Will you be affected by the university marking boycott?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29787147

The action starts on the 6th of November, over proposed changes to academics' pensions.

"It will halt any planned exams and stop students from receiving coursework, formal marks or feedback."

The BBC article says 69 universities will be impacted, but it doesn't say which ones. :holmes:

Here's the list:

Spoiler

(edited 9 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Mr CS

Fortunately, I won't, unless this action continues to the very end of the academic year which is unlikely.

Reply 2

EloiseStar

Original post by Puddles the Monkey

I would have thought I was affected but I was sent my exam timetable today with no mention of it so perhaps not!

Reply 3

Puddles the Monkey

Original post by Mr CS

Fortunately, I won't, unless this action continues to the very end of the academic year which is unlikely.

Are you a teacher? This isn't a NUT thing, is it....?

Reply 4

xoxAngel_Kxox

It would never have affected me, as my tutors rarely bothered to mark anything.

I hold a rather strong belief that they simply thought of a grade in their head, closed their eyes, pointed, and assigned the grade to the paper they landed on. And I'm not even joking about that.

Reply 5

Puddles the Monkey

Original post by EloiseStar

I would have thought I was affected but I was sent my exam timetable today with no mention of it so perhaps not!

What University are you at? :h:

The article is fairly vague but it says only 69 universities will be affected, so maybe you'll be okay. :smile:

Reply 6

Mr CS

Original post by Puddles the Monkey

Are you a teacher? This isn't a NUT thing, is it....?

I'm a trainee so my work is assessed at the end of the year and this is not anything to do with the NUT as far as I'm aware. I can only see this impacting students short term and will be more of a disadvantage to those who hand in academic work through the academic year as opposed to just at the end of it.

Reply 7

EloiseStar

Original post by Puddles the Monkey

What University are you at? :h:

The article is fairly vague but it says only 69 universities will be affected, so maybe you'll be okay. :smile:

Bangor

Reply 8

Puddles the Monkey

Original post by Mr CS

Ah, I understand. :smile:

I don't think many universities actually sit exams in November, do they....?

Reply 9

Puddles the Monkey

Original post by arson_fire

Not this again :angry:

Last year it was threatening to not mark exams and withhold grades so people couldn`t graduate because they didn`t get a big enough pay rise. It`s a dispute between unis and their employees that got nothing to do with students. Using us as pawns in their industrial dispute is just wrong.

I guess the idea is that by striking you're showing your employer that you have power and that they need to listen to you.

I suppose if what they do has that much importance and impact on students and the running of the university, then they need a salary and benefits which reflects that. :dontknow:

Reply 10

DErasmus

Itd be good if there was a list of universities so I knew which ones dont take my education seriously

Reply 11

Puddles the Monkey

Original post by DErasmus

Itd be good if there was a list of universities so I knew which ones dont take my education seriously

Found the list:

Spoiler

Reply 12

Mr CS

Original post by Puddles the Monkey

Ah, I understand. :smile:

I don't think many universities actually sit exams in November, do they....?

Some do internal tests which make up parts of modules although its usually a much smaller percentage of that module grade. Whilst that may only seem like a small problem in the grand scheme of things its the snowball effect and playing catch up that then causes problems. If this marking is delayed then there is a good chance other work will be delayed in a backlog.

Reply 13

Puddles the Monkey

Original post by EloiseStar

Bangor

Apparently Bangor is affected...

Reply 14

Puddles the Monkey

Original post by Mr CS

The boycott includes coursework also. I'm silly. :facepalm:

So yes, this could have a big impact couldn't it.

Reply 15

DErasmus

Original post by Puddles the Monkey

Found the list:

Spoiler

K given the reputation of those unis its probably serious enough.

Reply 16

EloiseStar

Original post by Puddles the Monkey

Apparently Bangor is affected...

Reply 17

Mr CS

Original post by DErasmus

K given the reputation of those unis its probably serious enough.

The issue is over pensions. The same method of pension calculation now applies for teachers. It used to be that you'd get your pension calculated based on your final salary. Now I believe its based on your average salary over your entire career. I know I'll be paying loads into mine from the off to boost it.

If Labour do get back into power then there is a chance that change could be scrapped however. A rather easy way to get a load of people back onside.

Reply 18

Pandora.

Oooh, interesting. It falls at a good time since this essay writing is going disastrously badly. :teeth:

Reply 19

Puddles the Monkey

Original post by arson_fire

I`ve no issue with them taking industrial action per se, it`s the cynical way they target students to try and get us involved in their disputes that annoys me. Last years action was deliberately planned to "encourage" students to put pressure on the universities to give them pay rises if they wanted to get their degree grades. This years action looks the same - if it goes ahead it`s students (who are not responsible for the dispute and have no control over lecturers terms and conditions) that will bear the brunt of the action not the employers. Some of the comments i`ve seen from academics this year and last justifying this are truly shocking, and show the contempt that many of the hard-liners have for their students.

I suppose the employers are affected by the impact on the students as they depend on student intake/perception of the university, although the students are immediately impacted. But yes, that is indeed a cynical enterprise if they are trying to get students involved directly. Do you have a copy of any of the comments? It would be good to read them.