Complaining about a University course.

bikertomm · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Karma :

Hi, at 20 years old and working full time (self-employed at the time)

I decided to take the plunge and get a qualification relevant to what I was doing at work.

This meant self-funding the course myself, and taking 1 day a week off unpaid. Fine, I'll do what I've got to do.

2 year course, £2200 a year.

So much has gone on I genuinely don't know where to start.

The basics is that I don't believe I'm getting the tuition I'm paying for.

Tl;dr complete utter shambles, couldn't organise a thing to save their own lives, paying lots of money for nothing, I am so far in now I just want my piece of paper and to never see the place again.

What do I do?

For example: *deep breath*

The lectures turn up late all the time. There is often no lesson plan and lots of babbling about no topic what-so-ever.

We will be told there is an assignment due, and have no details on what we need to do for the assignment until a week beforehand after constant chasing each week to hear 'We'll get that for you next week' (I even have a case of this on email with dates asking them to put an assignment up, which was never replied too..)

The thing is, the work is hard, the exams are hard, we simply don't get anything decent from them.

On a few occasions they have not turned up etc without telling us. Meaning we all get there for no reason. This is not acceptable in my opinion when they have an online database and can make one post and we all get emails.

We rarely get feedback on our work, on which they promise to give week on week. I kid you not I asked consecutively over 5 weeks and was told next week every time.

Last year the outrage was that they are stopping the engineering degree.

As when we signed up to do the course it was all 'Yes once you have done the HNC you can proceed onto the Beng etc' and then they basically reversed their decision 1 year on and said no, we are stopping all engineering courses after you have finished your HNC.

A letter was sent to the head signed by all HNC students, and nothing ever came from it.

So now in the second year to me it feels like the tutors don't give a shit about us, they know it's the last year and so do we.

What also happened was they combined classes. In the first year we had the tutors for our class of 20 people. Now there are 40-60 students in one room.

Today for example I've been in, have a planned lesson from 1-2pm, he turns up at 1.10pm, chats a load of shit and un-necessary nonsense, then we watch a youtube video that he admitted he had never seen before 'so didn't know if it was any good'

Then another youtube video. Then end of lesson at 1.50pm. It's quite simply a complete utter joke that they are charging me what they are.

The list honestly never ends. We then have a planned lesson at 3-4 for some other work. But one of the lectures was 'in a meeting' and so didn't turn up - meaning loads of our class are now late in doing a presentation.

The maths lesson is the only lesson we ever do any work, but the problem with this is we are not being taught.

He simply reads from a text book and covers the board in letters leaving a class of 40+ mind-fucked to the next century.

And recently just to top everything off we had some maths 'labs' to do, this involved a LOT of hard work. I must have spent well over 40 hours completing it. Out of the 60 students in the class 4 people's went missing. You guessed it. Mine did.

The good thing is he had actually marked the work before it was lost and so the mark has been logged. I got 92%, highest in the class..

The good thing is that I have logged a good amount in a diary of what happened on what week etc.

Basically, I could (and have) write about endless tales of how shit this course is being run. I feel like a mug, I am getting paid a 4 day wage in my new job because of it (fair) but also having to pay out lots of money for a course not worth the paper it's written on.

And such is life. But - I want to complain, and if possible avoid paying my last couple of payments - what's the best procedure for doing this? Another potential problem is that the course leader is one of our lectures, who ultimately mark our exams..

Has anyone here ever been in a similar situation?

NB- The course finishes in early June. I have 2 payments of £725 to pay which they are asking for now.
I also have no idea how I will pass the maths exam (and neither does anyone else in the class.)

Cheers, a very stressed bikertomm.
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pepperami · Super Spammer Joined: 17 Jan 2010 Karma :

As an assessor delivering Apprenticeships in the work place, I have a little bit of insight, possibly? maybe?
If you complain, not only send the letter to the Head-of-school or the Principle, but also make sure Ofsted get a copy.

Also who is the awarding body for your qualification? they may be interested if your college is not providing a fit and proper service or meeting the course criteria.

It dead easy to complain, but if you do, make sure of your facts before you present them Thumbs Up

As you are concerned about your maths : is there not Student Support at your college?
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mentalboy · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 May 2012 Karma :

Ever wonder how some of the monkeys walking around managed to get their degrees?
Or why how a nation once reputed for it's engineering prowess struggles to tie it's own shoelaces? Sad

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bikertomm · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Karma :

bikertomm · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Karma :

DrSnoosnoo · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Mar 2012 Karma :

Is this a Uni? A College? If it's a College I'd have thought it would have an exam board you could complain to, including OFSTED.
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pepperami · Super Spammer Joined: 17 Jan 2010 Karma :

bikertomm · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Karma :

Snoo, yes it's a Uni.

And pepperami, It's recognised in the fact that it's a HNC; the only thing I can find on the matter is that the Uni themselves are the awarding body!

I did find that they are on the list of 'accredited courses' by the IED though (Institution of engineers) - Not sure if this would mean anything?

EDIT: Might have found something : https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/25592.html

Will give them an email.

Cheers, Tom. Thumbs Up

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-Matt- · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Apr 2013 Karma :

Lord Percy · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Aug 2012 Karma :

If I was planning on taking it to full-blown complaint-attack level, I think I'd make a record of everything I was being provided with, and compare it with what they say they'll provide.

e.g. Since it's a contractual thing with paperwork, signatures and money being handed over, and since part of the agreement is probably, "You'll be kicked off if you don't hand in your work", I wonder what their half of the bargain is regarding the loss of your massive lab assignment? Maybe it's a breach, maybe you can wrangle a discount on your fees?

Either way, it sounds pretty awful. Is it possible to name and shame on here?

Kris · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

Not suprising. Our college (HNC Engineering too as it happens) back in 2001 was a 50/50 split between decent tutors and proper chancers / supply tutors covering stress leave.

Also have witnessed similar stories of lecturers not showing up, disinterested staff, lost work and no student support from a South East London university. That was a teaching degree FFS! Shocked

This country is so fucked. Can you get a refund?
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Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

What university is it?

For £1,100 a year and one day a week of tuition I really wouldn't have high expectation for the uni or for the value of the degree.

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

bikertomm · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Karma :

Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

G'wan, what uni is it?

bikertomm · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Karma :

Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

It's nothing like that, what uni it is plays a very large part in what you should realistically expect from them. I mean, there's a huge difference between a red brick uni and a uni that used to be a polytechnic college.

Mark65 · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 May 2008 Karma :

Hi
I did my HNC at Wigan College, the certificates were issued by Edexel at the time, mine was a shitload of coursework over the two years, but my tutors were excellent and would always find time to help when I had problems. I think its down to the attitude of your tutors.
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pepperami · Super Spammer Joined: 17 Jan 2010 Karma :

Bikertomm : one thing you need to remember : It`s your qualification and the onus is on you to meet the criteria.

What I mean is that although you feel that you are not getting the support/tuition you think you deserve, you can still make progress by being pro-active and doing the research for yourself.
After all you will be the one with a certificate in your hand in the end Thumbs Up

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bikertomm · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Karma :

pepperami · Super Spammer Joined: 17 Jan 2010 Karma :

b422063 · Crazy Courier Joined: 14 Oct 2014 Karma :

If you think of Universities as companies rather than places of education you'll not go far wrong. Once they have your money, they don't really give a shit any more. Look how impressive open days are and look how the reality doesn't live up to what's promised.

Pay your fees, turn up to lessons, walk out with your qualification paid in full.