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Making complaint about a module?

Hey, I love uni and my course, but there's been one module that's been an absolute shambles...

Basically, 25% of this module was group work, a mock parliament type thing.
I was in the group that was the parliament, and our group had to do about 5x more work (literally) than the other 8 or 9 groups.

We had to submit two reports ( in total three times the word length of the other groups) as supposed to 1 for the other groups. Also, we only had 4 days to submit our last report, right in the middle of other exams and deadlines, compared to the two months the other groups had, with their deadline well before exams! There were really no surprises our grade was comparatively bad! Alongside this, we had to be present 9-5 for the mock parliament, whereas all other groups had to be present for 1 hour each, which was, again, so annoying in the middle of deadlines and exams.

So basically, can I file a complaint against the uni for not been on a level playing field with other students on the same course in terms of workload, or will it just be laughed off?? My friends in the group are happy to go along with me and support this! Surely in group work, all groups on the module have to have an equal task??

Thanks!!

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Original post by fortunaisland
Hey, I love uni and my course, but there's been one module that's been an absolute shambles...

Basically, 25% of this module was group work, a mock parliament type thing.
I was in the group that was the parliament, and our group had to do about 5x more work (literally) than the other 8 or 9 groups.

We had to submit two reports ( in total three times the word length of the other groups) as supposed to 1 for the other groups. Also, we only had 4 days to submit our last report, right in the middle of other exams and deadlines, compared to the two months the other groups had, with their deadline well before exams! There were really no surprises our grade was comparatively bad! Alongside this, we had to be present 9-5 for the mock parliament, whereas all other groups had to be present for 1 hour each, which was, again, so annoying in the middle of deadlines and exams.

So basically, can I file a complaint against the uni for not been on a level playing field with other students on the same course in terms of workload, or will it just be laughed off?? My friends in the group are happy to go along with me and support this! Surely in group work, all groups on the module have to have an equal task??

Thanks!!


Get all of your group to contact the module manager with why you think it was unfair and see what they say. Some will listen some wont
Original post by madmadmax321
Get all of your group to contact the module manager with why you think it was unfair and see what they say. Some will listen some wont


Already tried and said that it wasn't a problem and he'd been doing the same thing for years, gonna email my personal tutor now ans see what he says
Original post by fortunaisland
Already tried and said that it wasn't a problem and he'd been doing the same thing for years, gonna email my personal tutor now ans see what he says


Thats the next best thing (perhaps try get a meeting with your PT as this would probably be better) but chances are they will back the module leader if its been the same for years.

Did you raise your concerns with the module leader while you were doing the report?
Original post by madmadmax321
Thats the next best thing (perhaps try get a meeting with your PT as this would probably be better) but chances are they will back the module leader if its been the same for years.

Did you raise your concerns with the module leader while you were doing the report?


Yeah I did, he shrugged it off and said it was 'all swings and roundabouts' - talking to people in the year above were like 'poor you - that's so much work' when they heard I was in the parliament group, maybe I'm that I'm just more vocal with my concerns and quite well known to staff... It's not like I'm disputing the mark or anything, just how unfair it seems that we have to write 6000 words when other groups only need to write 2000.
Yes.

They will have a formal complaints procedure. The rules will be on the website or in your student handbook or just ask the department.
It would be better if all members of the group complained. 4 days v 2 months seems manifestly unfair.
Just because he's been running it for years doesnt mean the unfairness hasnt been carrying on for that time.

You can get assistance from your student rep or someone in the SU.
If you not satisfied look into making a complaint to the independent adjuducator.

You need to be commited and serious about it.
Original post by fortunaisland
Yeah I did, he shrugged it off and said it was 'all swings and roundabouts' - talking to people in the year above were like 'poor you - that's so much work' when they heard I was in the parliament group, maybe I'm that I'm just more vocal with my concerns and quite well known to staff... It's not like I'm disputing the mark or anything, just how unfair it seems that we have to write 6000 words when other groups only need to write 2000.


If you have evidence of this (in the form of an email etc) that he said that then you may have a better chance for appeal and make sure you make your tutor aware of this evidence too (so it doesnt look like you got then bad grade and then decided to complain)
Original post by madmadmax321
If you have evidence of this (in the form of an email etc) that he said that then you may have a better chance for appeal and make sure you make your tutor aware of this evidence too (so it doesnt look like you got then bad grade and then decided to complain)


Hmm no evidence, just what he said to us when we asked, though a guy in the year above who was in the parliament group has agreed to side with me... The thing is our grade wasn't THAT bad (57), it's just the principal really (median mark 68)
Original post by 999tigger
Yes.

They will have a formal complaints procedure. The rules will be on the website or in your student handbook or just ask the department.
It would be better if all members of the group complained. 4 days v 2 months seems manifestly unfair.
Just because he's been running it for years doesnt mean the unfairness hasnt been carrying on for that time.

You can get assistance from your student rep or someone in the SU.
If you not satisfied look into making a complaint to the independent adjuducator.

You need to be commited and serious about it.


Yeah I am the student rep and the head of the departmental society, so I'd say I'm fairly influential as a student! We're all going to get together and complain, just wish we'd done it at the time, not now we've got the grades back!
Original post by fortunaisland
Hmm no evidence, just what he said to us when we asked, though a guy in the year above who was in the parliament group has agreed to side with me... The thing is our grade wasn't THAT bad (57), it's just the principal really (median mark 68)


Makes it a bit more difficult but just make sure that you mention you had spoken to the module leader and then say what he said then see what your PT says and if needed take it to head of your course (after this theres not too much you can do). Perhaps also mention that people in the year above had expressed concerns about this issue too before
Original post by madmadmax321
Makes it a bit more difficult but just make sure that you mention you had spoken to the module leader and then say what he said then see what your PT says and if needed take it to head of your course (after this theres not too much you can do). Perhaps also mention that people in the year above had expressed concerns about this issue too before


If theres already a complaints procedure in place he follows that. He will be required to make a writen submission and he list the merits of his claim in that.
Reply 11
The timing is a problem. Presumably if you'd had a mark you were pleased with, you wouldn't be complaining. I imagine that's the line the uni will take - you've had months to lodge a complaint and try to have the module improved. Make sure you have a response ready for that particular point.
Original post by Klix88
The timing is a problem. Presumably if you'd had a mark you were pleased with, you wouldn't be complaining. I imagine that's the line the uni will take - you've had months to lodge a complaint and try to have the module improved. Make sure you have a response ready for that particular point.


Might make the point that we thought the extra workload would be accounted for in the mark we were given...

I do hate some aspects in uni in that what one lecturer says is final. On my friend's course everything is marked by two academics and the average taken...This is the lecturer that has a reputation for been harsh/ a bit waffley/ gets really bad module evaluations, so if nothing comes of it I'm glad I'm not taking his modules in third year tbh
Original post by fortunaisland
Might make the point that we thought the extra workload would be accounted for in the mark we were given...

I do hate some aspects in uni in that what one lecturer says is final. On my friend's course everything is marked by two academics and the average taken...This is the lecturer that has a reputation for been harsh/ a bit waffley/ gets really bad module evaluations, so if nothing comes of it I'm glad I'm not taking his modules in third year tbh


Get hold of the official programme specification and module specification for the module - it will help your appeal if the work differed in any way from what the official documentation states should have been done.

Also if you're a student rep contact your university quality team or your school/faculty quality administrator and ask if it is possible to get details of the full paperwork that accompanied the course/programme and module validation process.

It may be that this was raised as a concern during validation and wasn't addressed (and if it wasn't then you might find that there was no student representation on the programme validation panel or other similar oversight which would again give you more leverage)
If you are going to complain, then do it properly, so they take notice and take you seriously.
If you are going to be half hearted about it you will fail.
They will not want to make any adjustment for you because it means extra effort amd possibly admitting they were unfair.
Ypu should already be looking at the rules and have identified what you have to do.
Wow, usually people on here are just crying because an exam was hard. Your module sounds outright ridiculous and totally unfair to your group. There will be a formal complaints procedure and I suggest you take it as far as possible.
To be honest, I think it's likely the university won't do anything about it - if it's been going on this long I can't imagine no one has ever complained before... But I do agree with you that it seems incredibly unfair in terms of word count/time given/being there all day etc. I would go direct to your program head, if everyone else in your group is on board make sure that is clear, if you don't believe they will send emails themselves then get permission to CC them in on yours so it's clear everyone is unhappy. Talk to your SU as well as they should have advice for you. Also, think before you meet anyone what you actually want, do you want this to change for other students? a mark adjustment to reflect the fact you couldn't produce as high quality due to the circumstances (they may tell you this was already taken into account)?
Original post by Elivercury
Wow, usually people on here are just crying because an exam was hard. Your module sounds outright ridiculous and totally unfair to your group. There will be a formal complaints procedure and I suggest you take it as far as possible.


Personal Tutor has admitted same complaint has been made before, going to seek out documents from when the module began... Think it's a really old module though, some of the lecture slides for the module are like 'it is expected that by 2007...'

I think staff and even the module coordinator believe that the way the module is set up is sub-par. I think the parliament group used to get longer to submit at the end but that has all changed with students from other courses taking the module and changes in deadlines and other modules etc. But they do seem to be taking me seriously, which is good. I've been told that the guy is retiring as well and the module will no longer run after 2016/17. Not really sure if that will work for or against us
Original post by fortunaisland
Personal Tutor has admitted same complaint has been made before, going to seek out documents from when the module began... Think it's a really old module though, some of the lecture slides for the module are like 'it is expected that by 2007...'

I think staff and even the module coordinator believe that the way the module is set up is sub-par. I think the parliament group used to get longer to submit at the end but that has all changed with students from other courses taking the module and changes in deadlines and other modules etc. But they do seem to be taking me seriously, which is good. I've been told that the guy is retiring as well and the module will no longer run after 2016/17. Not really sure if that will work for or against us


Courses have to be validated every 5 years in some form - that should include checking that compulsory or core modules are appropriate and well designed. If a university isn't properly examining the content of their course modules through the validation process then their quality assurance systems aren't working (and you have the sort of complaint that is likely to get a lot of traction).
Original post by fortunaisland
Personal Tutor has admitted same complaint has been made before, going to seek out documents from when the module began... Think it's a really old module though, some of the lecture slides for the module are like 'it is expected that by 2007...'

I think staff and even the module coordinator believe that the way the module is set up is sub-par. I think the parliament group used to get longer to submit at the end but that has all changed with students from other courses taking the module and changes in deadlines and other modules etc. But they do seem to be taking me seriously, which is good. I've been told that the guy is retiring as well and the module will no longer run after 2016/17. Not really sure if that will work for or against us


If the sma ecomplaint has been made, then what did they do about it?
If the events were as you described, then my claim would have been in a long time ago. I'd have addressed the issue at the time without waiting for results.

Just make it an official complaint and get on with it.

I am wondering what they could do about it and would be a fair solution. I would think they would let you resubmit the work and be given the amount of time the other received.

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