Admitted via alternative route for Masters. inadequate support. Advice please
I was accepted via an alternative route onto a distance-learning Masters programme in Domestic Violence. I received an unconditional offer in early November, around a month after the rest of the cohort had started.
I have no prior academic background (beyond GCSEs many years ago) and have a chronic physical disability affecting muscle strength, fatigue and chronic pain. The university was aware of both when offering me a place. At interview, I was explicitly asked about my weaknesses and stated that these were lack of academic skills and my health, and that I would seek support early, engage with disability services, apply for DSA, and use the study-skills and library support the university advertised.
I applied for DSA immediately. It was approved, but delivery has been very slow and key recommendations are still outstanding months later. It has been very challenging to make attempts study safely – tutors and disability office all aware.
I began the course late with access only to the VLE, which I had never used before and had no guidance on. Teaching is almost entirely self-directed, reading large volumes of material and producing essays, reports and reflective pieces. There has been only one live lecture, the rest have been Q&A sessions with no recordings. Slides and materials are not provided in advance.
I quickly discovered that,
the university has one academic study-skills tutor for the whole institution. Students are limited to three 45-minute sessions per term.
Library support for referencing and citations is also limited and largely assumes prior knowledge.
I had never done academic referencing, citations, paraphrasing, or critical academic writing before.
To avoid delays, I purchased text-to-speech software myself, only to find it did not work with the VLE. After weeks of chasing disability and IT support, I was told to “make do” with basic read-aloud tools and wait for DSA.
Disability support has been extremely limited. After escalation, I was referred to an external provider who supplied dictation software incompatible with my laptop (no checks were done) and a study-support tutor who, after two sessions, stated she could not help me and abruptly ended the call.
I was then told that because I do not have a learning difficulty, DSA cannot fund academic skills support beyond very basic organisational help.
In mid-December, I was unexpectedly offered weekly sessions with the university’s only academic study-skills tutor. I had two sessions before Christmas. He returned mid-January and is now leaving in three weeks. The university has confirmed the post will not be replaced due to cost-cutting. He has been clear that, academic writing, referencing and critical skills cannot realistically be learned in a few short sessions. Further, that referencing is expected to be covered by group library sessions, which assume prior knowledge.
Accessible formats of reading materials were only provided the week of Christmas, despite a 3500-word essay and reports being due four weeks later.
My personal tutor has very limited availability (20 minutes once a week, supporting multiple students). She has offered pastoral check-ins and to look at outlines once I have something drafted, but I do not yet know how to produce academic work at the required level.
As a result, I have effectively missed Module One. I repeatedly requested individual reasonable adjustments / alternative provision and was only granted standard extensions. In January, I was given a further two weeks, but shortly afterwards required unexpected surgery and experienced a medical emergency requiring breathing support. Despite this, I have been offered only standard extensions for subsequent modules.
I am now being told I will need to defer Module One to the summer while continuing with later modules, but I still do not know what the assessments for Module Three are, despite asking several times. These questions have not been answered.
I have asked to pause both the decision on withdrawal and the next tuition fee instalment (due imminently) while I recover and await clear answers.
At this point, I am questioning whether I was realistically set up to succeed. The course appears to assume a level of academic literacy and independence that I simply do not have yet, and the promised support has not materialised in practice.
My questions are:
I am proud and grateful to have been offered this opportunity and genuinely wanted to do this degree, particularly at this stage of my life. However, the stress and pressure are significantly impacting my health and I am trying to make a realistic decision rather than persist in an unsustainable situation.
Any informed guidance would be greatly appreciated.
I have no prior academic background (beyond GCSEs many years ago) and have a chronic physical disability affecting muscle strength, fatigue and chronic pain. The university was aware of both when offering me a place. At interview, I was explicitly asked about my weaknesses and stated that these were lack of academic skills and my health, and that I would seek support early, engage with disability services, apply for DSA, and use the study-skills and library support the university advertised.
I applied for DSA immediately. It was approved, but delivery has been very slow and key recommendations are still outstanding months later. It has been very challenging to make attempts study safely – tutors and disability office all aware.
I began the course late with access only to the VLE, which I had never used before and had no guidance on. Teaching is almost entirely self-directed, reading large volumes of material and producing essays, reports and reflective pieces. There has been only one live lecture, the rest have been Q&A sessions with no recordings. Slides and materials are not provided in advance.
I quickly discovered that,
the university has one academic study-skills tutor for the whole institution. Students are limited to three 45-minute sessions per term.
Library support for referencing and citations is also limited and largely assumes prior knowledge.
I had never done academic referencing, citations, paraphrasing, or critical academic writing before.
To avoid delays, I purchased text-to-speech software myself, only to find it did not work with the VLE. After weeks of chasing disability and IT support, I was told to “make do” with basic read-aloud tools and wait for DSA.
Disability support has been extremely limited. After escalation, I was referred to an external provider who supplied dictation software incompatible with my laptop (no checks were done) and a study-support tutor who, after two sessions, stated she could not help me and abruptly ended the call.
I was then told that because I do not have a learning difficulty, DSA cannot fund academic skills support beyond very basic organisational help.
In mid-December, I was unexpectedly offered weekly sessions with the university’s only academic study-skills tutor. I had two sessions before Christmas. He returned mid-January and is now leaving in three weeks. The university has confirmed the post will not be replaced due to cost-cutting. He has been clear that, academic writing, referencing and critical skills cannot realistically be learned in a few short sessions. Further, that referencing is expected to be covered by group library sessions, which assume prior knowledge.
Accessible formats of reading materials were only provided the week of Christmas, despite a 3500-word essay and reports being due four weeks later.
My personal tutor has very limited availability (20 minutes once a week, supporting multiple students). She has offered pastoral check-ins and to look at outlines once I have something drafted, but I do not yet know how to produce academic work at the required level.
As a result, I have effectively missed Module One. I repeatedly requested individual reasonable adjustments / alternative provision and was only granted standard extensions. In January, I was given a further two weeks, but shortly afterwards required unexpected surgery and experienced a medical emergency requiring breathing support. Despite this, I have been offered only standard extensions for subsequent modules.
I am now being told I will need to defer Module One to the summer while continuing with later modules, but I still do not know what the assessments for Module Three are, despite asking several times. These questions have not been answered.
I have asked to pause both the decision on withdrawal and the next tuition fee instalment (due imminently) while I recover and await clear answers.
At this point, I am questioning whether I was realistically set up to succeed. The course appears to assume a level of academic literacy and independence that I simply do not have yet, and the promised support has not materialised in practice.
My questions are:
1.
Is it realistic to continue a Masters programme without prior academic background if meaningful academic-skills support is not provided?
2.
Would finding an external academic tutor (several hours a week online) make it realistic to continue now, or is that too late at this stage?
3.
Would it be more sensible to defer for a year, focus on building academic skills properly, and return with a stronger foundation?
4.
Has anyone successfully navigated a similar situation via an alternative route, and if so, how?
I am proud and grateful to have been offered this opportunity and genuinely wanted to do this degree, particularly at this stage of my life. However, the stress and pressure are significantly impacting my health and I am trying to make a realistic decision rather than persist in an unsustainable situation.
Any informed guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Reply 1
Who did your needs assessment? What’s holding up your support?
Reply 2
Original post
by Lumiere36Who did your needs assessment? What’s holding up your support?
Capita / remtek. I don’t know why it’s such a lengthy process.
I have submitted dsa2.
Reply 3
Disabilities aside, jumping straight into masters level study when your highest education level is GCSEs is extremely ambitious and was always going to be very difficult indeed. Education is a ladder, each level builds on the skills built in the one before. Therefore, skipping single steps is hard enough, skipping multiple is nigh on impossible. It sounds like you've bitten off more than you can chew as well as the support being inadequate. Masters level study is much more self-led, as you move through the levels of education, you become more of an independent learner. This happens gradually if you move through the steps but obviously it's a shock to the system and feels like abandonment if you are going from the fully supported 'spoon fed' experience of GCSE where you are given all of the information required, to being given the basics in a seminar and expected to go away and read/figure out for yourself/think critically about what is being presented and present your own evidence-based perspective.
To be honest, I would defer your Masters and suggest doing a foundation level course, like the level 1 Open University courses (equivalent to Yr1 of a degree but lots of overlap with A-level content). They are at a much gentler pace and will give you the opportunity to learn critical skills, academic writing, referencing and all those other skills you need, but in context, rather than an abstract 'library skills' type course. It'll fill in one of the missing 'ladder steps' and hopefully help to send you on your way. Go for something in your subject area so you can link it up and you'll have a standalone module you can talk about in applications / personal statements too, if you decide to change route. Or if you really like it, you can build on it and continue with a BSc/BA by adding other modules.
To be honest, I would defer your Masters and suggest doing a foundation level course, like the level 1 Open University courses (equivalent to Yr1 of a degree but lots of overlap with A-level content). They are at a much gentler pace and will give you the opportunity to learn critical skills, academic writing, referencing and all those other skills you need, but in context, rather than an abstract 'library skills' type course. It'll fill in one of the missing 'ladder steps' and hopefully help to send you on your way. Go for something in your subject area so you can link it up and you'll have a standalone module you can talk about in applications / personal statements too, if you decide to change route. Or if you really like it, you can build on it and continue with a BSc/BA by adding other modules.
(edited 1 month ago)
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