myself, simply because there weren't any facilities to deal with such issues in place at all. But on the 2 occasions I did have issues I couldn't solve alone, my personal tutor and course head were both very willing to work hard and go out on a limb for me - simply because I managed most of the stuff myself, they could see how high my commitment to my education was.
I'm not criticizing you, just pointing out that after school/college it does get harder, you have to look after your own needs far more - just wait until you take that first career step !!

Good luck

abkb

Hi,

I'm a Senior Lecturer at a University in the North West, and am just fresh from marking 44 first year assignments!

Please don't feel disheartened by a mark of 56%; I assume you have only recently started university, so it is likely to have been one of your first assignments. On the batch of marking I've just done, I've given most a mark in the 50-60% range (some lower, a couple higher).

If you genuinely feel that you have received inappropriate feedback then please, firstly, take a couple of days to reflect on the mark! I can't count the amount of students that I have had coming to me in floods of tears when actually they needed time to reflect on, and accept, the feedback.

It is also important to remember that the lecturer's professional credibility is on the line; we spend as much time as possible ensuring that your assignment is marked against the assessment criteria, moderated, and then handed back to you within a short period of time (at my HEI it's a two week turnaround).

As another poster has also said, if you were unclear it is important to consult the lecturer before the time of submission.

The first year of university is a major learning curve, but it sounds like you are going in the right direction! Good luck.

Luckylucy

I can't work out how to multi quote so I'll just reply like this.

As you've seen as the thread progressed I've reflected on the assignment I now know where I went wrong. The reason I didn't approach the lecturer about referencing is because I genuinely didn't realise I was doing it wrong.

My main upset was more the harshness of the feedback. I understand that there is lots to mark, it's a high pressure job etc... However do not think it is constructive to make such damning comments on a piece of work when they can not possibly know whether I had just ignored the brief or not.

I am/was upset and frustrated because not only does every lecturer knows what areas I struggle with as I have been proactive in meeting with every lecturer and attending extra support sessions if they are provided. Although I do not expect to be specifically remembered considering how many of us there are. I've not just sat back and expecting people to help, I've been proactive in working with disability services aswell. I went to see them today and 'Bob' was great.

I felt the comments in my feedback were unjustified and hurtful, I probably am overly sensitive because of other things that are going on. I don't have high self confidence anyway and it's difficult to work really hard on something and have someone say it's not right or you have deliberately ignored the task. I am also well aware I am an adult. I have two children, I don't think I could possibly feel any older someday haha.

I have my own 'overlays' I am currently using a plastic pink a4 divider! I had blue and green at college but no idea where they are now. The reason I haven't got any myself if because I don't know what colour I need and for now the pink seems to work alright.

'Bob' seems to think I should be able to get my work marked as a dyslexic student based on the assessments they have whilst waiting for Ed psych, and I've emailed my lecturer today and asked to see them to discuss the feedback when it is convenient for them. The referencing workshops aren't until the 2nd semester which isn't helpful for these assignment but when they come up I will go.

I also ordered a copy of cite them right today and a book for studying with dyslexia.

I made a huge change in our lives to commit to university because I want a degree and it was just overwhelming to feel like I've let everyone and myself down.

~Chameleon~

You still haven't said whether you've claimed DSA yet? They would pay for all the extra equipment you need, as well as doing an indepth assessment which would be passed onto your university by way of recommendations for printed hard copy of PPs, assignment extensions, extra time in exams, sitting exams in isolation etc, where appropriate.

If you haven't then you need to get onto it pronto. Most students claim during the summer before starting uni so they can have training with using new laptops, dictaphones and software etc, if necessary.