COVID-19 and support for Postgraduate Students

3

Hi, I was just wondering if any other postgrad students, particularly taught masters students, feel they have been completely abandoned by their university and seem to be receiving no support? My university's (Keele) support that they've given to postgrads is:

"PGT students should continue to engage with their studies where possible in order to complete on time. However, if you feel that the impact on your studies has been such that you cannot complete to the best of your ability, you will be offered an extension of either 3, 6, 9 or 12 months depending on your circumstances to complete your assessments"

However, it has now become apparent that this extension isn't actually applicable to me and I cannot defer any of my assessments.
All undergraduate students have been put on a 'no detriment'/'safety net' policy whereby, 1st years have automatically been passed; 2nd and 3rd years have been guaranteed that any assignments or exams they now complete will be at least an average of their marks they've already achieved so far. However, no such thing has been applied to the postgrad's and we're just told to carry on as normal - something which is very difficult to do during all of this.

SO yeah, basically does anyone else feel they've not been supported by their university and are worrying that due to the stresses of all of this, their grades and consequently their degree classification is going to be adversely affected? and if so, does anyone know how we go about doing something about this?

Reply 1

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

20

Original post

by tashaprangnell96

Hi, I was just wondering if any other postgrad students, particularly taught masters students, feel they have been completely abandoned by their university and seem to be receiving no support? My university's (Keele) support that they've given to postgrads is:

"PGT students should continue to engage with their studies where possible in order to complete on time. However, if you feel that the impact on your studies has been such that you cannot complete to the best of your ability, you will be offered an extension of either 3, 6, 9 or 12 months depending on your circumstances to complete your assessments"

However, it has now become apparent that this extension isn't actually applicable to me and I cannot defer any of my assessments.
All undergraduate students have been put on a 'no detriment'/'safety net' policy whereby, 1st years have automatically been passed; 2nd and 3rd years have been guaranteed that any assignments or exams they now complete will be at least an average of their marks they've already achieved so far. However, no such thing has been applied to the postgrad's and we're just told to carry on as normal - something which is very difficult to do during all of this.

SO yeah, basically does anyone else feel they've not been supported by their university and are worrying that due to the stresses of all of this, their grades and consequently their degree classification is going to be adversely affected? and if so, does anyone know how we go about doing something about this?

Nope, mine's been fine. You can't get a reasonable 'no detriment' at this point in a 1 year Masters, as the dissertation/exams are likely to be a substantial part of the final grading. You shouldn't really be getting a 'no detriment' until you are about 80% of the way through the grading, or you are just devaluing the whole degree.

We can ask for an extension and it's pretty clear they are going to be lenient and less searching about giving them. But many Masters students will need to keep to the original timeline in order to take up PhD and work offers, they need t keep the deadlines the same. So it's only fair the original deadline remains and you only ask for an extension if you need one.

We've got endless ways to get help online. This thing is genuinely tough for some people, knocking off a few essays and exams for a Masters degree isn't really up there.

Reply 2

Keele University

13

Original post

by tashaprangnell96

Hi, I was just wondering if any other postgrad students, particularly taught masters students, feel they have been completely abandoned by their university and seem to be receiving no support? My university's (Keele) support that they've given to postgrads is:

"PGT students should continue to engage with their studies where possible in order to complete on time. However, if you feel that the impact on your studies has been such that you cannot complete to the best of your ability, you will be offered an extension of either 3, 6, 9 or 12 months depending on your circumstances to complete your assessments"

However, it has now become apparent that this extension isn't actually applicable to me and I cannot defer any of my assessments.
All undergraduate students have been put on a 'no detriment'/'safety net' policy whereby, 1st years have automatically been passed; 2nd and 3rd years have been guaranteed that any assignments or exams they now complete will be at least an average of their marks they've already achieved so far. However, no such thing has been applied to the postgrad's and we're just told to carry on as normal - something which is very difficult to do during all of this.

SO yeah, basically does anyone else feel they've not been supported by their university and are worrying that due to the stresses of all of this, their grades and consequently their degree classification is going to be adversely affected? and if so, does anyone know how we go about doing something about this?

I'm sorry that you feel unsupported @tashaprangnell96. I'm in the first year of my PhD at Keele but I remember how many assignments I had due in around this time last year (when I was also doing a taught masters) so I can appreciate that the situation must be very stressful for you.

Whilst I can only speak as a fellow student, here's a couple of things I would recommend doing if you haven't already done so.

The first is to speak with your supervisor or personal tutor - be honest with how the current situation is impacting your ability to study, and your concerns about how this might affect your degree. Whilst there is general guidance in place, my understanding is that the university does recognise that everyone's circumstances are individual and that an element of case-by-case consideration may be required.

Secondly, please do get in contact with the KPA. Katie, the KPA President, is seeking input from PGT and PGR students in order that she can raise any issues arising as a result of C-19 with the relevant members of university management. The KPA can also help signpost you to other university services that might be helpful at the moment. You can find the KPA's contact details on their website at https://www.kpa.org.uk/.

Finally, please do consider taking advantage of the KPA (and SU) activities if you are able to. The KPA is running a virtual coffee morning every Thursday from 10am - 11am via Google Hangouts to provide a space where you can talk, share worries and concerns, and get help and support from other PG students. I've certainly found it to be really helpful in combating the feeling of isolation - just talking to other Keele students who are experiencing the same anxieties really helps. Links to the coffee morning always go up in the Keele Postgraduate Student Life page on Facebook. If you're not on Facebook, just drop an email to the KPA and they can send you a link to be added to the Hangout. And if you're not comfortable on video chat (like me!), it's absolutely okay to join with just your microphone or in text chat.

Amy :smile:

COVID-19 and support for Postgraduate Students

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